# Which printer?



## clareyturnbull (Jan 21, 2016)

Hi Eveyone,

I'm new to this forum and am trying to get going with setting up a textile print business. Reading previous posts, it seems to way to begin is to submit a few designs to a t shirt/apparel printer in the first instance to see what sells. I would like to start thinking about what equipment I'll need to buy eventually, though. I already have a heat press and, as I want to print on to cotton (t shirts, tea towels, cushion covers etc) am I right in thinking that sublimation printing will not work on cotton? If so, what printer/inks do I need in order to get my designs from my computer on to my fabric. I need to start quite small so am just looking for entry level equipment. Also, I'm in the UK and some of the suggestions made in previous posts don't seem to be available here, which I thought was strange...... Any suggestions/advice from anyone out there would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.
Clare.


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## Dekzion (May 18, 2015)

Hi Clare, welcome to the forum.
Absolutely anything other than sublimation is going to leave a deposit on the material. I wouldn't want to use a towel with rough feeling inks embedded in it.
T's are usually okay with most processes from thin vinyl through to DTG as that is the norm
There are so many ways of embellishing garments with so many different techniques you can make a small fortune, Providing you start with a large one!
We started in Sublimation of all sorts. and absolutely love it, after working out the temperatures etc we have nailed it. BUT the customers want more, as does the bank,so moved into vinyl and Heat Transfer Vinyl etc. the customer wanted every shade of vinyl that you didn't stock, and wanted photo's with that, so went laser as couldn't afford or have space for DTG and sold my soul.
It seems that there are no setups out there that are akin to sublimation. Everything is a repair cheque waiting to happen after the initial elation of your machine turning up.
My advice to you would be to stay with sublimating 100% polyester and quality products from a reputable source with good inks (sawgrass) and a machine that never clogs up (Ricoh) and to purchase a cutter (Silhouette Cameo) to cut logos and numbers in Hotflex and build a business out of that.
If you really want to print all sorts onto cotton then you are going to have to order in plastisol transfers from a printer (as you say, most of this stuff is based in the states but I'm sure that someone in the UK will pop up in a minute to offer their services) and go from there.
Good luck with your new venture and try to stay sane.


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## clareyturnbull (Jan 21, 2016)

Hi Derek,
Thanks so much for such a detailed response. Lots of advice and food for thought. So, even pigment inks will leave a deposit on cotton? There seems to be some chat about using pigment ink (not necessarily Chromblast, but cheaper alternatives like Cobra) through any kind of Epsom printer. In your experience, would this not work, then? Also, how to people feel about wearing polyester t shirts? I don't know much about plastisol transfers. I'll look them up.


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## Dekzion (May 18, 2015)

Some people get on well with Epsom but there's a whole lot more that have nothing but problems.
Yes pigment ink is the better solution but have heard that it's not washproof like sublimation, (could depend on quality of pigment ink probably). Pigment ink doesn't go straight on to the shirt it is used on transfers. You would have to go into yet another realm of white ink printing to go DTG print. I know nothing about that side of printing as it sounds too involved and goes wrong more times than enough unless you were born in a field of four leaf clovers.
We don't have much of a problem with polyester shirts and polo's or hoodies, gone are the old days of shooting peas through them. Quality shirts are pretty thick smooth and warm and when the customer sees just how beautiful the images are, they're sold usually.
I dont really think that there is anywhere that you can submit designs to see what sells, customers are kinda strange, you can design away and produce great looking material filling up racks and they'll want dead dogs on a pillow case! Then hen and stag do's come in and want photo's and slogans, followed closely by charity events that want something for nothing.
Or maybe strike it lucky with a jap/american font that means nothing but looks fun which goes global.
It's in the lap of the Gods I'm afraid.
At least with Dye-Sub and vinyls you have a lot of bases covered and can make a good start on getting a customer base, and if you have need of something that you don't do yet, you can farm it out until/and if, that area seems to be taking off.


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