As visions of sugarplum fairies danced in their heads......
OR, how to buy a Direct To Garment printer.
Ah yes, it appears that this is the time of year that people involved in this industry get very excited and twitter about.
And with good reason I assume, as this is the time of year for new releases in the world of garment decoration.
Kind of like Christmas, only before Halloween, (can anyone say Home Depot?)
Having bought my machine after the New Year (the real one) at the Long Beach show, and not having been a part of the “scene” even a full year.
I would like to make some observations that will make this time of year more like “Christmas” than a “Scary Halloween”.
Make sure you do
full research on the product that has caught your eye.
When I made my decision, I had read
every post in each machines sub-forum, on the “university”
Then having narrowed it down to (2) two machines.
I went and
reread every post for those two machines. It still was not enough information, as I would later find out.
Take note of what is posted, and “how” and “by whom” it is posted in the forums.
Your first instincts are usually correct.
I, of course was naive and fooled myself into thinking everyone was just a big o’ bunch of friends, effectively ignoring the warning signs that would later affect my purchase, and my life after it.
I realized later that I had deluded myself because I had “
DTG Fever” !
Watch out for “Smoke and Mirrors”! I ignored this warning at my own peril.
A motorized head or platen moving back and forth with a printed item laying beneath it is not proof of a printer.
What you have witnessed is
NOTHING!
If you can’t actually see it print, you don’t know the important things!
How long will it take to print?
What do the colors look like, do they
pop off of the garment.
Does it match the artwork/photograph, or has there been a color shift?
Are they willing to print from artwork or a photograph from a file, that you have brought with you?
Even then, you will still be missing some important information.
What was done to the artwork/photograph to make it ready to print?
How long did that process take?
How long did it take for the finished artwork to go from the computer, through the RIP (if there is one) to the printer?
What was done to prepare the garment, and how long does that take?
Was it pressed, or snapped, how long did that take?
How was the garment processed after printing?
Tunnel dried, or pressed?
For how long? At what temperature? How much pressure?
Realistically how many garments can you expect to process an hour?
At what image size?
How much ink will be used? White ink used? What will the cost per print be?
Do you need to buy any other equipment?
Remember,
NOW is when you want your questions answered, not later!
If you are looking for a machine to print “white” on dark colored garments.
At this time this will increase your chances of unhappiness, multifold.
Because the artwork/photograph is manipulated differently.
And the pretreatment process is more of an “art” than a science or a process.
Don’t forget to ask which garment blanks work best with a printer/ink/pretreat combination.
Also how will you protect your machine from clogged lines, dampers, head?
How much will it cost you in ink to clear the clog?
How much are replacement parts? Is there an emergency kit of common parts available?
Ink is akin to gasoline, all brands work, but only one flavor works best in your machine.
Make sure the
sample you take home was the one that was printed out in front of you!
This should be even easier this year with all the pretreatment machines about to spring on the market (they should be operating “live” as well, otherwise, beware).
You don’t want the shirt to fail the wash test at home only hear the excuse
“My techs at the shop didn’t know what they were doing”,
or
“We just used some old shirts out of the back, yours will look better”.
Trust me, if these distributors give you something that doesn’t exude quality, either they don’t care about the line they are selling, or it’s the best they can produce!
(
Trust me they will play on your pride, and tell you yours will turn out better.)
Ask who makes the inks? How are they shipped, stored, filtered?
How many Microns are the filters that are used? 20 Microns, 2 Microns, a coffee filter?
What are the manufactures recommendations for the storage of said inks?
What assurances do you have, that they are being followed?
Where can you get a copy of the manufactures recommendations?
From the manufacture? If not, why not?
Watch out for relabeled inks, know what you are getting.
The distributor should have no problem telling you who it came from.
And while there are different formulations of ink from the same manufacture.
The process for storage and shipping should be the same.
Also beware of “
retired” inks.
There are ink sets on the market, that have no future beyond what stock is sitting on the shelves.
You need to make sure the machine you want, is using an ink set that will still be produced in the future.
All things I wrote about above will be affected, if you end up using a different set of inks down the road.
Samples, washability, durability, color, and reaction with pretreatments will all change.
Ask if the machine, or the software, has been profiled for the inks you will be using.
Only believe what's in the sales literature!
Whatever a salesman tells you, or in some cases (but not all) the manufacture, take with a grain of salt. Believe what's in writing!
If they refuse to put it in writing
for any reason, run the other way!
I would not bet on them being any more friendly, or respectable, after they have all your money.
If they have confidence in the machine that they sell, and know they cannot be sued for the information they are giving you (because it’s correct).
Then they should be happy to put it in writing.
If not caveat emptor!
Tech support is where you call someone at the distributor/manufacture level, and get technical help over the phone, or they send someone in person to help you.
Tech Support is
NOT a call from another customer who has also purchased the printer!
Tech Support is
NOT a visit from another customer who has also purchased the printer! Does this person have any certifications?
Tech support DOES NOT exist on some, hidden from public eyes, forum for owners only!
This is called a users forum, and the only people you will consistently find to help you, will be very nice people, but stuck in the same boat you now are!
It’s like the blind leading the blind, it can be more fun, until you think of all the money you just spent to be somebody's
beta tester!
You will find a few savant’s in the group, and you will cling to them desperately, using them for all their knowledge, and you will be thankful.
But is this really the support you deserve after an investment of
10 grand or more? (
Or as some have reported, having their online posts removed?)
Also where you live, and when you print is important.
If tech support is only available 9-5, Eastern time zone.
It won’t help you if you print after YOUR home from
your 9-5, on the left coast.
Even more important, if you are in another country.
Watch those warranties folks! Big issue!
You should have no problem getting a copy of the warranty
BEFORE you purchase the machine (with the sales literature).
If not, this should be another
RED FLAG, what do they want to hide?
Well you won’t know until you read a copy of the warranty.
Remember, no down payment, until you have had sufficient time to inspect the warranty.
Also if there is a warranty claim, will someone come to you? Or will you have to ship the machine back for repair? Who pays shipping, one way, both ways?
Will you be asked to work on it yourself, and at what point does your tinkering inside the machine void the warranty?
And watch out for the
CHANGING WARRANTY scheme!
Ask how many times they have
“revised” their warranty in the last year, too many
“revisions” will reflect problems behind the scenes.
Remember, the warranty in your hand when you put down the deposit, is the warranty in effect for
YOUR machine! No matter how long it takes to be delivered.
Anything else is unacceptable, and/or if you cannot understand your warranty, consult your attorney!
To protect yourself even further, pay for your purchase with a major credit card!
Is there a manual?
Can you purchase a copy, before you buy the machine?
With most other large purchases you will make in your lifetime you can, so why not this item?
Don’t you want to know what you are getting into?
If you cannot purchase a copy of the manual, or the price seems prohibitively high,
WALK!
If they offer you a copy at a later date, then you can reconsider.
Up to this point, ALL the manuals I have received were on CD and were FREE!
Remember, this is just as important as the warranty information I’ve stated above!
Any salesman, or for that matter
ANYONE associated with a distributor/manufacture, that feels they need to get angry with a customer (or potential customer) should be avoided!
Should they degrade anyone, to include refusing to sell, yelling, screaming, or physically touching someone inappropriately, they should obviously be avoided, as it’s not going to get any better in the future.
In fact, unwanted physical contact is
ASSAULT, at which point I would whip out my cell phone and dial 911 right then and there. (yes it’s happened before, so don’t be surprised)
Other things to be aware of. It is possible to get a great machine, with bad support. It all depends on the contract between the manufacture and the distributor.
There is however an emerging market for independent tech support and repair.
Just like your favorite mechanic for your automobile, there may be someone
else you can trust your printer to.
And finally, a word on computer operating systems.
If someone tells you their machine, or software, is Vista or Macintosh compatible.
They better have a machine up and running at the show, that you can print from!
Remember, seeing is believing, and your from Missouri (the Show Me state)!
Compatibility means
your computer will acknowledge the software, then Plug and Play,
NOT using another computer box as a print server!
Am I the only one that feels this industry has been ensconced in the stone age, by not being software literate with Macintosh operating systems back to about, oh, 1997 or so?
Creative Professionals use Macintosh. If they tell you otherwise, they are lying, move on to the next booth!
I hope this has been informative. All questions should be answered for you in a professional manner at these shows.
A lot of money has been spent by both sales, and the buyer, just to show up.
So you should expect the distributors/manufactures to bring their
BEST game.
If
TODAY they’re not prepared, then
WHEN?
Feel free to print out copies of this and take them with you to the shows as you inspect each machine.
Remember the asking price reflects much more than steel and plastic.
You are also buying a warranty, a manual, and tech support for a agreed upon period of time.
Doubt anyone who tells you otherwise.
The industry is still in it’s infancy. You will be told
“We’ve never done this before!”.
If you demand the answers to the questions above:
Those with your best interests in mind, will deliver the answers you need.
Those with their own interests in mind, will deliver only excuses....
Owners of printers, feel free to add anything I may have missed, which will help a prospective buyer to fulfill their dreams!
Don
how to buy a direct to garment printer or "as visions of sugarplums danced in their head" 
