# Digital Cap Printing



## stitchcity (Dec 15, 2007)

Can the DTG kingdom share with their experiences ? Viability and demand, if any?


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## Peta (Jan 25, 2007)

What do you want to know?


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## stitchcity (Dec 15, 2007)

Peta said:


> What do you want to know?


Are there many dtg owners printing on caps? If so , the bennefits to the customers... if not , why not? too cumbersome...not profitable... Basic stuff
I do have an agenda yet needed to get some real live feedback from the industry. Hows the weather in Sweden?


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## akaratemom (Feb 20, 2007)

I would like to print on caps. We get requests frequently. Saw your set up for caps at ISS. Is it available now? It's on my wish list. Soon!


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## stitchcity (Dec 15, 2007)

akaratemom said:


> I would like to print on caps. We get requests frequently. Saw your set up for caps at ISS. Is it available now? It's on my wish list. Soon!


We are targeting first week of April. Just doing all the marketing stuff.


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## Tagger (Sep 16, 2007)

We did 100 capswith white ink. We had to pretreat them or the ink soaked right into the material. The pretreatment could be seen and it was not attractive. With a shirt we would say it will go away in the first wash. What do you say with a cap? These are rarely washed. 

We have'nt see the customer since delivery so I don't have feedback from them yet.


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## stitchcity (Dec 15, 2007)

Tagger said:


> We did 100 capswith white ink. We had to pretreat them or the ink soaked right into the material. The pretreatment could be seen and it was not attractive. With a shirt we would say it will go away in the first wash. What do you say with a cap? These are rarely washed.
> 
> We have'nt see the customer since delivery so I don't have feedback from them yet.


Tagger,

Great feedback yet we don't have the pretreat issue to contend with.

Are printed caps offered on a regualr basis or does your company frown on offereing them?

By the way, how long did it take to print the 100 caps?


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

Tagger said:


> We did 100 capswith white ink. We had to pretreat them or the ink soaked right into the material. The pretreatment could be seen and it was not attractive.


For dark caps, you are probably better off with doing a print-cut application because most caps have a stiffness to it (so the heavier hand is not an issue). The only negative is when it goes over a seam. But the time it takes to do a print-cut application for 100 caps is a lot less and would be cheaper than doing them as dtg. 

Now light color caps (i.e. no white ink), would be a completely different thing. If you cap platen allows you to do a little more creative things like on the sides of the caps and back, you might have a good little product. Otherwise, Livingston products has some cap clamps that you will see other dtg manufacturers use.


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## Tagger (Sep 16, 2007)

stitchcity said:


> By the way, how long did it take to print the 100 caps?


We had about 13 man hrs. between pretreatment and printing.


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

Wow, hope you made some good money on that job. If the client agreed and you did it print & cut, you would probably have 30 -45 minutes in printing / cutting & weeding and 1 minute per cap (aligning and a 30 second press for each one). 2.5 hours is what I would budget for. I do give you credit for doing it with a dtg printer.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

DAGuide said:


> For dark caps, you are probably better off with doing a print-cut application because most caps have a stiffness to it (so the heavier hand is not an issue). The only negative is when it goes over a seam. But the time it takes to do a print-cut application for 100 caps is a lot less and would be cheaper than doing them as dtg.


 
When you say print/cut are you talking about the versacamm, or are you saying transfer paper and cut on say a Roland?

Have you done transfers and pressed them on. I have been wanting to do it but was not sre if it would work


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## HMD10 (Feb 17, 2008)

We printing on caps with a DTG printer for over a year great for short runs and large orders (5 panel hats work the best).


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

martinwoods said:


> When you say print/cut are you talking about the versacamm, or are you saying transfer paper and cut on say a Roland?
> 
> Have you done transfers and pressed them on. I have been wanting to do it but was not sre if it would work


Whether it is done with a VersaCamm or a separate printer (desktop or large format printer), it is the same process just using different inks. The times I mentioned above would be based on a desktop printer (i.e. 4800) and a cutter (GX-24) being used. A Verscamm would do it much faster than 45 minutes. Either one would work.

Yes, I agree a 5 panel cap works best because you don't have to deal with the center seam.


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## stitchcity (Dec 15, 2007)

JMclothing said:


> We printing on caps with a DTG printer for over a year great for short runs and large orders (5 panel hats work the best).


Why not 6 panels? what problems do you see with them, are they constructed or unconstructed? please elaborate..


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

JMclothing said:


> We printing on caps with a DTG printer for over a year great for short runs and large orders (5 panel hats work the best).


 
What printer do you have??


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## HMD10 (Feb 17, 2008)

I have a t-Jet Jumbo 2...The reason that the five panel is easier, because it doesn't have the seem going down the front of the hat (we do print on six, but I try not to) a nice flat surface is key.


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