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, this is a critical question for Don from sfw east: why the hm1 doesn't operate properly over 77f degrees temperature? is it because of the problematic white ink? if the white ink is the cause then the new kind of white ink that is supposed to be ready in a few time will solve this problem? i ask because in greece temperature is over 77F from may to middle september.
it would be very kind of you to answer.
i also have another question: if i won't use my hm1 for more than 3 weeks then is it right to empty the lines from ink and fill them with cleaning solution? 2 experts working in the local dtg agent had different opinions but we finally did fill the lines and the hm1 is there waiting for temperature to reach lower than 77F.
go on Don, help me out!
ilias
I dont have an HM1 nor do I have the amount of knowledge as Don when it comes to DTG but I do know that the white ink used in the HM1 will work at 77F and above.
good luck and I hope the temp drops soon.
well DTG uses the same dupont white that the T-Jet uses and I have printed with white at above that temp. the only real concern at temps above that is the humidity which can dramatically effect your machine.
yes titanium oxide is in all dupont white and has an operating temperature between 68°F and 85° F (20°C and 29°C), and a relative humidity between 40% to 80% (noncondensing)
Thanks for jumping in Csquared - I cannot speak for why the local distributor for the HM-1 in Greece would be telling you that you cannot operate the machine in temperatures over 77'. SWF East is in Florida and we have daytime temperatures above 77' 85% of the time, right now our daytime temperatures are averaging over 90'. The ideal conditions would be mid 70's and humidity around 50%, but by no means will the machine not work outside of these conditions.
If the temperature you mentioned were the max operating temperature of the HM-1 - then the T-Jet, Flexi, Anajet and all the other Epson based machines would be in the same boat as they use similar print engines and similar inksets. I would suggest that you run your machine in a climate controlled environment as much as possible as they tempuratures and humidity will be closer to the ideal - but that doesn't mean that outside of these conditions will keep the machine from functioning, you may just need to be more diligent about your maintenance.
hi Don, thanks for answering! i need some encouragement you know...well the local expert doesn't seem to know a lot about hm1. and you should also know that i like this machine that's why i worry a lot about the conditions, ink etc. what about the cleaning solution in the lines? it is in there for about 2 weeks now.
let me know please
Cleaning solution left in your lines is not a bad way to store the machine. We store our training machine at one of our remote locations this way - often for 2-3 weeks at a time. I would suggest that you run the machine regularly however as this will help you to be prepared for operation once the business picks up.
A side note here - if you are not going to run the machine for a week or so - you may find it cheaper (and easier) to simply leave the machine turned on and let it do its regular head cleanings. There is a fair amount of ink waste in flushing and refilling the ink lines, potentially more than would be used by letting the machine run the head cleanings.
you are a gentleman! now this final question: i might print only 3-5 t-shirts per day as i am a beginner. would this cause early clogging? hm1 seems to have been produced for heavier work load. obviously perfect routine maintenance. danger?
Simply put, the HM-1 is a production machine, there are fixed expenses with running the machine every day - whether you print shirts or not. I would recommend that you take the "slow days" to practice your printing methods, learn more about the machine and perfect your white ink printing. If you are only printing 3-5 shirts per day - it will take a long time to pay off your machine.
Don't be angry with the equipment because you do not have enough business to keep the machine busy. I would suggest an aggressive marking push to get the word out about the new process you are selling. I know this sounds harsh, but it is a reality. Purchasing a piece of equipment that can produce awesome output (I don't care what the machine is!) does not guarantee you success in business, if you don't sell the output, it doesn't matter how awesome it is.
I encourage everyone who is looking at getting into direct to garment printing to take the time to evaluate their business plan for this product. You need to determine that you can generate enough work to justify your equipment purchase and also commit enough time, once you have the machine, to learning how to use it. I'm sure the successful users on this forum will agree that they spent a good amount of time learning the process and wasted some ink and garments along the way.
I wish you the best in your venture - Happy Printing!
i certainly have a business expanding plan. i also have enough designs to print and i am not angry with the equipment because i don't have enough business to keep the machine busy. the first days i kept it busy for good and i made some very succesful printings using my vision; not following the instructions i got cause they were not all correct. generally i can understand/feel how machines work. anyway on the manual clearly refers to an operation limit of 77F. tomorrow i will give the hm1 another chance. i hope not to get clogging as a bonus to my efforts again.
i will let you know in about a week how it went.
best regards
ilias
not following the instructions i got cause they were not all correct. - ilias
Hi there ilias, your HM1 would have come with a user manual on a CD as well as a manual for the RIP.I would be interested to find out what information in either of these was "not correct".
Hang in there, the HM1 is a great product once you get the hang of it
Right on Don, there is an element of work and comitment involved here that is needed for great prints ! I have seen some fantastic results from DTG users who have put in the effort. It's not easy mastering white ink, but once you have it's extremely effective.
yesterday dimitris from the local dtg dealer was in my shop for about 6 hours!!! he explained everything and we did some wonderful printings even on black tees. on black tees we printed 1440x1440 for both white and colour layers, one pass each. well, i am very much satisfied. thank you dimitri! i hope i won't face problem with washing. hm1 works very well, must be the best equipment of it's kind around. today i am happy to have purchaced it! strong, fast, effective machine! now i need cheap ink. how much is the cost of 1lt white in UK? what about cmyk prices?
a critical question about temperature 
