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What DTG machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it :)

221K views 239 replies 146 participants last post by  PiratePolos 
#1 · (Edited)
I have seen alot of good and bad about Dtg machines recently on here and I thought it would be nice to learn a little about each members experience with their machine and how they made the choice they did on the machine they own. If you can, cut and paste the questions below and fill in the answers for your machine. That way when others are researching, they can get real info from real users :) I will go first and answer in the next post as to leave the questions empty to make it easier to cut and paste :) Please lets keep this post friendly so it can be good research for others out there :)



What machine do you own?


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?

What is your business model?

Are you happy with your decision?

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?

What type of maintenance do you do?

How long have you owned your machine?

How long did it take you to learn to use?

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?

Would you recommend this machine to others?
 
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#81 · (Edited)
What machine do you own? Mimaki GP-604
Are you happy with your decision? NO
What are the pros you have learned of your machine? VERY FAST PRINTER. Great for doing tone on tone large prints 16" x 24". Has a great niche'
What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? INK Lacks Vivid Color, Vibrancy... Need to Double Hit Everything to get OK color, but Doubles the Ink & labor costs. DOES NOT USE DUPONT ARTISTRI INKS
What type of maintenance do you do? Need to Clean around print heads after 16 hours of printing.. Change/Clean dampers after about 1,000 hours of printing.
How long have you owned your machine? Purchased 2004'ish
How long did it take you to learn to use? A Lot of Test Prints to Get the marginal the RED & BLACK colors.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? No, I was very thorough n my research. Back in '05 Brother was Best But Ink was Ridiculously Expensive. T-Jets were Breaking During Demos. Kornit was Using Solvent Inks & The White Inks would crack after a few washings
Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Watch your labor cost. One Operator Can Easily Run 2 Machines.
Would you recommend this machine to others? With Current Ink Offerings, I Say NO NO NO.... With DUPONT INK YES... Prints a10" x 10" design in 37 seconds! VERY FAST! Mimaki Doesn't Care About This Machine... There is so much good Like a Mercedes with NO Gas Tank....
 
#85 ·
Brand of shirts, country of origin, etc. all play in the successful printing of a garment, no matter what type of printing you are doing. As someone else mentioned above, a lot of your success will depend on the "sizing" in the fabric used to make the garment. We are still determining what machine we are going to purchase to add DTG to our services. Thought we would go with Anajet Sprint for the dark shirt printing capability, but now we have added the Veloci-Jet to our consideration and I'm going to look at a couple others as well.
 
#86 ·
:(I have a Kiosk HM1.
:confused:I got the infomation from the internet, then went to Salt Lake for a demo and bought from a very nice and informent sales man.
:mad:No I am not happy with the machine at all.
:rolleyes:The pros are you can do 1 shirt fast. Or many shirts if the machine is working right,and they look very nice.
:mad:The up keep is very exspensive, the ink is very exspensive. and the machine breaks down and the parts are exspisive.
:rolleyes:Head cleanings, Ink charges, tube cleanings (all using up ink)run weindex threw. Then still have to replase head at $395.00 evey 3-4months.
:mad:My first was 2004 Getting two heat press in a row that was faulty and after having two tecs come to utah ( at my exspense, 1700.00 the warenty only covers parts)they decided it was a lemon and sent me a new one. Still had to pay for a tec to come fix this one. We have learned to fix or have replace evey part one and some two or more times. at our exspence for parts and frieght.
:p It took us a tec coming out and many call to the tecs on the phone to learn the machine and rip pro ( which they sent the wrong soft ware with machine)
:rolleyes:I bought because of the price of the machine, wish I had knowen the upkeep was so exspensive.
:pIt will help a lot if you know coral or adobe picture before buying, and go to Calf. or Texas for classes. Also make sure you will use eveyday!! Can not be sit more than one day without the head drying out.(395.00)
:mad:If you do have problems make sure you have all day to wait for a tec to call back, and lots of money to put into it. You can't sell the garments to make a profit because it all goes back into the machine to keep it runing. So if you have the money for a toy have fun.
 
#87 ·
:mad:My first was 2004 Getting two heat press in a row that was faulty and after having two tecs come to utah ( at my exspense, 1700.00 the warenty only covers parts)they decided it was a lemon and sent me a new one. Still had to pay for a tec to come fix this one. We have learned to fix or have replace evey part one and some two or more times. at our exspence for parts and frieght.
Hi, I was just reading this and are you sure you have the HM1? The HM1 did not come out till 2007 not 2004. It sounds like you have the regular kiosk, which would be a completely different machine than the HM1. Just want to clarify so those reading this thread, will have the correct info on the correct machine ;) Thanks for clarifying :)
 
#89 ·
Sunnydayz----It would help so much if the contributors would share the approximate price range---Perhaps you could consider adding that to your list in the original post---And if there is a thread that compares all the current prices on the different ones available perhaps you or someone could post up that link---I can't seem to find anything current like that---Thanks

Happy
 
#91 ·
What machine do you own?

Fast T-Jet2

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?

Mostly this forum, but lots of on-line research comparing different printers.

What is your business model?

Wholesale, retail, web sales, custom graphics design.

Are you happy with your decision?

Very much so....it came down to a HM-1 or a T-Jet2 for us to get into DTG, the refurb we bought will pay for itself in about a year to a year and a half which is a great ROI.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?

Great machine very reliable, if you do the required maintenance it's almost trouble free...so far!:)

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?

None really, at least none that all the other Dupont/Epson based white ink printers have.

What type of maintenance do you do?

Clean print head nozzle area and bottom of carriage, wiper, capping station after each printing, a few drops of cleaning solution in the capping station to keep everything damp. oil rails, clean encoder strip every couple of weeks.

How long have you owned your machine?

4 months

How long did it take you to learn to use?

Funny thing we had orders for it the day we uncrated it, so we kinda' learned on that order, we sat it up as CMYK only at first because the order we had was for white shirts...out of thirty shirts I think we had one misprint because of learning to use FastArtist & Fast Rip, we did watch the DVDs that came with the printer and that gave us a big head start.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?

Nope!.....I just wish I would have bought one in 2008, but you know you gotta' do the research...can't just jump into DTG without having a game plan and a customer base.

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?

IMHO there are lots of really great DTG printers on the market at all price levels, you have to decide what you can afford and how long it will take to get a ROI....with a DTG printer you have the ability to do one-offs that no other printing method can touch for the cost per shirt in low volume. For us DTG has been a great selling tool that has opened several doors to more business, I can't imagine not having one now and would probably buy another if we had the room.

Would you recommend this machine to others?

Yes....but, as we all know there's more to DTG printing than just the printer, there's ink, pretreatment, and replacement parts, I think I'd recommend buying from a reputable dealer who can offer you both tech support and a warranty to me they are just as important as the brand of printer.
 
#96 ·
What machine do you own? Brother GT-541


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
I first learned about this printer from a mailing and started the process of talking my partner into buying one. Two years later in Feb. 2007 we decided on the Brother after several trade shows and checking out every printer on the market. At each show we took a shirt from every printer and wrote on it the printer that produced it unless it already had that and most did. Then we set about washing them over and over, some of the shirts only lasted 2 - 5 washes so those printers were out of the running T-Jet was one of them. The only shirt that lasted for 30 washes and still looked great was the Brother shirt so that is the one we went with. I have to say the T-Jet is the only printer that broke down at every show we went to. I guess it was just luck that it happened every time when we were watching.

What is your business model? We have a shop with samples and mostly sell to Schools and small to medium size business. We also do Screen printing, embroidery, and sell promotional products so that we can be a one stop shop for our customers.

Are you happy with your decision?
We are so happy it just never gives us any trouble as long as we don't let the air in the room get too dry and do a cap and wiper clean once a week.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
It just keeps working it helps pay the bills when screen printing and embroidery are slow.

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
It needs to be used at least once a week.

What type of maintenance do you do?
Once a week cap and wiper clean, takes all of 2 minutes.

How long have you owned your machine?
3 years

How long did it take you to learn to use?
I did my first two jobs before purchasing on the deno unit at the sales office with the help of our salesman that is what really sold me was how easy it was. The bonus was that I made my first two payments from the profits I made on those first two orders.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? No we did really good research before purchasing. You have to when spending that much money.

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?
What ever machine you purchase needs maintenance some more than others, just be ready to do the maintenance that the machine you purchase requires. I know we do more on our machine than some other Brother owners I have talked to but ours never gives us any problem at all.
Would you recommend this machine to others?
 
#97 ·
What machine do you own? Anajet Sprint


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? t-shirt forums & ISS show

What is your business model? Existing screen printing shop & e-commerce

Are you happy with your decision? so far so good.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?great prints

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? training could've been more intense

What type of maintenance do you do? Daily, weekly cleaning.

How long have you owned your machine? 1week

How long did it take you to learn to use? not long after full day training

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? not yet

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Anajet seems like a good company, not sure how they will be after/when problems arise

Would you recommend this machine to others? I think so, I outsourced for years to brother shops and from what i gather, it's all about caring about your end product. we had our hands tied by outsourcing and decided to bring the profits and QC in house. jobs are lined up first day of operation. got a smoking deal, but I held out for over a year.
 
#98 ·
What machine do you own? Anajet


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? T shirt forum, Anajet, & other printer manufacturers.

Are you happy with your decision? Yes

What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Easy to operate(once you learn how), good technical support from Anajet, beautiful prints, good creative opportunity, good earning potential.

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Maintenance is expensive, pretreatment for darks is a tricky learning experience,

What type of maintenance do you do? Daily nozzle check and head clean if indicated and mixing the white inks. Automated maintenance every 12 hours as done by the printer. Weekly purge of lines. Monthly deep clean of the lines is costly (about $150) but it prevents problems later.

How long have you owned your machine? 2 months

How long did it take you to learn to use? We're still learning to print darks. White and lights are pretty easy -- like printing on paper almost.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? We were pretty well informed

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Don't expect to be an expert right off the bat. There is a lot to know and training with Anajet is essential!

Would you recommend this machine to others? Yes
 
#99 ·
This thread has been great! One of the best ones I have seen on here! Thank you! It is really helping me with my research. I am looking to buy a DTG printer in the next month or two, but I don't have the advantage of seeing them run at trade shows and in shops because I live in Costa Rica. I want to start a printing biz here and this forum has been a huge help!

Right now I am leaning towards the Brother GT451, the Veloci-Jet and the Neoflex. One of my biggest factors is how good the technical support from these companies is because I am going to be all the way in CR and will need good support via phone and video chat from a tech support person whenever I run into issues. Can anyone attest to the tech support from these printers and how your experience has been?

Also, please more feedback from Neo-Flex and Veloci-Jet owners! There is not much on here from them, maybe only one or two posts about the Veloci-Jet. The Brother sounds like it gets great feedback on here. However, I would like to hear more from owners of the other two. Are they not as popular? Thanks again!
 
#100 ·
I would say that living so far away from support the brother gt541 would probably be your best bet, as it only uses cmyk and prints lights, and that way you dont have to worry about the maintenance on white ink.

For the questions of how tech support is, it would be best to start a new thread, so that this one stays strictly on feedback from owners and not end up getting sidetracked by answering questions here :) Simply start a new thread in the general dtg section, and ask if people could please give feedback on tech support on the different dtg machines out there.

Glad this thread was helpful :)
 
#102 ·
What machine do you own? MS One


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? T-shirtforums.com, various trade shows, ScreenWeb | screenweb.com | A companion site to Screen Printing Magazine and other internet sources.

What is your business model? Small home based business that uses contract printing for large orders and embroidery. The DTG purchase was to capture niche market and to support online business.

Are you happy with your decision? Yes, I'm now getting referrals from others in the industry who can't produce small runs

What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Very large print area (17 X 36), great rip software, excellent support, portable, bulk ink - it's a must to keep down print costs

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Like every other DTG machine on the market - Regular use and maintenance is a must!!! Get training up front!

What type of maintenance do you do? Daily use

How long have you owned your machine? 6 months

How long did it take you to learn to use? Training explained how to use it however I'm always experimenting with new uses and concepts. Learn something new every week.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? No, just wished I had developed the target market better beforehand. But I was caught in the chicken v egg scenario.

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Make sure you always look at the ROI of any purchase. This should include the purchase price, ink, maintenance, etc...... Bulk ink really helps drive down the curve on the return.

Would you recommend this machine to others? yes, great machine especially if you are looking for a larger print area.
 
#103 ·
What machine do you own? Brother Gt-782
Are you happy with your decision? YES, although I was happier with my 541 buy
What are the pros you have learned of your machine? 2 platens speeds up production, 2 independent heads speeds up production, larger cartridges lowers costs, better printing driver than the 541.
What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Registration issues do pop up once in a while, quite a bit of white ink is wasted in the maintenance process.
What type of maintenance do you do? Tube cleaning every week ( x 4 heads), takes 40 minutes, ink retrieval and shake every day ( 5/8 minutes) or second day( if you have been printing lots of white not so often) to get a good white.
How long have you owned your machine? 4 weeks
How long did it take you to learn to use? I'm still learning, I'd say it takes a bout 3 days to grasp the basics, and a couple more weeks to get to know the machine in depth.
Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?
Yes, the wasted ink on cleaning would have been nice to know, and all the issues with registration, but o well which manufacturer would disclose the pit falls of their products
Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? It can print a few (I've done about 30 units, 2 side prints in 85 minutes) shirts an hour but what you save on time you'll drop on ink. And if the 541 would give you a nice time-frame for return on investment this one will not be as short. If you can demo the machine for a couple of hours, do not contempt yourself with one printed sample, get to know this machine well before making the step.
Would you recommend this machine to others? Personally only if you have a 541 and think that this is the logical step to follow, the learning curve is high but after a while you get it. If you come from another printer maker probably look somewhere else, if you start anew and are looking to buy brother, look in to the 541 first. I you really want this machine , have the money and realize that this might be a new born in need of TLC an are OK with that, by all means buy it. It's a nice machine to own and doesn't fail, only registration is a dark spot in this machine ( not continuously but it happens), highly recommended to get an auto-pretreater to accompany this baby.
 
#104 ·
What machine do you own? Anajet Sprint

Are you happy with your decision? ABSOLUTELY

What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Print speed is GREAT. 1:45 for a 10x12 graphic on a black shirt (can see this on youtube)

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? None

What type of maintenance do you do? Auto head clean in the morning. Wipe around print head and side wiper blade every friday. I crank up the ink levels on the first print of the day to open up the nozzles and get them going...not sure if this even does anything, it just seemed like common sense to me and I haven't had any problems with my prints

How long have you owned your machine? A little less than a year

How long did it take you to learn to use? 1 day. I attended the Anajet training class that is included with purchase.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? I wish I knew about all of the other items that you can print on...I would have bought sooner. I print on wood, tile, metal, neoprene, ceramic

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? The Sprint paid for itself within 90 days of owning it

Would you recommend this machine to others? I would. I'm a salesman by trade and wanted to focus the majority of my time on selling my service and expanding my business and not wrestling with a difficult machine everyday. The Sprint has been a great match for me
 
#105 · (Edited)
Hey guys,

Thought i would post this here...hope its not off topic.

Here is a machine i made, i still have a few details to wrap up, but heres a vid on how she prints...its based off an epson r1900, you can configure it for white ink also, im just using refill carts and dtg ink from dtginks.com. if your doing some serious production you could add a bulk system. would prolly be a good option for those that want to get there feet wet in dtg printing, but dont want to spend the big bucks:)

the video shows it printing in 1400x1400 res, i have since learned the table adjustment settings in the rip software. so now i can print in 720x720 with the same quality and by my calculation at twice the speed on the same image..;) i will post another vid of this once i get everything secured.

Theres more info on the build in the diydtg section of these forums.;) (mission accomplished "license to thrill") it was born here:)

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc3OrrsnMHs[/media]
 
#111 ·
Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it :)

In Australia ,the Brother with white ink is rediculously expensive,Curious to what UK, or USA price is to compare.As only see one importer.How big is it.I got white ink tech in LONGE-WT3850 A2 from CHINA,dose flat bed variety work and has Tshirt fitting,very versitile cost $5,000- approx us,plus freight and special RIP software,How dose this compare to others ................???????? Strong polished aluminiom cover ,senser lift auto adjustment built in,tech.up to 7cm height print on various sefices ,by easy change inks system.
 
#113 ·
What machine do you own?
Our company uses the Brother GT-782


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
We checked out a few different trade shows, but we really wanted a good machine that could handle printing on dark garments with good results.

What is your business model?
Online marketing as well as local, we screen print our large orders but we wanted a good solution for low minimum orders.

Are you happy with your decision?
Yes. There is a learning curve but if you know your programs i.e. Photoshop and illustrator it really isn't that bad.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
The GT-782 has two separate platens and print heads so if needed you can actually print two different jobs...or print double time on a single job.

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
at first there can be some issues in aligning the whitebase.

What type of maintenance do you do?
Auto clean. Some manual print-head cleaning

How long have you owned your machine?
its a bit new to us, only had this one for about 3 months.

How long did it take you to learn to use?
There were a few initial glitches as with everything but the learning curve was not too bad.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?

If you have a Brother tech actually come out to work with (or fix) your machine it will cost you an arm and a leg.

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?

Would you recommend this machine to others?

Yes. it is a beast of a machine with some great capabilities but it does come with a large price tag.
 
#114 ·
Hi I bouht a DTG up to A2 DTG,printer with whte ink tech mid June from China, I have not given it a good test yet due to China co.stuffing me around with damaged parts replacements due to poor shipping,which I have only now just got sorted.Recmmend to anyone else doing this to arrange their own frieght and packing and do not use DHL,long story.Back to my question ,it is a beast of a machine but for all the worry I went to to get it how dose it compare in price to buying local,as I found even local any form of support is either too far away or rediculously exp.I paid aprox $7,000- us ,I live in Australia, the price included 1st full set of inks and pre spray for black,t's,and special white ink RIP/software,with dongal etc,dul MAC /PC, ,The t's shirt plate can come off and it can be use on many other surfaces as a general flat bed.It has auto tech for hight adjusting to suit printing surface,so this is mre than just a t's, printer,dose leather ,glass,canvas etc ,and then fits t's plate and self adjusts hight by senser motion gears built in,Its in polished stainless steal caseing and has the new WT3850 epson self cleaning print head.DidI save money buying and importing direct ,can you tell me what they are charging for brother ,etc and how big can brother go up to is it as versitile.I am curious as to wether all the stress I went through to get it and waiting was worth the saving.MJS and DESIGNWISE in AUZZ quoted rediculous prices for smaller less technical printers and white ink ,one quoted ver $60,000-.I thought they were kidding and that was with the older non self cleanin print head prior to new release one.
It would be good to be told that it was worth the drama ,and hep me to forge on,Thanks Lorraine.open to all feedback,:confused:
 
#115 ·
Morning from the UK Lorraine.

I think you'd get more response to your problem if you were to post 'general' arear of the DTG forum.

The title of this thread is:
What DTG machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it :)

Your last post is also extremely difficult to read. If you break it up a little I'm sure more people would take the time to read it.

Thanks

John
 
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