[StreiganMedia]

So, I'm looking to buy some printing equipment. I'm not looking necessarily to open a large volume print shop, but more to specialize in small quantities for our company and hopefully others. One of our company's largest expenses is printing of small quantity and one-off marketing materials, so I thought: "why not invest in the equipment and possibly make some money off of it."

We'll mostly be making our own t-shirts(more darks than lights)(11x17), stickers, hats, vinyl vehicle decals & lettering (not wraps), etc. (in that order.) The largest vehicle decal we've had made is 23x11. I figure we can still have someone else make any vehicle wraps we might need.

Here is what I came up with so far through my own research:

Epson r1900.
Continuos Ink System PIGMENT ciss cis ink system for epson R1900 NON-OEM - eBay (item 260606928064 end time Aug-18-10 20:03:27 PDT)
USCutter LaserPoint Vinyl Cutter 24" With Stand.
Sunie 16"D x 24"W Heat Press

Oops forgot about software..

I've already got a lot of graphics software (Adobe, Corel, etc.) that we use for our web and pre-print work. I've no current plans for additional software besides what comes with the equipment purchases.

I'm trying to keep the figures down, while still being able to do most jobs. I was wondering what the experts here thought about it.

Some questions I have are:

Is the LaserPoint Contour cutting necessary for what I plan to do?
Did I pick the right size cutter for the value?
Would a different printer be better suited?
Is there a place to get a bundled deal on something like this?

 

[selanac]

Do a search on google for Screen Printing Equipment. I don't know if you'll get a bundled deal with a Heat Press, Cutter, software and Screen Printing Press, but you might get a couple of the items.

If you look on the left of this forum, you'll see a bunch of Sponsor links. Try SilkScreeningSupplies and some of the others.

Though you might get a good deal, do you really want to do all the work, and use up your time?

Sometimes it's just easier to find an exclusive screen printer, and go from there. They can even give you contract pricing, and you can sell the products without the headaches.

 

[StreiganMedia]

Thanks. I'll check out SilkScreeningSupplies. Our large jobs would go to a print shop that can handle it. This is for the small quantity stuff, so it shouldn't take up a lot of time. We don't mind the work.

 

[Teamwear]

small qty that you send to a larger shop will kill you.

buy a screen printing package from someone-about the same as the vinyl or ink jet package but many times more profitable.

by far the best return on your investment

 

[StreiganMedia]

Hmm, I might need to look at this some more. I thought screen printing was for large quantity jobs. Wouldn't small quantity and one-off prints be cheaper and more efficient using heat transfer?

 

[Teamwear]

We think it is a LOT cheaper to screenprint. A gallon of black ink will print at least 500 shirts for about $50.
It is more messy-but also more flexible.

I also think it cost less to get started. A single color press and a flash unit is well under $500. A good cutter is well over $500.

 

[selanac]

Vinyl weighs more too. One of our customers hates vinyl lettering. I agree with Teamwear, buy a 1, 2 or 4 color press for your small runs. You can even use transfers and run them on your printer. Cut around the edges, and heat press them.

 

[StreiganMedia]

I have been trying to respond to you all, but my messages in this thread keep getting blocked. Here is another try, without the response.

 

[StreiganMedia]

That's strange. Anyway, thank you all for your advice. I'm looking at adding a light table to my list and appreciate any advice on that, as well as the items listed above. Crosses fingers hoping that the post doesn't get blocked.