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nromano1212 · August 26th, 2008

Hey, I was just wondering....I am planning on getting one of these in the future but I do a lot of standard tee shirts with just a saying on the front. Most are one color sometimes two. It seems like it would be a lot easier to print these out with a DTG printer, especially because I usually get asked for a one off shirt by someone. It also seems alot easier than setting up a screen and making a mess with ink...am I right about this? Or would it be too expensive of a machine to buy for this use only? I have a client who will soon be ordering about 100 or so shirts a week up to 20 different designs. Should I set up the screens and use transfer paper or should I just use the DTG printer for this type of work? Thanks, Nick

DAGuide · August 26th, 2008

Nick,

The cheapest investment for you would be to start out with digital transfers (inkjet for cotton and sublimation for polyester) or using a vinyl cutter (which will require you to weed the design from the heat applied film). Both of these techniques have a heavier print on a shirt compared to dtg printing. So you really need to determine if your customers (i.e. target market) will purchase a shirt done as a digital transfer or heat applied film. If so, that might be the best way to start your business of until you can grow it to a steady revenue flow.

Depending on what you are getting paid for the shirts sold for one at a time, it might be worth it to invest in a dtg printer. You could look at a used printer as well. dtg printers excel at short runs and the number of colors is obsolete. I would not recommend creating a screen to print one shirt. Besides the extra time and labor, you will have to clean the screen (the dirty side of the business). Just does not seem worth it to me for 1 shirt. 12 shirts, 2 color or even 6 shirts, 1 color... then I would consider screen printing.

Just my opinion,

Mark

cookiesa · August 26th, 2008

As above the main advantage for you of a DTG would be for the one off's. But keep in mind the cost per print with these methods compared to screen printing is much higher.

For small runs of screen printing using waterbased inks gives you a great result with easy cleanup. If your looking at printing on black then it would pay to have a look at what is involved with printing black on a DTG..... I was surprised how much work it is when talking to a commercial DTG owner recently.

For small runs and one offs a thin vinyl cut on a cutter works a treat (If you don't own a cutter now is a good time to make a "partnership" with someone who does and doesn't have a lot of work for it! I have an unofficial partnership with another forum member who lives close buy, she does my vinyl cutting for me)

Just an after thought to a way to make your short runs more profitable in the long run may be (assuming you screen with plastisol here) to get in to the habbit of printing a few extra prints but as plastisol transfers. Cost at the time is minimal and you slowly build up a library of prints that you only need to press for small or one off orders. (Of course doesn't help with one off designs)

nromano1212 · August 26th, 2008

well I basically told this kid if he buys the screens and pays for me to set them up (enough for 20 designs) I will keep these screens and make the shirts as he needs them. I was planning on buying some transfer paper and a heat press (I already have a Roland GX-24) I know I can either buy the transfer vinyl or make my own ink transfers after I burn the screens. I was thinking of taking the $600 or so and using it toward something else instead of having 25 or so screens hanging around.

I have been planning on expanding my business with an embriodery machine but starting to think the DTG printer will be the better way to go. I will be doing mostly darker shirts and white ink. I know the transfer vinyl will be a brighter image but kind of a pain to do. I live in mass but im moving to FLA in 2 weeks so im also going to be drop shipping these for him. I usually only charge $5 per shirt when I do them in bulk but this will be an ongoing relationship with this person so he might order 50 of one shirt and only one of another per week. I don't really know how to handle this situation. I really want his business but I am planing on open up a shop somewhere soon and this could possibly be a client who can keep my doors open so the rest of my business can be profit. I think it would be too much of a pain to cut that many vinyl transfers per week. With the ink transfers I can print like 50 of each design at a time. I just never did any of these before so I just want to make sure im make the right choice to keep him happy and still make it profitable for me.

nromano1212 · August 26th, 2008

I was also thinking....What about buying a nice printer like an epson 1400 and printing color transfers and even just a one color saying on transfer paper (even white ink for black shirts) and then heat pressing those onto a shirt? Will this work? I would rather spend the $600 on a printer rather than setting up 20 screens...Thanks, Nick

abmcdan · August 26th, 2008

Nick,

I would definately take a good look at DTG for what you are talking about. Do you know what you will be charging him for white shirts? and black shirts?

At 400 shirts per month, this 1 client could very well pay the $500 lease payment on a brand new DTG machine and then you would have it for other jobs as well.

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