Hello I'm considering an M&R idot machine. can anyone give me some insite to this machine from a in-shop situation. How well do they preform day to day, and about maintenance, are there software issues, cleaning I think you all get the idea of what I'm looking for. Any help would be great.
Alan
Hello I'm considering an M&R idot machine. can anyone give me some insite to this machine from a in-shop situation. How well do they preform day to day, and about maintenance, are there software issues, cleaning I think you all get the idea of what I'm looking for. Any help would be great.
Alan
Hey Alan
I have purchased an I-Dot Printer and I am really enjoying it. It has great print quality and just keeps running. Any problems I have encountered were usually operator error. It prints great quality. I was very impressed when I got the machine because I put it together (which is very simple if you follow the directions) I opened a file and started printing. The software I am impressed with because there is not any tweaking to the file required to get it to print right. It just works! I tried several other brands and theey would always try to get me to change my files or spend alot of time tweking the design until it wasn't the same any more. I-Dot software works the way you make the file. Very user friendly but it also has the ability to tweak designs, but I find you do not have to. If you follow their maintenance the printer just keeps on working! I love it.
I forgot to mention that i have had my I-Dot for about 4 months. I also want to mention that i am very impressed with the support that you get once you have purchased a printer. They take care of you. I have been looking at DTG Printers for a couple of years before I decided to purchase an I-Dot. I even drove to Seattle from Montana to check out another brand that i thought sounded really good but when i got there they could not print my design I gave them on a flash drive in the 8 hours I was with them. When i went to chicago I gave M & R my flash drive and they opened the file and printed it with no adjustments. It was awesome. I was sold and i still am. i would defintely recommend the I-Dot Printer.
here is a real working I dot that has been in production since January of 09. We are very happy with the I dot...it does everything M&R sells it as and more...We run about 25-40 shirts a day on it and it prints flawlessly...we did have some minor issues, but as stated before it was our error not M&R's....
I will recommend that you take the training course at M&R in Chicago as I did this BEFORE we took delivery of the I-Dot and I know it has saved me many many many did I mention many headaches? They tore that machine apart showing us ( there were 3 of us) how all of it works and where some of the issues will come from if not properly maintained. Our biggest run with the machine has been 280 left chest imprints and we did that on darks in 3 days...full days but we did it...the first one looked just like that last one...the customer was elated...no one before could ever do this for him...( that makes my staff feel great)
As for maintenance...well there is a little bit to it...it is daily and you need to make sure you take care of this machine...she likes to be loved...but the more you print the better the machine is. the more you use it, the ink keeps flowing since it is a waterbased ink it likes to dry out if not used....but the upkeep is simple..again go to the training class. did I mention go to the training class?
if you have any other questions you can call me at 508-856-7237
What the humidity in your shop. We have a full service Embroidery and Screen Print shop and with the dryers we have trouble keeping 30pct Humidity. I guess I never said I have a Blazer Pro currently and our Humidity seems to be a problem.(thats not the only problem with the blazer pro)
Alan
If possible, I would move the printer into a small room where you can use a humidifer to regulate the humidity. Otherwise, I have seen several dtg owners build a small plastic room using plastic tarps. I think Justin Walker has posted some pictures of what he did with his Kornit. If your humidity is going to stay that low and you want to print white ink, then you are going to have problems with any dtg printer in my opinion. Just part of the fun you deal with when you are printing with white ink.
Winter weather is going to come soon and you are going to see the number of posts concerning white ink clogging is going to rise. It happens every year and it has to do with using heaters will dry the air out. Regulating humidity is a key to white ink printing.
Why would you not have screen printed the 280 left crests? Just curious, I know you have a M&R Auto and it just seems like 3 days of labor and machine time would have more than offset the screens and setup on your Diamondback?
How about a few more questions...
Are you pretreating by hand?
How are you curing? Heat press?
What is the average order size you are seeing on the I-Dot?
Are you getting customers that provide good enough art yet still want the short runs?
Oh my - what else?
Hope the family is well and the winter weather holds off for you...
Why would you not have screen printed the 280 left crests? Just curious, I know you have a M&R Auto and it just seems like 3 days of labor and machine time would have more than offset the screens and setup on your Diamondback?
Customer wanted DTG due to the "photograph" quality he needed in the project.
How about a few more questions...
Are you pretreating by hand? yes we are pretx by hand and a wagner low pressure sprayer
How are you curing? Heat press? we have a "hoover" mode heatpress from GeoKnight...great press.
What is the average order size you are seeing on the I-Dot? average size we are seeing is about 8-36 that is the best cost for us vs. putting it on the press depending on the # of colors
Are you getting customers that provide good enough art yet still want the short runs? the I dot can take some pretty crappy art and still make it look good...but remember GIBO Oh my - what else?
Hope the family is well and the winter weather holds off for you... yeah family is great..getting bigger daily it seems and I think mother nature is being a mean mean women. Frost on my windows this morning...
Mark
working opinions 
