Brand new, starting small business

1678 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by suzette70, Nov 14, 2008

areav

Discussion Starter · Nov 11, 2008

Hi all, I am new here.

I am starting a small tshirt design business but still want the options to print on golf balls, etc.

I am leaning towards Digital instead of Screen because i will have small amounts of each design and I don't want to do heat transfer.

my question is, what you would think my startup costs would be and what the best machinery I should go for.

I want to start a little small but :
-I don't want to sacrifice quality
-I want to print in white.
-and I don't mind if it prints a little slow.

My budget I was thinking was $5000 to $8000. also let me know if you think I should spend a little more for something specific that would pay off in the long run.

I was leaning towards the DTG, but I still was unsure of what model? kiosk,t-jet? please any help would be great.

thanks

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drivernumberone

· #2 · Nov 11, 2008

The only DTG printing i have seen is the t-jet, but then again, i haven't researched it too much on my own. I'm not sure if you will be able to snag one for that cheap though.

With that much money you could get a pretty nice screen printing set-up though. Keep that in mind.

here's a little video, it looks like printing white with a t-jet is not inclusive in the package (as they offer a "print white with your t-jet" option) but take a look.

Fabric Inkjet Printing, Fast Jet Printer T, T Shirt Inkjet Printer, Inkjet Printing T Shirt, Fast Printing

hope this helps

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raise

· #3 · Nov 11, 2008

Right now, the only way to get below $10,000 for a DTG printer is to find one used or possibly refurbished. Equipmentzone.com sells refurbished T-Jet machines for just under $10,000. In the classified section I think I saw used Anajets going for under $10,000 as well.

You should look at the other threads regarding starting out new and printing white ink. There are a lot of things to watch out for when printing white ink that you might not be ready to address as a new business owner. Once you get the hang of managing your printer and learn how to pretreat shirts effectively, adding white ink to your product offering will be much easier than trying to get your company off the ground and learning how to print with white ink along the way.

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t66756.html is a good thread to look at that recently discussed the pros and cons of printing white ink.

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areav

Discussion Starter · #4 · Nov 14, 2008

thanks for the posts.

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BBProd

· #5 · Nov 14, 2008

Here on the west coast I can get a refurbished DTG Kiosk for $10,000, which includes ink, RIP software and 2 days of training from my local distributor.

Add in a heat press for $1400 (free shipping on eBay right now).

For dark shirts you'll need a sprayer. The Wagner home sprayer seems to work well. I think they're around $100?

You'll also need a computer and from what I've seen a newer computer is a good idea. You can probably get one for $700 w/LCD monitor if you shop Dell's website.

Then you'll need some software. I just bought CorelDraw X3 on eBay for $100.

What else? A hygrometer to keep track of the humidity? A good surge suppressor for all your equipment. Actually a UPS might be a good idea. Parchment for pressing other incidentals. Maybe $500 for all that?

There's probably other stuff I'm not thinking of or don't know to think of?

Chris

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suzette70

· #6 · Nov 14, 2008

I have 2 DTG Kiosks in perfect working condition. I have recently added on screenprinting which has taken a big load off my printers and no longer need 2. I will be selling 1 of them. PM me if you may be interested.

Suzette70

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