In my quest to find the perfect short-run printing method to add quality kids' tees to my retail business, I wanted to explore dtg printers. SWF happened to have a show near Cleveland today, so I got to see the Viper and HM1-C in action - very impressive!
(below)You can see the samples they printed using a rough design I had with me. The picture on the left has no white underlay while the one on the right does...what a difference in color vibrancy, and a great illustration of what white ink can do for a design!
I'm still contemplating whether to purchase a DTG HM1-C that prints impressively soft designs or go with a machine like the Versacamm that doesn't require pre-treating dark colored shirts and could work on a variety of applications. Then there's the option of just printing transfers and plot cutting them.
This is my first post here so go easy because I really have no printing knowledge other than the last three weeks I "inherited" two kiosk machines in my new job title. I too, will be heading to the show tomorrow. Were there any kiosks in action?
I basically burned up about 13 shirts today on one of my kiosks and thought I should maybe go watch one in action.
I too, will be heading to the show tomorrow. Were there any kiosks in action?
I didn't spend a great time exploring the show since I just went solely to check out the HM1-C, but I don't recall any other DTG machines other than the Viper and HM1-C.
Well I guess meeting some of the swf reps will still be worth the price of admission as I could use some tips and pointers on getting consistent prints.
In my opinion, it comes down to two things: quality desired & money generated. dtg printing does provide a better quality hand than a digital transfer (which is what a VersaCAMM provides). However, if your customers are not willing to pay for the difference and don't mind a lower quality item, then digital transfers are the way to go. Thus, you need to do some research on you target customers to determine what they are willing to pay.
A final thing to consider since you mentioned children is the upcoming CPSIA law that comes into effect in the next 3 months or so. As the law is written right now, it is going to be fairly expensive to sell to children because of the testing required. Hopefully, this law will either be delayed again or re-written. The concept of the law is pretty good, but it is written to broad. There are some posts on this forum and some articles written by the magazines that you might want to read before making any final decisions. Here is a link to the federal website - Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) Information.
A final thing to consider since you mentioned children is the upcoming CPSIA law that comes into effect in the next 3 months or so.
Thanks, Mark. Actually, I was trying to comb through that law last night, and I came to the conclusion that I can't afford to fork over thousands of dollars on equipment that I don't know if I can use after the government makes a decision exactly how the law applies. The law is very difficult to interpret as to what is exempt or will be.
It sounds as if a simple ink jet printer and transfers is the safest and cheapest route to go until the fine print of the law is worked out.
Saw DTG printers at Cleveland show 
