Hitrodup 1 Posted April 26, 2016 I'm not new to getting custom shirts made but I am new to the process of how to make them. I only want to do vinyl to start out. Maybe 5 or 6 shirts every 2 or 3 days. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted April 26, 2016 So what DO you have to start with? What is your budget? Do you already have a vinyl cutter? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted April 26, 2016 I would start with DTG, personally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sue2 920 Posted April 26, 2016 DTG Is a bit pricey for low volume...although we all would love to have it! For a reasonable entry level FULL COLOR set-up all you need is: some JetPro SofStretch Inkjet Transfer Paper a decent inkjet printer a heat press t-shirts Some sort of better graphics program like CorelDraw would help too. PLUS some trial & error learning time. Sue2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sue2 920 Posted April 26, 2016 If you want heat press vinyl only....you will need: a cutter a bunch of Heat Transfer Vinyl in various colors a heat press t-shirts Again, a better graphics program like CorelDraw would help... but you can do it with the free programs. PLUS some more trial & error learning time. Sue2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hitrodup 1 Posted April 26, 2016 My budget is $1500 and if you could recommend some dtg please do I'm open for all ideas. Also with the plotter vinyl setup what plotter would you recommend and how much vinyl and brand should I start with? Sorry if I'm asking a lot but I'm ready to make this purchase in the next few days and try it out lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted April 26, 2016 There are several fully-ready T-Shirt production packages offered directly from USCUTTER warehouse. For example - http://www.uscutter.com/USCutter-Value-T-Shirt-Starter-Package (choose the 34" SC and the whole shebang is like $600) No way can you go wrong with that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 26, 2016 by stepping up to a titan2 you will get a cutter with a servo motor though that will be more accurate - the plotter and heat press are the most important parts of the operation that you want to start - that and learning the vector software will be key.Slice - you started your business from scratch twice - why no DTG yet if that is what you would start with? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Command 97 Posted April 26, 2016 To be honest, for something shirt sized the SC series can probably rival the quality of a servo cutter. I have an MH that I started with 5 years back. Its flaky and cant do long runs, but It was able to accurately make detailed small designs on par with my graphtec. I'd probably start out putting my money into the heat press, and going cheap on the cutter until I can afford an upgrade. I've had the opportunity to work with a swing away hotronix and it is worlds apart from a Chinese clam shell. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadHatterGraphix 1,258 Posted April 26, 2016 To be honest, for something shirt sized the SC series can probably rival the quality of a servo cutter. I have an MH that I started with 5 years back. Its flaky and cant do long runs, but It was able to accurately make detailed small designs on par with my graphtec. I'd probably start out putting my money into the heat press, and going cheap on the cutter until I can afford an upgrade. I've had the opportunity to work with a swing away hotronix and it is worlds apart from a Chinese clam shell. I have the Hotronix Fusion and what said is spot on. I could never go back to a Chinese press ever well that's a lie I kept my 9x12 Chinese press for smaller items. However there is nothing like the Fusion yes pricey but worth it yes. However I would have to disagree with you about the stepper cutter as good as servo servo is so much smoother and runs so silent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadHatterGraphix 1,258 Posted April 26, 2016 DTG Is a bit pricey for low volume...although we all would love to have it! For a reasonable entry level FULL COLOR set-up all you need is: some JetPro SofStretch Inkjet Transfer Paper a decent inkjet printer a heat press t-shirts Some sort of better graphics program like CorelDraw would help too. PLUS some trial & error learning time. Sue2 DTG is very pricey and I'm just not talking about the machine inks are high and unless they solved the inks drying in the heads after no use for a couple of days. And pretreatmentis costly. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted April 26, 2016 DTG is very pricey and I'm just not talking about the machine inks are high and unless they solved the inks drying in the heads after no use for a couple of days. And pretreatmentis costly. You had/have one didn't you Hatter? Good advice I think. Plus from my research DTG is sort of a specialty with what shirt types work good and lost of less desirable cheap machines that can cause you expensive grief. I started out with a fairly cheap cutter and a fairly cheap press. I too love my Fusion and wouldn't trade back but still have my old 15" for some sort of back-up or bartering tool. I had a cutter similar to the Laser Point and got by but there are drawbacks. A nice cutter that can run problem free is a big plus sign that I enjoy every since I bought my upgrade. The basic rule of thumb has usually said buy the best you can afford. This is more true with cutters than with presses I think. Reason I say that is there is a huge threshold or break-over point with presses. You are either buying chinese budget machines for anywhere from $99 to maybe $600 or you're stepping up to higher quality with Hotronix, Hix or Geo Knight for a considerable amount more (to name 3 big names). So in your position I personally would go with a decent swing out press. You can find them for $350-$400 range that are very solid basic presses. Avoid the $99-$199 clams cause they are more often junk and problematic. IMO you can get by fine with an SC or LP2 cutter for small quantities and you will learn the craft and not be too deeply invested in that part of your operation to feel bad upgrading when your work picks up enough that you need it. Servo cutters absolutely rule but it's a lot of investment up front if you don't have a good revenue stream. I was in business over two years before I upgraded my cutter and had to take a personal loan out to swing it. Paid it off in about a year and soon after that I got a massive shirt order and it paid for the fusion. Bear in mind I do my business as a side thing so I often don't pay myself just dump it back in to pay off equipment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hitrodup 1 Posted April 26, 2016 Thank you all so much I'm going to order the 34" SC I also need help in my first vinyl order for shirts and as for the swing arm press I'm thinking of getting the 15x15 for 349.00 or the uscutter 5 in 1 for $594 in case I want to do hats. Do you guys think this is a good choose? Again I want to say thank you all so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sue2 920 Posted April 26, 2016 Colors.....whatever you have, someone will want something different! Find a source close by for those odd color requests AND charge extra for "Special Order" colors. Ideally, look for someone going out of the t-shirt business like Slice just found and purchase their stock at a discount...there's plenty around that thought they would make a fast buck but discovered otherwise. Regular stock HTV colors: White Black Red Orange Blue, Navy & Sky blue Green, Dark & Lime Yellow Gold Silver Neons: Green, Hot Pink & Yellow are popular and look great on dark colors Beyond those...get some sparkly ones & neat patterns for the ladies. Sue2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted April 26, 2016 Do the $349 press. That is the same basic one I still have as my spare. The all in ones are a waste of money IMO. Particularly if you want a hat or a mug press the all in ones are sucky. I agree with SUe. White, black, bright red and then any local colors like your local HS etc... The rest you will accumulate with orders. When someone wants something then I buy it and have the rest of the roll for later. Over time you will end up with a whole stockpile and you will know what sells in your location. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skener 11 Posted April 26, 2016 Great advice, I agree spend as much as you can afford, and get the best you can, I have a cheap Chinese press, it's served me well but wish I had spent more in the beginning and gone for a good one, same as the cutter really. I have a liyu tc it's certainly paid for itself and some now looking to upgrade to a more professional model like a Graphtec/summa. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DCMoney 91 Posted April 26, 2016 Personally, I stock 50-100 yards of white HTV, 5-10 yards of black, and <5 of anything else. My internet item options are limited to black and white graphics, majority being white HTV. Buy my HTV off ebay, cheapest delivered price I can find. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hitrodup 1 Posted April 26, 2016 Thanks guys is there a certain brand to buy? And Dcmoney do you have a link for the vinyl on ebay? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwp99 283 Posted April 26, 2016 Hello Hitrodup and welcome to the forum. You have already received quite a bit of helpful information so I can't say much. If there was something I could say I would have to agree with buying the best quality of cutter and heat press that you can afford. I also wouldn't be afraid to buy used equipment. when I first started out, I bought a used 24" Summa D60 cutter and I've been using it ever since and that's been 8 years ago. Good luck 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Command 97 Posted April 27, 2016 Used is definitely an avenue to look at. You might want to see if you can find a used Graphtec Craft Robo Pro locally or on ebay. I picked one up around 3 years ago for $500. Its a 15" version of the pretty beastly CE-5000. Perfect if all you are looking to do is shirts and narrow items. Mirroring Goose up there, I'd stay away from the all in one presses Also, I find that when it comes to shirts * Stay away from 100% polyester, its a pain and gets marks easy. * Easyweed Stretch is fantastic. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DCMoney 91 Posted April 27, 2016 This is the seller I've been buying from since August. Check other items for sale for smaller rolls. http://www.ebay.com/itm/131507028065?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=430879479915&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdmarti1 20 Posted May 12, 2016 Spend some time and look used. I bought a used CE5000-120 for 1k, a Stahls STX-20 for 900, and a Geo Knight 14x16 for 350. I had bought the Geo Knight to get started, and a nearly new Stahls showed up - we love it so much we have never turned the Knight on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites