thanks Lee for the words from the wise!
it's easy for us newbies to get stuck in the mire of info. It's like anything else! Just try and choose a PC there's a good and a bad reason to every choice. I think it all boils down to whatever you want to get out of it. My initial reaction was to go vinyl for very valid reasons. Although like you've pointed out the most gratifying and flexible method must be SP. I'm currently doing a bit of research regarding which way to start, WB or PLastisol. So here it goes
good luck to you. Hey! a poster asked earlier about plastisols and I answered at length...hope you may read that. If not...then I will make it short here: PLASTISOL!. Yes you have to cure it but it is WAY easier and better to do so than to struggle with the inefficiencies and inconsistencies that surround water based. Water base ink had been abandoned by every serious printer and even ink company. For some arguably odd reason they just have not made a water based ink that lives up to plastisol. A guy on Youtube shows a water based ink that looks and prints(supposedly)like plastisol. but he covers NONE of the real issues we also want to know(longevity on garment...sublimation etc.) I asked for more info and never heard back so how serious can they be? who knows!!!!?
Transfers are definitely your best bet. That's about the only method you could realistically get the setup for at $2,000. Good luck!
WRONG!!!!! For less than $600 he could be well set for what he wants to do. I know because I have done exactly that for printers over 1,260 times. rules here do not let me say more. Too bad.
'tullawulla' is a cool user name! Cannot help but wonder what the inspiration is for?
it's derived from my collie dogs' name
Tull. It's bizarrely become my name in business etc.
In further response to this thread:
I think it's great that we all have the drive to create; and in truth it would be amazing if our garages or units were setup with every kind of method possible then we could find our preference. Until then it's a slog, labour of love? Experiment away
There has been a lot of writing here about the pros and cons of each method. These informations are very good, but one thing you have always to consider besides is not only the printing method in general but also the quality in which every printing method is done, counts.
Screen printing is usually the most durable printing method, but done with low quality inks, and maybe without proper drying after printing, the individual result can still be bad.
Many of the pros and cons of each method depend heavily on the quality of materials used and the ability of the printer.
There has been a lot of writing here about the pros and cons of each method. These informations are very good, but one thing you have always to consider besides is not only the printing method in general but also the quality in which every printing method is done, counts.
Screen printing is usually the most durable printing method, but done with low quality inks, and maybe without proper drying after printing, the individual result can still be bad.
Many of the pros and cons of each method depend heavily on the quality of materials used and the ability of the printer.
I agree. There is also no one single decorating method that is always going to be best. It will come down to what substrate you are decorating, what type of graphic it is and the quantities need to be done. That is why you need to know about all the decorating methods, the pros / cons and which one will give you the most profits per each minute/hour you spend on the job.
Ok here is my two cents.... I am by no means a pro at any process but have used the Dye sublimation process, Transfer process, as well as the vinyl process for the past three years. All have their pros and cons, but I guess is how you sell the product to the customer. Dye sub to me is the more expensive of the three which turns out to be the higher end to the customer. As long as they are willing to use light colors, I sell them on the fact that the process dyes the image into the fabric, and will last longer than the other two process with very little care. There are alot of things that can go wrong, like the image jumping when lifting the heat press, (if you don't use tape) and getting ghost like appearance, thus ruining the substrate.
Transfer process we use when we have a large run of any one image and we contract it out so all we do is wait until press it on to the shirt. We use the transfer process for the individual customer who prefers it and when there are more than 2 colors. The downside to transfers in my opinion is the cracking and the cutting around the image not to have box appearance.
As for vinyl... It is by far the least expensive way to go, when using one or two colors. I tend to do alot of teams and functions with single color designs. Yes the weeding is a pain in the rear, but well worth it. I have more the tripled the money it cost me to get started in the vinyl process. I am now on my second cutter, bought a cheap one to begin and learn the process now went with roland and I'm very happy I did.
hi guys... i'm trying to learn more about heat transfer and i seem to like plastisol transfer method a lot.. however, i've read that plastisol transfers don't work well with dark coloured t-shirts? would love if someone could help me out here...thanks!
BobbieLee,
Having read your post and visited your site, I thought you might be able to help me. I recently acquired an established screenprinting business. The business was started 30 years ago, and it's still operating the way it did 30 years ago. To ramp up productivity, I recently purchased an automatic press. This will help with the larger runs, but my partner, the printer, still does not want to touch any order under 12. I understand her reasoning, but it goes against everything I believe about customer service to turn any job away. Someone with a small job now could be someone with a large job later.
I'm seeking solutions...I've been researching transfers, CAD cutting, and DTG. I'm getting so much mixed information.
I'm really leaning toward DTG, but I'm getting so much conflicting information.
I was really impressed with the samples on your site...what machine do you use? Is it white ink capable? What are the cons? Any info would be greatly appreciated. My partners are gung-ho, old school, screenprinting people so I have to get my ducks in a row before I approach them.
Thanks in advance
Rhonda
Last edited by sunnydayz : May 31st, 2008 at 07:08 PM.
Reason: removed email per forum guidelines, please feel free to add it to signature
I myself own an HM1 which is made by DTG. I do print white ink so I am able to print on any color garment. The only con is that there is much more maintenance involved with printing with white ink, but to me its not really a con it is just what I expected when I made my purchase They are really great machines to be able to print short runs as you dont have any setup costs at all. With printing white ink there are alot of variables to learn to get good results such as learning to do proper pretreatment, learning the rip software and what settings work best and of course coming up with a good maintenance routine. But like I said they are great for being able to do those short runs that you would otherwise turn away. Another thing to consider if you dont want to make that kind of investment right now is maybe find someone in your area that does dtg printing that you can outsource to till you see if you will have enough small jobs to support a dtg machine. That way you would not be losing the customer and can see what type of orders you will get and if it is enough. I think your business would be a good candidate for doing dtg printing because it would cover those jobs that are too small to screen print print.
The amount of information contained on these forums is enough to make your head spin. Thanks for the continued support and contributions!
Going off the original poster's premise that we are interested in doing small scale customized tees, I am left wondering why more people have not suggested the Roland VersaCAMM like Scuba Steve?
I know that the DTG technology is cool or cutting edge, but it also seems to be reasonably fraught with issues in the current generation when dealing with white ink. (yes, I acknowledge that from all accounts the Brother does amazing, pain free work on whites and lights)
But I look at the versaCAMM, it can cut vinyl letters or art work. Print out artwork with amazing colors that are resilient overtime. Newer printable vinyl has great streatch properties once applied to the shirt / garment. Plus with the ability to cut my design before pressing, I am not left with annoying borders or overspray marks and issues when printing on darks or black Tees.
PLus all the opportunites to do banners, signs, stickers and other vinyl work to help promote my shop, it seems that the versaCAMM Is a no-brainer.
But I admit that I am all new to this and am soaking up all that I can so that I make the right purchases coming out of the gate.
What am I missing or not taking into account? Again, I am looking at one off Tees and customized "artwork" on Tees and not looking to print 50 of the same thing in one run...
VersaCAMM? What's that? Is it similar to CAD cutting?
I'm really confused. I spent 33 years in a high school classroom and have stepped off a cliff into the garment decorating business. This old dog is trying to learn some new tricks.
Our shop is a very traditional, old school garment screenprinting shop for 30 years. My partners (employees of the business) and I bought it two months ago. We don't want to get away from screenprinting for large runs; we just bought an automatic press (not yet operational) that 2 will be able to produce 40 dozen shirts an hour (more if the job is a 1 color).
Our issue is short runs...so I'm exploring our options. Right now, they turn away orders under a dozen. I don't want to have to turn any job away...that's just not smart, customer service-wise. Soooo, I'm exploring ways to increase our services. I may have to drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st century. A little ironic because I'm the old fart here. Any info about this VersaCAMM would be appreciated, or just point me in the direction with URL's and I go there. Thanks
I have been using the search function to find out more myself, but I was hoping that others in the community would affirm their experiences and why I wouldn't go this route for shorter / custom runs.
This is a discussion about Pros and Cons of Each T-Shirt Printing Method that was posted in the General T-Shirt Selling Discussion section of the forums.
Re: Pros and Cons of Each T-Shirt Printing Method 
Re: Pros and Cons of Each Shirt Imaging Method 
