[joeutut]

Hi all,
I am a screenprinter that gets a lot of calling for 6 - 50 garments embroidered.
I do not do embroidery at this time but am thinking of getting into it since I have a customer base already in place.
I do not know much about embroidery so my question is, can it be set up then just let it run?
To clarify, I would like to be able to set up the machine and just change out the garment when finished so I can do other work. Or, does it need constant babysitting.

 

[thutch15]

I had an embroidery machine for 2 years and would have no problem kicking it off and then going and doing other task. It will notify you if there is a problem or when it is done.

 

[johnnyd]

Thanks for the fast reply. You mentioned "had", was it not worth the effort or expense?

 

[thutch15]

Thanks for the fast reply. You mentioned "had", was it not worth the effort or expense?

I have a full time job and there is only so many hrs left in the day. I am maxed out with screen printing and hated having a $13K machine sitting in the corner. I liked it, but just not the direction that I was headed at the time. Will get another one when I get enough business to hire.

 

[trixie]

depending on the machine, yes you can set and go. I have 3 machines, 2 I have to babysit, my 10 needle, I set and go on most things, but I am either in the same room or next room so I can hear it. Once you are use the sounds it makes, you know if it has messed up, or if an alarm is going off to signal bobbin or upper thread breaks.

 

[joeutut]

What type of machine would be best. What features would I want and what would I not want for ease of use?

 

[thutch15]

What type of machine would be best. What features would I want and what would I not want for ease of use?

Can't tell you what is best, but I can tell you I bought a new Toyota single head 1 with 12 - 15 colors (cant remember exactly). Was easy to use and never had a problem. I am sure any of the main brands are going to be good. You will also need digitizing software, unless you are going to sub all that work out. I would occasionally use Butler Digitizing if it was not a basic job... multiple places you can go. Hoop Master is also a great accessory for hooping quickly and consistently.

 

[hcohen22]

I would have to agree! I dont know what I would do without my Hoopmaster!

 

[Posylane]

Embroidery is it's own ball of wax. Some jobs will be set up and go, others will be real pains in the butt and generally there will be a lot of time spent learning.

I think screen printers looking to get into embroidery have some hard decisions to make in terms of the capital involved (probably $12-15k to have a single production worthy machine), the learning curve involved, and then probably feeling pressure to chase bottom feeding customers. I say bottom feeding customers because there are always people advertising embroidery at give away prices. Lots of customers will expect you to play ball on price.

 

[SunEmbroidery]

Generally speaking if the digitizing is good and you're running flats then that's possible. But, if the digitizing is poor and you're running caps, bags or a hard to hoop item you can have problems such as horrible bird nests and misaligned registration. Usually a machine will stop when there's a problem but not always. A small piece of lint in the bobbin can cause skipped stitches without stopping the machine so you don't realize there's a problem until its too late. A item such as a bag can move slightly while being embroidered and ruin the registration. If you stick to easy jobs, don't make stupid mistakes, always trace your design and keep your machine well maintained with proper tensions you shouldn't need to supervise much but I would initially spend time with the machine until you're comfortable with it. I think that time will be repaid in avoided mistakes and frustration.

 

[laz0924]

Embroidery is not nearly as fast as screen printing, with a single head machine a design with 8000 stitches & 48 pcs will easily take 8 hours to do plus the finishing. Not what your used to in screen printing a big factor to consider.

 

[Stitches]

Embroidery is not nearly as fast as screen printing, with a single head machine a design with 8000 stitches & 48 pcs will easily take 8 hours to do plus the finishing. Not what your used to in screen printing a big factor to consider.

This is why you invest in a four head machine. I can do this scenerio in about 2.5hrs.

 

[binki]

for every complex problem there is a simple answer that is completely wrong

embroidery has 2 components, the digitizing and the sewing. you can outsource the digitizing. as far as doing the actual sewing there are a few things to consider.

you need to hoop your garments. if the job is under 5K stitches then you will be spending most of your time hooping while the machine is running out the design. on a multi head machine this could be a race, on a single head machine, not so much. hint here, get the hoopmaster for each size of hoops you have and get the mighty hoops as well. they are great.

setting up the thread color is the same thing. on a multi head machine it will take longer.

so, babysitting it, not really. doing all the chores along with sewing, quite a bit.

as far as getting a machine, a single head will get you in the business but you can't really make a good hourly rate with it, you need at least a 4 head and maybe even more.

you will need a skilled operator. that could be you or it could be someone you hire.

you will need a source for digitizing designs and some basic software for lettering so you don't have to send that part out.

you will need to find a source for consumables. there are a lot of places out there.

you will need to figure out what other products you want to offer as well, just sewing on a shirt is only one aspect. the appliqué business is worth more money but it takes more time. you can also do patches and sew patches onto garments.

so, no real simple answer

good luck

 

[Heaven1]

A better answer for you may be to choose a contract embroiderer and get their pricing and such and just sub it out. Do what YOU do best and sub out the rest.