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OK so this has taken off a little faster than I thought it would.  I am getting orders coming in normally 1-3 shirts a day but have a few that want 10 shirts at a time, all are the same design but there are a few that want multiple colors that would require a lot of carful layering.

 

So i am wondering what would be some equipment to maximize my time?  I have been looking as screen printing, DTG(a little too rich for blood right now), and laser/inkjet printing.  

I want it to last at least 20 washes as these are being worn a lot more than I thought(some every other day) so with them being seen a lot I need it to look good.  I see a lot of pros and cons but with the printers I see that I can get one and get dye sub inks for less than $500, a screen printer and ink to do screen prints and plastisols for about the same maybe cheaper if I only want the 4 color option.  Space is at a premium for at least another 9 months so that is a big factor right now.  Maybe soon I will move to other offerings other than shirts and that is another factor.

 

What do some of you Vets in the biz go with starting out and have been happy with until you upgraded from that?  I have been reading and researching but can't make up my mind plus i have a lot on going with work, vacation, and other life stuff so I can't focus on nailing something down yet.

 

TIA for all the tips!

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28 minutes ago, dcbevins said:

Plastisol transfers can go much faster for large orders like https://www.fmexpressions.com.  But ten shirts might not be large enough of an ordeer to go there.

Yea I looked at that before but that would be only for a large order. A lot of the running groups seem to like the feel of the HTV but giving them more colors to have in a design I think will increase my offerings and $$ when they see I can do more complex work. I hate layering with a passion...lol

The only issue I see is I would have a rough time with dark garments with screen printing soft hand dark garments. Right now that is not too much of an issue as most are light blue, hot pink, kinda mid blue. mid purple, and lime green. Almost all the shirts so far have been a 65poly/35cotton to 100 poly, very little cotton unless it is lightweight ringspun because well, Florida heat and summer coming...lol

Screen printing would give it a rough feel and I think it would be harder to sell it off on athletic wear.

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So back to this again. Been working a lot and also doing a lot of HTV shirts.

So just an update, I am not doing any screen print unless it is a large order and only one color but doing a lot more HTV and the customers just love everything I have been doing and getting a lot of repeat business. 

So now I am looking at doing a full color print.  I have looked at DTG and doing a lot of compare but the cost, even on a lease, I cannot justify right now.  I have been looking at the printable paper but need to do a 10x10 to a 12x12 and most of the stuff I see is 11x17 or 8.5x11.  I have a WF 1100 that says I can do A3 plus(13 in x 16.65) so that would be perfect.   I am doing a LOT of 100% poly DARK shirts so low temp will be great and looking for a soft hand.  I used SuperFilm Navy and just loved it as it had an amazing feel but being discontinued. Had to fight the dreaded platen lines for a bit but defeated that issue.  Attached is the type of print that I am looking at doing.

So in summary:

  • 100% Polyester dark shirts
  • Full color with some shading like only a DTG can do but without the huge expense 
  • Good to great washabillity
  • 12x12 would be best
  • low temp
  • Soft hand
  • Headache from reading too much and need a few drinks of 18 year Rum!

Is this feasible without going the DTG route?

Everyone has been a great help so far!  

mad_man_copyfun.png

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*EDIT: Never mind, just noticed that plastisol was already mentioned in this thread.  Man I really need to read closer.  ha!

 

There was a discussion a few weeks ago that brought up plastisol transfers. Perhaps that would work for your needs, although it sounded like you needed a decent size shirt order to make it cost effective.

 

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years ago before I got the solvent printer and now I sold that will probably do the one offs with jpss or 3g opaque - worked well back when I used it with pigment inks - with the DTG talk to someone that has owned one for a over a year or two as it seems most people get them and when they find out how bad the heads clog and what it cost to recover from that they ditch the dtg -  you would have to be doing it daily to make it worth it and with the cost of the printer, maint etc you have to charge a lot more for that product than most people are willing to pay - but of course they are happy to accept cheap work while you are figuring it out :)

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2 hours ago, Dakotagrafx said:

years ago before I got the solvent printer and now I sold that will probably do the one offs with jpss or 3g opaque - worked well back when I used it with pigment inks - with the DTG talk to someone that has owned one for a over a year or two as it seems most people get them and when they find out how bad the heads clog and what it cost to recover from that they ditch the dtg -  you would have to be doing it daily to make it worth it and with the cost of the printer, maint etc you have to charge a lot more for that product than most people are willing to pay - but of course they are happy to accept cheap work while you are figuring it out :)

Yea I am not going to be doing that many I do not think to justify the cost.  How well does jpss or 3g hold up and the hand of them?  I was looking at it but was unsure.

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1 hour ago, julian keller said:

What are your thoughts on something like a solvent printer and printable vinyl?

I had good success with the jpss and 3g - on the solvent printer with colorprint pu worked great - just make sure you have enough work to print with it every other day and don't go on 3 week vacations - same thing with the heads clogging (not as bad as the DTG unless you get the white or silver option as they cause problems in both).    if you have enough business to justify running the solvent printer every other day for as long as you own it I say go for that one.   most people want a solvent printer because they perceive them as easy and cheap to run - do your research , visit trade shows and visit people in your area that own them - a printer sounds sexy until you start dumping money into it for lack of regular use.  it is not like your home printer

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