# what press to buy



## vintageracer117 (Jul 18, 2005)

i have a a very small budget about $300.00 to get me a press what type would be the best for the amount of money i have to spend i've been looking but it seems the more i look the harder it gets to pick one i see some the look like theay come with everything you need to get started and some are just the perss.
thanks aaron


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

You don't have very many options at that price. Don't forget you'll need to buy shirts and transfer paper too, possibly ink and a printer also (if you don't already have the right types). You might want to try subleting your work and having someone else print the shirts where you just sell them until you can make enough to afford what you need.

If you decide to go ahead and buy a press soon, I'd suggest finding a used one. Call up local screen printers and t-shirt businesses and ask around - see if anyone has a used heat press they'd like to sell, or if they know of anyone who might.


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## vintageracer117 (Jul 18, 2005)

well i was looking at some used stuff i guess i used the wrong words i'm looking to screen press just one color to start with

aaron


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

> i'm looking to screen press just one color to start with


waaaaa? Do you want to screen print or heat press? I think youre getting your words condused.


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## vintageracer117 (Jul 18, 2005)

screen print i tlod you guys i'm new to this stuff lol i'm sure i'll know a lot more in a short time


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

If you want to screen print, you can buy a set up for a few thousand bucks. The cheaper route is to buy a heat press. You can get a business started with a heat press, and inkjet transfers for under 1000 dollars. You might even be able to do it for around $500, but $300 is pushing it. You can get a small heat press for around $400 new (i think) not the top of the line or anything, but it'l get the job done. Transfers will cost .40 to .75 each. For you probably .75 since you wont want to buy alot to start out with. The website for them is http://personalizedsupplies.com . They sell good quality paper cheap. The final thing you will need is a good inkjet printer. Epson is highly reccomended, with the magic inks at tlm supplies. Good Luck.


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## vintageracer117 (Jul 18, 2005)

i'm not looking to heat press just silk screen a few tee's for me and my boys and if i can make a few bucks along the way that would be cool i was looking at one from silk screening supplies theay have one for about $300.00 was asking if taht was a good one or not or should i shop around a little more or just look for one used i have no idea of where to go
aaron


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## twistedlight (Aug 1, 2005)

silk screen? then why not just have a company silk screen your shirts, then you can avoid all of the start up costs, and you don't have to learn anything either, besides creating the design of course. You should google t-shirt silkscreeners, or go with companies mentioned in this forum to do the work for you.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

twistedlight said:


> silk screen? then why not just have a company silk screen your shirts, then you can avoid all of the start up costs, and you don't have to learn anything either, besides creating the design of course.


Some would say learning something new is half the point .

The original poster may have been referring to one of those manual home kit type screenprinting setups. You could definitely buy one of those for under $300. I don't know much about them though, just know a few friends have played around with them a bit.

Anyone here have experience with those? Too much fussing to be worth the effort? Or a good start for someone who wants to get their feet wet cheaply?


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## vintageracer117 (Jul 18, 2005)

solmu you got it that is what i'm looking to do and your right learning somthing new could be fun i'll just keep looking around i'll find somthing i guess that is waht i was looking for someone that played with one .

thanks aaron


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## AeonTees (Jul 9, 2005)

Some would say learning something new is half the point .

The original poster may have been referring to one of those manual home kit type screenprinting setups. You could definitely buy one of those for under $300. I don't know much about them though, just know a few friends have played around with them a bit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi there,

Do you happen to know who makes these cheap screenprinting setups? I'd be interested in picking one up just to play around with and get my feet wet without diving right in to screenprinting. 

Thanks for any info.
Chris


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

As far as I've gathered, they may be worthwhile just for learning the process or having fun with, but they are no good for much of any actual t-shirt selling or business. Just for you and some friends, though, it should work fine.


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## jdr8271 (Jun 16, 2005)

Heres an article you should check out. 

http://www.diehippiedie.com/screwball/diyshirt.html

Screen printing is a very simple idea actually. 

Another thing you might consider is making stencils and using fabric paint...Or even coolor, stencils with spray paint looks cool and raw. You can just cut your design out of cardboard and off you go.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

There are also some varities of fabric markers you can use to draw directly on to the shirt.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

AeonTees said:


> Do you happen to know who makes these cheap screenprinting setups? I'd be interested in picking one up just to play around with and get my feet wet without diving right in to screenprinting.


If you try googling for something like Fabric Screen Printing Kit, or some kind of similar keywords, you should be able to find some online - some as cheap as $50 or so (I don't know if they have everything you'd need to start though - that seems _too_ cheap).

They're the kind of thing that art supply stores often have. Your local art supply store is probably the easiest and cheapest way to buy one (no shipping fees).

As others have said they're not an alternative to professional screen printing. That said, I think they do have their uses and they are very cheap. For those starting out they give you a way to print a few shirts at home for yourself without meeting minimums. I imagine they'd also be useful for proofing designs - print out a test print for yourself to wear, and if the design "works" you can get a run of them done at a professional screenprinter to sell.

Without the proper curing equipment I wouldn't expect the prints from home kits to be anywhere near as long lasting, and they do limit your ink choices and so on. Can't fault the prices though, so I think if people have realistic expectations they'd probably find them worthwhile.


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## AeonTees (Jul 9, 2005)

Solmu said:


> If you try googling for something like Fabric Screen Printing Kit, or some kind of similar keywords, you should be able to find some online - some as cheap as $50 or so (I don't know if they have everything you'd need to start though - that seems _too_ cheap).
> 
> They're the kind of thing that art supply stores often have. Your local art supply store is probably the easiest and cheapest way to buy one (no shipping fees).
> 
> ...


Hey, thanks for all the info. I would only buy it to begin familiarizing myself with the process. Wouldn't expect that the quality would be good enough for commercial purposes. Gonna do a little research and see what I can find out.

Thanks again,
Chris


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## jaembroidery (Oct 14, 2005)

*Re: white ink sheets??*

I need to print White 3" block letters on Navy Blue shirts for a fire department. Can anyone tell me how I can get this done? Will I need to get the sheets done professionally or can I do it woth my Epson R320 printer? Help is greatly appreciated.

[email protected]


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## create (Oct 4, 2005)

I bought the semi pro kit from this web site and it seems to work just fine, To learn more about the process they have video's online at this web-site you can check out for more info.

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

Your main options are to either A) Buy vinyl letters from somewhere like Stahls (probably better if you only need 1 of each name or such) or B) order plastisol transfers from somewhere like Silver Mountain (good if you need at least 6 of each design, doesn't require extra effort to lay out the letters evenly).


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