Discuss the various aspects of direct to garment printing. DTG printers include Brother, T-Jet, Flexi-Jet, DTG Kiosk, Kornit, Mimaki, Tex-Jet and others! Discuss and learn about this up and coming printing technology.
Hi, i am interested in a garment printer and I am not sure if I should go with one that will only print on light shirts or one that will do both light and dark shirts. I do silk screening now and have some customers that require dark shirts but I am not sure if I should spend the extra money just for that feature. Also if I could get some recommendations on which printers are better. Heard about some problems with T-Jet and heads clogging and replacement costs of $900 a head to replace. Any info would be appreciated... Thanks
It is my opinion that the white ink technology is just not where it needs to be unless you are looking at the Kornit machines - which are in a price range of their own. Several people have been successful selling dark dtg prints with a dtg printer (i.e. Fast T-Jet, Flexi Jet, DTG,...). If you are a screen printer and have the same expectation of white ink, you will not be happy.
Thanks, I am planning on going to ISS Atlantic City and doing more research. I have had some good reports on the Brother Gt541 that it is great and fairly inexpensive to operate. I am thinking maybe going in the direction of printing on light garments untill the ink technology catches up.
Welcome to the forums....Mark has covered a good bit on DTG printers. I however, still believe in "screen printing" for dark garments. But hey...I'm a die-hard pastisol monkey. Good luck in your search.
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I own a Brother and love it
Can't do darks but I have screen printing for that right now.
The Brother is fast and reliable. Just my opinion
We have done many washes in hot and warm and they still look like they did the day we printed them (no joke)
Even if you choose to get a printer that is not white-ready, you can still go with plastisol transfers for the dark garments. Granted, you have a certain minimum quanties and have other factors to consider (timeframe, shipping costs)...but, you can still get the job done even if you don't already do screen printing. There are a lot of good dtg machines out in the market. Just find a company that you are comfortable with on support / service.
I agree with mark on all these things. It is very important that you feel good about whatever direction you go. who you will deal with will make a big difference in your purchase and operational experience.
The white ink is just not ready for prime time today. That of course could change next month. i feel having the software and hardware for implementing the coming technology is an advantage in the long run. As martin mentioned the brother is a very good machine but is not expandable or ready for white ink, if and when they come up with it there will be another machine to purchase. It is also at the high end of the pricepoint, but is a solid workhorse of a machine. It does have weaknesses just like all machines in the marketplace. In my opinion the bad wrap it has taken for high ink prices is irrelevent in the big picture. Ink is not your highest cost factor in the long run.
All that to say, do you you homework, talk to distributors and go with who you feel the most comfortable with. Find people that are really interested in your business and not just box peddlers. A good distributor will help give you insight into the industry and keep you abreast of trends, info and marketing opportunities. making a great relationship there will always give you a positive resource as you grow your business.
Thanks for the help... I will try to do as much homework as I can. But one more quick question... My primary reason for wanting to print on darks... is I will be printing white on navy t's and sweats with some light blue or red in the design... Is it even worth the time and expense on investing in a printer that will print on darks.... thanks
If you are only looking at 2-3 color prints I would suggest that you start with the plastisol transfers and see what your quantities are after a few months and then do the math. Direct to garment tends to best serve a multicolor image better and that is where you will see more benefit cost wise, not on 2-3 color printing.
the heads for the t-jet are like $200 something not 900 and the clogging is not as common now that they have the new bulk ink system. I would agree with tom on the transfers, if you can get away with having a machine for just light shirts you should do it.
Chris is right, 200 - 300 for the 2200 model heads. If you are going to be looking at a T-Jet I would also suggest not purchasing a 2 model. They are going to be out of them very soon and it is my understanding that there are no more since they do not have a relationship with mastermind, the japanese manufacturer any longer. I am not cutting the people down there but the longer that product is out of their sites the less service and ongoing r & d to solve issues will take place. The 3 model is a little more but it is current technology, not 6 year old tech.
Whatever way you go make sure you are confident in what you are doing. In my opinion frame of mind when making a purchase will effect how you deal with problems and issues that come up with ANY machine on the market.
just my opinion so take it for what you paid for it.
Tom is right, last time I went to the site it said they were out. Like the tjet3 but I have not seen it run yet, that will change at iss atlantic city.
I will be in AC also. I will definatly be looking at the t jet 3 than and probably the flexi jet. The flexi jet from what i have read on this forum seems to be pretty positive. I know everything has pro's and con's but it seems to be liked. I understand flexi is also coming out with a new model which should be interesting also. I will look at the Kornit, probably breifly, because of the price but i would like to see how big of a difference it makes... Hope to see everyone in AC
I am planning on being at ac myself so if you need some support or info or just opinion don't hesitate to ask. You can email me with and for contact info if you like.
Tom is right, last time I went to the site it said they were out. Like the tjet3 but I have not seen it run yet, that will change at iss atlantic city.
I've seen the T3, it seems to be just slightly faster than the T2 but is about $3k more. The new loading tray seems to be a bit easier to work with though. However, it is based on the R1800 Epson. As far as the discontinuation of the standard model T & T2, there are over 3000 of them out there. Unless Epson is planning to phase out the 2200 model, I wouldn' worry. However, you may want to do a bit of research on other machines out there too before making your decision. Have fun!
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choosing a garment printer 
