I think about $1 is my average for a 12 x 12 print.

Like you said though, they do vary quite a bit. If somebody gives you a box or rectangle that fills the exact measurements you allow for an imprint it's going to be rather high. I think I had a 12 x 14 cost $1.77 once. Somebody bought a bunch of "Got Milk?" type of shirts and they were only something like 21¢ each.

There is also no real savings on large quantity orders since we don't have much set-up or screen charges to spread over a larger amount of shirts.

There are a lot more expenses that go into the cost of a shirt: price of the machine, rent, storage, inventory, salary and other business expenses.

Good Luck,

Dennis Graves

 

There are some things you should know before trying to compare dtg to sublimation printing cost. First, sublimation ink prices will vary depending on the size of your printer. Any printer 17" and below has ink prices that are stricly regulated by Sawgrass - patent holder. Once you get to the 24" wide printer, you are able to buy bulk ink at a lower price. Then, printers 42" and larger are able to buy licensed inks... which gets even lower.

Next, you need to understand that to print sublimation - you need to also include the sublimation release paper cost as well. Sublimation requires you to print to a piece of special release paper and then take the printed paper over to a heat press to cure to your garment / substrate. So this is going to be a consumable cost that you need to include. The cost for the paper will vary depending on the size of the paper (sheets v. rolls) as well.

Finally, sublimation ink will only work on polyester / synthetic garments and substrates that have a polyester coating. Sublimation printing does not work on cotton or natural fabrics. The average cost of a polyester garment will run you around $5.00 compared to a cotton shirt that you can pay between $1.00 to $2.00 for.

So those are just some of the variable costs that you are going to have to compare before you can get your true cost per a print. You will also have to determine if your customers are going to have a preference of polyester or cotton shirts. Different target markets will have their own preference. Many dtg owners also have a sublimation printer since dtg printing does not work real well on polyester garments. By having both applications, they are able to offer their customers more garment options and sublimation also allows for printing on to hard substrates.

Just some things to consider when you are looking at the replies from other forum members.

Best wishes in your research! Happy New Year!

Mark

 

the cheapest I've run is .05cc
the highest print was about 2.70cc

1 cc aproximately 1 $/€

your average is going to be anything between .60 to 1.20.

 

Assuming the ink still hooked to the machine is about the same as last year. Total prints divided buy ink purchased and the average is... drum roll... 48 cents. We do a lot of shirts with a small front chest and a lot of sleeve impressions which would certainly lower the average as they are usually under 10 cents. Highest I remember running was right at $1.75 but most of the time the ink costs are between 60 and 80 cents.

 

1cc is actually 90-95 cents I think and with big cart it 65 cents : )
cc may differ a tad depending on what you pay for cart and if you get free shipping.
Just remember to price accordingly based on volume you are doing and area you are in.
I don't charge much for shirts only because majority of what I do is larger flow of work and t shirts is not my bread and butter but it is a marketing tool which I get other jobs from.
On average I do images about 12x14 and cost I find is between 60cent to $1.50 for 95 percent of what I do

 

Our average cost for ink is a $1.00 as well.

 

Has anyone tried Sawgrass Inks for the Brother? Are they cheaper? Do they work? What about the colors?

 

there is quit an extensive thread on it but to narrow it down:
Flush out Brother ink before using Sawrass ink or heads will have major issues,
Cost factor is out the door as Brothers large Cart saves end user same as sawgrass did
Color is debatable but I heard may be better, get a sample shirt with a print of your chose from Harry and print one with OEM and compare Colors/washability

 

In case you weren't aware. A nice feature of the Brother machine is that it does tell you how much ink the job you are printing is using.

For larger quotes we print a few samples, time them, and look at the ink usage.

I would not suggest using a different brand ink, refilling cartridges, or otherwise puttering with your machine.

 

In case you weren't aware. A nice feature of the Brother machine is that it does tell you how much ink the job you are printing is using.

Almost all machines provide this information, although Brother is the only one I am aware of that shows you the actual ink usage, on the machine itself.