Newbie business advice needed

Mark:

DTG has emerged as a great technology for printing complicated, colorful designs for smaller print runs. (under 100 shirts) It's true, you can run the equipment by yourself, and it offers a good, clean method of printing. It has a good hand when printed (feel of the ink on the shirt).

However, it's difficult to accurately and consistently hit a Pantone color as you are basically printing CMYK files. This may or may not be important to you, but if you have to print someone's corporate logo color, it could be a big problem.

Using traditional screen-printing methods offers more variety in final print "looks", as you can use a vast array of inks and not be solely dependent on the CMYK platform. Metallic, Glow In The Dark, High Density, Foil Treatment, Puff, etc. will all be available to you. Not to mention if the client needs PMS 186 Red, you can just mix that and print.

Larger print runs will be cheaper to print using traditional screen-printing, as the economy of scale helps spread that out over the order, giving you a chance at a better margin.

Screen-printing is more of a craft, and there's a lot to learn to do it right. DTG is probably easier to get into, but with the cost of units coming down it could be a race to the bottom in some markets as companies that are operating out of their garages with printers compete for the same business.

I would recommend finding some hands on opportunities that will allow you to get some ink under your fingernails in either direction and see if you can determine what's best for you. Trade shows, demos and other opportunities are always available.

Good luck,

-M

there's no other method that i'm aware of that's as versatile, has as many options and can do as much as actual screen printing. there just isn't a single substitute in terms of overall quality and variety. but, it's not an economical choice for small runs. and it's just not something everyone has an interest in, or even physically capable of doing if you're like me and have a manual press. screen printing methods also include not just plastisol ink, but water-based and discharge. specialty inks add another level of what you can accomplish. but, it involves actual work and labour, too, and at some point you probably will realize that ink tastes terrible and it's easier just to live with ink under your fingernails more often than not.

dtg garments always rate lowest in terms of quality prints. but, from what i've seen in real life, i have no problem with them at all. if someone were fool enough to trade me a nice dtg for my whole screen printing set-up, i'd do it in a heartbeat as it's just so much less effort, time, and space for what i want to do and what the average customer wants.

and that's just it, also, you can't be all things to all people. know where i got all my equipment from? from auctions of failed businesses that attempted to do that. it depends on what kind of customers you plan on servicing as to which process is ultimately best for you. like marshall said, dtg isn't going to give you that pms 186 red, but it probably won't matter if all they want is five shirts anyway. but, you probably really won't get that many of those kinds of orders anyway with that much specificity unless that's your gig. for example, my wife and i own a trophy shop, and sometimes we have to turn work down because we don't have a laser engraver. but, i'm not going to rush out and buy a laser just to pick up a couple of orders a year that we refer to someone else. i would get one because it would allow us to do other things we want that our rotary engravers can't do, so i could justify it (somewhat) in other ways, but there's no justification in it just to accommodate a handful of customers' small orders. that's all to say don't try to please everyone, please the market you're aiming for with the process you do, outsource the other stuff if you can/want.

just on the surface, it sounds as if dtg is the way to go for you. you may never do those eye-catching HiFi screen printing jobs, but that's okay b/c few people do that. and there's a reason few people do those things. in all, dtg is a viable method for operating a business despite some cons, which every method has.

you may not be able to get as fine a detail with dtg, but, again, it's usually not going to matter but to a handful of people. there are some good youtube vids that show you how it's done, which you can probably find on a dtg dealer's site, also.

as marshall pointed out again, there's an economy of scale that screen printing will always win out over dtg after a certain point. with dtg, you first shirt will cost you as much as your 100th, whereas for SP your costs go down down down with every shirt you produce. since you want to do small runs, i don't see this as a dealbreaker against dtg. besides, if you wanted to do 250 shirts, then you do 250 shirts.

don't get me wrong, i'm not saying dtg is better than SP, not by a long shot, but it can be depending on what your plans are. it's funny how quality becomes something in the eye of the beholder once prices come up, lol. i have a few dtg shirts, and i've never noticed any drastic drop in quality of the print over time, but then again the shirts have a duller finish to them to begin with so it's not like i expected them to miraculously brighten up after 50 washes. but they have a soft hand to them that plastisol ink can only match with additives (and extra cost and labour), and i can't see any cracking (albeit my shirts are light colours that don't require a white underbase, so that's something to check into. still, SPed shirts of mine with a white underbase crack and the white underneath shows through, so i wouldn't view that as a con, it just is what it is).

Villaman,

Mark and Ryan have given you good feedback regarding some basic differences between DTG and Screen Printing. You can find tons of other threads addressing the same topic here on TSF. Do your homework before you make any decisions.

Both methods of apparel printing have their own pros and cons. Both methods require some degree of skill and knowledge. However, most would agree that screen printing requires a bit more skill (especially with a manual press).

1) First and foremost ... both methods of printing require "good artwork" which requires some degree of knowledge regarding graphic design software, color separation, etc.

2) Both methods require some degree of "pre-press" work. With screen printing you need to burn & register each screen before printing. With DTG you need to pre-treat every shirt (lights and darks) and then cure the pre-treated shirts before printing. Pre-treating is not required for screen printing.

3) Manual screen printing requires a certain level of skill to produce high quality prints on a consistent basis (there are some basic techniques that must be learned). With DTG, you push "print" and the printer does the rest. However, you do have to learn how to adjust the DTG RIP software to get the best prints (not too hard to master with proper training).

4) Both methods require some "post-press" work. With screen printing you will cure the shirts with a conveyor dryer. With DTG you will cure the shirts with a heat press. With screen printing you have to remove the screens from the press and wash them. With DTG you have to do daily maintenance to keep the printer running smoothly.

5) With screen printing you'll generally be limited to spot color prints (1-8 color prints) until you learn how to do process or simulated-process prints (multi-color, half-tone prints). With DTG, you can print an unlimited number of colors right out of the box. Both methods of printing require a white "under-base" if printing on dark shirt.

7) With screen printing you can offer multiple ink types (plastisol, water-based, discharge) and multiple specialty treatments (metallic, puff, foil treatment, etc). With DTG you are limited to DTG pigment inks.

8) Screen printing is best suited for larger runs, while DTG is best suited for smaller runs (and optimal for print-on-demand businesses).

9) With respect to quality ... both methods will produce outstanding results if done properly. However, there are no short-cuts to producing high quality prints ... you have to spend a little time perfecting your skills.

10) You can get into both types of printing for a relatively low cost (meaning approx $20-$30k for a decent set-up).

The bottom line is, both methods are viable options for apparel decorators. You have to determine which one will be best suited for YOUR operation or business model.

Good luck.

'4) Both methods require some "post-press" work. With screen printing you will cure the shirts with a conveyor dryer.' ~ or use a flash dryer. you use a $12 heat gun from harbor freight if you really wanted to. curing plastisol ink only requires heat, as opposed to dtg, vinyl and transfers that require heat and pressure.

'10) You can get into both types of printing for a relatively low cost (meaning approx $20-$30k for a decent set-up).' ~ screen printing can be gotten into for a lot less money than that, particularly if you buy used equipment and/or build some of it yourself, and some of the things that makes it easier you may have already, such as a power washer and air compressor (neither of which are must haves, per se). there are some starter kits out there, too. of course, you can spend however much you want to on SP equipment. one advantage with SP equipment is that even if it's used it's probably still pretty functional machines as opposed to an used dtg machine which i'd be very leery of buying.

'Both methods of printing require a white "under-base" if printing on dark shirt.' this isn't necessarily true. paying a little more for HO (high opacity) ink can negate the need for an underbase for screenprinting. however, for dtg, it's probably very true.

ryan barker said:

'4) Both methods require some "post-press" work. With screen printing you will cure the shirts with a conveyor dryer.' ~ or use a flash dryer. you use a $12 heat gun from harbor freight if you really wanted to. curing plastisol ink only requires heat, as opposed to dtg, vinyl and transfers that require heat and pressure.

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True ... however, anyone who would take the time to cure more than one or two shirts with a heat gun is nuts (IMO). Curing plastisol requires a consistent, even temperature across the entire print to get a good, reliable, and consistent result. A heat gun can only cure one spot or section at a time, so the person has to move the gun from section to section to cure the entire print (a time consuming process if it's a larger image size). Not saying it can't be done, but I wouldn't recommend it. A flash unit would also work, but again, it would take longer to cure a large run of shirts compared to a conveyor dryer. Screen printing is a "volume-based" business (generally speaking), so the goal is to increase your "production speed" as much as possible, without sacrificing quality, to get the best ROI for each job. The faster you can print shirts, the faster you'll want to cure shirts. All three options will work, however, a conveyor dryer is the optimal solution for large runs.

ryan barker said:

''10) You can get into both types of printing for a relatively low cost (meaning approx $20-$30k for a decent set-up).' ~ screen printing can be gotten into for a lot less money than that, particularly if you buy used equipment and/or build some of it yourself

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True again ... my estimate was for a small manual press, a film output system (inkjet printer), an exposure unit, a washout booth, a flash unit, a handful of static aluminum screens, some film/transparencies, two or three squeegees, a few quarts of ink, etc. You can find some decent used equipment if you look around. And yes, you could easily spend $50k-$100k if you really wanted to.

ryan barker said:

one advantage with SP equipment is that even if it's used it's probably still pretty functional machines as opposed to an used dtg machine which i'd be very leery of buying.

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I agree.

i dare say the vast majority of screen printers don't have a conveyor dryer. absolutely, for large runs it's a great thing to have, but it's a luxury item for all but a few of us. and, true, using a heat to cure shirts is the least optimal thing to do, but i venture to guess that every shop has one laying about. a flash unit is essential. you can't do an underbase, pull the shirt off and run it through the conveyor, put the shirt back on the platen and expect it to be anywhere close to where it needs to be, lol. lay the underbase, hit it with the flash, then put your colours on ~ there is no other way (except if you had to use a heat gun, and i've burned more than one shirt using these things, lol).

my washout area is an old sink with a leg missing, surrounded by unused plastic from previous jobs and wood paneling scraps. it's functional and i couldn't beat the price, lol.

the recovery tank i got an an auction for free if i just emptied it and took it with me. otherwise, it would have cost around $350 had i bought one. i doubt i would have bought one, though, as, well, it's a friggin' tub with a spigot! lol. i'd have built one for a fraction of the cost before spending that much. it's things like that which can nickel and dime you to death.

fortunately with SP equipment there doesn't tend to be much maintenance. you're going to have an exposure or flash bulb burn out occasionally. other than that, if any one piece of equipment isn't working, you can usually find an alternative. a garden hose can do the same thing as a power washer, a box fan the same as an air compressor, and it's unlikely that all four stations will fail at the same time on a typical press. conceivably, you can cure your emulsified screens using sunlight if your exposure unit went really bust.

i would imagine that a dtg machine runs a nightly maintenance routine, but i don't know for sure. i've heard that there can be some maintenance issues with these, though i'm not sure how bad it gets.

you can get into screen printing for under a $1000. you may not have all the bells and whistles or top shelf stuff, but you don't *have* to have all that to get up and running. the idea is just to get the ball rolling and upgrade as you can. (i know starter kits are pretty inexpensive, but you're going to blow through those supplies *real* quick, that's why i say a thousand bucks as opposed to the $400 or so for a mid-range ryonet starter package, because ink, emulsion and chemicals are expensive, not to mention extra screens and squeegees, etc..)

ryan barker said:

i dare say the vast majority of screen printers don't have a conveyor dryer. absolutely, for large runs it's a great thing to have, but it's a luxury item for all but a few of us.

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My thought is, if someone wants to "go into the screen printing business", as opposed to maybe just printing t-shirts as a "hobby", then a conveyor dryer is much more than a luxury ... it's a necessity. Just my opinion of course.

ryan barker said:

and, true, using a heat to cure shirts is the least optimal thing to do, but i venture to guess that every shop has one laying about.

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I agree, a heat gun is good tool to have in your shop.

ryan barker said:

a flash unit is essential.

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I absolutely agree.

ryan barker said:

you can't do an underbase, pull the shirt off and run it through the conveyor, put the shirt back on the platen and expect it to be anywhere close to where it needs to be, lol. lay the underbase, hit it with the flash, then put your colours on ~ there is no other way (except if you had to use a heat gun, and i've burned more than one shirt using these things, lol).

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Technically speaking, when you "hit" your print with a "flash", you aren't actually "curing" the print, you're simply bringing the plastisol to a point where you can print on top of it without the colors bleeding (it should be sticky to the touch, but not completely cured). If you cure your under-base completely, the colors that you lay on top won't adhere properly (Ryan, I know you already understand this stuff, I'm just trying to help the OP understand the process a little better, lol).

ryan barker said:

you can get into screen printing for under a $1000. you may not have all the bells and whistles or top shelf stuff, but you don't *have* to have all that to get up and running. the idea is just to get the ball rolling and upgrade as you can.

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Absolutely, it can be done ... and it has been done. Starting small and saving for future upgrades is a fine strategy if you don't have a big start-up budget. I guess it all depends on the budget, the vision, and the ambition of the person starting the business.

Villaman ... are you still with us?? Hope we've been helpful. Good luck, gotta go watch some basketball.

Guys

I have just got back from a holiday with my kids and have just read all your posts. Many thanks to you all for your detailed replies and more than helpful info that I am going to take on-board. You are a true credit to this forum. Where else would I get this sort of advice and help in one place. Thank you.

DTG is defiantly the way for me and this is the road I am taking as i am only going to see myself doing small jobs of 1-3 run off's and DTG will enable me to do do this.

right guys, question number 2

whats the best DTG printer???

only joking

Many thanks Guys

Villaman (Mark)