[piratepaints]

I am looking into purchasing a NeoFlex. I am very new to all of this. I am pursuing a dream of mine. I was wondering the exact methods on digital to garment printing... like:
*Do I have to pre-treat every shirt?
*I know there are machines that do this, or I can probably do this myself manually?
*As well as, do I have to use a heat press after the ink is printed onto the garment?
*I know that printing up to 3 separate garments/designs is possible...
*Can I use the full potential 17 x 42 inch printing space for one single oversize-printed garment?
*If I did the above,^^ can I set the design to get the biggest printable area possible? Like... can I use the 17 horizontally/42 vertically?
Thanks again, I am still researching what my needs are for this investment. I really want info from people who have user-experience... and I can't seem to find the answers to these questions anywhere else!! So far, this printer is in its own class.
I really don't want to have to mess with screen printing or screens to apply my designs.....
-karly

 

[23spiderman]

the answers to your questions are found in the NeoFlex section of this forum...

you only have to pretreat any shirt that will get white ink. some also pretreat CMYK only shirts if they want more vibrancy, but it will depend on your current job/price point.

you can print the full length of the bed, but you'll need to come up with your own way of getting the rest of the shirt "out of the way". the platens that come with the printer have a printable area of about 11.25 x 15.5 as the hoop takes up the rest of the room. you can flip the platen over and but them together to get a larger print area.

you will definitely need a heat press. i use 2 heat presses to keep up when i'm doing large orders. AA also has a dryer that you could look into that will dry the shirts, but most of us use a heat press.

you can print however many design you want so long as it fits within the bed. you will need to set up your own template in the RIP, but once that's done, you're pretty much unlimited. the majority of my work utilizes the standard platens, so 3 different designs at one time is the most i use.

hope that helps. the NeoFlex is definitely the way to go if you're looking for quality and customer service. the NeoRIP Pro is in a class of it's own.

 

[kevrokr]

I am looking into purchasing a NeoFlex. I am very new to all of this. I am pursuing a dream of mine. I was wondering the exact methods on digital to garment printing... like:
*Do I have to pre-treat every shirt?
Just the garments that you want to print white ink on NEED pretreatment. The pretreatment has binders in it that react with the chemistry of the white ink to keep it from "diving" into the fabric. There are other types of pretreatment that work with CMYK inks only. One is a Light Garment Pretratment that helps to keep the ink from diving into lighter fabrics, and also there is a Light Garment Polyester Pretreatment which helps print CMYK only on light & white garments.
*I know there are machines that do this, or I can probably do this myself manually?
There are machines that can distribute the pretreatment on the garment for you, but it is always good to know how to do it manually. You never know...if your pretreatment machine goes down or if you only have to do a small area. I still train all machine owners how to pretreat manually.
*As well as, do I have to use a heat press after the ink is printed onto the garment?
Yes. The inks that are used in Direct-To-Garment printing are heat set.
*I know that printing up to 3 separate garments/designs is possible...
...yes.
*Can I use the full potential 17 x 42 inch printing space for one single oversize-printed garment?
Yes. You would just need a platen that is large enough to accommodate that size of a print.
*If I did the above,^^ can I set the design to get the biggest printable area possible? Like... can I use the 17 horizontally/42 vertically?
That is a question for the distributor. I know with some machines there is a 17" wide printable area, but the platens that come with the machine are 15" wide so there is room for the garment to fit in the printer.
Thanks again, I am still researching what my needs are for this investment. I really want info from people who have user-experience... and I can't seem to find the answers to these questions anywhere else!! So far, this printer is in its own class. There are others that are in the NeoFlex class (based on an Epson 48X0 series). Some have a smaller print area, and some have a larger print area.
I really don't want to have to mess with screen printing or screens to apply my designs..... Screen printing is still a viable garment decoration method. Where it excels is in the larger runs.
-karly

I answered your post in red. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

 

[piratepaints]

Yes, if I could afford to screen print it would be an obvious choice! I think a DTG would be best for what my business would be capable of. I think I want to do "Limited Edition" on some designs. I am trying to start my own brand and so far I am 100% alone in this. I am hoping to find a business partner, but so far no one I know personally, fits the bill. I do not know if I will go with the NeoFlex. I am looking at the M2... it has an optional 17 x 24 inch printing area or a 24 x 47 inch printing space. I have no business plan as of yet... I am still researching every method out there. It is a lot to fit on my plate. I will have to spend a lot of time thinking about how I can make this work. I would never get into it completely if I didn't think I would succeed. I believe in myself and I don't know if I have any other options as far as career is concerned. I know that you have to be popular to succeed and meet certain demands.... Of course, the questions I asked were kind of common sense, but sometimes I don't have any of that! I guess I will keep interacting here in the forum. I have loads to learn before I venture on this self-fulfilling prophecy. I have more questions but I think I might write them out after all of the information I am reading today. Thanks for the replies.

 

[kevrokr]

A great way to start in this business is to find someone who does DTG fulfillment in your area, and have them do the printing. Then, you can worry about doing the design and marketing end as you devise a solid business plan.

 

[piratepaints]

Ah, yes... I would have to find the perfect fit if it comes to that! It is going to be a long process... I don't think I will be launching this till after October. Before then, I am trying to move very far away from here... I know I cannot cater to everyone out there and I think I have a great name picked out, the hardest part will be focusing my designs on that single area of interest. I just keep an interest in so many different things... I am not sure if the audience I direct the brand out will be into some of the other more colorful ideas I have for shirts...... ! This is going to take a lot of discipline. I need to keep something in mind that can grow, but stay within its own region I guess. I have lost hundreds of designs recently and I have already begun learning from the mistakes I have made in this so far! I cannot offer 200 designs. That is ridiculous. I think that I will do well if all the right things come to me and work out for me. I may be a bit premature in thinking of my own brand, but I just have to do it now. It is definitely something I am building up to. I want my own printer because I just think it would feel nicer having that control. I worry way too much to leave what I want done in someone else's hands... I don't know all the details, I have a lot to research in the next month!! I am currently trying to get someone I know with money to sponsor and fund me. If only I could be so lucky! I guess only time will tell. It would be nice to have at least one person to talk everything over with... so yeah.

 

[piratepaints]

I also wonder if I would be able to take breaks in this or if I would absolutely have to print daily....... As I said, I have other interests, like school and travel....

 

[JohnL]

I know Kev answered some of these questions but the more info the better.

I am looking into purchasing a NeoFlex. I am very new to all of this. I am pursuing a dream of mine. I was wondering the exact methods on digital to garment printing... like:
*Do I have to pre-treat every shirt?
Only prints using white ink require pretreatment. If only CMYK (color) ink is being used then pretreatment is not required. We do recommend pretreating whites as the output seems to be much better.
*I know there are machines that do this, or I can probably do this myself manually?
With every system the means to pretreat manually are provided.
*As well as, do I have to use a heat press after the ink is printed onto the garment?
Heat is required to cure textile ink. Some use drying units however a heat press provides a much softer feel.
*I know that printing up to 3 separate garments/designs is possible...
Since the NeoFlex is a flat bed system you are not limited to 3 shirts or 1 shirt. The user can determine how they want to divide the 17x42 inch print area. Potentially you could have 8 baby platens loaded or 1 extra large print.
*Can I use the full potential 17 x 42 inch printing space for one single oversize-printed garment?
Yes this is possible. Since it is a flat bed system you can get away with not having a custom platen for it, with a little ingenuity.
*If I did the above,^^ can I set the design to get the biggest printable area possible? Like... can I use the 17 horizontally/42 vertically?
Yes.
Thanks again, I am still researching what my needs are for this investment. I really want info from people who have user-experience... and I can't seem to find the answers to these questions anywhere else!! So far, this printer is in its own class.
Thanks we worked very hard on every aspect of the System and we appreciate your kind words.
I really don't want to have to mess with screen printing or screens to apply my designs.....
-karly

I also wonder if I would be able to take breaks in this or if I would absolutely have to print daily....... As I said, I have other interests, like school and travel....
DTG machines with white ink require a bit more upkeep than CMYK systems. If you plan on using it 1 week and taking 2 weeks off then using it the next week it will be time consuming to keep up with the upkeep. If you are planning to use it more fequently 3-5 times a week then it becomes much easier to maintain. I would suggest calling in or emailing to find out if the process is right for you. You can reach me at John[USER=27311]@screenprints[/USER]upply.com

The answers are provided in blue.

 

[piratepaints]

argh! you were so right. i have been dead set on buying my own printer and running, starting to see it's not going to be an option! wow. well, now i have no idea where to start! so many things i need to learn, if you know of anyone who could advise me with starting a clothing brand i'd appreciate it! thanks -KH

 

[piratepaints]

yeah! i am starting to see that i will not be able to own my printer for my clothing brand! wow! i was dead set on it! i don't know what options are available to me now!! -KH

 

[JohnL]

I would advise on pairing up with someone that owns a DTG machine and subbing your work out to them to create your clothing line.

This will probably be the most cost efficient option as DTG requires no minimums with no restrictions on the amount of colors.

If you would like a few references to shops that run the NeoFlex in your area we can provide you with their info, if they agree.

 

[mustangFWL]

One question I have is can I use a conveyer dryer to cure the shirt after the pretreat? I know one can be used after printing, but is it ok to be used before? Or is a heat press preferred to push all of the fibers down before printing?

 

[JohnL]

You COULD use a conveyor dryer to dry pretreated garments, however you will notice much more fibrillation. If you leave them slightly damp you could probably take them to the heatpress after running through the dryer for about 10 seconds.

 

[kevrokr]

One question I have is can I use a conveyer dryer to cure the shirt after the pretreat? I know one can be used after printing, but is it ok to be used before? Or is a heat press preferred to push all of the fibers down before printing?

It is absolutely needed to use a heat press, set at heavy pressure, to press the garment before printing with white ink. This lays the fibers of the shirt flat, and gives your white ink layer a smooth surface to bond with the fabric. As John said, you COULD use a dryer to pre-dry the product before pressing, but this just adds another step to an inline process and has no real benefit unless if you were fully drying the shirt to be pressed and printed at another time.

A more suitable use for a conveyor dryer is to cure the ink. A compatible conveyor dryer to use with DTG should be a high evacuation type that is able to pull out any steam that is created during the curing process. Remember: you need most DTG ink to get to 350 degrees to cure properly...without scorching the product. As always, do wash testing to ensure that you are curing the ink correctly.

When using a conveyor while curing white ink, it is recommended to use a heat press set at 350 degrees with light pressure to press the garment for a lil over 15 seconds right after it comes out of the dryer. This ensures that the white under-base is cured correctly. When printing CMYK only, a straight run through the conveyor works just fine.

 

[kevrokr]

I cannot offer 200 designs. That is ridiculous. I may be a bit premature in thinking of my own brand, but I just have to do it now. It is definitely something I am building up to. I want my own printer because I just think it would feel nicer having that control. I worry way too much to leave what I want done in someone else's hands...

The good thing about DTG is that you can offer as many designs as you would like. Your customer could just select the design that they would want, and you can have the job already archived to print on-the-fly. This keeps your overhead low, and your catalog can expand as you make the designs.

Having control over the entire process is a great goal to have. But when you are just starting out, it's good to have someone do the printing while you work out the front-end of the business. You may not make as much profit, but at least you can focus on the design and marketing aspect to get your clothing line some exposure. Then, after a couple of months, review the profit margin of what you would have made if you did own the machine to see if a purchase is right for your business plan.

 

[piratepaints]

ah, yes... this sounds like what i am going to be forced to do because there are not enough hours in the day... and i rather build something slowly but surely rather than do something to prevent my own success by overdoing it... i have a lot to think about! so glad i joined the forum... thanks again, i might look into screen printing now though. or both.. i can see myself wanting designs from both different sources, i want high quality, color over-sized designs and maybe all-over. i need to set out specific designs that i will be dedicating myself to, instead of throwing 200 out there. i will probably start with 12! and from there, change them up every season. i want my brand to be known worldwide.

 

[kevrokr]

ah, yes... this sounds like what i am going to be forced to do because there are not enough hours in the day... and i rather build something slowly but surely rather than do something to prevent my own success by overdoing it... i have a lot to think about! so glad i joined the forum... thanks again, i might look into screen printing now though. or both.. i can see myself wanting designs from both different sources, i want high quality, color over-sized designs and maybe all-over. i need to set out specific designs that i will be dedicating myself to, instead of throwing 200 out there. i will probably start with 12! and from there, change them up every season. i want my brand to be known worldwide.

Sounds like a great start! You never know...as you start to build on the core idea, you may find yourself going into a totally different direction. You'll want the business to decide what machinery you will need, not the other way around! Good luck on your clothing line!