Re: direct garment printing
LateFall said:
Jerid Hill,
Thanks a lot for the info. It clearified a lot for me. One more thing, as the printers you mentioned are ranging from 13k to 20k, so would financing or leasing be a better idea for a starter or buying the machine right away would be better? Please answer this considering cost factors and rapid technology changes...
Thanks
This is something only you can truly answer. When leasing a machine, most people lease to own, so it's not really like turning it in for a new one every couple of years. It's pretty much a lease with a buyout in the end.
Personally, I have found it's almost always better to buy outright if you can. This keeps your funds from having to be tied up in payments if something else comes along. I just think it's good business practice to buy instead of lease or getting a loan.
Even with the rapid technology changes, the machines do get better, but the inks are where it's at. Most of the inks on the market should work with just about any DTG printer. It's a matter of finding the right ink for the job. When the ink improves over time, the machine doesn't need replaced. Some may not take the newer inks, but I have found with as many printers being based on the Epson series, alot of them will work in each other's machine.
As for the question reguarding cafepress, Rodney answered that with a yes. It's my understanding they purchased a handful of the Kornit machines for I think $180,000 a piece (or something like that), maybe a little less but I'm pretty sure not more.
And as for white inks, yes there is a clogging. The titanium in the inks separate. This causes heavier deposits in the lines and the heads. This is where the clogging comes in. There are inks currenty that do not have the titanium and this is good, but the problem is, titanium dioxide is a whitening agent. This causes the whites to be really white. Without it, they look okay, but not great. With it, they look great, but there's clogging. I actually am looking at a white ink now that has the titanium dioxide in it and it can sit for a long long long time and still not separate. This is a good thing and could be the answer to alot of the problems with the white issues. Time will tell....