Theyknow

Hello everyone, I am very new to this website

First of all i would kindly ask everyone of you to please recommend me a printer for t-shirt.

I am umemployed during this recession and i am trying to find a new job.

I would like to produce shirt in limited quantity of each design, just 3 or 4 per design so i think digital printing might fit with what i am doing, but i still want your straightforward opinion.

What is the different of screen printing and digital printer in term of handling, washing, feeling, and wearing.

And please recommend me a printer that would help fit my need for business purpose starting from small scale.

Thank you very much and all your answer will be read will appreciation.

 

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muneca

Hi there...

welcome to the forum and good luck to you w/this new business venture & your job hunt! You have come to the right place in order to learn, etc. Start w/the search button up on the top left. I am sure you will find thousands of threads for the equipment questions & some describing the various methods of printing. Again, good luck to you! If you are unable to locate a thread answering your question(s)...post one. The members here will be more than happy to help you out. Even if the question(s) have already been asked.

 

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Theyknow

thank you muneca, i spent a couple of hours reading threads and did learn many new things about printing tees. It is a innovation! (to me). Thank you for your kind recommendation

 

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adrenaline

If i was you I would trying to go to a show somewhere near you and have a look at the printers in action. Then ask away. Do not make any rash recisions to buy on the spot. Go home and think about what you have seen and sort out a budget and go from there. There are many different makes and models out there but you are best to get something to fit you budget and what you require it to do wiht ease of use as well.
Grant

 

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Theyknow

Thank you adrenaline, and here is the problem. I am in Thailand and this DTG printer are not introduced yet. No one know about the new method of producing a shirt by digital printing so there are no show for it. So i must made my decision judging from online videos and user opinion. But the best part is it is going to be a big hit for the Thais to have their own shirt custom made in small quantity. Yes, and the opportunity to introduce this kind of business to the Thais in form of franchise. I'm excited

 

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Teeshirtprinter

Hi,
I got a Kiosk II about 9 months ago.

I don't know much about other printers, just what I've experienced with my printer.

I got it refurbished about $10,000, heat press $1,500, shirt plates -kids and adults free but worht about $300 each )

I've done about 5 t-shirt order, around 1000 shirts. (This is not my primary business)

take these costs into consideration before you make a decision:
About 3 months into it, the print head broke (about $500 if you order from the company where I bought the machine, $210 if you order from EPSON distributor)

PRINT HEAD IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY!!! THE TECH TOLD ME BASICALLY ANY PART THAT TOUCHES INK IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY THEREFORE WARRANTY IS USELESS BECAUSE A LOT OF PARTS TOUCHES THE INK.

ink cost =$50 a botlle, 4 bottles for color =$200 , $150 for white bottle so $350 total for ink. Lately with increased competition, you can get ink as cheap as $34 from DTGINKS.com.
With my 1000 t shirts, I almost used up the ink..and I was very conservative with the designs and how much ink it would take.

These costs are small but you need a lot of them.
-$5 Windex (for cleaning after every time you are done using),
-$5 Q-tips( need a bunch of them)
-$3 Parchment paper for heat pressing procedure.

Just recently, I was very frustrated with my machine, strongly considered returning it.
Tried fixing it and calling tech support. 3 weeks of phone calls and frustration.

Turned out, my print head clogged. THis is a very common problem, $210 to replace. I had to replace the ribbon cable ($34, or $12 from Epson.
Replaced encoder stip, $12

Finally, it was the motherboard, still under warranty so it was free. It did not touch the ink, thank goodness. Although motherboards aren't replaced as often, my machine was used. But had to pay the tech to come out $90. He said without the warranty, motherboard would be $500-$1000.

Although I hate this machine at times, but when it works, it's quiet amazing!

Note: sometimes the machine will make errors so if you order t shirts, order extras.


Good luck.

Quote: Originally Posted by Theyknow Hello everyone, I am very new to this website First of all i would kindly ask everyone of you to please recommend me a printer for t-shirt. I am umemployed during this recession and i am trying to find a new job. I would like to produce shirt in limited quantity of each design, just 3 or 4 per design so i think digital printing might fit with what i am doing, but i still want your straightforward opinion. What is the different of screen printing and digital printer in term of handling, washing, feeling, and wearing. And please recommend me a printer that would help fit my need for business purpose starting from small scale. Thank you very much and all your answer will be read will appreciation.

 

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Don-SWF East

Teeshirtpriner,

Sounds like you have done a decent job of making back a fair amount of your invesntment on only 5 jobs. If you made more than $5 a shirt then you are halfway home on only 5 jobs. My concern is that you have only had 5 jobs in 9 months, that equates to a lot of down time for the printer which will lead to more issues with clogging than if you use the machine on a daily basis. Clogging can lead to the need to replace the printhead. Improper replacement of a printhead can result in damage to the printhead, ribbon cable and/or motherboard as well. One of the reasons for a higher cost of parts from a direct to garment distributor is that they will generally assume some level of warranty on the part they sold and the other parts associated with it as they walk you through the process of changing the part out - or while replacing it themselves. Not to mention, when you buy a part from an Epson distributor - you own it once you walk out the door or it leaves their dock - regardless of whether it works when you get it or not.

I would assume that you were given a copy of the warranty when you purchased your machine (we - SWF East - actually have all of our customers read over and sign and date the warranty prior to purchase, and they are given a copy as well) which would indicate exactly what is and isn't covered under warranty. Anything that touches ink is basically the "plumbing' portion of the printer - lack of proper maintenance, improperly flushing ink system if changing inks, and inactivity are the main causes of clogged heads, dampers and capping stations - all are related to improper usage/maintenance of the machine - not due to manufacturing defect - which is what warranties are for.

I feel confident that you will find that your issues will decrease as you use your printer more frequently - the vast majority of the tech support calls we get are from under-utilized machines. I often challenge a customer to try to "print the machine to death" and not to let it "die of underuse". The best thing you could do to minimize your clogging issues is to make an effort to maintain a good nozzle check at the very least every other day, and try to print a shirt or two - two to three times a week. Make the shirts something you can use to market you services - you'll be killing two birds with one stone.

__________________
Don - SWF East - "I ink, therefore I am!"
www.swfeast.com - www.apparelmarketingsolutions.com

 

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Don-SWF East

Quote: -$5 Windex (for cleaning after every time you are done using), -$5 Q-tips( need a bunch of them)

Windex can contain wax which will result in potential longterm buildup issues, never use Windex in the capping station or in/on the face of the printhead or in the dampers. Use cleaning or flushing solution designed to break down and remove the type of ink used in your machine. (Windex is OK for cleaning the outside surfaces of your printer) Likewise, Q-tips are made from cotton and the fibers can come loose and actually cause more problems than they solve - use foam swabs available from your distributor or from computer parts companies.

__________________
Don - SWF East - "I ink, therefore I am!"
www.swfeast.com - www.apparelmarketingsolutions.com

 

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Teeshirtprinter

The tech guy who trained me told me to get Windex and Qtips.

But thanks for the heads up!

Quote: Originally Posted by Don-SWF East Windex can contain wax which will result in potential longterm buildup issues, never use Windex in the capping station or in/on the face of the printhead or in the dampers. Use cleaning or flushing solution designed to break down and remove the type of ink used in your machine. (Windex is OK for cleaning the outside surfaces of your printer) Likewise, Q-tips are made from cotton and the fibers can come loose and actually cause more problems than they solve - use foam swabs available from your distributor or from computer parts companies.

 

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