# Has anyone tried the Melco G2 DTG Printer?



## IAC

I was told that Melco G2 dtg machine is by Anajet. My question is this. Has anyone tried the G2 and how is it compared to other companies using the epson printer modification method?


----------



## DAGuide

Ron,

Melco's G2 is not made by Anajet. Melco used to sell dtg printers that were made by Anajet, but the G2 is not one of them. Anajet to my knowledge has never made a dtg printer based off of the Epson 48X0 printer. Based on my knowledge, they have used the Epson 1800 (FP-125) and Epson 1900 (Sprint)printers to create their dtg printers. I suggest you contact Melco and ask to speak with someone that specializes in dtg printing. They should be able to answer your questions.

Mark


----------



## Don-ColDesi

The G-2 is the Texjet - made by Polyprint in Greece.

.:: [ Polyprint ~ digital textile printing solutions Texjet | ]::.


----------



## RedRider83

Anyone have experience with this printer? I was just on melco's site, looks like they have some "testimonials" up (just like everyone else, lol). They also say this printer is under $20K, (so what, $19,999?) Kind of irritating that alot of these companies don't post pricing on their site. Just looking for some real world experience users to talk to about this machine, on a site other than Melco. All input is welcome!
Thx,

Rick


----------



## 135367

I saw th G2 printer in action this past weekend and it was awesome. It has two larger print platten and also a sleeve print platten. The tech printed white shirts and black shirts that seemed to be easier than with the Anajet. the RIP software was a lot easier to set up and go. No print head cleaning is necessary and daily shut down is quite simple. Supposedly, you can leave the printer sit for a week or so with the ink cartridges still in the printer. I was impressed and ordered one. I'll continue to use my Anajet in addition to the G2.


----------



## 135367

Hey, I forgot to mention that they send a tech to set up and train at *your location!!* It's part of the price. That's customer service as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## CuttingEdgeEMB

Smartwear-how is it going with the G2? Anxious to hear what your thoughts are


----------



## Printzilla

X2.....Post a review


----------



## 135367

Thanks for your inquiry. My machine has arrived and the Melco representative is scheduled for the 21st of this month to install and train me on it. So, can't report on it yet. I'll let you know at the end of the month. 

I'll tell you this it is one big machine. It's probably twice the size of my Anajet.


----------



## tdprout

What is the price?


----------



## 135367

Hi, the price is around $18K. They won't reduce the price but will give you additional stuff. I wanted to sleeve platten and they through it in. The price includes on site training and that you can't beat! I'll be reporting on the ease of use of the G2 at the end of the month. I have an order for 50 tshirts that will prove its worthiness.


----------



## tdprout

Wow...I would have to get financing for this equipment...keep us posted...I hope that it works as well as they claim it does! So you have the actual machine at your place of business, but can't use it until the representative gets there to help you...that's torturous!


----------



## CuttingEdgeEMB

got to say- you are more patient than I am- I would have the crating open software installed and be halfway through the manual- it would have driven me insane by now. When I got the embroidery machine they scheduled my training 2 months out- by the time that happened I already knew everything they went over-


----------



## tdprout

Yeah..I'm with you cuttingedge..lol


----------



## CuttingEdgeEMB

Smartwear, so how did it do on the 50 shirt order? Anxious to hear your accessment on the process over-all. It should be 3 weeks since the tech came and got you started- what do you think? pro's and cons please


----------



## 135367

The printer is doing a great job. The training went well with the Melco rep Richard. I've had a few questions and was able to get help from Richard and tech support at Melco very quickly. Richard is the go to guy for training and he's on the road 95% of the time. 

As far as I'm concerned the documentation leaves a bit to be desired. I'm sure technical people wrote the instruction manuals as oposed to a user doing the writing. On a side note, I was once laid off because I documented my job so well, they didn't need me anymore. I'm making notes in my manuals, and may turn them over to Richard for future use by Melco.

I'm very pleased with the printer and getting more and more comfortable with it every day. The 50 shirts turned out very well. It probably took longer to pretreat the garments (front and back) than to print and heat set them. 

I know I'm getting too much pretreatment on my garments and need to work on that.

I did a very colorful design on a black shirt for myself and have washed it aleast 4 times and no color fade. 

Let me know if you need any more info.

thanks.

Jackie


----------



## CuttingEdgeEMB

I would so like to have one of these but I do mostly medical uniforms and have no client base for t-shirts yet- notice I said YET- anyone with any suggestions on how I can make this a profitable addition to my current business please comment- I am open to suggestions. Thanks Jackie- keep me informed on your progress with the G2


----------



## Brian

How about a photo or two of the actual machine and printed shirts.


----------



## 135367

OK, I'll do my best with my camera.


----------



## 135367

Here's a photo of the same design on white and black shirts. I hope I uploaded the design, let me know if you did or didn't get it.

Jackie


----------



## tdprout

I don't think you attached the photos....


----------



## 135367

My uploads keep failing. Don't know what I'm doing wrong I'm or what to do. Will try later when I get some help.


----------



## shirleyg

Hey there! You have had the G2 machine for a couple of months now. How's it working out? I am really concerned with prints on black garments. Can you get *bright colors on black*?

Have you printed on fleece -- specifically dark sweatshirts? Results?

Tried anything else? Towels, hats, other? Thanks!


----------



## ambition

Bump for I would love to hear more info on the G2 also. Let us know how it is going!


----------



## dirttoo

Well, I just ordered the Melco G2. It will be here Monday Oct. 10 and I am scheduled for training on Tuesday Oct. 18. Nervous and anxious. Hope I made the right move.


----------



## allamerican-aeoon

dirttoo said:


> Well, I just ordered the Melco G2. It will be here Monday Oct. 10 and I am scheduled for training on Tuesday Oct. 18. Nervous and anxious. Hope I made the right move.


Lots of luck and have fun. Isn't Melco is Poly Print's Texjet OEM? Don Coldeci knows well but I am not sure.


----------



## dirttoo

allamerican said:


> Lots of luck and have fun. Isn't Melco is Poly Print's Texjet OEM? Don Coldeci knows well but I am not sure.


Is that a bad thing?


----------



## CuttingEdgeEMB

Dirttoo- how are you doing with your G2? I'm going to be looking at them (and probably drooling) at the ISS. Would love to have your input as a G2 user.


----------



## dirttoo

CuttingEdgeEMB said:


> Dirttoo- how are you doing with your G2? I'm going to be looking at them (and probably drooling) at the ISS. Would love to have your input as a G2 user.


Awesome machine, Read my answer here...
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t179505.html


----------



## 135367

I really love my G2. The learning curve can be intense when things just don't go according to plan. The Tech service is right there to help and can get you through anything. Guru, Richard, is just a phone call away and he's been awsome. Just knowing you have help a phone call away is peace of mind. I did invest in a pretreater from Equipment Zone. The equipment gets the job done. The instruction manual didn't match the equipment and in some areas the manual is incomplete. I think they updated the design and not the instruction manual. Customer service at Equpment Zone leaves something to be desired, but that's another story.

My black garments are coming out very vibrant and I've done some Hoodies on the G2 and they look just fine.


----------



## dirttoo

I just listed my Melco G2 for sale in the classifieds.... If anyone is interested. Thanks


----------



## Smerz

dirttoo said:


> I just listed my Melco G2 for sale in the classifieds.... If anyone is interested. Thanks


 
Why are you selling it? What happened?


----------



## dirttoo

It works great. I just don't have enought work for it. My plans have changed directions.


----------



## Smerz

dirttoo said:


> It works great. I just don't have enought work for it. My plans have changed directions.


 
I feel you. My buddy had a DTG and he had to give it up. The ink and the note on that boy was no joke. You have to have constant work to reap the benefits from it.


----------



## GraphicGuru

Can you provide an idea on what daily maintenance is required for the G2? Is there anything suggested in the owner's manual or training?




Smerz said:


> I feel you. My buddy had a DTG and he had to give it up. The ink and the note on that boy was no joke. You have to have constant work to reap the benefits from it.


----------



## masterspike

DON"T BUY ONE!!!! that's my advise. not a melco or any of them. they are all the same guts with a different shell. AI've been watching these machines for about 10 years, and when they first came out and were $90,000.00, i thought i'd wait for the price to come down and for them to perfect them. so Last winter we went to the orlando print show (what a joke, buts thats another store), and after looking at and getting the sales pitch from each company, we took the plunge. since the innards are the same, i started tolook at the companies. most of the companies were started to sell DTG printers, and basically you had brothers and melco that were companies that had been around and should still be around after the industries shake out. so we bought a melco G2. What a nightmare!!! they say the learning curve is steep, but that doen't cover it. and expect absolutely NNNOOO help from the help line, they a clueless. stick with your screenprinting equipment and save yourself the utter horror and frustration of spending $20,000+ on a machine that will not do anything close to what you see at the shows. you will not get those results andthe companies can't tell you how to get those results. and can't even explain how they get results. so you are on your own, wasting countless hours, pissing off your customers cause your not delivering on time. i could go on and on with the BS we have gone through, put that would take a book. the machines are bogus at best and a complete waste of money. but if you still think you want one, take over payments on this one at it's yours, i'll even delivery


----------



## masterspike

GraphicGuru--concerning the maintaince--First you must realize that from the time you hit the power button till the time you can do anything a good 5 minutes will pass, with the machine flashing "please wait" then you have to go thru a ritual of accepting and declining warrants --every time you start up. then you have to do a clean, which you must stand there to hit a button every couple minutes while the machine goes thru it's contortions. Then the shirt platen will come out and you must level the table. so now you got about 15 minutes into and you ain't even printed. on the close of the day you get to go thru basically the same ritual. oh, and i forgot that your suppose to do a nozzle check each time before you start printing and that's a least another 5 minutes. so all in all you are adding at least 20 minutes to your day. and that's it the thing does act up while you are printing and have to go thru cleaning cycles during the day.


----------



## 135367

I love my G2. I've not had problems and the onsite training was extremely helpful and I've had excellent experience with Melco technicians. I've had technicians stay on the phone while we worked through an issue. As with any piece of equipment, and I'm assuming screen printing, there must be set up time, cleaning time, etc. Screens must be processed for each color. I'm not sure what you were expecting with DTG printing, it's not a desk top printer.


----------



## City71104

I have a Melco G2 and love it! I have had no problems with it for 2 years of printing! It is much better than the Viper sold by southwestmesa and I know this for a fact as another print company in my are has one. The picture I will upload is the Melco on the left and the viper on the right. As far as the G2 not doing what is shown at shows is bs. My shirts print just as good as the one that we were given at the shows if not better. Apparently masterspike is not properly setting up his artwork or taking care of the machine the way it is supposed to be taken care of. It is simple cleaning steps everyday! If you need to personally talk to me about the g2 you can contact me at by private message. But the G2 is the way to go!! And as far as it taking 20 mins to be able to use the machine is not true. If you know how to properly use and clean the machine then you will know that it doesnt take that long. Good Luck and if you ever had any questions I will be more than happy to help you.


----------



## Rage Industry

Agreed, I have only had my Melco G2 for a couple of months and it is excellent in both print quality and maintenance. Prints great, light or dark garments. Richard and Carlos of Melco have been awesome in service, so I am not sure who would complain and why. You have to stand before you can walk, just sayin!


----------



## sondzin

I almost bought a Melco G2 but I went with the Anajet mPower5. I have been able to print some good shirts, but in the end, there is a really LARGE pile of bad shirts that outnumber all the good shirts I have printed. Cleaning and getting it to a point where it can print is a nightmare! Sure, it's simple steps, but the amount of ink and shirts I have wasted is enourmous!

One question I have about the G2 is whether you need to have it in a humidity controlled room? The Anajet mPower machine MUST be in a room with 45% humidity or above and the machine is to be left on AT ALL TIMES! You can never turn it off. I would assume the G2 inks are also water-based. Is that true? What is your operating environment? Temp? Humidity?

How are you pretreating your dark garments? What are you using? Is it supplied by Melco? What is your startup time when first printing for a day? How often does it not print correctly, such as misprint a color or mix colors? How susceptible to clogging is the white ink? Have any of you had the white ink clog? The other colors clog? When you don't get a good nozzle check, what do you have to do? What is the average amount of time you spend cleaning?

Would love to know the answers to as many of these questions as possible as I want to get rid of the Anajet if the G2 will be more reliable and print better colors. I've actually seen one in action with Richard and it made great stuff. Anajet printed great stuuf too, at the show and in training, but hen you get home...completely different story.

I've got plenty of work lined up, but I am not confident that I can do it with the Anajet!!

Thanks,
David


----------



## Wrightdesign

why havent the other companies made one like this melco. I saw it and i would love to have it but 18,000 heck what would my payment be? Where can you get loan to get one. Where i live no banks are loaning money at this time. Wish i was a testeer. Please tell us how you like it pros and cons, tips and tricks on using this. it looks great, maybe it will go down in price , just like new ipads,... I wish you best on your new toy...


----------



## dirttoo

sondzin said:


> I almost bought a Melco G2 but I went with the Anajet mPower5. I have been able to print some good shirts, but in the end, there is a really LARGE pile of bad shirts that outnumber all the good shirts I have printed. Cleaning and getting it to a point where it can print is a nightmare! Sure, it's simple steps, but the amount of ink and shirts I have wasted is enourmous!
> 
> Would love to know the answers to as many of these questions as possible as I want to get rid of the Anajet if the G2 will be more reliable and print better colors. I've actually seen one in action with Richard and it made great stuff. Anajet printed great stuuf too, at the show and in training, but hen you get home...completely different story.
> 
> I've got plenty of work lined up, but I am not confident that I can do it with the Anajet!!
> 
> Thanks,
> David


This sounds exactly like my experience but with my G2. Richard came and set me up. He was great then but didn't return my last 2 calls/emails. Customer service doesn't exist anymore, they don't call you back when they say. I have way more bad shirts than good and the colors are not bright. One problem was the readout on the printer says "Please wait" and said that for about 45 minutes before it started printing. But the last straw for me was it said "Please wait" again and I waited awhile and nothing changed. About an hour passed, still waiting so I went up for supper and checked later and still waiting. I went back upstairs and forgot until the next morning and it still said "Please wait". Well, I hit the power button for the last time. I wasn't able to finish the shirts. The machine has sat now for two months waiting for the repo guys as I am unable to make the payments for something that has not worked correctly since I purchased it. I have not even printed 100 good shirts and have used up two complete sets of ink.


----------



## dirttoo

Wrightdesign said:


> why havent the other companies made one like this melco. I saw it and i would love to have it but 18,000 heck what would my payment be? Where can you get loan to get one. Where i live no banks are loaning money at this time. Wish i was a testeer. Please tell us how you like it pros and cons, tips and tricks on using this. it looks great, maybe it will go down in price , just like new ipads,... I wish you best on your new toy...


I leased mine. Only $414 a month. I am about $4000. into my payments and I've made about $400. with it. Read my post above.


----------



## 135367

I still love my G2. The printer is sometimes smarter than the operator. My Anajet is in hibernation since I got the G2. I'm sure there are a lot of good printers out there, but you can't beat Melco's customer service. Richard is awesome and the tech support is great.


----------



## Wrightdesign

just got a digital printer ad from das . wonder how their printer works if it will have a cleaning system for the ink. of course it is priced where folks can pay it off in no time. only 7,000 more my budget in this day and time.


----------



## joeprint1963

I just saw a melco G2 used for sales about $6000. I think it needs some repair and new printhead,anybody think it worth to buy for this price plus shipping another 700 may be. Please advise me what to do in this case and like to hear about the customer support from the melco regarding up and running this machine. Thank you for your attention.


----------



## thedigiguy

Buying a used printer is always risky. It has nothing to do with the quality of the printer when it was new. It's all about how it was maintained by its owner. Unfortunately so much of what's important cant be seen by looking at the outside. Heads, lines, dampers, and maintainance station can all be an issue. Melco is strong in customer service, but that does not protect you from a used printer that may need more repairs than the purchase price.


----------



## sondzin

joeprint1963 said:


> I just saw a melco G2 used for sales about $6000. I think it needs some repair and new printhead,anybody think it worth to buy for this price plus shipping another 700 may be. Please advise me what to do in this case and like to hear about the customer support from the melco regarding up and running this machine. Thank you for your attention.


I can tell you that the G2 is a good printer and easy to maintain, ONCE it is running correctly. I got mine new, so I had no problems from the start. 

I would call Melco and see if you can talk with support and possibly do a three-way conversation with the owner so they can ask him questions about it while you are listening. If it has just been sitting, and it needs to be flushed and cleaned, I would say it is a good deal as they are $20K new. Find out as much as you can about it before you commit. See if you can get Melco's support guy Richard to call you and the owner. He is the best.

As far as it being a good machine, yes, it is a good machine. I also had an Anajet Mp5 and had nothing but problems with it. That's not to say it can't produce good shirts, since there are many that are doing just that. However, the amount of problems their printers have makes it a better than average chance that you would experience some of the same. The Melco G2 operated perfectly from the moment we turned it on! The only reason I have ruined any shirts with the printer is because of user error, whereas I ruined piles of shirts with the Anajet--due to the printer, NOT user error. The G2 is also VERY EASY to clean and maintain! Not so with Anajet. I speak from experience. I am sure there are others wo can provide more info.

David
Sondzin


----------



## dirttoo

I too bought a new Melco G2. I had more bad shirts than I had good. My problem wasn't so much the machine but the program. Mine kept printing the same shirt over and over. Even after it was deleted from the list it still printed the same shirt. Never again.


----------



## joeprint1963

Thank You all for the response, I have some bad experiences myself from dtg kiosk ll and doesn't want another one like that. I don't have money to buy a 20,000 machine and there is not enough business for that either, so I may be more likely to buy a brother 541, for now. Thanks,Joe


----------



## thedigiguy

sondzin said:


> I can tell you that the G2 is a good printer and easy to maintain, ONCE it is running correctly. I got mine new, so I had no problems from the start.
> 
> I would call Melco and see if you can talk with support and possibly do a three-way conversation with the owner so they can ask him questions about it while you are listening. If it has just been sitting, and it needs to be flushed and cleaned, I would say it is a good deal as they are $20K new. Find out as much as you can about it before you commit. See if you can get Melco's support guy Richard to call you and the owner. He is the best.
> 
> 
> Sad to report that Richard is no longer with Melco.
> As far as it being a good machine, yes, it is a good machine. I also had an Anajet Mp5 and had nothing but problems with it. That's not to say it can't produce good shirts, since there are many that are doing just that. However, the amount of problems their printers have makes it a better than average chance that you would experience some of the same. The Melco G2 operated perfectly from the moment we turned it on! The only reason I have ruined any shirts with the printer is because of user error, whereas I ruined piles of shirts with the Anajet--due to the printer, NOT user error. The G2 is also VERY EASY to clean and maintain! Not so with Anajet. I speak from experience. I am sure there are others wo can provide more info.
> 
> David
> Sondzin


 
Sad to report that Richard is no longer with Melco. Richard is at the top of the list when it comes to knowledge in the DTG market. The good news is that Melco has a very experienced support and tech staff so you will still be in good hands.


----------



## coolaid62

We have a G2 printer and its quality is great when it works. So far we have managed to get some good prints out of it but now it has randomly decided to start putting dark shadows at the top of the white layer on garments. Does anyone know how to fix this or what the issue is? I have been in contact with Melco support as our machine is only 7 months old and it seems to not be able to be fixed over the phone.


----------



## 135367

have you cleaned the print head. I had a similar problem and after the print head was cleaned, its been running A-OK. Just be very careful, use a mirror and flashlight. We found a clump of ink dried around the print head.


----------



## coolaid62

smartwear said:


> have you cleaned the print head. I had a similar problem and after the print head was cleaned, its been running A-OK. Just be very careful, use a mirror and flashlight. We found a clump of ink dried around the print head.


Thanks for your reply. I tried this and it still remains. Do you think it could be a faulty print head?


----------



## 135367

That's above my pay grade. My husband is my maintenance guy and he said to look for even the smallest speck of dried ink.


----------

