[out da box]

Okay over in the DTG board there was a big discussion about doing large dark shirt orders. This is the reverse. We did a job today that would have been perfect for DTG. 16 Orange tees, 2 color front- with a bunch of white ink - player numbers on the back.

Took me too long. Charged accordingly, but it was at best a 3 hour job with the burning of screens, the cleanup, the cutting and weeding of vinyl, heat pressing, etc.

It's all about the numbers! How long to finish this job on a DTG?

 

[CoopersDesignCo]

Honestly, I disagree. This IS not a good job for DTG. Screenprinting would've had it done in a flash.
With athletic stuff, I would stay away from DTG all together, because, IMO it is really designed more for full color, softhand, watercolor looks.
Jobs that call for large areas of white ink on darks for DTG are not only timely, but expensive.
Hope this sheds some light.

 

[out da box]

Yeah, I kinda figured with the white ink issue. But with numbers on the back I figured.....

 

[joeshaul]

I'm no screen printer, but I thought it'd be too much setup for 16 T's as well as the varying numbers on the back. Maybe the best solution would've been screen print the front, vinyl the back?

 

[out da box]

Yeah, we did vinyl for the back, but still.

 

[abmcdan]

I have a T-jet blazer pro DTG and I would say you wouldn't have saved much time but it would have been less hassle. The large area of white wouldn't be a problem.

I've done softball jerseys for a couple of teams and with the DTG you can also customize a name on the back. Customers seem to really like that.

 

[DAGuide]

I personally would think the most profitable way to do this job would plastisol transfers for the front (only 2-colors, but the time to burn the screens, setup the press, register the screens, clean the screen,... compared to an 8 second press) and vinyl for the back would be the most profitable way if you have the time to allow the plastisol transfers to be made and shipped to you. This way you would have about 1 hour of production time (majority of time for weeding the # and pressing it) compared to 3 hours doing the screen printing. But you do give up potential profit on the cost to get the plastisol transfers done. Need to compare that cost to your additional labor and what you could be doing with that extra time (i.e. doing another job that will make you more money).

I do commend you for thinking about which way would be the most profitable while still giving your customer a quality product. Let's keep this type of discussion going.

Mark

 

[brentonchad]

Screen print the front and use transfer express numbers on the back. My shop is 90% uniforms and transfer express numbers are cheaper and easier than vinyl and also give the shirt a consistent screen print look on front and back.

I have to ask though - sixteen shirts with plastisol transfers and transfer express numbers would take me 30 mins. Where is the break where screen printing actually saves you money when you consider time being a cost? I ask because I am been tempted to get a screen press but can't justify the cost

 

[out da box]

Well for me 75% of my jobs are rush- 1-2 day turnaround. 95% of my jobs are more than 16pcs. Only a few jobs per month require customized letters and or numbers.

 

[treadhead]

Thinking off the top of my head...

3 to 5 minutes per shirt for 2 passes at 720 dpi and 1 pass of white at 1400 dpi (maybe 2 passes but probably not). I would do vinyl on the back but it would be cheaper to use transfer express numbers if you did enough of that type of work to justify the inventory of numbers. I would pretreat each shirt while another shirt is printing so no lost time there (just effort).

So maybe 1 to 1 1/2 hours for DTG and another 1/2 to cut, weed and press the numbers comes out to maybe 2 hours max for the total job unless I'm not thinking about something.

Another way to look at this job would be that it is possible to do the front design using vinyl only. This wouldn't be the cheapest way to go (probabably at least $5.00 in vinyl for the front design alone) but it could be done.

 

[macmiller]

i did basically the same thing today, took me about the same amount of time. i don't see how there would be any better way do do that. i don't see the big deal with printing 2 colors on a short run. i've done 12 piece runs with 6 colors, front and back. as long as you're charging accordingly, it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[out da box]

I think I priced that job at 15.60/pc for 16 pcs. COGS=6.00/pc, profit=9.60/pc

That would be about 9.60*16=153.00 total profit/3 hrs = 50.00/hr
A little below what I shoot for.
Doing production printing we can do at least 100.00/hr to over 300.00/hr.

 

[Rob]

I did almost the identicle job, burn the front screens, print front, set up number system, screen print the numbers and clean up in less than two hours (Including my coffee and cigarette habit). That was for a 22 numbered team jersey. But we use a number system. Screens are aprox 9 by 12 inch and go in a jig on our press. screens are already burnt, and just need to clean up the ink and put back in storage for the next job.

Here is a link to a similar system
Numbering System and Number Package

but I made my own jig, and had my screen supplier make me up the screens.

Your prices were a little higher than mine, but I think I was in the $110 an hour range

 

[sunnydayz]

I think if paying for someone else to print those with a dtg, I probably wouldnt because of cost. If I were printing them to sell and I had a dtg printer, then I would definately do it I would do the solid numbers with vinyl, and the multi color print with dtg.

But since you are asking about printing for someone else, I would still do it the same way, by combining the two. Or use plasitol transfers. I think I would price both and compare.