# Sticky  What DTG machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it :)



## sunnydayz

I have seen alot of good and bad about Dtg machines recently on here and I thought it would be nice to learn a little about each members experience with their machine and how they made the choice they did on the machine they own. If you can, cut and paste the questions below and fill in the answers for your machine. That way when others are researching, they can get real info from real users  I will go first and answer in the next post as to leave the questions empty to make it easier to cut and paste  Please lets keep this post friendly so it can be good research for others out there 



*What machine do you own?*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*

*What is your business model?*

*Are you happy with your decision?*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

*How long have you owned your machine?*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*


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## sunnydayz

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

*What machine do you own?* DTG HM1

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* I researched alot on this forums and screenprintuniversity , I also went to the my local distributor after I learned about the kiosk as that was the first machine I was looking at, and then while I was there learned of the HM1 coming out. I then went to the Long beach SGIA show and seen all of the different machines print. I decided while I was there to purchase the HM1 and I did it there at the show as I got a much better price, I would recommend anyone buying a machine to purchase at a show if possible to get the extra savings. Best advice is make sure it is right for your business before buying

*What is your business model?* I started with an online store for baby clothing and also selling to gift shops in hospitals for their NICU's, since I bought my machine I have also started taking on small contract printing jobs under 150 pieces per job. I dont recommend doing large orders.

*Are you happy with your decision?* I am absolutely happy with my decision, even after going to the last Long beach ISS and seeing all of the machines again, it really reinforced my decision.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* I have learned that it is fairly fast printing with great quality, it is fairly easy to maintain now that I have a system in place. I am able to print on alot of differrent surfaces and alot of different locations such as over zippers, on hoods and just about anywhere I set my mind to hehe. I love the details I can get with this machine 

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* The one thing I can say is that photos dont come out so great on black shirts but I think it is user error at this point  I have been printing so many orders that I just have not really sat down and practiced enough to find what settings really make a photo on black look great. They look good but I am a perfectionist but I am still working on it. Also if you plan on not being able to run your machine for more than a few days it is best to fill your ink lines with distilled water which is a pain but worth it. Another negative I think with any of the machines is the amount of ink wasted on head cleanings.

*What type of maintenance do you do?* Every day I wipe clean my printhead with a soft cloth and cleaning solution, clean my capping station and wiper assembly, dont have to shake my white ink as I have the aggitator, but I do shake the bottles of white in my cabinet. Every 6 weeks I do a flush of my system with distilled water to remove any buildup in my dampers or printhead, and this keeps my head flowing great.

*How long have you owned your machine?* I started printing with my machine the beginning of sept. 2007

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* It took a good couple of weeks to get decent and I didnt take any orders until after about 3 weeks. By far the biggest learning was which settings to use in my graphics program and which settings to use in my Rip pro to get the best results. It is amazing what results you get with the different settings Also luckily I paid really close attention to pretreatment before I got my machine so I got that pretty good right away.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* You know I really cant say there is anything as I researched for a good 6 months before I purchased and made sure I was well prepared before I dove in. It is exactly what I expected.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* I would like others thinking of getting a dtg to really do your research and dont expect it will be a push button printer as so many say. Its not that simple, its a machine that has to be run and taken care of. It takes a learning period to get good at it and there is great help and many different forums to get help if you get stuck, so you should take advantage of all that information that is out there  and be very dilligent about taking care of the machine and doing maintenance consistantly. Remember if you are nice to your machine it will be nice to you back.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* I would definately recommend this machine to others as long as they really learn what they are getting into. I think any of the machines can be great as long as you take the time to learn them.


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## Peta

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

*What machines do you own?* T-Jet1 & T-Jet2´s

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
I googled and found info on some forums.

*What is your business model?*
I started with a design-online-shop ant today we have 3 different webshops: design-online, readymade design and a cafepress-clone (or like spreadshirt and zazzle).

 *Are you happy with your decision?*
I think the T2 is the best DTG-printer in the world. It suits our production perfect.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Great quality, easy to learn, maintain and change spareparts.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
If you don´t take care of the maintanence (daily and weekly) the tubes and head will clog.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Every morning we clean capping station and wiper assembly. After that we pull some white ink thru the white cartidges with a syringe and put it back in the bottle. Then we do a nozzle check to make sure that everything is ok. Every friday I wipe clean my printhead with a soft paper towel and cleaning solution

We shake the white bottle once a day and the trick with pulling white ink thru the tubes every morning makes every print look great.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
The T2´s is from March 2006 when we started our first website.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
Because we started when white was new to the industry it was some issues with thin tubes in bulksystem and no good tips in pretreating methods. We did a couple of hundred shirts before we was satisfied with the result. Today it would have been much easier thanks to all information on tshirtforums.com and usscreen supportforum.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
No, I was prepared that it not was an ordinary epson printer.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
If you treat the printer good and let it take time to learn you will have a moneymaker. Search info with google and in different forums to see if it´s the right investment for your business. If you think you can let it stand for a week and print 5-10-50-100 shirts in the weekend then I would think about let someone else do the printing for you. They work best when printing daily.

And keep in mind that washability has nothing to do with the printer. It´s all in the ink and well done curing.
 
*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
I would definately recommend this machine and the new models called Blazer Express and Blazer PRO. I would also suggest to invest in an Autotreater or Autotreater PRO to pretreat shirts with if you print more than 40-50 black shirts/day.


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## sunnydayz

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Anyone else want to add their machine, we still need brother, kornit, flexi, and views of other owners. It would be really great to have people with the same machines listed too to see how opinions are with same machines and different owners.


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## Gunslinger

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

*What machine do you own?*
T-Jet 3

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Internet

*What is your business model?*
Local Custom/Contract Direct-to-Garment and Dye Sublimation Printing, and local and online retail sales of our own designed t-shirts

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes, but I think we got into the industry at an odd time (April 2007). I wished we had either started much earlier (before printing with underbases), or much later (compensating for economy changes, and new technologies)

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Always developing new improvements, great support system between other same machine users

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
LOL, over coming the quirks of a now defunct machine, and limited profit margins

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Very little ... a few minutes each day of one or two head cleanings, agitating inks and wiping cap stations, printer head, and encoder strip. Once a week or month, of wiping or oiling down rails ... print something every day to keep problems away

*How long have you owned your machine?*
11 months

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
Two weeks, but there are always new updates, improvements and general techniques by like users that come up and change the process to improve production

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
The statistics for the number of shirts produced per hour, and the cost of ink used is typically inflated, and the technology tends to come out faster than tech support can respond to issues, basically leaving users to rely on each other to overcome problems

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Not really, this model is no longer being produced ... do your research, take every thing you hear or read with a HUGE grain of salt, and understand your business model

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Hard to recommend an obsolete machine. If it was still being made ... yes, but I have overcome all the curve balls sent my way with it ... and no, there are better models out there now to consider


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## Mistewoods

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

*What machine do you own? *Flexi-jet L

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*Online chatting with distributor, phone contact with the manufacturer, extensive demos of a similar machine.

*What is your business model? *Making money :*)* Part time printing, mostly web orders and non fabric printing.

*Are you happy with your decision?*Most of the time.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? *Flexibility of print surface and the long print length (54") Easy use, easy maintenance.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? *It is more a problem of the industry than the machine and the instability of the industry. 

*What type of maintenance do you do? *Daily nozzle checks and quick clean cycles as need. Weekly cleaning of capping station and wiper blade and shaking ink in cartridges and bottles and cleaning cartridges as needed. Monthly removal of covers and deep cleaning.

*How long have you owned your machine? *Since July 2006.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* We printed sellable product the first day. Still learning though.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

Yes! I wish I had known the character of the various distributors. Also things like the current lack of availability of print heads (check for current status with Epson distrubutors compassmicro.com or vancebaldwin.com , or nationalparts.com) - I wish I had known how tenuous the industry is.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* Most of the time this is a fun and profitbale business- if you don't slack on maintenance.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* If the current lack of availability of parts continues- and is any indication of the future- I could not recommend an Epson based printer without serious investigation into the future of that printer.


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## Peta

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Please add some more printers, any Kornit-owners or Anajet-owners around?


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## sunnydayz

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

That would be nice, we need brother owners also


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## Rodney

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Great thread BobbieLee! I think this will be a helpful thread for those looking into which DTG machines to consider.

Let's keep the thread going (and on track) with helpful responses from your survey


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## AlexDD6

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *



Rodney said:


> Great thread BobbieLee! I think this will be a helpful thread for those looking into which DTG machines to consider.
> 
> Let's keep the thread going (and on track) with helpful responses from your survey


Im with you too Rodney, this thread is the best so far that I've read, full of presice information and REAL feedback from actual users and business owners; not a sales representative!

Keep writing people! I cant contribute because Im still looking which one to buy, but thanks to everyone here Im getting very close to make a desicion and give my feedback to everyone.


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## joeshaul

*What machine do you own?*
Brother GT-541

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
These forums, as well as Screenprintinguniversity's forums. We also attended three trade shows before making our decision.

*What is your business model?*
We have a retail outlet owned by us, it's a gift shop as well as a walk in personalization store (DTG, Sublimation, Metaza and UV curable items, can also do signage with our SP300). We also are planning a commercial side where we deal with local businesses and casinos. Nevada is literally a stone's throw away, town is divided by the stateline. 

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Haven't owned it long, so far I'm satisfied!

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Very little maintenance problems with it, very little learning curve to it. 

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
* Print quality isn't the greatest in my opinion, but the garment looks good from a foot away. No black shirts, limited ability on darks.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Machine takes care of itself as long as I use it. Clean nozzles occasionally, the ability to clean a single nozzle is really great.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
Just learned how to use it this week!

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
Soon as Bill Sween showed up and assembled it, I was good to go.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
Nope, I researched it the best I could before we settled on it.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Brother's training was great, we met Bill Sween at ISS in January, he installed for us on Wednesday, very knowledgeable about the product, what can go wrong, preventative maintenance, and so on. Always nice to work with people who know the product in and out, also great that they're not just some random salesmen at the show (although it's pretty easy to weed out someone who cares about what they're selling vs someone who just wants a paycheck).

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*For those that can afford it, it seems like a great machine for its purposes. The T-Jet sounds like you can start getting them for quite cheap, however there is quite a learning curve I've heard to it.


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## martinwoods

I have the Brother and it is a work horse, great machine
As soon as I get a chance I will copy the questions and answer them

Thanks


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## sunnydayz

Thanks Martinwoods that would be great, I am trying to get users of every machine, even several of each if I can so that we can have a good reference for those looking to buy a machine. It will be great to have your input  

I also wanted to say that if there are any other questions that other owners feel would be important, if you pm them to me I will add them to the survey and figure out a way to add them with the answers of those who have already answered.


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## focusink

I have a Brother and it is great. We do not use it daily, but it always starts up and is self cleaning whenever needed. Limitations: no dark garments, image size limited to 14x16, not high clearance, slower than what I would like for production of quantities, and not cost effective. For spot colors, we usually go traditional if we have 100 shirts. We do have color matching issues, but that could be a function of software (Corel).
Excellent resolution, reliable, support from vendor has been excellent. Has a setting that will allow for printing over zippers. I am waiting for their machine that will print on blacks.... especially without the pre-treatments. (I do not like the feel of pre-treated garments). Also, drivers are very effective at increasing and decreasing ink output.


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## todd17

*What machine do you own? Flexi L*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? Trades Shows, Internet, talking with dealers*

*What is your business model? Downtown based shop, internet sales, and more*

*Are you happy with your decision? No , going on third print head, have had to replace main circuit board, too tempermental, either not doing enough maintenance or too much hurts certain things also, humidity problems too humid or not enough, static problems, currently no good ink, poor washability, fading, looks like DTG Inks - Home has a good ink now , will be trying it next lots of good reveiws so far.*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Ok for small runs with lots of color, but not great for large runs. The biggest plus and the main reason we have had help is Dan from DTG Inks - Home he also has one and can fix and help you with anything, probably the most knowledgable dtg user and he also probably has the best ink also. Mfg guys also are trying and are good guys*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? To hard for any employee to run, to many hours researching , trouble shooting, and repairing. My biggest complait is no cumunication other than expecting users to read the forum every day to see new updates, they could at least mail or email us official info when they learn something, but nothing ever not once from them on updates or changes we need to make, so when we read something on the forum from another owner like myself on something they are doing that works for them , should we do it or not, nothing ever official. Then after so long you learn that it cause another problem, then its our fault. But on the other hand if you don't do then they can also place blame on you. Also when you call for help they always try to blame someone else. This machine has the seller, mfg of base, epson printer, ink mfg, and rip. So that is five seperate companies to push problems off onto, instead of the one main company that takes your money taking care of you, you have to communicate with the other four involved also, except the ink mfg no way too communicate with, however we will be switching to DTGinks so then we will be able to.*

*What type of maintenance do you do? regular maintenace capping station, wiper blade, cleaning solution in capping station every night, *

*How long have you owned your machine? year and a 1/2*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? No manual with machine so longer than should have, all us owners of the Flexi trouble shoot on a daily basis on the flexi forum*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? (i'm going to be nice ,I could go on forever)Worst experience of my life, poor service, don't back up warranty want you to pay $400 shipping fees when it breaks and be without for how long.*
*Wish I would have never bought, hard to get service when they are so far away*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Maybe wait a few more years , all the bugs should be worked out of them all, if you do buy a DTG printer read the forum for that machine to see how much trouble users are having, Flexi will not let you into forum until you pay and get your machine, must have a good reason, they do not want you to see what all the current owners are going through, if they will not let you have a temperary pass to forum, then go with another brand that is not hiding info from you, all the others let you in there forums.*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? No, looks like the Brother is the most reliable, the brother forum is rarely discussing problems, only reason I did not buy a Brother is I thought the ink was too expensive but I would rather pay more for ink then have to do all the maintennace and repairing I have had to do.*


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## martinwoods

*What machine do you own? Brother


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
*Trade shows, forums*

*What is your business model? just started a retail shop, was in basement*

*Are you happy with your decision? couldn't be happier*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? It never lets me down, is a work horse*
*I have left for a month, plugged it in and started printing without even doing a test.*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? none (well no white ink) but that hasn't hurt*

*What type of maintenance do you do? none. I guess I should but I must say I have not. The guy I purchased it from came and moved it for us to our new location about 2 months ago and went over everything. cleaned the heads etc. but that was the first time in 2 years*

*How long have you owned your machine? 2 1/2 years*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? the day we plugged it in*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
*That I knew about the machine sooner*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
*It is a great machine and if you want to get into the market, in my opinion it is the best machine out there*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? in a minute*


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## focusink

Re: Brother. Least learning curve of any equipment I have had in a long time. One of the reasons I purchased it was the state durability of the heads. At most, I get streaks in the output, and after an auto clean, the problem is gone. Definite recommendation.


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## the funk

*What machine do you own?*
Flexi Jet L model.

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Online forums, discussion boards, visiting shops, watching videos, reviewing business model.

*What is your business model?
* Contract printing first and foremost, selling retail at events, helping my friends get off their feet with design concepts and t-shirt/canvas lines, fulfillment printing for photographers (some of which are friends) along with other t-shirt shops, making a central ebay store/website for my friends designs/slogans, maybe starting a line of my own.

It's all about contract/fulfillment printing first, then not forgetting about my friends who need some help.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
All and all yes, although the Brother is a solid machine and sometimes I would like to have one. But when it comes down to it, can I print from top to bottom with a brother? Not without lining up prints. Does ink cost more on a brother? Yes, much more. Do print heads cost more on a brother? Yes much more. For retail sales, this may not be that much of an issue but, for contract/fulfillment printing, it effects my everyday profit. Labor cost is cheaper than ink cost.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Large printing area 17"x54", I get many requests for top to bottom printing. Now if it were only 24" wide...

Pretty easy to use and maintain, though don't just think anybody can do it!

I can print on anything!!!!!!!!!

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
Crooked as can be, and I dont mean ddm, lol. The platens, the carriage, the bed. I, personally, have fixed all of these problems, and it was A PAIN!!! I don't really blame belquette either, I'm sure the engineering was there (one of the reasons I went with the flexi), something in the manufacturing/assembly went cuckoo. From one platen to the next the design must be moved a 1/4" this way or that, but I have both the software and hardware figured out much later!

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Everything! Clean it all! It really saves on the ink.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
Sept, 07

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
Tough question, 1 day, but then doing my first top 2 bottom print took almost a day in itself. Certain colors were hard to achieve, like silver, I never printed a silver until I got a request for it (none of my designs or most customers designs have any silver). It took maybe 30 prints to get a solid silver. Same with non garments, that took about the same, then a new RIP was released, better for t-shirts but through off all of my non garment experimentation. 

Like I said too, a little crooked. Printing off the first platen in 5 minutes, printing off of 4 platens...another story. All is good now though!!!

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
Not really, though I wish I would have waited and got a credit for the white ink and pretreatment until I was ready to use it!!! Now I have a $400 trash pile. I still wish ddm would hook me up with some new white (hint)...

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Get ready to experiment, no matter what machine you choose. Be ready to waste some money. It almost made me cry when we got a new RIP and I had a canvas order to print, the old settings were not the same. Magenta and black needed pulled waaaaaayyy back. About 30 canvas later I was happy.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*Yep, wait, I like the money, maybe not, lol. Just know what you're doing and getting into. Can anyone load a shirt, push print, and press? Yes. Can I (or any pro) get better colors/results than a newbie, probably so!


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## deniseg

love this thread I like a lot of others reading it are still waiting to get 1 i liked the look of the Anujet at the exhibition has anyone got 1 yet it did print on black and the results where very good he gave me 2 shirts to do wash tests on !white 1 black and so far they r looking good but its a lot of money to pay out and not sure i have the volume of business yet to justify it but things are looking better each week


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## mk162

*What machine do you own?*
Brother GT-541

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
We ran a Beta test machine since Jan. of '04 and bought a production version in Aug. of '05

*What is your business model?
*Servicing local business, churches and schools with logo apparel and promotional items.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Abso-friggin-lutely! 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Quick print speed, easy to use, dependable. Really a very well designed and easy to use machine.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
No white ink and the blues are sometimes a little dull. Ink is expensive, but no more pricey than regular inkjet ink that I print with everyday and DON'T bill for(like work orders and ship tickets). 

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
None, other than the capping station cleaning every 800-1000 prints. 

*How long have you owned your machine?*
Aug. of '05 on the production model
Jan of '04 on the Beta model

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
No time, by the time the tech set it up, I watched him print and the menu settings he went through. Everything is very easy to use.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
Nope, I got to use one for a year and a half before buying one.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Make sure you have good design software and somebody that knows how to use it. 

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*Heck yes. I can't think of a better built printer for the same price range. I also think white ink could be a little better than it is now before I jump in. I would love to see the number of people that have a white ink printer that don't use white ink.

I would also recommend a FAST computer. We upgraded this one when we bought the printer. I assembled a top of the line system and have since upgraded it a couple times and it is still great and I run all of our films, banners and art off of one system.


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## nabs

*What machine do you own?*
Kiosk II with White Ink

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Certainly asked MANY questions on T-Shirt forum and I went to a couple of small shows in the Baltimore area last year. 

*What is your business model?
*Currently I sell online and also to local companies in my area. I was feelling overwhelmed with selling DTG, sublimation and vinyl. So, I recently cut out sulimation because it had the least amount of profit for me.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Absolutely, I love my KIOSK. My customers love my work and I love designing in Photoshop and Corel and translating it onto the DTG.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Very easy to use and it has always been reliable!!

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
Not really a negative but I learned that you MUST have a speedy and high end computer or the Kiosk will not work properly. After I fixed my computer, my kiosk has been flawless.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
I clean my computer every few days, capping station, and get ink out of certain areas of machine with cotton swab. I do this every few days. 

*How long have you owned your machine?*
February 07

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
It really didn't take that much time, a week I think.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
I'm really happy with my decision to buy the DTG with white ink. I get many orders of black shirts that need white ink. 
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
I recommend that you first know the market that focused to selling to before buying a DTG. Some markets prefer Silk screen or sublimation products. I made the mistake of buying everything, spent lots of money and I'm in the process of selling my sublimation products because I simply don't have the man power or the sales to justify having so many pieces of equipment. I sell DTG the most in my area online and to local vendors so I'm focusing on that only right now. I'm thankful to a supportive family. = )

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*I love this machine and I have had absolutely no problems with it. You absolutely have to clean the machine and keep up with the maintainence and you will never be disappointed.


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## skdave

I am getting ready to buy our first printer and this is very helpful. Thanks to all.


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## HMD10

*What machine do you own? T-jet jumbo 22*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Trade shows, web, and call people who own them. Testing alot of DTG printers.

*What is your business model?*
print print print (more you print the more $ you get)
*Are you happy with your decision?*
Very happy. I would change my decision every
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Consistent prints, best printer for darks, easy to use, printing all sizes large (beach towels) and small (golf balls)
*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
They stopped making them
*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Head cleaning before using it and every couple of weeks wipe the heads with windex.
*How long have you owned your machine?*
1 1/2 years
*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
about 2 weeks (but the company I bought it from let me use the T-jet2 till i got the jumbo)
*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
How to price jobs. there wasn't to many people out there with price lists.
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Make sure to do you research before you jump into anything.
*Would you recommend this machine to others? 
I would put they don't make it any more  I guess i got lucky
*


----------



## vctradingcubao

Any input from the Mimaki or Kornit users?


----------



## urbanfresh

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Wow amazing thread, I learned so much from reading this thank you!!! I went to the DTG website and am impressed! I think I will probably purchase this once I get to the point of buying.

Thanks again, this thread is going to help so many people!!!

Barbs


----------



## prism

I havent seen a comment about Anajets? Does anybody use them? I am thinking about buying one for the fact they use the closed ink system, the same as my Rolands. Right now I am a full service sign shop and wanted to venture into shirt printing to do short runs for wholesale and my customers. I am looking very strongly at a Anajet, I dont really like all of the problems T jet is having and all of the new procedures that come out daily about it from the factory to the dealers.
Any Anajet users out there?

Prism


----------



## sunnydayz

Hi Curt,

It might be good to start a thread asking for anajet owners to give info. I have tried to get feedback from all different machine owners on this thread but it seems there are not as many anajet owners, so the feedback hasnt gotten here


----------



## mike2468

*What machine do you own?
*T-jet Blazer Express 

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
*Internet, talking to current owners, and this forum 
*
What is your business model?
*Started as a laser engraving shop, about 2 years later moved into print&cut vinyl. 1 year later looked at garment printing and took the plunge. Most sales are online but local sales are also picking up 
*
Are you happy with your decision?
*Yes 
*
What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
*Allows you to print those full color graphics onto garments that the local screen print shops can't. I like the idea that someone can walk in, order a shirt or two and walk back out the door with their product in less than 1 hour. 
*
What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
*I wish it was faster. For small orders it is great, large orders I turn down. 
*
What type of maintenance do you do?
*Daily head cleaning, nozzle checks, clean the capping station and give the white ink bottles a shake or two.  
*
How long have you owned your machine?
*Purchased in Feb of '08 
*
How long did it take you to learn to use?
*Uncrated the machine at 9am and was printing shirts by 1pm. Still don't have the white ink printing down to a science but learning. I have been running a Roland sp300 for quite some time so the software came pretty easy to me along with operation of the printer. 
*
Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?
*No, I can't say there is. I had given serious thought if I really wanted the white ink ability and don't regret that decision at all. 
*
Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?
*Just do your research before you purchase as you are putting out a BIG chunk of change. These machines, as like any other brand of DTG do have a steep learning curve to them. Don't expect to be selling shirts the first or 2nd day you get up and running. It was 2 weeks and 20+ shirts later before I felt confident that I was now able to print and offer for sale my product. Don't forget about the daily maintenance, if you do, your going to have nothing but problems. Don't get frustrated when things don't go your way. I read some forums where people are very disappointed with the DTG machines and I honestly believe 99% of that is operator error. These machines are not plug in and go folks, they take time and patience to learn.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*Yes I would, but keep an eye on this technology as it is changing as you read this article.


----------



## Rodney

In order to keep this thread on track, please post any new questions as a new topic in this section of the forum. Let's let this thread focus on "which DTG do you own and why did you make your decision on it" with the answers from Bobbielee's survey in the first post. I think it gives a great overview from actual DTG operators on the machines they own.​


----------



## BML Builder

*What machine do you own?
*Flexi-jet L

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
*Talked to distributors, read forums, and went to see the machine at Printwear Show
*
What is your business model?
*We have been doing embroidery for many years, added laser engraving a few years ago, bought the Flexijet about 2 years ago and just added the VersaCam about a month ago.
*
Are you happy with your decision?
*Yes 
*
What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
*We can print t-shirts, bags, hats, and numerous other items which adds to our overall business
*
What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
*I wish it had a better white ink for a more softer feel on the dark shirts. 
*
What type of maintenance do you do?
*Daily cleanings, flush lines and carts about every 2 or 3 months and have replaced the printhead about 8 months ago. 
*
How long have you owned your machine?
*Purchased in June 2006

*How long did it take you to learn to use?
*Mostly only about 2 to 3 months, but we always learn some new tips or tricks as we go along.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?
*No, I just wish the white inks were better. 
*
Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?
*Figure out what you want from a machine, do the research and pick the machine that fits your needs best.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Yes, it is a good machine and Belquette is a good manufacturer.


----------



## spankthafunk

really great post!  

I do not own a DTG printer but hope to purchase one in the sometime future. I subscribed to this thread because it will definently help me make my decision~


----------



## abmcdan

*What machine do you own?
*T-Jet Blazer Pro

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Internet, US Screen website

*What is your business model?*
Retail Websites

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Very happy... 300 shirts into owning this machine with less than 2% waste(All operator error). 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Loading 3 shirts at a time is alot more efficient. The machine just works as its supposed to. Print quality is amazing. We do 65% of our business in black shirts and they look great.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
None at the moment.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Standard manufacturer recommended.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
1 month

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
I previously had a t-jet 2 so I picked it up fast. A new person might take a couple weeks.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
It doesn't fit through a regular door. We had to take the bottom cart off and tip it on it side which was easy.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
There is a lot of negative stuff on the forum about US Screen products, but with this machine it looks like they have finally gotten there stuff together.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Yes, after having the hassles with the t-jet 2 this machine is a dream come true. You turn it on and it just works like it is supposed to. To me reliability is worth alot and this printer seems to be made very well. Also, US Screen has given great support anytime I had some questions.


----------



## hb9

This is a great thread. Thanks for helping me in my research.


----------



## Tshirtguy

*What machine do you own?
*Kiosk II 

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Visited some trade shows, reading the forums.

*What is your business model?
*I sell from an online store. 

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Very happy. 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
I find it very easy to use. It was a bit intimidating before buying it but it's really so straight forward.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
I wish the box the platten sits in didn't have walls like on new models. Also, I wish there were more platten sizes but that's a problem with all of the brands.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Moisten the capping station at night, keep the machine clean.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
Just a few weeks.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
A few hours. I was heat pressing and didn't want to switch over yet but I ran out of transfer paper and was in a jam. I had to switch over and it took me a long time that night, especially because I only had one size platten but I'm glad to be using it now.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
I spent so much time researching the pros and cons to finally realize there aren't any major differences. There are slight variations in teh brands but it's not like one is horrible and one is great.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
I'm glad I went with a refurbished DTG Kiosk and didn't spend the money I almost did on a Brother. I also thought about a T-Jet Blazer Express but ultimately I didn't want to part with all that cash especially never having used one of these before. I'd love to have the problem down the road that I'm so busy that I'll need a second machine or faster machine. For now I saved money and got a great printer.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*Definately and I do often. For under 10k it can't be beat.


----------



## sunnydayz

Just wanted to let everyone know, I have moved several posts out of this thread as we are trying to keep it on topic as a resource for people looking for reviews of machines from machine owners. If you have other DTG questions please feel free to post them in a new post. Thanks so much


----------



## prism

*What machine do you own?
*AnaJet 

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Read a lot of Forums, Ask people who own one and compare all of the info I could

*What is your business model?
*Full service sign shop branching out into the garment printing field, this will be a subdivision of the parent company

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Very happy. 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
I find it very easy to use. The Forums helped a ton.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
I wish someone would make a machine with automatic height adjust, have gone through a few shirts due to platten not set right between hoodies to shirts, just have to get into the habit of checking this, have placed a note on the machine already to remind to check the height

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Have the machine clean ever 8 hrs if we are not using it, other than that just basic cleaning and shake the white ink

*How long have you owned your machine?*
Just a few weeks.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
A few hours. 
Very straight forward

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
I researched it enough that I knew the pros and cons of each machine, about the only difference is being able to print white ink and the weight of each machine. I went with Anajet because of the weight and I wanted to be able to move it around and to take places.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
I went with a dealer demo unit and saved at least 4 grand, have the extended warranty, 2 more plattens and new print head and lines. Couldnt help but buy it for that cost. And shipped to me as well.
Matt @ Advanced Color Solutions, great guy. Highly recommend him if you want to buy a Anajet
*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*Definately would if they dont live in my town. Dont need competition.


----------



## obzelite

JMclothing said:


> *What type of maintenance do you do?*
> Head cleaning before using it and every couple of weeks wipe the heads with windex.



i've been told by the techs for our sublimation printer, and at a vinyl application course, to never use windex to clean the machine or to clean a surface prior to vinyl application as it leaves a residue that will build up and block heads and with vinyl will break down the glue and allow vinyl to lift.

to clean our sp540 i broke open a cleaning cartridge and bottled it. few drops in the capping station fix 99% of problems.


----------



## ytmgreenville

I think this is a great thread to start, especially for people who are considering purchasing a DTG machine. Each DTG machine is a bit different & has it quirks. Different brands offer different levels of support which should be considered as well.

*What machine do you own? *I had a TJet 3, and now own a TJet Blazer Express

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* Going to several trades shows to see how each one worked. Bring your own art that you are familiar with & whichever brand of t-shirts that you think you want to use. Each DTG machine can print a bit differently on different brands, this is important if beautiful print quality is necessary. We picked the machine that gave us the quality that we were looking for on the shirts that we wanted to offer.

*What is your business model? *We provide contract work for businesses, local shirt designers, & have a retail location for personalized apparel along with Embroidery services.

*Are you happy with your decision? *We are content with our decision now. We have done orders as large as 500 shirts printed both sides w/ full large prints and were very happy w/ the outcome.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? *Our equipment provides wonderful print quality & a larger print area then the norm which is great for long tees. We have learned to adapt to our machine instead of fighting it. That's a big Key to the the success of the DTG machines. It's not your every day normal Ink Jet printer. 

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? *Where would I begin. We started out with a TJet 3 that was lemon, was handed a new one, that seemed to go okay for awhile. Moved up to a Blazer Express due to the increase need for larger print area. The machines can have a mind and attitude of their own (kinda like a boat or old car). Which can make you want to pull the hair out of your head. Now my only issue is the lag or pause time during print passes, some days when I am in a rush it can make me crazy, but I just take a step back & breathe.

*What type of maintenance do you do? *General clean-up - capping station, encoder stripe & occasionally we wipe down the print head itself. I find the Blazer Express much easier maintenance wise.

*How long have you owned your machine? *We got our TJet 3 last year, and our Blazer this year after they were released about April.

*How long did it take you to learn to use? *The initial learning curve took some time, especially since we had a bunch of customers that were looking for really crazy things to be done with their designs right out of the gate. I would safely say it takes a true 6 months to learn everything, all the different modes that are available especially were underbasing is involved and how each one works with different artwork, skin tones, etc. 

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
There isn't really anything that would have prepared me for DTG printing. I knew going into this it was a realtively new printing process and that it would be a learning process. 

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Be patient, be deligent, be patient (yes again)...Do your research & choose carefully... Don't be in a rush, take your time & practice & learn. Always ask the tech support lots of questions, any time you have a chance.*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* yes, I would.

Thanks for this great thread!!


----------



## Riaan

*What machine do you own?*
HM1

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Mostly this forum, went to a show here in South Africa, met up with Martin from Printa T. He printed a sample and gave us more info on the printer.

*What is your business model?*
Starting a home based business with 2 reps (daughter and friend) that will go out and find business.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes, but still in baby shoes, lots and lots to learn. Very excited even if it is a little painful to mess up a good quality shirt in the learning process.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
White shirts are so easy and really good quality prints.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
At this stage I think the printer must think the user does not know what the heck he is doing  I think the printer is right, but we will get there soonest.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
We do headclean before switch off at night, clearning of capping station and general clearing of machine. Do nozzle check in morning befor we print. Still need to finetune our maintenance routine.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
1 Week.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
Still learning. White is so easy and the prints come out really nice. Coloured shirts are a challange though. High quality black shirts seem not not work as well with some of the settings. Printing at 1440x720 2 passes works for one shirt, but not for the other. Will post a question on this later.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
One can never know too much. One thing maybe was to be able to spend a day or two at a dtg printer owner to see how the printer prints on various cotton "makes" and quality and to see how they do thinks.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Thanks to all of you (a good couple of names comes to mind) on this forum that helped us make the dicission to select and buy our machine. Now it is up to us to make it work for us, but it is nice to know that there is a forum like this where one can find, ask and suggest ideas. 

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Yes


----------



## vinyl signs

*What machine do you own?*
Kiosk2

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
This Forum and going to shows taking my own art work and having them print it and comparing!

*What is your business model?*
I have sign business and offer promotional product and had clients ask about shirts

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes, there is a learning curve even if you have run plotter and printers.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
White and light color shirts are easy money!

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
Nothing at this time, before I purchased this machine I knew there would be time spent on maintenance. And as far as I am concerned as long as you do it daily dosen't seem to have any problems

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
I follow the schedule I was given by SWF East, with one exception I place a few drops of distilled water on caping station every night and I do the cleaning after use!

*How long have you owned your machine?*
5 Weeks.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
After the training I was printing Light shirts and dark shirts. Some of the dark shirts seemed to have slight problem on washability all seem fine now!

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
No surprises here!

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Make sure you do your research and yes the maintenamce is more than a printer printing just CYMK. White ink to keep working correctly does require daily maintenance!

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Yes


----------



## kdot27

*What machine do you own? T-jet balzer express


What were the sources of information you had researched to make your decision? i had been working at the convention center prior to getting into the t-shirt biz,so i had the chance to see earlier models in action at the SGIA show a couple of times*

*What is your business model?custom design,web store,full service printing embroidery & vinyl graphics*

*Are you happy with your decision? yes very much so*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? i love the feel and the amazingly viberant images i am able to produce,even on black garments,also the versitility it gives you to do non-textile objects*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? if you don't keep a tight maintenance schedule you can experience serious prodution problemes*

*What type of maintenance do you do? all component that need attention recieve it on a daily basis from cleaning nozzles to making sure there is no lint accumulation*

*How long have you owned your machine?6month*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?i opted for the training class that the manufacturer offers so i got tha hang of it pretty quick*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? all in all it's a great investment*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?most definitely*


----------



## loloxa

*What machine do you own?*
Brother gt541
*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
tradeshows, demos from vendors and this forum.
*What is your business model?
*walk in t-shirt store in bussy area , fast turnout and mostly "one of a kind" or small runs.Vinyl, laser transfer ,embroidery and now dtg.
*Are you happy with your decision?*
yes
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Speed, this machine is fast enough to make the client wait while you print the t-shirt in front of him, and very high clearance in platten so uneven surfaces are printed with just definition loss in the lowest parts.
Over the neck, pocket or zipper prints,allows for eyecatching effects.
The build quality, this thing has big R&D written all over it. 
Last but not least, being able to run this printer from an 8 year old computer.
*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* is not a negative, but baby plattens from brother are a bit expensive, and necesary if you are doing small sizes ( most vendor second size platens are expensive anyhow)
*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Machine's own "strong head cleaning" whenever noozle chack fails ( usually once after a while without being used), and brother includes a head cleaning pack if manual cleaning is required.
*How long have you owned your machine?* Mine over a week, the demo machine i tried for 3 weeks ( around 100 prints)
*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
1/2 day
*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
No, I try to get as much info as possible, and this machine has not given me any surprises.
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *Always try to buy at tradeshows or during one ( my distributor gives me the trade show price without having to go there phisically), getting discounts and extras is a lot easier.
*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*If it fits their business model, absolutely,


----------



## kenscott

What machine do you own?
KORNIT 931 

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
MESSAGE BOARDS AND TRADESHOWS and lots of sleepless nights thinking about it.

What is your business model?
WE DO CONTRACT PRINTING FOR SOME LARGE COMPANIES AND NEW INTERNET WEBSITE STORES

Are you happy with your decision?
5 MONTHS IN - YES- ITS MADE OUR WORKLOAD EASIER AND WE GET ORDERS OUT QUICKER

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
I AM PRINTING SOME AMAZING SHIRTS WITHOUT BURNING SCREENS AND DOING SEPERATIONS - it is a learning process to do this though.

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
It waste lots of ink. This could be avoided I am sure, I also think the ink should cost about $10 a bottle, Do to the cost of the machine. Also the fixative should cost you around 5.00. This would enable you to recover your initial cost quicker and enable you to buy more machines.

What type of maintenance do you do?
daily cleaning and lots of tinkering with the dryer to figure out the correct time and temp. Plus every shirt brand and country that its made in changes the fixation spray settings...This also changes the way your shirt prints.

How long have you owned your machine? about 5 months

How long did it take you to learn to use?
STILL LEARNING. - this also could be better. We were suppose to get 3 to 4 days training... (at about $1000.00 a day cost)... we got maybe a day if that.


Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?
Yea, that it wasted so much ink, That needs to be factored into the shirt cost. Plus it takes forever for them to send you stuff..parts and what not. To many loops to jump through. 

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?
I hope you have patience, you will need it for every stage of owning this machine, from getting it in, installing it, learning how to use it, communication with them..(on the phone with tech support).. But I think it will be worth... If you have the time to waste they are their for you!

Would you recommend this machine to others?
If you have a good business already, and this will help you improve it.
or if you already have the money that it takes to get this without putting you in a bind. YES!!!!


Also you need to be computer savvy. Learn how to use Photoshop really well first!! If you need to rely on others to get your artwork and if you are starting a business.. It would be hard for you to get everything going and pay for the machine... I would think long and hard about it.

In Summary, I love the machine and I think it was a wise decision for my company. It was a bad time economy wise to purchase this but We are counting on this to give us the edge over our competition to set our prices lower and our output quicker. So far this has worked.

I will keep you posted. KORNIT ROCKS!!
__________________


----------



## speshl

Just got back from the Long Beach Show, did some checking on these machines. Their are so many to choose from. The ones that did really stick out where the the DTG, Brother and the Tjet. I was impressed with the white ink circulating to keep an even consistacey with the DTG. The Brother I heard great things about from owners and talking to them directly, they all say the same thing, they miss the ability to do black, the Tjet was not so impressive, and did leave me with more questions. Right now the prices are very good. From 13 to 20 thousand depending on the size of the machine. We did find that doing the same design on the smaller and one on the larger machines (same brand) the larger machines did print a more colorful design. The spread of ink is larger, about two fingers and the smaller is about one finger. 

I was wondering if everyone could mention the price they paid for their machines in their discriptions. Like I had mentioned I saw so much it was kind of hard to keep everything so straight.

And yes the show was actually amazing! Seems that with the economy like it is, they are really wanting to work with you, which means work for them.


----------



## nevets

Hi,
This really is a great thread! I just returned from the Orlando ISS show and am at the smae crossroads, which company and modelo to choose from. I am new to all of the technical, but am an experienced designer.
If anyone would like to share any of their opinions and/or experiences with me, I would be very grateful!
Thanks!


----------



## HGE

*What machine do you own?
Direct Advantage by Sawgrass Technologies

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
The person who supplies my embroidery machine suggested trying it, he is affiliated with Barudan which in turn was involved with Sawgrass...


What is your business model?
Local Wholesale Embroidery/DGP Shop. I also have an Ioline cutter and do Sports Twill/Film etc.

Are you happy with your decision?
Yes, and no, I like the end result of the printer, it had one hell of a learning curve and I still feel that there are things to be learned and improved upon. Overall ink price are a bit higher than I would prefer but I'm hoping in the future they will come down.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
It is a quick print that allows for great colors and detail. It also allows me to offer another option for my customers who do not want embroidery or would like something different that silkscreen.

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance.... Lots of cleaning that if not performed costs you money in ink and time... Also I dislike that the cleaning process, it cleans all of the nozzles instead of allowing you to choose the one that is clogged to be cleaned.

What type of maintenance do you do?
Daily cleaning of the capping station, wiper blade, flushing box and other internal surfaces that may acquire any ink. I find also on days that I do not use the machine it is imperative to keep the capping station moist. I use an eyedropper to place a mixture of 5% simple green and water to keep the print head from clogging. This works for a few days but I try to fire it up and print out at least one shirt to make sure the inks are flowing.

How long have you owned your machine?
I have had it for about a year.

How long did it take you to learn to use?
It took about a month, I was using the original software with the printer that was not performing up to expectations, once I found some new RIP software I was then was able to print a decent amount of ink on the shirt that provided good colors. I still have some problems with pictures/photos that customers bring in for printing. Most likely operator error, but I like to blame the RIP software. I still feel that there are limitations to my machine, but overall provides another service to provide.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?
Just that the average customer does not know what DGPrinting is. Most people are very excited to see final results but are a little hesitant when having it described to them.

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?
My DGP is for lights only. Sawgrass offers an "upgrade" to white. I hear that Adv's ink is titanium based and supposedly eats up print heads. I have not converted to white ink and probably will not for a while. From what I have read here and heard for others is the pretreatment is process is something I do not want to get involved with at this time. I'm hoping it evolves in the near future.

Would you recommend this machine to others?
Depends on usage and what your needs are. I need to make it to a show and see some others in action to provide a valid recommendation.


Also I would like to add I am not sure how many people out there own this machine. I have seen very few threads about Sawgrass in general (or maybe I am missing something) and have noticed that they do not even have a subsection included in the list of DGPs. I just wanted to post this to include this machine due to lack of fore mentioning. Just my 2 cents thrown in the pot. 
Have a good day…*


----------



## clsgraphics2100

I'm in the beginning stages of deciding on a dtg machine and this thread was "the cats ***". Thanks , it's the best info I've read so far.


----------



## etched in stone

Hi! I own a Brother GT-541. Love it!!! It's so easy to use and learn about. As with any machine, the better the quality of the print, the better the result. I've owned it for about two years now. I am extremely happy with this machine. The only thing I don't like is that I can't print on dark items. BUT, if you have the money, Brother has just come out with a new machine that prints white ink now!!! If you're not going to use it you need to do a head cleaning every couple of days to keep it from drying/clogging. This machine is very forgiving, though. The cartridges are VERY easy to change...simply pull one out and plug the other in. No mess!!! I would definitely recommend this machine to anyone. If you are familiar with corel and photoshop you can begin to use this machine immediately. So simple. Love it!!!


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## TPBaker

We have an Anajet and it rocks! I will copy and post the questions soon!
T!


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## payet-tees

sunnydayz said:


> I have seen alot of good and bad about Dtg machines recently on here and I thought it would be nice to learn a little about each members experience with their machine and how they made the choice they did on the machine they own. If you can, cut and paste the questions below and fill in the answers for your machine. That way when others are researching, they can get real info from real users  I will go first and answer in the next post as to leave the questions empty to make it easier to cut and paste  Please lets keep this post friendly so it can be good research for others out there
> 
> 
> 
> *What machine do you own? MS ONE*
> 
> 
> *What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
> *Purchased Brother however I was misled and returned it with a LOSS after 1 month and then went to MS ONE - which I should have done in the beginning*
> 
> *What is your business model? MS ONE*
> 
> *Are you happy with your decision? TOTALLY*
> 
> *What are the pros you have learned of your machine? It does everything -*
> 
> *What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? so far NONE*
> 
> *What type of maintenance do you do? 1 x every other day just an auto head cleaning*
> 
> *How long have you owned your machine? 7 months*
> 
> *How long did it take you to learn to use?*
> *couple of months - Pedro was tremendously hands on and available with any questions*
> 
> *Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
> *No*
> 
> *Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? It is a very versitile machine - no limits!*
> 
> *Would you recommend this machine to others? Totally!*
> *msprintingsolutionsusa.com*


----------



## uktech

buckin hotdesign said:


> Thanks folks, This is such incredibly useful information. Has anyone out there had any experience with the new DTG Machine manufactured in Australia 'The Viper'.
> Really keen for performance info. etc.


Hi Anna

Just to let you know in case you havent already seen it, there are a few dedicated viper threads already on here.

dtg viper related topics at T-Shirt Forums

Hope this helps


----------



## deitrade

*What machine do you own? MS ONE


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
*Went to a print wear show. I got to see several in action and researched online and brochures.*

*What is your business model? DTG Viper*

*Are you happy with your decision? TOTALLY*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? It does everything -*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? It's like buying any first year model the next year will have the kinks worked out. Happy guinea pig though*

*What type of maintenance do you do? Head clean daily and full clean every 3-4 days.*

*How long have you owned your machine? 2 months*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
*couple of months - A couple days for basic tees but still working on specialty items*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? There is no manuel or error code list. I hate to call tech support to tell me how to push a button!*


*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? It is a very versitile machine - no limits!*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? I would avoid it I am the only one in my market with the machine. But to anyone else yes most definitely.*


----------



## 23spiderman

*What machine do you own? *Anajet


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* This forum along with screenprintinguniversity.com

*What is your business model?* We were a silk screen company that was/is a family business. My father-in-law "retired" and the screen equipment went to his son (2 hours away), and my wife and I bought the Anajet to service our customers.

*Are you happy with your decision?* Absolutely. I'm thankful I overlooked the '70's style design and bought it anyway.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Great prints, easy to use, prints on darks with great results, and allows us to handle any size order. We've done 1 shirt to as high as 1,500.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* Not many. The training is enough to get you started, but I have learned so much more from these forums that have made my experience great. For the price, other platens should come with this as well as extra tubes and dampers. Also, the ink is the highest in the industry, BUT the end result is consistently great with low spoilage which allows for profit every time.

*What type of maintenance do you do?* Daily nozzles checks to avoid unecessary head cleanings. Clean the wiper blade and capping station every 1-2 weeks. (I know, this should be done more often.) Clean printhead with anti-static pads and cleaning solution whenever I see buildup. This physical touching of the printhead has by far been the most productive in keeping my machine printing like new. Thanks Bobbi for this tip!!! Anajet won't teach you this because they're afraid of someone being careless and ruining the head.

*How long have you owned your machine?* Since August 2008

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* Printed my first order right after filling the lines with ink. I took my design to the training and was ready to print as soon as I got home.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *Not really. This forum is the best to gain the knowledge you need. I don't have any dealers close to me, and didn't want to go to an out of town show. These forums confirmed my decision which was between the Brother and Anajet. We chose the Anajet for the white ink and still saved $$$. The DTG brand's new machine looks very tempting though.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *Be very careful buying one of these if you don't have a current customer base. I ran the production of our screen printing company, and didn't know jack about art, so I had to learn Corel from the ground up, BUT I had the blessing of having a current customer base calling us for shirts. This allowed me to make money while learning. Also, I run this out of my home which is allowing me to save up the money to open a full-service shop in the future. I would recommend using printers on this forum to do your early orders, which would allow you to ease into the market.

*Would you recommend this machine to others*? I would 100% without any reservation.


----------



## abmcdan

*What machine do you own? *Belquette Mod1

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* Youtube video and a couple conversations with Jerid from Screeners Choice.

*What is your business model?* Retail Website, contract printing, dropshipping.

*Are you happy with your decision?* Very much. This machine is roughly double or more the speed of our other 2 machines.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Speed and innovative engineering makes this machine stand out from the others. One of the innovations is the quick 2nd pass so the board doesn't have to come all the way out to print the second layer. If you choose to use the advanced features in the rip software you can highly automate the artwork to printer steps. The low price is another good thing. $17,000 with shipping and extra board.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* Can't think of too many. For a new dtg user the lack of a large detailed manual might make the learning curve slightly tougher. However, Mark, Brett and Renee give very knowledgable phone support.

*What type of maintenance do you do?* I do the maintenence belquette suggested. Daily washing / cleaning of wiper and capping station. The Mod 1 has a handy software control panel that allows you to make the wiper blade come out for easy access.

*How long have you owned your machine?* Few weeks.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* Having 2 other machines we had this one figured out quickly. Took a week or so to get our automated stuff setup.
Had this been our first machine it would be no different than learning another DTG machine.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *
Nothing really. Wish these were around before I bought T-Jet blazers 

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *
As with any DTG machine be prepared to print 4-5 days a week, control the climate, and do the daily maintenance. If you don't follow these simple things you will have constant troubles with any DTG.

*Would you recommend this machine to others*? Yes.


----------



## Kwelp68

*What machine do you own? *Kiosk II w/ Wims*


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? *This Forum for the majority of information. Talked to SWF Mesa and liked their service and want to help me. Watched youtube videos.
*
* 

*What is your business model? *Wholesale

*Are you happy with your decision? *Very much so

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? *Simple to Learn. It's a workhorse. Love the software. 

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? *The only negative I can think of is white ink printing, but this goes for all DTG machines with dark shirt capabilities. At least this one has the Wims for less trouble. Some people swear by white ink durability, but I just don't believe it. 

*What type of maintenance do you do? *Clean daily, head clean, print daily, wiper clean, capping station clean, clean encoder strip once a week.

*How long have you owned your machine? *6 months

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
A couple days, but a couple weeks to fully learn it.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *No


*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *It's a great machine at a great price point that won't let you down. I can safely say that the DTG Kiosk has made our business

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* Most definitely


----------



## mistermugs

FreeJet 320TX ; orig had TJet 

Learned about by reading forums and seeing in person at dealers .

I operate from my home. Print for churches; civic organizations; have my own website.

Pros: good print quality when working properly 
wet capping system for print head

Cons: Maintainance ; had to have it serviced 
three times w/o warranty .print head 
had to be replaced - over $450.
Last week , one of the circuit boards
fried .

I purchased this unit as a demo but based on my experience I could not recommend this printer . The Epson head requires too much maintainance and the cleaning solution is expensive too .
I will look to get this replaced now under warranty and then hopefully be able to trade up to a Brother 541. mistermugsy


----------



## payet-tees

dee305 said:


> Thanks to everybody but specially sunnydayz for starting this thread. I am absolutely new to this business and are very excited about it. I have done a lot of research and ready for the challenges to come (specially the white on dark) which will probably be most of my business anyways.
> 
> However, I am still a little overwhelmed with all the info. out there. I m probably going to buy a printer within the next 30-60 days. My primary interest at this point are the dtg hm1, viper, and will meet with a rep from m&r to check out an i dot. once i do i will come back here and share with everybody my unexperienced review. I very interested in brother but scared of the cost of ink.
> 
> I will greatly appreciate any recomendations on which decision to make.


 
Go with MSONE - you will be tremendously happy and will not regret - does all colors, leather, tile amazing! www.msprintingsolutionsusa.com

all the best!


----------



## sunnydayz

If you all could please keep this thread to machine surveys it would be great  Otherwise the other posts take the subject off of the surveys themselves. For this thread if you particularly appreciate a certain survey, then the thanks button is a great way to let that member know it was helpful. 

This thread is for people looking for a machine and being able to compare in a survey type setting, so just saying buy this machine is not going to help them compare. If you do own a machine and want to tell others why you think they should go with that machine, simply copy and paste the questions from the first page, and fill in the answers. That way they can get a fair comparison of that machine as well.

Thanks so much for everyone's cooperation in keeping this thread an easy read for those doing research.


----------



## chesterwayne

After carefully analyzing the different DTGs on the market, I made my decision with an industrial sized direct to garment printer (Mimaki GP-604D). 

I have been using this machine for 2 years now and my clients are very happy with the apparel I've been printing for them. The quality of the prints are vibrant and has a very soft-hand. The platen size is larger than the rest 16" x 24" than the rest of the DTGs out there. Not once, were the heads clogged like some of the other stories I've been hearing. The rip system for the Mimaki is also very easy to use. You can basically transfer any image directly from your computer and the rip system will transfer it to the printer. I highly recommend Mimaki if you are looking for a professional direct to garment printer.


----------



## focusink

I just purchased an Anajet to fill in the gap for printing on dark shirts (we have a Brother that we love).

The Anajet was a miserable choice for a desert climate. We have had nothing but problems and expense.


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## sunnydayz

Chesterwayne and Nancy, could you do me a favor and copy and paste the answers from the first page of this thread and fill in the answers? That would be really awesome so that others can do a comparison based on those questions. Thanks  you all are awesome for helping.


----------



## ltadrian

*What machine do you own?* Kornit 931DS.... Started with a T-Jet 2


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* Visited other users, and online.

*What is your business model?* E Commerce and Wholesale

*Are you happy with your decision?* For the most part yes.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Prints great quality prints in a short amount of time.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* Lack of customer support by the manufacturer.

*What type of maintenance do you do?* Daily, weekly cleaning.

*How long have you owned your machine?* 2 years

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* 6 months efficiently with artwork and settings.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* Ink Costs

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* The kornit is a great machine after the bugs are worked out. Don't expect a lot out of the manufacturer after the warranty is up. The dealers however have been pretty good.

*Would you recommend this machine to others? Yes.
*


----------



## mv4577

*What machine do you own?* Melco Jet (Ana Jet)


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
Research on the internet
* 
*What is your business model?*
I started out doing sports teams and it now has unfolded in to other areas

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
It prints photo quality shirts

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
Darks are hard to set up. Some is operator error

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
I do a clean print head before printing each day. Twice a week i clean the print head

*How long have you owned your machine?*
6 months

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
1 week. Still learning on darks

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
Pretreatment cost and ability to print on drk shirts

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
Yes
*


----------



## skdave

Is there a way one could make a chart of ALL the reported problems with ALL the DTG Printers reported on the forum. Charted by Brand. 

This one report could be posted as a new thread and would be VERY helpful to folks trying to decide which to buy. 
It will step on a few toes but so what.


----------



## WholesalePrint

We own a GT541 & GT 782
We bought the 782 due to our first Brothers rock solid performance.

my opinion NOOOO machine on the market has a better track record.


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## mistermugs

take it from someone who learned the hard way . I tried two different machines that used Epson print heads and both were terrible . Machines were down all the time.

Finally wised up and got the Brother 541GT. No comparison to the others . It is a workhorse and I have run it every day without any issues at all .


----------



## penpimp

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

*What machine do you own?* Brother 541 

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* Lot of online research, ISS shows, this forum. 
*What is your business model?* 
Promotional Products dist. 
*Are you happy with your decision?* 
Yes

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* 
Great print quality. Colors can be a little tricky. 

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* 
Colors can be tricky. 
*What type of maintenance do you do?* Not much. Thats what I love about it. 
*How long have you owned your machine?* I started printing with my machine sept. 2008

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* 
Took a while to get the system down, had to go through one operator. Now we have a great system. 

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* Nope


*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
*Need a good operator. Dont try to have some schmoe off the street run it and expect good results. *

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* Yes.


----------



## Guest

*What machine do you own?* Brother GT 541 

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* Travelled to different distributors with artwork and got duplicate prints with all artwork. Marked necks with printer name in sharpy and washed one shirt from each to compare. 

*What is your business model?* Retail and online sales

*Are you happy with your decision?* 
Yes

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Speed, ease of use, ability to train someone to run in about 10 minutes. I virtually eliminated the need for a screen printer. Samples in minutes from art to cure.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* Fades a bit on polyester (is designed for 100% cotton). Inability to print white ink -but I order screen printed transfers for those orders. 

*What type of maintenance do you do?* Clean the cap station when I change the black ink cart. Lint roll the platens before shutting off for the day (Lint is about the only thing that will affect the print). Other than that, it's self cleaning. 

*How long have you owned your machine?* I purchased when there were only Mimaki, Brother, and T-Jet on the market: installed back in November 2005.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* 
10 minutes - had presold $2000 worth of printing in advance of delivery with samples. Was printing within moments of installation - had pre-production print approved in 30 minutes and was off and running at once.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* Not really, it's been a wonderful piece of equipment that has consistently made money for me.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *There is no rip software with this machine, this is an advantage to me because it was one less thing to learn. With any inkjet garment printer you need to have climate controlled environment. I installed an A/C unit for the summer and a good humidifier for the winter (with forced hot air heat this is essential). This is an important step to prevent ink clogs on ANY printer.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* Yes, I have repeatedly. Best investment in 12 years of business.

Lisa


----------



## rix

*What machine do you own?
 I own an M & R i-Dot

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
* I read T-Shirt Forums, Searched the internet for DTG machines, Went to trade shows, Sent files to the companys and asked for samples so I could compare quality. *

*What is your business model?*
* I am a Graphic Artist, Signmaker and Airbrush Artist- Retail custom signs, vehicle graphics, t-shirts and logos*

*Are you happy with your decision?*
*  I am defintely Satisfied with my decision to purchase an i-Dot*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
* From my research I think the software works great, very good quality on prints and excellent customer service!!!*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
I have not found any negatives. It does what i thought it would do and more.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
* I clean the capping staion and any areas that get ink on them from the daily use. i set the printer in nozzel checks which are done about every four hours when not in use and i run a basic cleaning mode at the end of the day.*

*How long have you owned your machine?*
*  I have owned my machine since July of 2009*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
* I was able to start printing the day I got it. I did receive instruction on how to run the printer when I went to Chicago. It took about a month to get comfortable with what I learned in Chicago. Mostly me remembering what I was taught.*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
* I feel that the research I did prior to purchasing made it very easy to make a decision. *

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
* I am very satified with my purchase. One of the key things to DTG printing is that the printers are made to print. If you let them sit and do not remember to follow normal maintenance instructions you will have problems, but if you do follow them you will be very happy with the results.*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
* Difintely!!!!*


----------



## bigquince

*What machine do you own?*
DTG Kiosk & the oh-so-rare, obscolete DTG Express

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
We're not spoiled for choice in that price bracket in Australia; online only, quite a few phone calls

*What is your business model?*
We're a family trust trading as a T-shirt printing service, in Adelaide, South Australia, working from a shop front & a home based workshop

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Some days yes; other days not at all. On the whole we love to hate the machines, maintenance is nasty, printing is far slower than screen printing & less predictable, but they can get superb results at times. We bought our trashed kiosk second hand and it has its moments in spite of reconditioning.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
This is a brief summary - my husband will contribute more, he's the kiosk king. The Express is my terrain so here's its pros: an exquisite machine. We got it second hand and with reconditioning and a few spare parts, a couple of major breakdowns and a lot of hard work we have it working beautifully about 80% of the time. Pros are it doesn't even attempt white ink, so you know where you stand; the large format means serious efficiency in bulk printing (about 3X the hourly rate of the kiosk - we do orders up to 2000); large format means I can also do fabric printing & banners, giving my business more scope.


*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
It doesn't do dark coloured shirts; adjusting clearance manually isn't very reliable, and it's imperative to have a very very flat print surface (far more sensitive than the kiosk & harder to keep flat); the plattens we were provided with were a DISASTER and we are constantly re-engineering new solutions for quick-loading, reliably positioned, flat plattens for bulk production; I go mad with streaky nozzles & wasted ink on head cleans; 2 pass printing remains more reliable which makes it slower, but still faster than the kiosk. Slower than screen printing & people want similar prices so we do a lot of late nights.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Head wipes, general cleaning; has a very reliable self clean, though it wastes a lot of ink; because no white ink it's far better behaved than the Kiosk.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
nearly 2 years

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
We're still learning. Every new ink set, every new job, every new & unusual customer demand makes us push its (very flexible) boundaries on a weekly basis.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
That Steve the marketing man has gift of the gab & at the same time as being talented & capable, needs to be taken with a grain of salt; however also that when it behaves the machine is MAGNIFICENT, which would have saved me a lot of anxiety in the low patches when I thought we'd bought a lemon.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
It's not on the market any more sadly, because there are things it can do, like unusually big print areas, and printing the pieces of fabric before the shirt's assembled for an all-over print, and doing cushion covers and even quilts, that are what has helped our business to succeed.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*be very wary if you see one second hand as there are major design flaws and it does take a LOT of work to get it to a comfortable level of consistency & reliability.


----------



## bigquince

Frustrating - brother hasn't made it to Australia with its dtg printers yet!  Reading many of the comments on Epson (of which we have 2) and brother (which seems to get good reviews from you guys) makes me realise that a Viper may not be the next step from our Kiosk...


----------



## bigquince

rix said:


> I got to see a demonstration of the Viper from the Seattle office and I was not impressed. I spent 8 hours with them working with the Viper and they could not print my design that I gave them off of a flash drive. They tried tweaking the design like I said for 8 hours and could not get it right. They said i needed to create the artwork different. I went to Chicago and saw the i-Dot from M&R. I gave them the flash drive and they opened the file and pushed print and it came out the exact way I gave them the file. So in just a few minutes I got a shirt with great quality with no adjusting. I was sold and i have owned mine for about 4 months and I am still very impressed. The i-Dot printer had meet and exceeded my expectations.


iDot from M&R - interesting! I'll look it up. How does the price compare? That's the big question for us!! Re the viper - the guys who distribute it in Australia are really fantastic; they have supported us to the hilt with emergency troubleshooting at all hours, taking parts out of their own machine to help us out etc; but the kiosk (and I imagine the Viper) are very hard work. Constant head flushing & head replacement (@$450 a head), the need to know the machine inside out, know exactly how to prepare files to get the right result, variation in the result depending on the age of the head, burst dampers, clogging, streakiness, oversaturation, undersaturation... My husband is extremely good at getting the best results from it & knows a lot of variables, but it's really costing more than it's earning at the moment.
Can you give me more specifications on the machine you're mentioning so that I can find out whether it's available in Australia? Thanks heaps! Alice


----------



## sunnydayz

bigquince said:


> iDot from M&R - interesting! I'll look it up. How does the price compare? That's the big question for us!! Re the viper - the guys who distribute it in Australia are really fantastic; they have supported us to the hilt with emergency troubleshooting at all hours, taking parts out of their own machine to help us out etc; but the kiosk (and I imagine the Viper) are very hard work. Constant head flushing & head replacement (@$450 a head), the need to know the machine inside out, know exactly how to prepare files to get the right result, variation in the result depending on the age of the head, burst dampers, clogging, streakiness, oversaturation, undersaturation... My husband is extremely good at getting the best results from it & knows a lot of variables, but it's really costing more than it's earning at the moment.
> Can you give me more specifications on the machine you're mentioning so that I can find out whether it's available in Australia? Thanks heaps! Alice


Its probably best to start a new thread with specific questions about a printer, that way it will keep this one on topic of the survey of machines. There is a M & R sub section in the dtg section of the forums that can be found here M & R Digital - T-Shirt Forums, where it would be the perfect place to ask this question, and keeping this one on topic  Thanks.


----------



## rix

I was told it is available in Australia. I hear the guy to talk to uis Rick Bach. I have some numbers for you to call.
Toll Free:800-736-6431
Outside US: 847-967-4461

Just tell them you are from Australia.
The Price comparison is about the same. I bought extra plattens and extra inks along with the bulk ink system. I believe with all of the add ons I added the difference was less than $1,000.00

I have had my i-Dot for about 4 monthsw now and there is maintenace that you need to follow but if you run the nozzel check when you are not working and a head cleaning (which is pennies) you should be fine. I have not needed to power cleanings which do use alot of ink but maybe once in the last 3 months. That was because I let the printer sit for days and did not print. If you print every day a least something with the white ink the basic nozzel checks every 4 hours when not in use and wipe the capping staion and squeegee one a day you will be fine. Mine just keeps working. I have had some problems but it was always user error and not the printer.


----------



## BEatMaKeR

I'm going to be straight up about this... I've seen quite a few DTG prints and NOTHING can compare to a well manned, well maintained Kornit with somebody behind the operating mechanics who knows colors and the software! Hands down!

Just my two cents from experience.


----------



## bigquince

Thanks for that - love to hear more - I'll wander around the Kornit chat. Again, I'll have to see if it's available in Australia...


----------



## sunnydayz

BEatMaKeR said:


> I'm going to be straight up about this... I've seen quite a few DTG prints and NOTHING can compare to a well manned, well maintained Kornit with somebody behind the operating mechanics who knows colors and the software! Hands down!
> 
> Just my two cents from experience.


Do you have a Kornit? If so can you copy and paste the questions, and put the answers so it can be more helpful to those looking? Thanks


----------



## Blazed T

Please keep this going everyone! It is helping me in my research for a dtg printer more than words can say. I appreciate everyones comments (even if they get a little off topic), but also thank you Sunnydaze for keeping it on track. Leaning towards i dot. But am also impressed with DTG. Would LOVE the new Brother 7sumpthin, but $50,000?!? Say's on their website that prints on dark's may average $2.50-$3.50 per shirt including pretreatment. Sounds a little high considering the already high cost of the printer.


----------



## THE ARTWORX

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

*What machine do you own?* HAD THE OLD RED T -JET 1 NOW BLAZER PRO , FLEXI JET LONG


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* INTERNET US SCREEN INFO

*What is your business model?* INTERNET SALES

*Are you happy with your decision?* VERY MUCH SO THE BLAZER IS FANTASTIC

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* THE BLAZER IS EXCELENT AND PRINTS GREAT WITH FEW REAL PROBLEMS - THE RED T JET WAS A BIG LEARNING CURVE AND HELPED BUT I LOST ALOT OF HAIR!

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*LEARNING THE HARD WAY ABOUT MAINTAINACE AND WHAT ERROR CODES MEAN!

*What type of maintenance do you do?* CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN EVERYTHING DAILY!

*How long have you owned your machine?* BLAZER 1 YEAR RED T JET 2.5 YEARS . LONG , NOT USED YET 

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* 1 WEEK SETTING UP MAINLY AS DIDNT HAVE MUCH HELP

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* NO I KNEW THE PROS AND CONS BEFORE BUYING AND THE BLAZER PRO IS FANTASTIC A DREAM COMPARED TO THE RED T JET 1

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* JUST MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN EVERYTHING AND HAVE SPARES OF EVERYTHING SO THERE IS NO DOWN TIME

*Would you recommend this machine to others? YES ON THE PRO I AM BUYING ANOTHER THIS WEEK
*


----------



## terrydolin

*What machine do you own? veloci jet


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? *
*I went to shows and talked to many salesman!!! That just left me with ????? a lot of research her on this forum and the web.*

*What is your business model? *
*T shirts and signs*

*Are you happy with your decision? *
*very happy will buy another one soon.*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? *
*Ink cost are great. would be nice if they were lower but the ink used vs the reported use is lower and no wasted ink ink cartiges left behind.*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? *
*some times the machine is slow but it is mostly due to my equipment and speed that the prints are processed.*

*What type of maintenance do you do? *
*very simple. after you print is complete end of the day, clean around the print head, clean capping station, run some cleaning solution to the waste bottle, clean the wipper. close your bottle caps, **wha.la** put her to bed.*

*How long have you owned your machine? *
*3 mths*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? *
*2 days. they came to my shop and trained us. twiking will take longer. there is a learning cure, but as with anything if you dont know what you are doing, you have to learn.*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *
*not realy, equipment zone realy left no unaswered questions and still today have an open door policy for help, have been pleased with the printer and the company and the people who sale it.*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *
*there is a process to getting shirts done in a timely manor. at first I was pretreating shirts then printing them. now I have a cycle. pretreat a shirt then press dry, print the shirt and while that one is printing pretreat and dry the next, cuts time in half.*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? *
*yes very much so. worth looking at.*


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## TurtleNick

*What machine do you own?* Mimaki GP-604
*Are you happy with your decision?* *NO*
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* VERY FAST PRINTER. Great for doing tone on tone large prints 16" x 24". Has a great niche'
*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* INK Lacks Vivid Color, Vibrancy... Need to Double Hit Everything to get OK color, but Doubles the Ink & labor costs. DOES NOT USE DUPONT ARTISTRI INKS
*What type of maintenance do you do?* Need to Clean around print heads after 16 hours of printing.. Change/Clean dampers after about 1,000 hours of printing.
 *How long have you owned your machine?* Purchased 2004'ish
*How long did it take you to learn to use?* A Lot of Test Prints to Get the marginal the RED & BLACK colors.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? No, I was very thorough n my research. Back in '05 Brother was Best But Ink was Ridiculously Expensive. T-Jets were Breaking During Demos. Kornit was Using Solvent Inks & The White Inks would crack after a few washings*
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* Watch your labor cost. One Operator Can Easily Run 2 Machines.
*Would you recommend this machine to others?* With Current Ink Offerings, I Say NO NO NO.... With DUPONT INK YES... Prints a10" x 10" design in 37 seconds! VERY FAST! Mimaki Doesn't Care About This Machine... There is so much good Like a Mercedes with NO Gas Tank....


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## vctradingcubao

, maybe try a pretreatment Mitchell. Let's form the "Mimaki Limited Club", .


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## TurtleNick

vctradingcubao said:


> , maybe try a pretreatment Mitchell. Let's form the "Mimaki Limited Club", .


Great Thought! The PreTreat makes the WHITE Dupont Ink adhere to the garment. I will start a new Thread Asking if the PreTreatment for White will help with CMYK Vibrancy on Light/White Garments.


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## vctradingcubao

WillWork4TShirts said:


> Great Thought! The PreTreat makes the WHITE Dupont Ink adhere to the garment. I will start a new Thread Asking if the PreTreatment for White will help with CMYK Vibrancy on Light/White Garments.


and maybe try different shirts, so as to minimize "fibrillation" (not sure about the term), or do some pre press before printing. you can even try pressing with silicon papers first, to really flatten the shirt. good luck. sorry for the off-topic sunnydayz!


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## leftlanelouie

Brand of shirts, country of origin, etc. all play in the successful printing of a garment, no matter what type of printing you are doing. As someone else mentioned above, a lot of your success will depend on the "sizing" in the fabric used to make the garment. We are still determining what machine we are going to purchase to add DTG to our services. Thought we would go with Anajet Sprint for the dark shirt printing capability, but now we have added the Veloci-Jet to our consideration and I'm going to look at a couple others as well.


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## thepincushion

I have a Kiosk HM1.
I got the infomation from the internet, then went to Salt Lake for a demo and bought from a very nice and informent sales man.
No I am not happy with the machine at all.
The pros are you can do 1 shirt fast. Or many shirts if the machine is working right,and they look very nice.
The up keep is very exspensive, the ink is very exspensive. and the machine breaks down and the parts are exspisive. 
Head cleanings, Ink charges, tube cleanings (all using up ink)run weindex threw. Then still have to replase head at $395.00 evey 3-4months.
My first was 2004 Getting two heat press in a row that was faulty and after having two tecs come to utah ( at my exspense, 1700.00 the warenty only covers parts)they decided it was a lemon and sent me a new one. Still had to pay for a tec to come fix this one. We have learned to fix or have replace evey part one and some two or more times. at our exspence for parts and frieght.
 It took us a tec coming out and many call to the tecs on the phone to learn the machine and rip pro ( which they sent the wrong soft ware with machine)
I bought because of the price of the machine, wish I had knowen the upkeep was so exspensive.
It will help a lot if you know coral or adobe picture before buying, and go to Calf. or Texas for classes. Also make sure you will use eveyday!! Can not be sit more than one day without the head drying out.(395.00)
If you do have problems make sure you have all day to wait for a tec to call back, and lots of money to put into it. You can't sell the garments to make a profit because it all goes back into the machine to keep it runing. So if you have the money for a toy have fun.


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## sunnydayz

thepincushion said:


> My first was 2004 Getting two heat press in a row that was faulty and after having two tecs come to utah ( at my exspense, 1700.00 the warenty only covers parts)they decided it was a lemon and sent me a new one. Still had to pay for a tec to come fix this one. We have learned to fix or have replace evey part one and some two or more times. at our exspence for parts and frieght.


Hi, I was just reading this and are you sure you have the HM1? The HM1 did not come out till 2007 not 2004. It sounds like you have the regular kiosk, which would be a completely different machine than the HM1. Just want to clarify so those reading this thread, will have the correct info on the correct machine  Thanks for clarifying


----------



## TahoeTomahawk

With a $395 print head I would assume that must be the HM1, normal 2200 print heads are under $215, not even DTG would mark them up that high ... would they?


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## happyharold4

Sunnydayz----It would help so much if the contributors would share the approximate price range---Perhaps you could consider adding that to your list in the original post---And if there is a thread that compares all the current prices on the different ones available perhaps you or someone could post up that link---I can't seem to find anything current like that---Thanks

Happy


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## stitchandawl

Thanks for this one!!
It really opens your eyes!

Dorrie


----------



## IYFGraphics

*What machine do you own?*

Fast T-Jet2

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*

Mostly this forum, but lots of on-line research comparing different printers. 

*What is your business model?*

Wholesale, retail, web sales, custom graphics design.

*Are you happy with your decision?*

Very much so....it came down to a HM-1 or a T-Jet2 for us to get into DTG, the refurb we bought will pay for itself in about a year to a year and a half which is a great ROI.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

Great machine very reliable, if you do the required maintenance it's almost trouble free...so far!

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

None really, at least none that all the other Dupont/Epson based white ink printers have.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

Clean print head nozzle area and bottom of carriage, wiper, capping station after each printing, a few drops of cleaning solution in the capping station to keep everything damp. oil rails, clean encoder strip every couple of weeks.

*How long have you owned your machine?*

4 months

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

Funny thing we had orders for it the day we uncrated it, so we kinda' learned on that order, we sat it up as CMYK only at first because the order we had was for white shirts...out of thirty shirts I think we had one misprint because of learning to use FastArtist & Fast Rip, we did watch the DVDs that came with the printer and that gave us a big head start.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

Nope!.....I just wish I would have bought one in 2008, but you know you gotta' do the research...can't just jump into DTG without having a game plan and a customer base.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

IMHO there are lots of really great DTG printers on the market at all price levels, you have to decide what you can afford and how long it will take to get a ROI....with a DTG printer you have the ability to do one-offs that no other printing method can touch for the cost per shirt in low volume. For us DTG has been a great selling tool that has opened several doors to more business, I can't imagine not having one now and would probably buy another if we had the room.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?

*Yes....but, as we all know there's more to DTG printing than just the printer, there's ink, pretreatment, and replacement parts, I think I'd recommend buying from a reputable dealer who can offer you both tech support and a warranty to me they are just as important as the brand of printer.


----------



## VBGrafx

IYFGraphics said:


> *What machine do you own?*
> 
> Fast T-Jet2


 
It this T-jet2 the Blazer Pro?


----------



## IYFGraphics

VBGrafx said:


> It this T-jet2 the Blazer Pro?


No sir.....although made by the same defunct company (US Screen) they are based on different Epson print engines. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## DAGuide

IYFGraphics said:


> No sir.....although made by the same defunct company (US Screen) they are based on different Epson print engines.
> 
> Hope this helps.


Actually, the T-Jet 2 was designed and made by MasterMind in Japan - it was marketed and sold by US Screen however. The Blazer line was designed, made, marketed and sold by US Screen. Slight difference.


----------



## IYFGraphics

DAGuide said:


> Actually, the T-Jet 2 was designed and made by MasterMind in Japan - it was marketed and sold by US Screen however. The Blazer line was designed, made, marketed and sold by US Screen. Slight difference.


Sorry Mark.....I should have said marketed/sold instead of made...my bad. thanks for the correction.

Sorry Bobbylee....didn't mean to stray off topic just trying to answer the posters question.


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## Jeanneb

*What machine do you own? Brother GT-541*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
I first learned about this printer from a mailing and started the process of talking my partner into buying one. Two years later in Feb. 2007 we decided on the Brother after several trade shows and checking out every printer on the market. At each show we took a shirt from every printer and wrote on it the printer that produced it unless it already had that and most did. Then we set about washing them over and over, some of the shirts only lasted 2 - 5 washes so those printers were out of the running T-Jet was one of them. The only shirt that lasted for 30 washes and still looked great was the Brother shirt so that is the one we went with. I have to say the T-Jet is the only printer that broke down at every show we went to. I guess it was just luck that it happened every time when we were watching. 

*What is your business model?* We have a shop with samples and mostly sell to Schools and small to medium size business. We also do Screen printing, embroidery, and sell promotional products so that we can be a one stop shop for our customers.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
We are so happy it just never gives us any trouble as long as we don't let the air in the room get too dry and do a cap and wiper clean once a week.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
It just keeps working it helps pay the bills when screen printing and embroidery are slow.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
It needs to be used at least once a week.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Once a week cap and wiper clean, takes all of 2 minutes.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
3 years

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
I did my first two jobs before purchasing on the deno unit at the sales office with the help of our salesman that is what really sold me was how easy it was. The bonus was that I made my first two payments from the profits I made on those first two orders.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *No we did really good research before purchasing. You have to when spending that much money.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
What ever machine you purchase needs maintenance some more than others, just be ready to do the maintenance that the machine you purchase requires. I know we do more on our machine than some other Brother owners I have talked to but ours never gives us any problem at all.
*Would you recommend this machine to others?*


----------



## BStreetHill

*What machine do you own?* Anajet Sprint


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* t-shirt forums & ISS show

*What is your business model?* Existing screen printing shop & e-commerce

*Are you happy with your decision?* so far so good.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*great prints

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* training could've been more intense

*What type of maintenance do you do?* Daily, weekly cleaning.

*How long have you owned your machine?* 1week

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* not long after full day training

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* not yet

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* Anajet seems like a good company, not sure how they will be after/when problems arise

*Would you recommend this machine to others? I think so, I outsourced for years to brother shops and from what i gather, it's all about caring about your end product. we had our hands tied by outsourcing and decided to bring the profits and QC in house. jobs are lined up first day of operation. got a smoking deal, but I held out for over a year.
*


----------



## nwnative

*What machine do you own? Anajet*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? T shirt forum, Anajet, & other printer manufacturers.*

*Are you happy with your decision? Yes*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Easy to operate(once you learn how), good technical support from Anajet, beautiful prints, good creative opportunity, good earning potential. *

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Maintenance is expensive, pretreatment for darks is a tricky learning experience, *

*What type of maintenance do you do? Daily nozzle check and head clean if indicated and mixing the white inks. Automated maintenance every 12 hours as done by the printer. Weekly purge of lines. Monthly deep clean of the lines is costly (about $150) but it prevents problems later. *

*How long have you owned your machine? 2 months*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? We're still learning to print darks. White and lights are pretty easy -- like printing on paper almost. *

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? We were pretty well informed*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Don't expect to be an expert right off the bat. There is a lot to know and training with Anajet is essential!*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? Yes*


----------



## Costa Rica Tees

This thread has been great! One of the best ones I have seen on here! Thank you! It is really helping me with my research. I am looking to buy a DTG printer in the next month or two, but I don't have the advantage of seeing them run at trade shows and in shops because I live in Costa Rica. I want to start a printing biz here and this forum has been a huge help! 

Right now I am leaning towards the Brother GT451, the Veloci-Jet and the Neoflex. One of my biggest factors is how good the technical support from these companies is because I am going to be all the way in CR and will need good support via phone and video chat from a tech support person whenever I run into issues. Can anyone attest to the tech support from these printers and how your experience has been?

Also, please more feedback from Neo-Flex and Veloci-Jet owners! There is not much on here from them, maybe only one or two posts about the Veloci-Jet. The Brother sounds like it gets great feedback on here. However, I would like to hear more from owners of the other two. Are they not as popular? Thanks again!


----------



## sunnydayz

Costa Rica Tees said:


> This thread has been great! One of the best ones I have seen on here! Thank you! It is really helping me with my research. I am looking to buy a DTG printer in the next month or two, but I don't have the advantage of seeing them run at trade shows and in shops because I live in Costa Rica. I want to start a printing biz here and this forum has been a huge help!
> 
> Right now I am leaning towards the Brother GT451, the Veloci-Jet and the Neoflex. One of my biggest factors is how good the technical support from these companies is because I am going to be all the way in CR and will need good support via phone and video chat from a tech support person whenever I run into issues. Can anyone attest to the tech support from these printers and how your experience has been?
> 
> Also, please more feedback from Neo-Flex and Veloci-Jet owners! There is not much on here from them, maybe only one or two posts about the Veloci-Jet. The Brother sounds like it gets great feedback on here. However, I would like to hear more from owners of the other two. Are they not as popular? Thanks again!


I would say that living so far away from support the brother gt541 would probably be your best bet, as it only uses cmyk and prints lights, and that way you dont have to worry about the maintenance on white ink.

For the questions of how tech support is, it would be best to start a new thread, so that this one stays strictly on feedback from owners and not end up getting sidetracked by answering questions here  Simply start a new thread in the general dtg section, and ask if people could please give feedback on tech support on the different dtg machines out there.

Glad this thread was helpful


----------



## echorick

we have anajets, will copy your questions and post this weekend


----------



## Mungai

What machine do you own? MS One


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? T-shirtforums.com, various trade shows, ScreenWeb | screenweb.com | A companion site to Screen Printing Magazine and other internet sources.

What is your business model? Small home based business that uses contract printing for large orders and embroidery. The DTG purchase was to capture niche market and to support online business.

Are you happy with your decision? Yes, I'm now getting referrals from others in the industry who can't produce small runs

What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Very large print area (17 X 36), great rip software, excellent support, portable, bulk ink - it's a must to keep down print costs

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Like every other DTG machine on the market - Regular use and maintenance is a must!!! Get training up front!

What type of maintenance do you do? Daily use

How long have you owned your machine? 6 months

How long did it take you to learn to use? Training explained how to use it however I'm always experimenting with new uses and concepts. Learn something new every week.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? No, just wished I had developed the target market better beforehand. But I was caught in the chicken v egg scenario.

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Make sure you always look at the ROI of any purchase. This should include the purchase price, ink, maintenance, etc...... Bulk ink really helps drive down the curve on the return.

Would you recommend this machine to others? yes, great machine especially if you are looking for a larger print area.


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## loloxa

*What machine do you own?* Brother Gt-782
*Are you happy with your decision*? YES, although I was happier with my 541 buy
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* 2 platens speeds up production, 2 independent heads speeds up production, larger cartridges lowers costs, better printing driver than the 541.
*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* Registration issues do pop up once in a while, quite a bit of white ink is wasted in the maintenance process.
*What type of maintenance do you do?* Tube cleaning every week ( x 4 heads), takes 40 minutes, ink retrieval and shake every day ( 5/8 minutes) or second day( if you have been printing lots of white not so often) to get a good white.
*How long have you owned your machine?* 4 weeks
*How long did it take you to learn to use?* I'm still learning, I'd say it takes a bout 3 days to grasp the basics, and a couple more weeks to get to know the machine in depth.
*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *
Yes, the wasted ink on cleaning would have been nice to know, and all the issues with registration, but o well which manufacturer would disclose the pit falls of their products
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *It can print a few (I've done about 30 units, 2 side prints in 85 minutes) shirts an hour but what you save on time you'll drop on ink. And if the 541 would give you a nice time-frame for return on investment this one will not be as short. If you can demo the machine for a couple of hours, do not contempt yourself with one printed sample, get to know this machine well before making the step.
*Would you recommend this machine to others?* Personally only if you have a 541 and think that this is the logical step to follow, the learning curve is high but after a while you get it. If you come from another printer maker probably look somewhere else, if you start anew and are looking to buy brother, look in to the 541 first. I you really want this machine , have the money and realize that this might be a new born in need of TLC an are OK with that, by all means buy it. It's a nice machine to own and doesn't fail, only registration is a dark spot in this machine ( not continuously but it happens), highly recommended to get an auto-pretreater to accompany this baby.


----------



## CoorsDTG

*What machine do you own?* Anajet Sprint

*Are you happy with your decision*? ABSOLUTELY

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Print speed is GREAT. 1:45 for a 10x12 graphic on a black shirt (can see this on youtube)

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* None

*What type of maintenance do you do? *Auto head clean in the morning. Wipe around print head and side wiper blade every friday. I crank up the ink levels on the first print of the day to open up the nozzles and get them going...not sure if this even does anything, it just seemed like common sense to me and I haven't had any problems with my prints

*How long have you owned your machine?* A little less than a year

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* 1 day. I attended the Anajet training class that is included with purchase.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? *I wish I knew about all of the other items that you can print on...I would have bought sooner. I print on wood, tile, metal, neoprene, ceramic

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *The Sprint paid for itself within 90 days of owning it

*Would you recommend this machine to others?* I would. I'm a salesman by trade and wanted to focus the majority of my time on selling my service and expanding my business and not wrestling with a difficult machine everyday. The Sprint has been a great match for me


----------



## 102557

Hey guys,

Thought i would post this here...hope its not off topic. 

Here is a machine i made, i still have a few details to wrap up, but heres a vid on how she prints...its based off an epson r1900, you can configure it for white ink also, im just using refill carts and dtg ink from dtginks.com. if your doing some serious production you could add a bulk system. would prolly be a good option for those that want to get there feet wet in dtg printing, but dont want to spend the big bucks

the video shows it printing in 1400x1400 res, i have since learned the table adjustment settings in the rip software. so now i can print in 720x720 with the same quality and by my calculation at twice the speed on the same image.. i will post another vid of this once i get everything secured.

Theres more info on the build in the diydtg section of these forums. (mission accomplished "license to thrill") it was born here

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc3OrrsnMHs[/media]


----------



## STRAIGHT EDGE AU

A2-LONGE-900, with EPSON WT3850 print head tech.


----------



## STRAIGHT EDGE AU

Imported from CHINA to AUSTRALIA,


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## BestBordados+

Thanks.. this thread has been very useful for me... and im sure for many others.
Best regards


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## STRAIGHT EDGE AU

My DTG printer cost so far over $10,000- au,arrived from China damaged,help slow ,they want more money spent,It looks strong and good but take care choosing company and frieght,very stressful,can not rate yet.will keep you all posted.if sorted


----------



## mlowbridge

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *



sunnydayz said:


> Anyone else want to add their machine, we still need brother, kornit, flexi, and views of other owners. It would be really great to have people with the same machines listed too to see how opinions are with same machines and different owners.


Acorn printing have got the new 782 Brother that prints white


----------



## STRAIGHT EDGE AU

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

In Australia ,the Brother with white ink is rediculously expensive,Curious to what UK, or USA price is to compare.As only see one importer.How big is it.I got white ink tech in LONGE-WT3850 A2 from CHINA,dose flat bed variety work and has Tshirt fitting,very versitile cost $5,000- approx us,plus freight and special RIP software,How dose this compare to others ................???????? Strong polished aluminiom cover ,senser lift auto adjustment built in,tech.up to 7cm height print on various sefices ,by easy change inks system.


----------



## sunnydayz

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *



mlowbridge said:


> Acorn printing have got the new 782 Brother that prints white


Can you do me a favor and copy and paste the questions from the first post in this thread and answer them, so they can be compared to the other machines answers? Thanks


----------



## DFC scrnprinting

*What machine do you own?*
Our company uses the Brother GT-782


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
We checked out a few different trade shows, but we really wanted a good machine that could handle printing on dark garments with good results.

*What is your business model?*
Online marketing as well as local, we screen print our large orders but we wanted a good solution for low minimum orders.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes. There is a learning curve but if you know your programs i.e. Photoshop and illustrator it really isn't that bad.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
The GT-782 has two separate platens and print heads so if needed you can actually print two different jobs...or print double time on a single job.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
at first there can be some issues in aligning the whitebase.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Auto clean. Some manual print-head cleaning

*How long have you owned your machine?* 
its a bit new to us, only had this one for about 3 months.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
There were a few initial glitches as with everything but the learning curve was not too bad.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

If you have a Brother tech actually come out to work with (or fix) your machine it will cost you an arm and a leg.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?

Yes. it is a beast of a machine with some great capabilities but it does come with a large price tag.
*


----------



## STRAIGHT EDGE AU

Hi I bouht a DTG up to A2 DTG,printer with whte ink tech mid June from China, I have not given it a good test yet due to China co.stuffing me around with damaged parts replacements due to poor shipping,which I have only now just got sorted.Recmmend to anyone else doing this to arrange their own frieght and packing and do not use DHL,long story.Back to my question ,it is a beast of a machine but for all the worry I went to to get it how dose it compare in price to buying local,as I found even local any form of support is either too far away or rediculously exp.I paid aprox $7,000- us ,I live in Australia, the price included 1st full set of inks and pre spray for black,t's,and special white ink RIP/software,with dongal etc,dul MAC /PC, ,The t's shirt plate can come off and it can be use on many other surfaces as a general flat bed.It has auto tech for hight adjusting to suit printing surface,so this is mre than just a t's, printer,dose leather ,glass,canvas etc ,and then fits t's plate and self adjusts hight by senser motion gears built in,Its in polished stainless steal caseing and has the new WT3850 epson self cleaning print head.DidI save money buying and importing direct ,can you tell me what they are charging for brother ,etc and how big can brother go up to is it as versitile.I am curious as to wether all the stress I went through to get it and waiting was worth the saving.MJS and DESIGNWISE in AUZZ quoted rediculous prices for smaller less technical printers and white ink ,one quoted ver $60,000-.I thought they were kidding and that was with the older non self cleanin print head prior to new release one.
It would be good to be told that it was worth the drama ,and hep me to forge on,Thanks Lorraine.open to all feedback,


----------



## Stitch-Up

Morning from the UK Lorraine.

I think you'd get more response to your problem if you were to post 'general' arear of the DTG forum.

The title of this thread is:
*What DTG machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Your last post is also extremely difficult to read. If you break it up a little I'm sure more people would take the time to read it.

Thanks

John


----------



## vlcnmstr

does anyone have the viper or K3? I am considering them for the "WIMS" and one pass fast as it seems the best choice for someone that may have inttermitant use (my primary job some times has me away for a week or so, so the auto pumping and circulating of the inks is a boon) till business i enough to be full time.

advice? recommendations?


----------



## Stitch-Up

*What machine do you own?
*Neoflex textile & solvent

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
The T-Shirt Forum, shows & exhibitions, dealers & other owners

*What is your business model?*
We started out doing embroidery, then moved into vinyl & sublimation. Bought a Gerber Edge FX so we could print to vinyl including metalics. Rginestones and finaly DTG printing

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes, very.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Versatility in that I can quickly swap to a solvent option. Large printable area 42 x 106. Closed circuit ink system.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
No software manual - but this is in creation.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
As specified by the supplier, daily, weekly & monthly

*How long have you owned your machine?*
6 weeks.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
Still learning but basics took a few days.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
No, I thoroughly researched my options.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Read, research, read, research! You're spending a lot of money - get it right.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Definately.


----------



## emekennesaw

*What machine do you own? Brother GT-541


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? The GT-541 was already a part of the business I purchased. The company I bought was a re-sale tha already had the machine there.*

*What is your business model? Brother GT-541*

*Are you happy with your decision? Yes*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Pro: It has a decent print quality and is not a high-maintainance direct garment printer in the industry. *

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Con: Can only print multi-color desings on light color garments.*

*What type of maintenance do you do? Very little, does not require much maintainance.*

*How long have you owned your machine? I have owned the GT-541 for 15 months and the unit was on location prior to me buying the company for three years.*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? About 1-2 days. *

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? Nope*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Nope*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? Yes*​


----------



## theGREYjohn

all of this information has been a great boon in helping me decide on my first printer and well, my first step into the shirt printing world.
So far, i am feeling the best about the DTG Kiosk 3, but there isn't enough consistency in the information.
How do i know which ones have 'ink recirculation', because i only plan on using this thing every other week or so for small batches and whats up with prices!?
am i that new that i don't know where to look, but i really have no idea of how much this stuff costs!
i have a ballpark number of about $7500 for the Kiosk 3, but i am not sure.
can someone please help this hopelessly lost young fellow?


----------



## vlcnmstr

if you feel that "hopelessly lost" right now, then it's time to take a step back and regroup. Make a list of what you want to do t-shirt wise. then look at machines that will accomplish that. Then see the machines in person and get firm prices (the 7500 for the new machine is about half of what they quoted me here in LA). You need to go to a couple trade shows for the "glow" to wear off and so you can be somewhat more objective towards a purchase. Also, so that the "oo look shiny!!" phase is over. If they see your eyes all glazed over with purchase intent, some dealers will take you for all they can. You want to be knowledgeable as the salesperson when you talk about a real purchase so you know what you're buying and can do it level headed.

Research, research research


----------



## clsgraphics2100

I try not to buy at a trade show unless I'm getting a good deal on the demonstrator. They always will extend the sale price a few more days past the show and a couple of times I got a slightly better price because there was no pressure on either of us. after the show, less pressure more time and at that point they know you're serious about your purchase and they won't try to blow smoke up your a#@!


----------



## 929Wolfs

*What machine do you own?* Direct Advantage by Sawgrass, using an Epson 4800 Print-head ( bought a used machine and had Sawgrass refurbish it )


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* This and other Forums, ISS and other Trade Shows, Specific DTG Printer Vendors, Pre-owned Equipment sites, etc

*What is your business model?* Portable Event driven DTG Printing. From T's to Portraits.

*Are you happy with your decision?* Very

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* Very Robust, Superior Print quality, easily maintained and except for initial startup, has operated trouble free and dependably.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? 
*High Ink Cost, erratic error sensor function waste production time, (however since most of the faults are cleared by simply re-starting print cycle, no hard cost results) 
 
*What type of maintenance do you do?* Mostly manufacturers recommended, (I.E. Docking Station, Print Head,etc) also since I use it in a Concession Trailer and therefore dusty surroundings, I Vacuum the interior mechanics wipe the exterior frequently.

*How long have you owned your machine?* Since Nov-2009

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* About two weeks, learned a lot working with Sawgrass support during that time, troubleshooting what appeared and ended up to be a shipping fault. Even though the Shock Sensors did not indicate a warning.


*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* Not so far, No

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* My decision to acquire this machine went contrary to suggestions by a number of past owners on this and other sites. The risk therefore needed to be compared to the Ability, Cost, Support, and Fit to our Business model. I wanted most of all to have a printer that could withstand the pounding of being mounted permanently in a towable, and this fit the bill, it's a Brute. So far its performance has justified the move. There are gaps of perhaps a week to two between working events, and other than run a graphic through it every few days between setups (for the sample designs we make anyway) we are not forced to go to any special maintenance procedures and have been able to depend on reliable performance.
So I guess what I'm saying is there are times when one persons experiences do not necessarily reflect those of another. In the final analysis "Do your own homework"

*Would you recommend this machine to others? *For myspecific application, absolutely *Yes *if you can find one.


----------



## ROYAL SAVAGE

You got some good advice here. The best thing you can do is get to one of the big shows. I just got back from four days of working at SGIA in Vegas and I can tell you that you need to see the gear in action. You need to spend two days, at least, hanging around the machines watching them print. You need to bring your files and ask for samples. You will be amazed at the lack of equality in the gear.

Pay close attention to the construction of the equipment as well. All DTG gear is not created equal. Shows, shows and more shows


----------



## Printzilla

I couldn't agree more Kevin.


----------



## sunnydayz

Completely agree, the show was the best way to see them all and compare. To me its a must for any expensive equipment to compare them.


----------



## ROYAL SAVAGE

Whats amazing about being at the shows is that you actually get to see problems occur. Everyone has them. Watch carefully to see how they are resolved and the reaction of the exhibitors when the gear goes down in public. This is very telling. Generally you get some insight into the service you will receive. I don't publicly comment on gear i don't own but i did see some interesting happenings especially now that every one wamnts to claim they print on black - its amazing to watch. We actually print over 90% of our goods on black so I know.


----------



## bhind

Who makes the Flexi L?


----------



## bhind

Can any one tell me how long it takes for a t jet 2 to print and shirt ?


----------



## Printzilla

The answer depends on a multitude of things. White? Black? How many passes? How big is the image. If you search the tjet forum you will find some answers.


----------



## kevrokr

bhind said:


> Who makes the Flexi L?


We (BelQuette) manufacture Flexi-Jet Printers.


----------



## court1226

I am new to all of this and just starting out something small. I have read through a lot on here and while I understand the Brother Dtgs are great they are out of my price range. I am watching a few on ebay and i was wondering if these machines are worth the money. I've read a lot of bad things about the T-jet but some of the posts are old. Have they gotten better? Would one work for someone just starting out? Or would I just regret it?


----------



## ROYAL SAVAGE

court1226 said:


> I am new to all of this and just starting out something small. I have read through a lot on here and while I understand the Brother Dtgs are great they are out of my price range. I am watching a few on ebay and i was wondering if these machines are worth the money. I've read a lot of bad things about the T-jet but some of the posts are old. Have they gotten better? Would one work for someone just starting out? Or would I just regret it?


There is a lot of misinformation out there. The best course of action is to reply with what your needs are. I own several Kornit machines and am very satisfied.


----------



## 76anajet

Hello , i own the ANJET SPRINT it Is reliable easy to maintain especially for someone new to the business it does a great job on photo quality .
Whites are a snap, Black is not difficult it is all in the pre treatment.
I have 20 yrs of all kinds of digital experience Solvent, UV, Waterbased. Dye sublimation on everything from Banner, Fabric, 
Flag, 
Ease of operation and bang for the buck ability to print white and black, i would say the ANAJET
wins hands down. their is give and take with all machines but after my research it made the most sense.
Hope this helps you.


----------



## obzelite

court1226 said:


> I am new to all of this and just starting out something small. I have read through a lot on here and while I understand the Brother Dtgs are great they are out of my price range. I am watching a few on ebay and i was wondering if these machines are worth the money. I've read a lot of bad things about the T-jet but some of the posts are old. Have they gotten better? Would one work for someone just starting out? Or would I just regret it?


thought the t-jet died when the company went down the drain.

personally i would stay away from anything that is a converted inkjet printer.

We have a viper, and its the worst desicion we have ever made. There are 3 other machines in our state, I've spoken to two owners and both of them feel the same way as well.


----------



## obzelite

*
What machine do you own?*

DTG Viper

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*

videos on youtube and this forum, and unfortunately the sales rep at a trade show

*What is your business model?*

general screenprinter

*Are you happy with your decision?*

NO

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

it does look good when it works

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

its a converted ink jet printer and it does not play well with the inks if you are not using it every single day

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

tons, cleans everyday, cleaning fluid in capping station if its not going to be used, drawing distilled water through cleaning tubes after every use to stop ink drying and blocking them

*How long have you owned your machine?*

year and a half

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

half a day, then taught myself how to clean it by reading up about the epson printers on the net

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

how easy it is to get blocked when not being used, that it was just a converted epson printer

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

don't buy a machine that is just a converted ink jet that is used to print photos

*Would you recommend this machine to others?

NEVER
*


----------



## RightCoastToph

Awesome post. Spent about an hour reading every post and learned more than I had in several weeks of initial research. Unbiased and hugely valuable.

I have one question? 
I feel like having a larger print area from a product like the neoflex would be really important but it doesn't seem to be something people really have an issue with from smaller print areas like the HMI and veloci jet.

I seem to have narrowed down between these products. Any thoughts on print area. i will be making custom clothes for my own line of clothes for babies, kids and adults. I will also try and make extra money on the side by printing shirts for local clients. 

Does anyone feel like the product they own is limited by the print size?

Thanks.


----------



## focusink

I am blown away by people's praise of the Anajet. Ours is horrible, unreliable, inconsistent in output. Nearly unusable with desert low humidity, even with a humidifier. Outrageously expensive to print with, and requires too much maintenance.

In contrast, our Brother 541 is a dream machine. It's only downside (a big one), is that it does not print white.


----------



## SickPuppy

*What machine do you own?

*Fast T-Jet2

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*

This forum. 

*What is your business model?*

Mainly local selected customers. I don't have time for a large volume of sales.

*Are you happy with your decision?*

Yes, for the amount of prints I do monthly this is a great printer. 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

Easy to maintain and repair


*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

White ink separation, had an ink leak that fried the print head. 

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

Clean print head, wiper, capping station after each printing, a few drops of cleaning solution in the capping station to keep everything damp.

*How long have you owned your machine?*

1 year

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

Set the machine up and started printing a few minutes later. Got some help from Harry at the equipmentzone with the RIP software and that was it.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

Dark pretreatment is an art and takes time to master

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*


Nothing I can think of right now

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*

For a small shop or home based business this is a great printer. Small orders are easy to do. I have done 200 shirt orders on mt T-Jet 2 and it is way too much work. Loading and unloading the platen is not as easy as most of the newer printers.


----------



## Streamline73

I guess I have my two choices finally figured out for our first used DTG machine. We are going to go with a ANA-JET or a Brothers. They seem to have the best user friendly systems.

If we can get our manual equipment sold soon I hope to purchase one some time this summer.


----------



## sunnydayz

Hi,

I just wanted to let those know that were debating the kornit versus epson based machines, I have moved those threads to a new thread of its own. You can find it here http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t148316.html.

This thread is strictly for answering the questions that were posted in the first post, to give feedback on all machines and answering those specific questions to give equal feedback on each machine.. 

If you would like to debate the merits of two machines back and forth then the new thread that I linked to above would be the place to do it. If it does not apply to your machine, and you would like to give more info on your printing and machine outside the questions of this survey, you are more then welcome to start a new post on that subject manner. Otherwise lets keep this thread free from posts other then the original survey questions.

It would be much appreciated, if you have a machine and have not filled out the survey questions, to go to the first page, copy and paste the questions and answer them, so that those that are looking, can also get your feedback in this survey as well on the machine you own.

Thanks for helping to keep this thread on track


----------



## focusink

Go with the Brother. The Anajet requires tons of maintenance that the Brother does not. The Anajet boasts a lower cost to print, but that has not been our experience at all.


----------



## cwall

This is a valuable post, my thanks to all who posted and kept it on track. I've read every post at least once. 

I have a question. This post is now about three years old and many of the posters who originally posted only owned their machines for a few weeks or months when they gave feedback. Would it be possible for you guys to give an update on your purchase and if you're still happy with your purchase or are planning on making any changes?


----------



## Stitch-Up

cwall said:


> I have a question. This post is now about three years old and many of the posters who originally posted only owned their machines for a few weeks or months when they gave feedback. Would it be possible for you guys to give an update on your purchase and if you're still happy with your purchase or are planning on making any changes?


I'm a NeoFlex owner since July 2010 & posted here some months ago.

I struggled with the old RIP software but the new RIP has transformed things for me - it's fantastic & so is the NeoFlex - I'm delighted with it. Support from AA has been first class too.


----------



## vinyl signs

Well I posted back in 2008 and I am still happy with my choice. Since I purchased this machine I have only gone through one print head. a though understanding of ink-jet printers helps. The only problem I have had with SWF is not as fast of a reply when an issue would/did arise. Other than that no complaints!


----------



## wilbur499

Thanks to all who have made this a great thread with honest and complete answers - Great job - thanks you


----------



## sunnydayz

For those that are posting and have not filled out the questions, could you please do this 
That way it will keep things up to date as far as the new machines that are coming out all the time.
Thanks so much to all of you for making this a great thread !!!

To the person above asking about the posters and their current feedback compared to back when. I sold my HM1 a few months back, and it was still working like it did when I bought it and I still loved it. The new owner as far as I know is also doing great printing with it. In fact I just sent him a printjob with it that he is currently printing for a support group I belong to. I sold my machine due to medical problems that caused me to close my business but I would have loved to keep my printer, as it was a truly great printer and still is


----------



## Rodney

*Thread note:* some posts have been moved out of this thread. Please keep in mind that this thread is only for DTG machine *owners* to share their experiences with the machine they have bought and used. It isn't for dealers or vendors to discuss the machines they sell ​


----------



## FriendlyFire

I have a Direct Advantage Sawgrass. It's a good machine as long as you take care of it. Like all DTGs you need to make sure you clean it properly on a regular bases or the ink will clog the tubes and print head. I learned that $1200 lesson the hard way. Unfortunately, Sawgrass and Fast T-Jet are both out of business but the guys from Direct Advantage have a new machine out that should be pretty cool. Thanks.


----------



## sunnydayz

Ok lets try this  since the questions are at the beginning of the thread, and they may have escaped some. I will repost them here. If you own a machine simply copy these questions and paste them into your post, then enter your answers after each question. While it is helpful, to give an opinion on the machine you own, it is much more helpful to fill out the questions with answers so that people can compare them equally. Thank you so much for keeping this a great thread 


*What machine do you own?*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*

*What is your business model?*

*Are you happy with your decision?*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

*How long have you owned your machine?*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*


----------



## ROYAL SAVAGE

sunnydayz said:


> Ok lets try this  since the questions are at the beginning of the thread, and they may have escaped some. I will repost them here. If you own a machine simply copy these questions and paste them into your post, then enter your answers after each question. While it is helpful, to give an opinion on the machine you own, it is much more helpful to fill out the questions with answers so that people can compare them equally. Thank you so much for keeping this a great thread
> 
> 
> *What machine do you own?*
> 
> 
> *What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
> 
> *What is your business model?*
> 
> *Are you happy with your decision?*
> 
> *What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
> 
> *What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
> 
> *What type of maintenance do you do?*
> 
> *How long have you owned your machine?*
> 
> *How long did it take you to learn to use?*
> 
> *Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
> 
> *Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
> 
> *Would you recommend this machine to others?*


 
*What machine do you own?*
Kornit ( Multiple)


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?

*Tradeshows, other machine owners, test sample, wash tests

*What is your business model?

*Licensed product, online sales. Heavy volume.

*Are you happy with your decision?*

Very

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?

*Ease of operation and repeatability, on board pretreat, less expensive ink, durability. External ripping options and direct integration with photoshop.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

After owning other gear and making a comparrison I honestly can't think of any.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

Manufactures recommended maintenance

*How long have you owned your machine?

*2007 and 2008

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

One day. To achieve highest level of skill - gaurded secret!

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

Yes - you get what you pay for. Less expensive did not fit my needs

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

I've been purchasing industrial equipment for over 20 years. I've owned or currently own MR, Tuff, Vastex, Happy, Tajima, Barudan and more. I am most satisfied overall with this purchase.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*

Yes. With one caveat, serious dollors require seious comittment. The _gear I own_ is not for part time or home based businesses.

I've owned other gear and _I feel_ this machinery is up to meeting the task of printing thousands of units per week.


----------



## StoneEyes

*What machine do you own?*
*NeoFLEX Digital Textile Printer*

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
*Better Business Bureau*
*Company Ethos*
*Personal Score Chart *
*T-Shirt Forums- Primarily the Threads in DTG and the specific vendors, TF Classifieds, and the Tradeshows section*
*Email Exchanges with Vendors*
*Demo Prints- Company developed Hi-Res image provided to various DTG Vendors*
*Stretch Test*
*Wash Cycle*
*Phone Calls*
*ISS Show (Atlantic City) visit *

*What is your business model?*
*Custom graphic designs *
*Small runs*
*Online *

*Are you happy with your decision?*
*Yes, very content with the selection. Company has been very communcative, and gives you that feeling of being part of a family, and in turn the comraderie makes it a consortium of DTG Printer owners, vice the feeling of a being a number.*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
*The 2 main areas we focused on for printing was 1st definition and clarity of image on a black shirt, and 2nd print scale/size of image. *
*It produces a replication of our images in a detailed Hi-Res format, without that 1970's look and feel or weight. This was a crucial point in our decision making process, as the level of design contained within our graphics is appealing to the target audience, and was not something we could compromise on. On our score chart Size/Scale and overall Quality of the Print was a top concern. *

*To us speed was not relevant or as important an issue to us, as the overall perspective was very simple. Can the printer -print the type of image created, capturing all the nuances of the graphic design. We did not consider a large scale production model because quite frankly it would be overkill for a small business like ourselves, and the one we did visit could not meet our primary concern.*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
*Have not dealt with anything that I would classify as a negative. The one element I had to deal with, pertained to breaking down the gear. I did not have a crow bar handy and required a quick trip to the hardware store. You don't need a monster bar, just a simple flat face and your good. *

*What type of maintenance do you do? *
*Recommended by Vendor *

*How long have you owned your machine?*
*New user*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? *
*General Understanding 1 Day. *
*Operational Use 1 Day*

*To become thoroughly familiar with printer capabilities, continous learning will be in evolutions. This goes with any system purchased by the end user. *

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
*I'm sure something may come up later as time progresses, but currently the research and personal experiences provided a firm foundation regarding the decision making process.*

*I will say as with any other machine, be sure to have your space prepped and ready to receive your gear. From time of purchase, to time of delivery we had ample enough opportunity in place to prep the work area, and it made life a whole lot easier after the gears' arrival. *

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? *
*When making your final decision, and selecting a company to do business with. Look at all aspects of the purchase, not just the purchase itself. I understand your excited, and your anxious to get started, but keep your emotions in check and look at things logically.*
*Look at the type of material used in the manufacturing of the machine as a whole.* 
*Highly recommend you truly evaluate the company, research their customer service, don't be afraid to contact users on the forum to get their opinions both good and bad.*
*If it's good why? if it's bad why? **If you have numerous working parts, what areas are expected to hit failure first.*
*What's the most commonly replaced items on the printer you've selected?*
*If you have a system failure what impact will that have on your operational capabilities, and how long of a down time can you endure before you have a drop dead date lapse?*
*Do you plan to prep the shirts with a sprayer or will you use a machine for pretreatment, how far from the printer will it be? How far is your heat press?*
*Truly look at what your mission objective is, then look at the different DTG versions out there and figure out what works best for you. *

*Would you recommend this machine to others? *
*If it meets the needs of the person/company Yes, whole heartedly. *


----------



## lilbigfly

*What machine do you own?*
*Veloci-Jet XL


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Forums
*What is your business model?*
*Tshirt one offs*

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Still up in the air
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
*Cons-To much maintenance*
Pros-If used everyday the machine would be great
*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
*Machine is to delicate*

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
At the end of everyday.
And once a week cleaning
*How long have you owned your machine?*
6 Months
*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
*Within a week*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
*How finicky they are*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*


----------



## hal

*What machine do you own?* Veloci-jet


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* This forum

*What is your business model?*
Screen printer.. needed ability to print small numbers of shirts on dark garments. (Already have a Brother for whites)

*Are you happy with your decision?*

No. This is the worst business decision I have ever made!

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

It sometimes prints on dark shirts.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?

*Very unreliable. It's been down with problems much more than it's been printing shirts.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

Everything the company said to do on a daily basis.

*How long have you owned your machine?*

1 year

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

2 days training and ongoing learning with each job.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

Yes. Just how unreliable the machine is and no warranty on the print heads.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

Their vaunted customer service has been a myth for us.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?

ABSOLUTLY NOT.
*


----------



## Rodney

In order to keep this thread on track, please post any new questions as a new topic in this section of the forum. Let's let this thread focus on "which DTG do you own and why did you make your decision on it" with the answers from Bobbielee's survey in the first post. I think it gives a great overview from actual DTG operators on the machines they own.​


----------



## kajulo

Hey everyone!....I'm looking into getting a DTG printer and leaning towards the Brother GT 541. A sales rep for another company told me that the ink usage and ink cost is where Brother "gets ya" meaning that's where they make up for selling the machine cheaper than other machines. And I do see that the cartridges are costly, but I'm curious if anybody on here has any complaints about the expense of the ink usage of the Brother GT 541? Do you feel like it's too expensive and costing you more $$ in the long run? (btw...this has been a VERY helpful forum!!!)


----------



## obzelite

kajulo said:


> Hey everyone!....I'm looking into getting a DTG printer and leaning towards the Brother GT 541. A sales rep for another company told me that the ink usage and ink cost is where Brother "gets ya" meaning that's where they make up for selling the machine cheaper than other machines. And I do see that the cartridges are costly, but I'm curious if anybody on here has any complaints about the expense of the ink usage of the Brother GT 541? Do you feel like it's too expensive and costing you more $$ in the long run? (btw...this has been a VERY helpful forum!!!)



last person you should believe is a sales rep, they cant be trusted to tell the truth about the machine they are selling, let alone a competitors machine.
you need to speak to people on this forum who have the machine.
and imho unless your are buying a machine capable and *proven* to be able to pump out shirts error free all day then you are just wasting your money.
every other machine we have in out shop works all day no problems except for our viper, and i know I'm not the only one.
i'm probably biased and jaded from owning a dtg machine, but there seems to be a section of the industry just in it to make a quick buck selling converted inket printers that are just not made to do this type of work.


----------



## Party Bus Guy

Brother GT 541....I will get to the answers a bit later.


----------



## DansDTG_Ts

*What machine do you own?*
2 - DTG Kiosk III Raptors using epson R1900 printheads
*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Phone and Internet
*What is your business model?*
We specialize in fast order turn around for business to business & business to consumer orders.
Orders range from 10 shirts (2 hrs to customer), to 90 shirts (24 hrs, 2 sided print customer pickup)
*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes, very happy. We can now work from home and our commute is only 50 feet.
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Fast printing, Easy to load machine,
We use 3 platens per machine.
Have adult and youth platens, sleeve platens.
Repeat orders are very easy to reprint.
For larger orders we use a pretreat machine to automate the pre-treat process.
To pretreat just a few shirts, (5-10) we use a spray bottle with pre-treat. Shake it good before you use it so it is mixed well.
*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
The RIP software sometimes errors, and you have to restart a job. 
NOTE: Always save your print jobs, before printing in case you have an error. 
*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Daily maintenance: 20 min. in morning, (10 min. ea. Machine)
Head cleaning in morning, nozzle check, then print jobs/orders.
End of day: Clean capping station edges, wipe print head, wipe encoder strip
30 min in evening (15 min. ea. machine)

*How long have you owned your machine?*
Business started in June 2009
Had Viper for 1 yr prior to getting first Raptor
1 yr for 1 Raptor
Traded a Viper for 2nd Raptor had it for 2 weeks.
*How long did it take you to learn to use? *
2-3 months for machine, graphics are the main learning area. We use Serif products for graphic creation.
*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
More about marketing
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Once you get good at graphics and printing on apparel, look at adding heat transfers & dye sublimation products to your business. 
You already have the graphics, use them to make more money!
*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
Yes, definitely...the Raptors are proving to be great machines and our customers love the prints


----------



## Justin Walker

kajulo said:


> Hey everyone!....I'm looking into getting a DTG printer and leaning towards the Brother GT 541. A sales rep for another company told me that the ink usage and ink cost is where Brother "gets ya" meaning that's where they make up for selling the machine cheaper than other machines. And I do see that the cartridges are costly, but I'm curious if anybody on here has any complaints about the expense of the ink usage of the Brother GT 541? Do you feel like it's too expensive and costing you more $$ in the long run? (btw...this has been a VERY helpful forum!!!)


I found this to be true when I was printing with the Brother GT-541; the cost of ink vs. Dupont inks (comparing apples to apples images) was about 3-4x more. The machine is indeed reliable, but by nature of the fact that it only prints CMYK ink, I don't think that's out of the ordinary; any well built machine will be nearly problem free, when you're not running white ink through it. I have owned multiple Epson based machines - some were utter crap, and had inherent build-quality issues that prevented us from printing. As long as you choose a machine that is built solid, it will compete all day long with the Brother in terms of reliability, and your consumables cost will be far less (as an added bonus, your prints will look more vibrant, as well).

Also, what is Brother selling the GT-541 printer for, these days? To my recollection, it wasn't any less expensive than the average Epson based units....

For my business model, I could not afford to be paying between .90-2.00 in ink on white t-shirts, when those exact same images run about .30-.60 when printed with Dupont ink. Many of our clients look for larger print areas, and it used to make me cringe when someone would want to print a solid image in the entire 14" x 16" print area that is offered by the Brother - when printing with Dupont ink, I don't mind the larger prints as much, because they are far, far less costly. Of course, you can lower the ink density on the Brother to conserve ink, but then you are really sacrificing print quality; this is also true for the Epson printers (lower resolution prints yield lower ink costs, but also a less saturated image). Therefore, when comparing ink usage, it might help to have some of your images printed by some end-users in the field - make sure the final results are to your liking (and are comparable to each other in print quality, between the different machines), THEN ask what the ink consumption was for each print... This will give you a good idea of how much ink will be required to print an image to your liking.

One final note - I have seen / heard that you can "buy down" the cost of the Brother ink, by purchasing in much larger quantities; since this is not an option for most small shops, ink price comparisons should be made using the "standard price" of the inks, rather than the "standard price" of Dupont ink, vs. the "bulk price" of the Brother inks. If you think you will be buying your ink in much larger volumes, then you can re-calculate as necessary. Good luck with your decision!


----------



## Justin Walker

Rodney said:


> In order to keep this thread on track, please post any new questions as a new topic in this section of the forum. Let's let this thread focus on "which DTG do you own and why did you make your decision on it" with the answers from Bobbielee's survey in the first post. I think it gives a great overview from actual DTG operators on the machines they own.​


Sorry Rodney - I noticed this after I responded to another user's post! Feel free to relocate the original question, as well as my response, to a more appropriate location (if you have that capability). Didn't mean to clutter the thread!


----------



## obzelite

DansDTG_Ts said:


> *What type of maintenance do you do?*
> Daily maintenance: 20 min. in morning, (10 min. ea. Machine)
> Head cleaning in morning, nozzle check, then print jobs/orders.
> End of day: Clean capping station edges, wipe print head, wipe encoder strip
> 30 min in evening (15 min. ea. machine)


be interested in what you are doing to the machine for 10 mins in the morning?


----------



## DansDTG_Ts

obzelite said:


> be interested in what you are doing to the machine for 10 mins in the morning?


Simon, 
I have used this procedure for 2 yrs on the DTG Printers.

10 min. per each printer.

Head cleaning in morning - 4-5 min.

I print a nozzle check on glass so I can check the lines. 
2 min.

Wipe off dust and clean large belt platen travels on. 
2-3 min.

Hope this helps...


----------



## Digital Roots

We own a DTG Digital bullet. We manly got it for the large print area and white ink opt. and has been is working out great.Still new to dtg printing but enjoy it all ready.


----------



## superiorgraphix

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Can you tell me where I might purchase a T-Jet, I guess I'm looking in the wrong places, cannot seem to fina a dealer. THanks for your time and help, Steve


----------



## ROYAL SAVAGE

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *



superiorgraphix said:


> Can you tell me where I might purchase a T-Jet, I guess I'm looking in the wrong places, cannot seem to fina a dealer. THanks for your time and help, Steve


they went out of business


----------



## dantevyllc

*What machine do you own? DTG HM1-C*


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? Trade shows provided the best information as we could see a variety of machines in action.*

*What is your business model? We work out of our home - handling local schools and universities. Our entire basement has been converted to hold all of our equipment and inventory...we may need to look at outside space.*

*Are you happy with your decision? Very*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Handles a variety of colors beautifully, quick print time, easy to maintain.*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? I wish we would have bought the next largest size - our business has grown so quickly we need it.*

*What type of maintenance do you do? Once a day cleaning - takes maybe 15 minutes if you are moving slow.*

*How long have you owned your machine? Over 1 year.*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? Went to a 2 day training in Chicago - it's pretty easy to use.*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? The value of going with a larger model if you have the resources available.*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? DTG is a great way to build your business quickly - you can send a potential customer a customized tee for less than the cost of a business lunch! It's a great way to get a quick call back from your mailings!*

*Would you recommend this machine to others? Yes*


----------



## samos

Anyone have anything good to say about the Kiosk 3?

I'm so concerned with printing on black t-shirts.. not sure whether to make the investment!


----------



## gmcj2011

I believe it would be helpful to know the approximate price of each of these DTG printers. We have investigated some that are less than $20,000 and some that are recommended as "starting in the business" machines for $80,000. Do not understand the price difference... Thanks for a LOT of great info, everyone!


----------



## ROYAL SAVAGE

gmcj2011 said:


> I believe it would be helpful to know the approximate price of each of these DTG printers. We have investigated some that are less than $20,000 and some that are recommended as "starting in the business" machines for $80,000. Do not understand the price difference... Thanks for a LOT of great info, everyone!


there is an old saying - you get what you pay for. if you are serious about making a living at this you can't do it on the cheap.


----------



## sunnydayz

For those that are looking for info on a particular machine, to a question that is not in the questionaire, I would suggest starting a new thread in that section, such as for the kiosk look at the dtg brand section or post a new question there. That way it keeps this section strictly on the questionaire itself 

Thanks


----------



## JIMMYJ

I agree with everyone reviewing these. Also thinking on DTG and this thread has been very helpful. Still would like to here from a few Anajet owners. Anyone have any experience with them?????
Thanks to all that posted on this thread.


----------



## Stitch-Up

You'll probably get more replies if you post in the Anjet section Anajet - T-Shirt Forums

Cheers

John


----------



## marty taylor

I have 2 Brother 541 & 1 DTG Viper. I bought both models after watching them at SGIA and talking to reps & owners. The Brothers are great machines and the Viper is worthless. Do not buy a Viper based on reps claims or demos.


----------



## Gary T

*What machine do you own? VELOCI-JET XL by Equipment-Zone

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? Trade Shows, T-Shirt Forum, getting samples from each manufacturer, bringing a PhotoShop design to trade shows and have them print it while I was standing there (important!), making a list of what I wanted and creating a checklist of manufacturers that offerred those features, etc.*

*What is your business model? Internet sales*

*Are you happy with your decision? Yes*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine? I like the large print area (13" x 24"), I like the ability to print on dark shirts, I like their pre-treater*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? Waiting time for getting the equipment.*

*What type of maintenance do you do? I follow the instructions to the letter. *

*How long have you owned your machine? About 3 - 4 months.*

*How long did it take you to learn to use? I got 2 full days of one-on-one instruction at their facility in New Jersey included in the price. I also flew in a trainer for the staff to get trained at our shop Well worth it. Training was excellent.*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? How long it was going to take to get the equipment. The wait was well worth it though. *

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? Be careful on ink costs. I know of a DTG that produces beautiful prints, but it's white ink costs to produce a garment are much higher due to its RIP software.*


*Would you recommend this machine to others? Without a doubt. It has met and exceeded my expectations. Customer support is also very good.*


----------



## slam4me

dose anybody own a anajet sprint and if so how do you feel about it and would u recommenend it to anyone?


----------



## Chicken Spit

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *



sunnydayz said:


> That would be nice, we need brother owners also


I have two Sawgress DA's and a brother 541....In my opinion the Brother is best by far and I mean the best by far. Will never buy an epson based printer again, to much work to do on epsons. And soon epson print heads will cost as much as new printer. I know brother print heads are more expensive but they have 45 picoliter heads compaired to 3.5 picoliter on epson makes them mush easier to recover!!!


----------



## Deepriver

DFC scrnprinting said:


> *What machine do you own?*
> Our company uses the Brother GT-782
> 
> 
> *What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
> We checked out a few different trade shows, but we really wanted a good machine that could handle printing on dark garments with good results.
> 
> *What is your business model?*
> Online marketing as well as local, we screen print our large orders but we wanted a good solution for low minimum orders.
> 
> *Are you happy with your decision?*
> Yes. There is a learning curve but if you know your programs i.e. Photoshop and illustrator it really isn't that bad.
> 
> *What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
> The GT-782 has two separate platens and print heads so if needed you can actually print two different jobs...or print double time on a single job.
> 
> *What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
> at first there can be some issues in aligning the whitebase.
> 
> *What type of maintenance do you do?*
> Auto clean. Some manual print-head cleaning
> 
> *How long have you owned your machine?*
> its a bit new to us, only had this one for about 3 months.
> 
> *How long did it take you to learn to use?*
> There were a few initial glitches as with everything but the learning curve was not too bad.
> 
> *Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
> 
> If you have a Brother tech actually come out to work with (or fix) your machine it will cost you an arm and a leg.
> 
> *Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
> 
> *Would you recommend this machine to others?
> 
> Yes. it is a beast of a machine with some great capabilities but it does come with a large price tag.
> *


Hello Eric,

We've had great success with our Brother GT 541 over the past four years. We are now getting serious about adding a 782. I'm curious as to how you feel now that you've had your machine for over a year now. 

Thanks,

Doug


----------



## Chicken Spit

Deepriver said:


> Hello Eric,
> 
> We've had great success with our Brother GT 541 over the past four years. We are now getting serious about adding a 782. I'm curious as to how you feel now that you've had your machine for over a year now.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Doug


 I love it but I have a 541....for white ink i use a sawgrass Da and that is a maintanice nightmare, AKA peice af crap!!!!


----------



## Chicken Spit

Chicken Spit said:


> I love it but I have a 541....for white ink i use a sawgrass Da and that is a maintanice nightmare, AKA peice af crap!!!!


Ooops you werent talking to me. Please ignore me!!


----------



## Deepriver

That's quite OK and your reply reinforces some of my thinking. We do a good volume of traditional screen printing and since adding the Brother GT541 four years ago, we couldn't be happier with that move. We maintain online storefronts for several marine related clients and most of the tees offerered in those programs are white - so we keep the 541 pretty busy just printing online orders as they come in. While I would love to have the ability to print white ink on dark garments for the online programs and short runs for regular clients, I don't think we would keep it running nearly as much - at least not in the beginning and I don't want a machine that clogs heads due to inactivity. I know any white ink DTG printer will require maintenance and more care than our 541, but I want to keep it to a minimum. We're still pretty good at turning out a 3 to 4 dozen order of dark tees with white ink the old fashioned way.


----------



## kellykaryn

Does anybody use the IEHK Laser & CNC Systems Co. Ltd: Laser Engraver, CNC router, Printer, Cutter Plotter This is a A3 flatbed printer. We are looking at buying as it prints white to black. It also seems more affordable as we are just starting out in the t-shirt printing business.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated


----------



## Chicken Spit

marty taylor said:


> I have 2 Brother 541 & 1 DTG Viper. I bought both models after watching them at SGIA and talking to reps & owners. The Brothers are great machines and the Viper is worthless. Do not buy a Viper based on reps claims or demos.


You and me think alike, my brother has turned me off to any Epson based printers. My Brother is by far better than my Epson based DTG. I have never had anyone in private say anything good about Epson except for all the problems Epson based DTG’s give them. 
I live near Axiom in N.C. and they have over 20 Epson based DTG,s on the shelf, and pretty much can't give them away.
The only good thing I can say about Epson is the ink is cheaper!!!


----------



## IMAGINMIIPASHUN

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *



alexdd6 said:


> im with you too rodney, this thread is the best so far that i've read, full of presice information and real feedback from actual users and business owners; not a sales representative!
> 
> Keep writing people! I cant contribute because im still looking which one to buy, but thanks to everyone here im getting very close to make a desicion and give my feedback to everyone.



i love this post it helped me make my decision on what i wanna do ...but is equipmentzone a good choice?


----------



## KB Graphics

*Re: What machine do you own and how did you make your decision on it *

Equipment Zone is a great choice!!! We have had our Velocity Jet for almost 2 years now and the machine is great. When we first bought the machine we had some problems, but looking back most of the problems were user error. Equipment Zone was there to help us EVERYTIME. They would take how ever long on the phone that was needed to help me with the problem or would even send a tech out to correct it so we were back printing the same day. When we started there was no bagged ink at the time. Equipment Zone saw how the bagged ink system helped with the problems and came out with there own. That has helped eminencly with the maintaince issues we were having. With the bagged ink system it is diffilcut to get the ink levels just right, so Equipment Zone came up with a split tray to hold the bags so you can adjust the white and color bags separately. This is Fantastic. Another issue we don't have to worry about and our prints show the differance.
I am sure that most Epson Based garment printers are pretty must the same with the issues we have. But the big differance in the Velocity Jet is the support system that comes with it. 
When we are ready to add another machine we will be getting it from Equipment Zone. We have been in business since 1976 and I can honestly say they have given us the BEST support of any manufacturer we have ever used. 
If you have any specific questions about the Velocity Jet or Equipment Zone just PM me.


----------



## v3ctr4

Kornit Thunder with Adelco DTG


----------



## focusink

Has any one found a low end DTG printer that can print white well and affordable?
If anyone wants to buy the Anajet I have, it's up for grabs, I know some members rave about it.


----------



## Stitch-Up

It would be good to bring this thread back on track and use the original post/template for answers:

*What machine do you own?


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*

*What is your business model?*

*Are you happy with your decision?*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

*How long have you owned your machine?*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*


----------



## bogel74

*Hai im from Indonesia, just want to join this thread.

What machine do you own? Local made DTG base on Epson T13 printer (Viper or Anajet is like buy a new house when imported to my country). A4 and no white ink so only can print in white and light colour tshirt.**


What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* *Internet and forums*
 
*What is your business model?* *run my business from my home, selling online and offline. Using reseller too.
* 
*Are you happy with your decision?* *absolutely
* 
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* *print pictures and photos great and also technical support, cd training complete so if there's problem we can solve by ourselve.*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* bad cartridge 

*What type of maintenance do you do?* *so far nothing. just print every 2 days if there's no order.* 

*How long have you owned your machine?** a month*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* *3 weeks, i lost more than a dozen shirts from practice and mistake*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* *my idea of creating design
* 
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?** love your machine because it takes a lot of money. 
* 
*Would you recommend this machine to others? yes to people in my country who like to buy a DTG machine.
*


----------



## Stitch-Up

I think you're likely to get more response if you started a new thread and ask your question in the Subject line.

Sorry I can't help as I have no knowledge of these printers.


----------



## Frosted Images

What machine do you own? DTG Kiosk 2 with White Ink

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision? I searched t-shirt forums consistently, I looked at many different DTG printers from most vendors even in China!

What is your business model? We have a storefront located at Mayport in Jacksonville Florida

Are you happy with your decision? I am. Even though I ran though my white ink on two runs.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Keeping it clean for one, being proficient in your design program to print great colors.

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine? The leveling table is easy to come out of alignment. There is no method of how the platens go in or no true guides for switching to pocket platen to youth and so forth. 

What type of maintenance do you do? Nozzle check everyday, wipe down the encoder, clean capping station with Windex or 50/50 Ammonia and Water, wipe down guide rails and lube if needed, shake my bag inks, and wipe down machine.

How long have you owned your machine? 1 month.

How long did it take you to learn to use? About 10 hours from setup to first print. I spent two weeks reading manuals.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now? Do not under estimate your white ink. A simple mistake will set you back $100!

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know? What ever DTG you decide to purchase. Try to download a manual and start reading. The same also apply with the software. What I have found about software is, regardless of the brand, most have the same interface, features, and applications. Watch alot of tutorials. You want to be dreaming software and DTG printers. Once this happens, then you know that you have retained what you are studying.

Would you recommend this machine to others? I would definitely recommend and I would be looking to find another one eventually.

*This is a video I shot doing my second shirt design.*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sduEEgKp00Q


----------



## kevrokr

Talley,

Nice Ink Bags!

Kinda wondering why you have left the white ink lines disconnected? It is highly recommended to keep them connected and to at least run Flushing Solution through the print head while printing. It seems to be working...for now, but running the head dry like that will most likely cause head failure.


----------



## Frosted Images

I just received a call from Carla. I guess it was a good thing I posted this video. It just saved me a couple hundred bucks. I love the bag ink system, even though I had nothing to compare it to. Thanks for the warning.


----------



## oaic427

We have recently purchased a dtg Raptor and we are really pleased with the way is works. The only negatives that i have is it seems that the inks and pretreatment are a little expensive. But other than that I would buy this machine again.


----------



## beanie357

sunnydayz said:


> I have seen alot of good and bad about Dtg machines recently on here and I thought it would be nice to learn a little about each members experience with their machine and how they made the choice they did on the machine they own. If you can, cut and paste the questions below and fill in the answers for your machine. That way when others are researching, they can get real info from real users  I will go first and answer in the next post as to leave the questions empty to make it easier to cut and paste  Please lets keep this post friendly so it can be good research for others out there
> 
> 
> 
> *What machine do you own?*
> * Neoflex*
> 
> 
> *What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
> * Trade shows, various forums*
> 
> *What is your business model?*
> * We do all forms of decoration. Small or one offs as well. DTG is one part, and has it's own niche.*
> 
> *Are you happy with your decision?*
> * Yes*
> 
> *What are the pros you have learned of your machine? Good throughput. With good art excellent graphical reproduction. Good tech support*
> 
> *What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
> * High maintenace to keep it at the top of it's form. Had to name it to make it feel loved. Ink costs are high on white underbase (all have that problem)*
> 
> *What type of maintenance do you do?*
> *M-f clean daily, shake carts, print minimum of 3 shirts using white underbase. Run auto clean every 4 hours. Do a weekly extra clean on Fridays, and do a monthly on one of those fridays. We have had no head or ink issues with this aggressive schedule. We assumed this was part of keeping one of these running well, and made the commitment before we bought it to need to do this. The niche it fills is prototypes, one offs, extreme rez requirements, and signage garments. We have had one request for a white shirt. All darks in our area. We are currently testing to see if we can safely reduce the maintenance sked.*
> 
> *How long have you owned your machine?*
> *Delivered in june 2011. Actually started working with it in July*
> 
> *How long did it take you to learn to use?*
> *2 months to get used to it. We are now still learning, but adept at the process.*
> 
> *Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
> * That these things want love love love*
> 
> *Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
> *This is not like a desktop printer. They are way modified. You will need to spend considerable amounts in ink to maintain these, as well as build a niche for your product. You should be somewhat mechanical, and be prepared to spend $$$ on testing and learning. Real life garments and lots of ink. If you look at the large number for sale on all the forums, I think many did not realize the cost and effort to build a niche for these. They are not a replacement for screen printing.*
> 
> *Would you recommend this machine to others?*


 I would heartily reccomend the neoflex to anyone who realizes what the DTG market and equipment is really about. The chaps at Neo were great to work with, and the printer produces award winning products. The design of "move the head not the platen" appeals to me for higher throughput, so we are happy.


----------



## Contact Apparel

*What machine do you own?
*DTG Viper

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
Local Suppliers and T-shirt forum

*What is your business model?*
Designer Niche, one offs or low runs up to 50 units. Other substrates like pre-made canvas.

*Are you happy with your decision?*
50-50. Probably low as expected sales low due to poor search result on website. Flooded market for diy shirts.

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
Pretreat right and it works a treat.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
Over Pre-treat and fail. Print cmyk on white it is the way to go. I have not done to many dark or blacks lately, which has been good.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
Once a week a standard cleaning cycle and will print a A5 sized graphic in white ink. Longest I have left it is two weeks and printed well after the usual clean cycle. 

*How long have you owned your machine?*
13 months

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
A couple fo weeks of mucking around

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
Don't waste time using Deco networks.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
Do not believe the sales reps when they say you can do 30 shirts in an hour. I print around 6-8 shirts high quality large prints. The bi-directional setting has not been set-up on my machine and after repeated requestes to have it done they say it goes out due to heat variations. So the machine effectivley runs at half of the speed they say. Colour fastness is good for blacks but not as much with the CMY.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
This machine will have its niche in the market like selling in center strips in a shopping center. Where the customer can order and pick-up the shirt within an hour.


----------



## msnowman

*What machine do you own?*
DTG HM1
Brother GT-541


*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
DTG HM1

Forums
Google

Brother GT-541

Forums
Google
Other owners
Visiting companies that had one and seeing how they use it and how it works for them.


*What is your business model?*
Retail and Wholesale. Online and Off. DTG is mostly used for small runs and POCs


*Are you happy with your decision?*
DTG HM1 - NO. I had problem after problem. Thing didn't work more then it did.

Brother GT-541 - Yes. Machine is reliable and results are great. Not as versatile as the DTG HM1 but more then makes up for it in the fact that it always works. B/c I really only use it for apparel I don't miss/need the versatility of the DTG HM1. 


*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
DTG HM1 - With the bed design it is very versatile (i.e. print things other then apparel easily).

Brother GT-541 - It always works, very low maintenance, excellent support.


*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
DTG HM1 - Unreliable, consistently one of the worst support experiences I've ever had over and over again over the year and half I had the machine.

Brother GT-541 - Doesn't print white.


*What type of maintenance do you do?*
DTG HM1 - Printed with the machine (all colors) every day (including weekends)

Brother GT-541 - I print a nozzle check if more then 24 hours have passed since doing a print. 


*How long have you owned your machine?*
DTG HM1 - Owned a year and a half

Brother GT-541 - 2 years


*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
DTG HM1 - about a week

Brother GT-541 - a day (previous experience with DTG HM1)


*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
DTG HM1 - that purchasing this machine was like throwing away money. In addition to the cost of the machine I spent almost that much again in repairs just trying to keep the thing running. 

Brother GT-541 - No.


*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
I would buy another Brother in a heartbeat. I would stay as far away from DTG as I could. 

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*
DTG HM1 - NO.

Brother GT-541 - Absolutely.


----------



## jegflhs

We owned an AnaJet for three years. During that time we had to ship it back to the manufacturer for repairs at approx. $1000.00 each time. We finally sold the machine on e-bay as it cost us an average of $200.00 in ink to keep the heads maintained. If you don't have a market where you sell tees for $12.00es or more you will be challenged to support D2G printing.


----------



## roguestar

What machine do you own?

BrotherGT-782

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?

Read the forums on here and visited ISS Long Beach

What is your business model?

Online sales and wholesale

Are you happy with your decision?

Yep!

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?

Reliable, workhorse, low maintenance, excellent print quality

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?

Ink is very expensive and pre-treat solution is ridiculously overpriced.

What type of maintenance do you do?

Brother recommends flushing the white ink lines every 2 weeks with their cleaning solution. I do this once a month and that works fine.

How long have you owned your machine?

7 months

How long did it take you to learn to use?

My distributer had limited training, I honestly think they didn't know much about the machine. It took a month or so to feel confident with it. That being said I still learn things along the way.

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?

Nope

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?

Would you recommend this machine to others?

Yes


----------



## lioness

*What machine do you own?* 
*Anajet FP-125* 

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* 
*Referral from someone who had done quite a bit of research and had been to a trade show and talked with a sales rep, along with a YouTube Video from an Anajet owner who made it look like a breeze to maintain and operate.* 
*What is your business model? 
Direct Sales and Online*

*Are you happy with your decision?* *
I was promised "tech support" for the life of my machine, but really once the warranty is over - they'd prefer not to hear from you. From the beginning, most issues were turned around on us as "operator error". However, that was NOT the case - we had issues from the very beginning that turned out to be the print table - not being secured, (which was an assembly error), that took 3-months for them to figure out. For months we had issues with pretreating - again "operator error" was their conclusion and it ended up being a faulty Wagoner Sprayer - that we didn't realize until the 3rd time we went in for training because they were sure we must be idiots!
* 
*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* 
*When it runs smoothly it prints great detailed images.*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
*There is a great deal MORE mechanical maintenance than they talk about in the training, but that's because they make TONS more money when you take it in for service.*

*What type of maintenance do you do?
The "weekly" maintenance they suggest, I now do 2x a week. I flush the lines every 4-6 weeks. I replace the dampers every 6-months or as needed.
* 
*How long have you owned your machine?*
*Almost 2-years*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
*Due to all the problems in the beginning our learning curve took a great deal longer than I had imagined. In the training they make it seem so simple - but most graphics are NOT the same as the really high resolution graphics they use in their examples. So it really isn't the same as what you work with day to day from clients.*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
*I would have checked out different brands and honestly I would have found someone with a machine, so I could just go out and sell the designs I have developed with the artists I am currently working with.*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
*Anajet is a great company as long as your machine is under warranty and you already know what you're doing. Otherwise, if you contact them too often, as I needed to, after awhile, they don't bother to return you calls or respond to your emails. Once your machine is out of warranty - they don't care and are not responsible for ANYTHING*, i*ncluding any instruction or information provided by their own tech support. Even if they tell you something and it isn't correct - it is not their responsibility. Anajet is in business to sell machines, supplies and service - but they could really careless about their customers, unless you want to upgrade to the newest model! *
*Would you recommend this machine to others?
Unfortunately, as of my most recent experience with Barry Weisenberg the Tech Manager at Anajet offered no solution, other than it was no longer under warranty and therefore wasn't their problem. Even though I was assured **by their tech, George, who literally laughed at me and** my concern - their lack of assistance cost me several hundred dollars and a lost account. If there was another comparable machine on the market, **I would absolutely recommend they consider other companies first. Although, I don't know if all dtg manufacturers are like this. I know I bought a used GeoKnight Heat Press and Aaron from GeoKnight assisted me in getting up and running and when it needed parts replaced walked me through that as well. No warranty, just Good Business!
*


----------



## Tallyplayer

I know this is a little off the from what this thread is asking but I had to put this in. I own a DTG Kiosk, I recently bought it on EBay and my decision was based on price, what I had read about the Kiosk, and the Ebay guarantee. I bought it from Omegaglobal on Ebay who also had a very high positive rating. The owner at Omegaglobal, went incredibly, out of his way to make good on his guarantee that the machine worked. He paid for shopping pick up at my home to have it sent back in to Col Desi for repair and all the repairs. Upon receiving it back I could not ask for a better printing machine and Omega stood beside it the whole way. I plan to stay in touch with him for more purchases in the future. I highly recommend everyone check out his products on EbAy, he has Embroidery machines, DTG printers, and he says if I contact him he has Screen printing equipment as well. With the exception of the large bump in the road that was Col Desi, this was a highly successful purchase from Omega.


----------



## jegflhs

We purchased a AnaJet several years ago and found it to be the worst investment we ever made. Maintenance costs were approx. $200.00 a month regardless of use. When the machine needs repairs, the only option was a trip to California at $1000.00 a pop. Finally sold it on e-bay at a tremendous loss.


----------



## pinklemonadeco

We invested in an Anajet MPower and have yet to have the machine up and running. We are now looking at any other DTG printer. It seems from what I have read, and personally experienced, Anajet just doesn't deliver what they promise. Heartbreaking as we have a $24,000 machine sitting in our shop and we would have been just as well off throwing this money out the window. 

So my search continues to find a reliable DTG printer....


----------



## shanetuttle

my goodness, this is a lot to read.  but VERY VERY useful information. I am starting my own dtg company and researching printers. So thanks for this thread!


----------



## schroble

1.) Blazer Pro 2007

We had this machine for 12 Month and it will work 6 .... > we give it back.

2.) T-Jet 2 2009

Yes it was a nice machine if u use it every day  Sold on ebay.

3.) Texjet 2010 the first 

Yeah Texjet´s will work but we have the new Polyprint Board inside.
But u have to use it every day ...

4.) 2011 > we are looking for more used Texjet. At the moment we have 4.


Problems are the washability on white ... On black its finde but on white ...... not realy

The next DTG Printer hmm I dont like the haptik from the kornit, Anajet has Cartrides and Brother too.

So i think we are buying a 49xx Printer or so ..What is your business model?

Are you happy with your decision?

Somtimes 

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?

... complain all failures in the guarantee time

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?

... complain all failures in the guarantee time and its not a industrial machine
I think after 3 - 4 years this machine is dead ... ( we print every day ~ 100 prints )

What type of maintenance do you do?

Wiper and Cappingstation every day at the evening ~ 5 minutes

How long have you owned your machine?

2010

How long did it take you to learn to use?

2 weeks i have other dtg machines before

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?

I m in Dtg Business so lang i know the most machines ... 


Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?

DO NOT BUY A MACHINE IF U WANT TO MAKE ONE SHIRT PER WEEEK !!!!!


The machine has many failures and the fabricant did know this. I cant understand why he
sell a machine with failures. The Problem ist the old board from Polyprint!


Would you recommend this machine to others?

NO! I have seen so many used machines and all of them standing still...
I know the machines and i have many many jobs for it so i can buy every year one machine but if u think u can use an Epson based DTG Printer for 3 - 6 - 10 Years that will not work.
I


----------



## lioness

shanetuttle said:


> I been looking into this as well, and the Anajet SPRINT seems like a good machine for that.


Are you already in the t-shirt printing business? Because if this is a completely new venture - Anajet is helpful to a point, however - they are not forthcoming or honest. You are pretty much left on your own devices. I have an FP-125 and a friend has a Sprint. In the six months she's had her Sprint its been in the shop 4-times. The most recent time when it was returned to her whoever worked on it did not reassemble her lines correctly and she couldn't get her white ink to flow. It took days of her working on it herself - to learn the brass screws were screwed too tightly and restricting the lines. NO THANKS to Anajet tech support - they just kept insisting she bring it back in. Its been at their warehouse more than its been producing product for her business. I had my machine 6-months until it was properly repaired - and they made it sound like it was all "operator error". It cost me thousands of dollars in wasted product and even more in lost customers. My last encounter with the tech dept - the tech literally laughed at my situation denied knowing of any issues and when I contact the manager he pretty much let me know Anajet's policy is they are absolutely not responsible for anything - not their product, not their staff - especially once your warranty is expired. In addition, they charge 30% more than other ink suppliers and only offer scare tactics to keep you from purchasing from competitors. That said, I recently learned here at the forums they will price match - but you must speak to Customer Service, if you can reach anyone. They have automated their phone systems and so its nearly impossible to reach a real person when you call. We've all sat on hold for 30-45-minutes to speak to a tech and that is "average" hold time and when you're in the middle of a run and the printer is not working - well that's simply something you can expect if you purchase a Sprint. I've spoken to 3-Mpower owners and all 3- were extremely unhappy with all the issues they were dealing with right out of the gate. It can take days to get a reply and the tech dept doesn't even bother to respond to emails - once you're warranty is expired. I wish I had explored ALL my options before purchasing the Anajet. The printer works, but requires a great deal more "tech saavy" attention, then they lead you to believe. The company attitude -is less than acceptable. Its been extremely disappointing. I have learned more here at the forums - especially regarding the questionable integrity of the Anajet Company. Be careful.


----------



## Stitch-Up

It's such a shame that some manufacturers let their customers down badly. Contrast this with All American Supplies and the NeoFlex, where after sales support is simply superb.

At the end of the day it's the purchaser who makes the decision where to spend their hard earned $$ and that's why research is so important, it's difficult to do to much 

There are many other things to consider and after sales support is right up there at the top of the list, as is;

The printer
The RIP software
The print quality
How it fits your business model
and of course cost.

Perhaps a new thread is the place to discuss these sort of things and leave this thread to the original questions:

*What is your business model?
*
*Are you happy with your decision?*

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*

*What type of maintenance do you do?*

*How long have you owned your machine?*

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*

*Would you recommend this machine to others?*


----------



## atomicpress

*What machine do you own?*
Mod1 manufactured by Belquette

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
these forums

*What is your business model?*
LLC partnership with my wife, working from home

*Are you happy with your decision?*
BEST decision we ever made

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*
incredibly easy to use (even printing with white ink)
maintenance takes very little time
customer service/tech support from Belquette is without equal (they even took the time to show me some new things in photoshop!)
print quality is fantastic

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
none

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
10 minutes daily (cleaning with foam swabs & windex)

*How long have you owned your machine?*
2 weeks

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
1 day (training session @ Belquette)

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
purchase 2 heat presses from the start

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
I am absolutely thrilled with the machine. I'm a 100% satisfied with this purchase.

*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*MOST DEFINITELY


----------



## Tee Wiz

What a great post! We are starting up an online tshirt printing business as well but are fortunate that we are firstly using an existing printer to print our shirts for us until we get enough volume through our site to buy our own machine. Will be going through these posts thoroughly when deciding.
Cheers!


----------



## threeplusme

*What machine do you own?* SummitDTG 520

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?* Forums, websites, etc. 

*What is your business model? *We are currently selling shirts on our niche website.

*Are you happy with your decision?* So far. This machine is rather new and there is little info out there on it, but Mesa is rather helpful via their service department. 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?* We have been successful on EVERY color of shirt. The shirt print amazing on light colors as well as dark colors. The white system is unbelievable. We literally stand over the window the machine and watch it work if we have a moment because we are amazed at how well it does.

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?* Sometimes we have to bump between the white and color layers, otherwise it will be off a line or two. We need to call Mesa about it. I am sure they will have a solution.

*What type of maintenance do you do?* We have been cleaning as much as we can. We are in the process of going through our first major cleaning. 

*How long have you owned your machine?* < one month.

*How long did it take you to learn to use?* My husband picked up on it quicker than I did. Simple things like keeping the platen as high as we can get it and how to place the shirt so it prints just right require some time. Those are things you learn as you go. We are still learning the ropes. The machine works beautifully when we treat her right.

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?* Not at this time.

*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?* This machine is so new that there is little on the forums about it. We went with this machine over the T-Jet because we wanted something that was new and innovative and we believe we found it with the Summit. We have not had the dark shirt issues that others seem to have with DTG machines. 

*Would you recommend this machine to others? Absolutely. 
*


----------



## JuanManuel

What machine do you own?
Neoflex Textile and Solvent

What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?
Internet, Forums and then visit suppliers at Tampa and Philadelphia

What is your business model?
Small Business working from home with 5 persons

Are you happy with your decision?
Yes we are, not only the machine, support is excellent in english and spanish too.

What are the pros you have learned of your machine?
Easy to use, excellent output

What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?
Not to much height over table

What type of maintenance do you do?
Daily clean head 5 to 10 minutes recommended by supplier.

How long have you owned your machine?
four months

How long did it take you to learn to use?
Its really easy like an additional printer, anyway I attended a training at AA facility, your graphic designer need to change his/her mind in order to design for DTG

Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?
no

Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?
This is not an alternative for screen printing is totally different, you must design for DTG. You must be prepared to print dark tshirt every day to keep white ink flushing, we use it for samples

Would you recommend this machine to others?
absolutely. 
_______


----------



## EmbroidMeCat

Hello,
I have a Brother 541 garment printer.

I love it for printing on white or light colored fabrics. 

On the down side I have to explain to customers - no printing on dark fabrics, and the ink isn't as vibrant as screen printing.

I've owned it since 2008. I've had to replace 1 printhead for $800. Also I had a company come out to replace the tubes for $1000.

For small runs it is a great money maker.

If you know corel it is fun to use.

Maintence involves regular cap/wiper cleaning when we replace black ink. We do nozzle cleanings regularly too.

It came as part of the Embroidme package. 

This machine is being discontinued.


----------



## ChinoisH

*What machine do you own?* 
Viper

*What were the sources of information you researched to make your decision?*
I compared the the printing size on the garment and saw what made it different from the other ones and figured out if the price difference was worth it

*What is your business model?*
I print for four clothing companies (one of which is my own)

*Are you happy with your decision?*
Yes, its a lot of dedication but worth it 

*What are the pros you have learned of your machine?*

*What are the negatives you have learned of your machine?*
Everything is really sensitive on the machine. one small thing can cause an error but it just takes practice.

*What type of maintenance do you do?*
basic cleaning after each use, change the white ink filter every month, print head cleaning.

*How long have you owned your machine?*
1 year

*How long did it take you to learn to use?*
about a month to really feel comfortable 

*Is there anything you wished you had known before you bought your machine that you know now?*
how delicate it is.
*Is there anything else you would like to add or let others know?*
n/a
*Would you recommend this machine to others?
*yes


----------



## trebor4278

neoflex from all american, we like it's flexibility and quality. prints on black easily. excellent training and kwoledgale tech support


----------



## DISTINKT

Hello, i'm in a similiar situations as yourself. My girlfriend and I are starting a t shirt company and were looking at a refurbished HM1. I've read mixed reviews on the printer. Do you have any issues? Should I go with a newer, more state of the art printer like a Raptor, Summit520 or Viper? I would really appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks


----------



## pinklemonadeco

Here's the short form of my experience with the mp5: 

I have owned a mp5 since Dec 2011. It's August 2012 now and we have sent our printer back three times, and were reissued a new printer after the first was declared defective in May 2011. An Anajet tech was servicing our machine yesterday at our shop and has declared this second printer defective. So, back it goes. 9 months and we still have yet to receive a working mp5...which I am getting doubtful that a working mp5 exists after hearing from more and more mp5 owners. I have put so much time and money into this that now I think I would happily spend twice that (or more) on a lawyer just to feel some sort of justice has been served. Yes, I sound disgruntled...but I still somewhat believe in Anajet. I believe in what Anajet could be in two to three years. But the smooth sales pitches they have going are not in line with how the mp5 actually works as of now. I didn't expect this machine to be easy. I expected a steep learning cuve, and was ready for the challenge. 

Anajet is trying. I know they are. Hey, at least I don't I have to wait 60 minutes + on hold for tech support. They hired new people and they are working on getting this machine where it needs to be...BUT I was told it was were it needed to be when I received mine last year. 

*Two different techs have declared the two printers we have had in our possession defective. We are not isolated cases.* 

I speak with 30 mpower owners almost daily, and out of those, only 1 owner is actually a satisfied customer. 


POTENTIAL BUYER BEWARE: If you have $25K+ to gamble with, don't throw it at Anajet, just go to vegas. Odds of winning are higher there.

I will be happy to talk to anyone looking into buying an mp5. Anajet is not a bad company - but unless you want to be a beta tester for the mpower do NOT buy it yet. Come back in two to three years. Maybe.


----------



## inkoead

WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS THREAD? Why did it randomly stop in 2012? I was going back thru all these posts and here is what the votes on the different printers looked like in order of the most positive feedback (top 3):

Brother GT 541
Brother GT 782
NeoFlex Tex.

*The only problem is the Brother GT 5 and 7 series are no longer around. They only have 3 series. So, can someone please fill me in on what the hell happened to the 5 series???
*

Thanks!


----------



## jtilden

I am going to assume in order to stay competitive, Brother decided to ditch the 5 series in favor of a single platen machine capable of being upgraded to print white ink when the owner was ready...I have the 361 and after a recent job of 130 shirts, I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING ADDING THE TWO ADDITIONAL HEADS...


----------



## inkoead

Yea- I really want to get a Brother but the warranty isn't valid if you buy it internationally in a country where the printer isn't sold by Brother. I am in Dubai, and I was told my their representative the warranty wouldn't be recognized if I shipped it here.


----------



## shanetuttle

Some more feedback on the Epson F2000 would be nice.


----------



## nwnative

We just purchased an Epson 2000 from Stahls. We have an Anajet Sprint and had considered either an MP5 or MP10 but the price was a lot higher than the Epson. The main reason we went to the Epson aside from price was their new white ink formulation. The price was $19,000 vs the MP5 at $25,000. They do basically the same things plus some. We opted for the upgraded software as well. We just got the printer and it is still in the box. We shall see. I too would appreciate input from others on the Epson. We are selling the Anajet.


----------



## q8kuba

until now it's brother 
but what about Epson F2000 i read that it's very good and has good production rate any Ideas


----------



## jmcgurren

nwnative said:


> The price was $19,000 vs the MP5 at $25,000. They do basically the same things plus some. We opted for the upgraded software as well. We just got the printer and it is still in the box. We shall see. I too would appreciate input from others on the Epson. We are selling the Anajet.


I can't believe Anajet is still trying to sell the mp5 for the same price it was upon release. Especially after all the issues. Look at pink lemonades message above. Neoflex has awesome reviews (I own one and plan to buy more when I am busy enough) and it has dropped to 12k from 21k when I bought it 2 years ago. At that time I came dangerously close to buying one of the first MP5s instead. Epson is cheaper and it is a new release! Anyhow, I would go with Neoflex because of the price and plenty of other reasons that I know now that I have owned one for a while. I would go with Epson if I heard more reviews and was looking at buying a newer machine with more of the up to date bells and whistles. Still, I would think to myself "ah man but I can get a machine that loads and prints 3 shirts at once and will keep running non stop for 1000 copies if I want, as opposed to a 'print one shirt and load another' all day". For that reason in itself (and the fact that I know the machine very well now) I will keep buying Neoflex's as long as AA manufactures them.


----------



## MetroMan

This DTG crisis is killing me. Sometimes there is just too much to choose from.

I am from UK and I am looking to buy an A4 DTG Printer. Then BAM!!! insane amounts of info in my face beating me as I have no clue what makes these printers so different from each other.

I have £3,000 and want advise but its hard when theres so much choice.


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## Stitch-Up

At £3,000 I'm a little unsure as to what choice there is - perhaps you could detail that and those with experience can advise.


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## MetroMan

Stitch-Up said:


> At £3,000 I'm a little unsure as to what choice there is - perhaps you could detail that and those with experience can advise.


Detail it? I am unsure as to what you mean.


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## Chicken Spit

Metroman...3000 euro's is not much money in the DTG business. But there is a European DTG company called Resolute. They sell DTG's and ink. Most people on this forum think there ink is not all it's cracked up to be. But after extensive ink testing, I found it to be very good in wash test's. At least it is close to you. When you need support, warrantee's and parts. It's nice to be close. Here is a link if they leave it up. Equipment - Resolute DTG


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## MetroMan

Chicken Spit said:


> Metroman...3000 euro's is not much money in the DTG business. But there is a European DTG company called Resolute. They sell DTG's and ink. Most people on this forum think there ink is not all it's cracked up to be. But after extensive ink testing, I found it to be very good in wash test's. At least it is close to you. When you need support, warrantee's and parts. It's nice to be close. Here is a link if they leave it up. Equipment - Resolute DTG



Thank you very much, your a god send.

It is £3,000 which is about 3,800 euros. Not that 800 euros makes much difference tbh. lol

I will definitely check them out!!!!


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## Stitch-Up

Hi Thomas.

You stated there was so much choice in the £3,000 price bracket.

I just wondered what is that choice  I've not seen many DTG printers for sale at £3,000.

Cheers

John


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## Chicken Spit

I never said that....I said that's not much for buying a DTG! Look again and get back to me.


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## Chicken Spit

Stich-Up...I see your the Uk NeoFlex people. Just so you know, I think for 90% of shops NoeFlex is really the best 4880 based DTG. But this guy was looking for low buck machines. 

Hope you understand?


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## Stitch-Up

My reply was to MetroMan not you Tom


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## Chicken Spit

Oooops....My bad, my full name is "Thomas", confused me!


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## nwnative

Just as a point of reference - we just sold our Anajet Sprint which was in very good working condition but had the original head (4 years old) plus many accessories for $6000. Perhaps you can find a used printer for your budget but be careful, you may get a lemon. We purchased an Epson 2000 in it's place. Still deciding if it was the best choice but for sure the daily maintenance is nothing and that is a plus.

Good luck in your search.


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## MetroMan

I may be able to plunge another 2k-3k into the mix. It would really depend on whether this pay rise comes through in january.

I would probably look to buy a 2nd hand machine at first. Would want all the regular checks done and see it in full working order before any money exchanges hands ofc.


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## EricDeem

Learn more about DTG and the evolution of the equipment on today's BQLive! Every Tuesday at 4PM EST!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y6zxYGkKT0


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## Andrew6

Our Company Anderson Etching purchased a large format UV printer from China and soon began our problems. The printer was a duel head printer with "DX7" heads. We did not receive the Print Heads, software, cable to USB (not an issue). The biggest issue is the print heads and software. I contacted the seller to let him know what he didn't send these items but insisted we did and we were liars and for several thousand more he could send the items. I don't care to deal with someone who does that so refused to spend any money with a person I can not be guaranteed that I will get what I pay for. The question I have is I have this large scale printer sitting in my shop that I can not do anything with and is a giant paper weight... 1. Are the heads specific or can I purchase any heads? 2. Is RIP software specific or can I purchase a version made in the USA? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Andrew6

​bueller?????​


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## JeridHill

Andrew6 said:


> ​bueller?????​


I'd say technically you are in the wrong thread and why you aren't getting much attention. I know of no company that actually alters the head itself, if it is in fact a DX7 head, no matter where you purchase it, it should work.


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## FBNick

Like Jerid said, the DX7 head will work basically anywhere that you grab it.

Software for a Chinese UV printer is rarely specific to that machine. I focus more on DTG than UV, so I can't point you to any one place in particular that could get you software, but try calling up American conversion companies and see what they say.


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## PiratePolos

A lot of information here for a newbie to digest. In the process of researching DTG equipment for our business. Anajet came highly recommended but seems too pricey for starting out. Will probably try to see if I can negotiate a 12 month lease for a reasonable price before I commit to buying equipment.


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