Wanting to expand

[jovial 1]

Im sure there's a post on here explaining the differences in various types of printers but I really don't feel like reading every post and trying to find one that's asking just what I need to know.

As of right now, I own a MH721 cutter and have been doing just fine with it, but recently my wife and I have been getting a lot of people asking about t-shirts. We're going to go ahead and make the plunge to buy a heat press and some t-shirt vinyl. The only problem I have with the whole deal is that I hate to tell people no when they want to order something. If i start making t-shirts and using my cutter to do simple designs, I know I'm going to have people asking about full color stuff as well. My question is this. If I want to start printing designs to put on shirts, what would be the best printer/ink combo? I will also be doing shirts for my National Guard unit and since we are an aviation unit, the only shirts we are authorized to wear on duty are 100% cotton so whatever I get will have to be compatible. I'm sure I'll come up with more questions as the responses start flowing so I'll just leave it at this for now. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[Dawn's Design 403]

All I use is htv and I do good with it. You can do 2 or 3 colors at a time that way.

[OWJones 1,981]

What color are the shirts you want to put images on?  That determines which direction to go...

[FrznFire07 217]

we print HTV as of January this year, with Siser ColorPrint PU on a Mutoh 1324 and plotter to match.

 

But honestly for the last 10+ years we've been cutting 1-3 colors design out of HTV.  Even though we do have the option to print HTV now, we don't use it nearly as much as you might think.

 

It's usually cheaper to silk screen multiple colors, since it really doesn't make sense to do 2-4 full color shirts. 

[Neuromax 97]

Get with someone who screen prints (I do but so do others and you may find someone locally) and work out a pricing deal. When those larger/more difficult orders come in outsource it and keep on making money!

[jovial 1]

When you say HTV, I know that means Heat Transfer Vinyl, right? That would definitely be a start, but i want to be able to print full color graphics and put on shirts. I've seen posts about the Epson WF printers but just really confused on what type of inks and media needed to do 100% cotton shirts. As far as shirt color goes, that could be anything from olive to bright blue, to white. Who knows.

[jaybyrd 3,770]

Pigment ink. Jet pro sofstretch for white shirts 3G opaque for everything else.

[jovial 1]

Thanks jaybird. Thats what I'll start researching.

[OWJones 1,981]

My last two Epson purchases were through the Epson Outlet Store on ebay and I've had zero problem with either one of them.

 

I purchased a WF Pro 7520 for myself  and a WF Pro 4530 for my mom for Mother's Day.   Both printers showed up looking brand new - they include a full one year Epson warranty and a 14 days no questions asked return policy.

 

I recommend the WF Pro 7510 or the WF Pro 7520 for doing shirts.  They both support up to 13x19" sheets of paper, so you can do extra large transfers, and a CISS kit is available from Cobra Ink that works with either model.  The primary difference is that the 7520 has dual paper trays and a duplexer, so it can print double sided - not real useful if you're only doing t-shirts, but I wanted the extra flexibility as I use it for other print work as well.   They both include a tabloid (11x17") size scanner, which is very convenient.

 

An Epson WF Pro 7510 from ebay is $149.99 with free S&H.  The pigment CISS kit from Cobra Ink is $159.95 plus shipping.  Cobra Ink also stocks JPSS, 3G Opaque and Jet Opaque II transfer sheets.   For under $400 you can be up and running, assuming you already have a heat press.   The 7520 is a $30 upgrade from the 7510.

 

If you're 100% certain you'll never need bigger than an 8.5"x11", then I highly recommend the WF Pro 4020 - it's a no-frills printer compared to the 75xx series, but it uses internal ink cartridges that hold up to 4 oz. of pigment ink for each color - it's like having a CISS kit built into the printer itself.   It's $79.00 off of ebay (free S&H again) and a set of refillable cartridges pre-loaded with pigment ink from Cobra Ink will add another $114.99, then sets of refill bottles will run you $51.99 and they last a long time.

 

If Epson made a printer equivalent to the 7520 that used the large cartridges of the 4020, that would be the only printer I would ever buy... Instead they put ink cartridges barely bigger than a tic-tac container inside the giant 7520 and ink cartridges the size of Beta video tapes inside the little 4020...  Go figure...

[jovial 1]

Wow, thanks for the input OWJones. That is very helpful and I will definately look at all 3 of those printers. Would I  be able to print images for white shirts and dark shirts with the same ink or would I ultimately need 2 different printers set up with 2 different ink types? I dont have a heat press yet either but looking at a couple different models. Would like to get something that I can upgrade in the future for hats, mugs, etc., but doesnt have to be able to do that now.

[OWJones 1,981]

You use the same type of ink regardless of light or dark shirts.  I do both JPSS and 3G Opaque out of the same printer.

 

With regards to a heat press, the ones that do more than one thing are seldom as good as the ones that just do one thing.  For doing shirts, get the biggest and nicest (AKA most expensive) model you can afford.  Although you could technically get by with a 12x12" model, most of us recommend at least a 15x15" model and a swing-away or drawer model is preferred over clamshell.

 

Mugs get better results when done with a thermal wrap (Cactus brand wraps are very popular) and baked in an oven, but mugs are done with sublimation which requires a different type of ink and a second printer.

[jovial 1]

You use the same type of ink regardless of light or dark shirts.  I do both JPSS and 3G Opaque out of the same printer.

 

With regards to a heat press, the ones that do more than one thing are seldom as good as the ones that just do one thing.  For doing shirts, get the biggest and nicest (AKA most expensive) model you can afford.  Although you could technically get by with a 12x12" model, most of us recommend at least a 15x15" model and a swing-away or drawer model is preferred over clamshell.

 

Mugs get better results when done with a thermal wrap (Cactus brand wraps are very popular) and baked in an oven, but mugs are done with sublimation which requires a different type of ink and a second printer.

 

Tons of help and very much appreciated.