# Ready to start business????



## jeffwilkinson2 (Apr 23, 2007)

I have never had anything to do with this business other than to buy lots of shirts! Is there a benefit to starting the business with both DTG and silk Screening?


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

Have you done either one before?


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## jeffwilkinson2 (Apr 23, 2007)

No... 35 years contracting,,,owned a cabinet company that I started from nothing...did good...sold it...I pick things quick when I want to make money....


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

If you're confortable around computer software settings/configuration then give DTG a try. I think screen printing is slightly cheaper when it comes to initial investment, and easier to learn the basics. Starting both at the same time is going to give you a lot of headaches. I'm a computer tech for more than 10 years, so I'm better at DTG. I can do the basic screen printing, but not when it comes to really complex artwork. MHO


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## Bill Hood (Apr 11, 2007)

Make that 'screenprint" as we have not used silk in the screenprinting industry since World War II. It is a misnomer that we really need to drop from use.

Since you do not know the industry, I would suggest that you attend a class on screenprinting and then attend a trade show to look at the quality of DTG output and time constraints. Don't listen to a salesperson, actually look at the time it takes to print one DTG print as compared to the screenprinted item.

Now here is the rub. We each only have 24 hours in a day. Perhaps we only work 7 hours a day, and with all the bookkeeping, sales, marketing and other duties of running a business we might be lucky to get in 5 hours of good work a day. You have to ask yourself, even if you had the customers for both markets, "How much potential is there in either operation?"

In screenprinting you can print 350 shirts an hour on a low end machine and up to 1200 shirts on a high end machine. If you are really broke and can only afford a manual machine, you can still print over 100 shirts in an hour (less if they are multicolor).

You have to look at the return on your investment in any process. If you buy into a process that has limitations, i.e. the DTG is "great" for small runs, you will find yourself looking much harder for that limited market than say a screenprinting shop where you can satisfy both the small runs and large runs.

A young girl came to my shop to get one shirt. We screenprinted it for her and she was quite happy to pay the $65 charge as it was a 'special' shirt to her. A week later she came back with the youth minister of her church and they order 3,000 shirts. I could have sold her the one shirt if I were doing DTG, but would have not been able to do the 3,000 shirt order. This has happened quite a bit during the past 50 years that I have been printing textile items. 

Screenprinting means never having to say you are sorry!


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

Bill Hood said:


> Don't listen to a salesperson, actually look at the time it takes to print one DTG print as compared to the screenprinted item.


Screen printing (11x5" printing area):
Printing films for each color.
Coat, burn, wash, dry screens.
Register/Align
Do test print
Print
Reclaim screens & ink
Est. 20-30 minutes depending on the number of colors, assuming everything went perfectly.

DTG (11x5" printing area):
Appy pre-treatment on shirt (dark shirts only)
Turn on printer
Do head cleaning
Print shirt
Do head cleaning
Turn off printer
Est. 5-10 minutes regardless of the number of colors, assuming everything went perfectly.

No, I'm not a salesman! LOL 

But all seriousness, screen printing is much cheaper to start than DTG. I think it's a good way for you to get into the business, Jeff. Plus, it's hard to beat the quality and ink cost.


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## jeffwilkinson2 (Apr 23, 2007)

Where is the next trade show?


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show

Imprinted Sportswear Shows - New England

Imprinted Sportswear Shows - Schaumburg

Imprinted Sportswear Shows - Atlanta


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## Tenacious (Apr 11, 2007)

jeffwilkinson2 said:


> I have never had anything to do with this business other than to buy lots of shirts! Is there a benefit to starting the business with both DTG and silk Screening?



Either one is tough starting off I think. I started out heat pressing and had to move to screening b/c of the larger orders once you get your name out there. I ended up selling my press and just turning the short runs over to a friend. To me out source screening was more profitable (time verse money wise). Short runs are a pain just to make 5-20 shirts @ a 10-15 profit opposed to getting big runs and making c-notes screening them. It's cool to be able to do both (I can now), but in the beginning, not so much for me. Just my two cents.


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## tomtv (Feb 6, 2007)

I respectfully disagree with Bill on this one. To start with zero knowledge in this industry the learning curve will be much smaller with DTG printing in my opinion. We have had a sp shop for many years and there is no doubt in my mind that with all the steps, chemicals, cleaning, registration, application techniques etc. leaves screenprinting as the harder artform. Both avenues require some artwork knowledge but when it comes to application of the ink the the garment and all the steps it takes to get there, I will go with DTG even with some of the limitations.

I also don't think I have ran into many people that would have no problem with a 65.00 on off because it was special to them. I need to find many more of your customers to stop by my shop!

I do agree that you should go to a show or two, take a screen print class or two and also look at the garment printers. The fact that there is not direct to garment printing classes probably should tell you that there is a steeper learning curve to screen printing than direct to garment. Above all see and touch stuff and see what is best for you and your business model. That is the real issue and at the top of the list for your evaluation for a path to go down first.

The best to you man,

Tom


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## jeffwilkinson2 (Apr 23, 2007)

I thank you,Bill, and others for your words of wisdom...But let me put this out here..I hear people in the forum talking about how they just added a DTG to the shop. Why? Is there a benefit in having both systems? I intend on paying cash for my equipment, I don't need to start pulling in big money overnite, I can take alittle time to learn. So if I would buy both now, set up shop. Try to start with 1 color jobs, 2-3 doz shirts, to contractors etc. on the screening equipment, then play with the DTG a few hours a day on more complexed graphics, could this work out to be the best of both worlds.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

jeffwilkinson2 said:


> I hear people in the forum talking about how they just added a DTG to the shop. Why? Is there a benefit in having both systems?


That's probably because of the nature of the business. For example, we do both online retail and contract printing. It's a pain to setup and screen print one shirt at a time for retail customers, so try 10-20 different shirts a day. Our customers won't pay $65 for a shirt, even at retail, so a DTG for us is a good investment. For us, a DTG increases the efficiency on smaller/medium jobs, where screen printing provides profitability and speed on larger jobs. Although we don't do screen printing anymore, but that was the plan!


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## jeffwilkinson2 (Apr 23, 2007)

So if I were to invest 23,000 for both system,(new) equipment, maybe setting up the dtg in a mall, using it for per item, and then write orders from that location for larger jobs using screen...?????


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

You can do that if you have the resources to handle the work load.


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## GRH (Apr 25, 2007)

I have a small shop and don't rely on it for my only income. I started off screen printing and then bought a digital printer. 

Affordable digital printers have only been on the market for a couple of years but they have improved dramatically and will continue to do so. Screen printing has been around for thousands of years and will be here for a few more. 

T-Shirt printing is headed for the digital market like a bullet. If ink costs for the digital printers come down I think that the small screen printing shop will soon be a thing of the past. Screen printing will be used by the big shops for some time and it will be used for specialty inks and substrates.

I recently sold my screen printing equipment and decided to do only digital printing. I am glad to be free of the harsh chemicals and mess that comes with screen printing.

If I where starting a shop today a digital printer would be my first purchase. I would contract out any screen printing. 

Regards,
Greg


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

tomtv said:


> The fact that there is not direct to garment printing classes probably should tell you that there is a steeper learning curve to screen printing than direct to garment.


While I agree, I think it also tells you people are being thrown into DTG over their heads. The proof is in the number of people who then run into problems (especially printing white on black) that a little advance training might have helped avoid.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

I know that US Screen does training classes on their T-Jets, free when you purchase their printer. I think MESA does it too.


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## csquared (Sep 8, 2006)

US Screen also has classes for screen printing and from what I am told they are always full. Solmu is right some people come into this with the wrong ideas about DTG printing.


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

csquared said:


> some people come into this with the wrong ideas about DTG printing.


 
I totally agree.


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## Hansca (Feb 5, 2007)

I actually downsized my screen print shop to a DTG for the mere fact what Bill said. I can open more doors doing the small runs and getting bigger orders that I then just outsource. Cut overhead exponentially and am still able to view my short runs as money makers. 


Hans


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## tomtv (Feb 6, 2007)

My statement about the lack of training classes for DTG type printing does have to do with fact it is easier to get up to speed quicker, at least in my opinion. I have been involved with both and if you are doing an 8 color design for someone I just don't see how anyone can think it is even close to comparing the learning curve. 

Tom


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## Hansca (Feb 5, 2007)

I have not been impressed with Us Screen's "classes". Sure it was great if all you want to turn on the machine, load some art, and print. But that is as far as it goes. No head alignment steps, head replacement (you WILL have to do this), we lost a whole day because the tech ruined the head the second day he was there. The third was spent replacing that head and then low and behold another part was bad. He left anyway leaving us with an inoperable machine with parts coming to repair. To say the least I still ended up replacing the new head with another the next day as the bad part ruined the second head. Talk about a crash course. So because of that we issed out on training of pretreatment on dark shirts and printing white ink all together. Classes or "training" from Us Screen is a weak word in my opinion. In fact, we have had the machine for month from that time, and we have not heard a peep from them. Sell the machine, get it delivered, and drop it from there, we are too busy to follow up with our customers, that's all we have had with us screen. 



Sorry to rant but that was our experience with purchasing the T-Jet2 Jumbo. Not to mention it took them over a month to get the machine delivered. We purchased on Feb 8th. It was finally delivered on March the 19th only after we rented a truck and went and picked it up because US Screen messed up shipping dates. A month..... and at our expense. Oh yeah there is a leraning curve on this new technology that could cause real headaches.


Eh...


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## Vtec44 (Apr 24, 2006)

Have you tried posting on ScreenPrinters.net Support Forums - Powered by vBulletin ? There are also a bunch of videos on their support page, U.S. Screen Print and Inkjet Technology - T-Jet Standard & T-Jet2 Support. Their support has been pretty good to us. There's a HUGE learning curve, especially on the RIP software.


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## csquared (Sep 8, 2006)

sorry to hear about your troubles. I do not want anyone to be discouraged from what hans said about the classes, these are in my opinion essential to all owners to attend , they may not go over EVERYTHING but it is a one day class. The main thing you will learn in these classes is about proper daily and weekly maintenance of the machine and I think all owners can attest to the importance of this. So again dont be discouraged by Hans, the classes are 100% worth going to.


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## Printzilla (Mar 22, 2007)

I also recommend setting aside 7-10 days just to learn your machine. Budget enough to print 200-300 shirts of all colors. Also print different locations such as sleeve, chest, two sided, etc....

These are not plug and play. You must be willing to put in the time to get the best out of your machine, whatever the brand of machine.


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