# how much do the DTG printers cost?



## catreid (Jun 3, 2008)

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

I was wondering about the cost of these machines. Can you give me an idea of the price range I'd be looking at? Thanks


----------



## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

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



catreid said:


> I was wondering about the cost of these machines. Can you give me an idea of the price range I'd be looking at? Thanks


The Kornit932NDS costs USD 97K, the Mimaki GP-604D is listed at USD 26K; and the DTG HM1 is around the USD 30K area.

I've imagined that I can do great things with the Mimaki, it coming from a reliable company and using the discharge fluid instead of the white ink. The problem is that the local Mimaki distributor is asking for almost USD 64K, so the price difference (their markup) is very difficult to swallow.

As for the DTG HM1, the local price is OK but the local distributor admitted that even they cannot print using the white ink because it will absolutely result in a clogged head.

Because of this situation, I'm almost ready to purchase the KORNIT932NDS. I got a quote which is close to the listed price in the US and it seems to be the only printer at the moment which has figured out printing the white ink. Their ink cost is also the lowest. My only dilemna now is that I will be installing the printer here in Manila and my tech support will come from the company handling the South East Asia area for Kornit (located in HongKong). I got assurances from them that they can provide the tech support but I'm having second thoughts obviously because they are located overseas.

Friends, what do you think?


----------



## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

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

I think that the price for the HM1 is way high , I myself paid around $17,000 for my HM1 and I also disagree with the distributor that printing with white will absolutely result in a clogged head. If you know what your doing and do proper maintenance you will not have clogs. The white ink that is used now is really good and as long as proper care is taken it is not an issue. I dont really know about the mimaki as I dont really know of anyone using this machine, I think by far it is one of the less popular here. I dont know whether it is a good machine or not as I have really not seen any feedback on it. And yes the Kornit is cheaper to print with but the initial investment is a lot larger. I guess what really matters is finding a machine that fits your business model and how much you want to learn to operate the machine.


----------



## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

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

Thanks Bobby, sorry, I got it wrong. 30K plus for the Eclipse and 20K plus for the HM1. And yes, i felt bad also that even the local distributor can't do anything with the white ink and already gave up on that. And he said that even DTG Japan/Australia do not give a warranty on the print heads if it gets clogged even for a few days of operation. I was even hoping that our distributor will give me a positive answer but I saw on his shop that he really gave up on the white ink printing. The white ink lines on his HM1 demo unit is now filled with distilled water "to cool" the printhead.


----------



## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

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

You will find that none of the distributors of any the machines give warranty's on the printheads because the clogging is usually user error or lack of maintenance. I dont blame them, I would not want to be responsible for someone not using their machine properly  that would be like blaming a car distributor for someone blowing up their engine because they didnt check the oil. I think sometimes the owner of the equipement needs to take responsibility for their own faults at things failing. 

Here is a good example for you  Everyone knows how much I like my machine, well this week I was so busy doing some tax stuff for an audit and did not print with my machine for a few days and I clogged my printhead, so I am now waiting for a new one to be delivered  And that was all my own fault, not the person who made my machine. I was the one who chose to neglect what I should have been doing so now I pay  But I still love my machine because I know it wasnt the machines fault.


----------



## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

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

Oh, sorry to hear that, and it's good that you have a very positive attitude. I also try my best to have that.

It's just that I'm thinking that the Epson heads, having that very high resolution (which is also good) and sort of "smaller nozzles" would not be able to handle the "thicker" white inks, that's why they easily get clogged. And I'm not very confident that I could do all the necesary maintenace & cleaning everyday that would also mean some ink wastage. With the higher price of DTG inks, this would mean that my operational costs would be very high and that is deviating from my target market already.

I'm thinking that the bigger spectra heads of the Kornit, having a lower maximum resolution and therefore "bigger" nozzles/drops, is the reason why it can handle the white ink better. I also like the automated/integrated pre-treatment system. With the very high cost, I'm crossing my fingers that the overseas distributor can provide me the necessary support (or hopefully, I would not need to ask for support for a good amount of time). The South East Asia distributor will come here to do the installation and initial training, so they say.

On another note, have you tried what Justin suggested on unclogging the print heads? He used a syringe and a rubber tubing and sort of suck into the clogged heads. It may be worth a try since you're ordering a new print head anyway.


----------



## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

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

here's the link to Justin's trick:

Removing stubborn head clogs! ~ at Runboard.com


----------



## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

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

Yep I have been working on that. I have used the syringe and its getting better, I have been flushing and soaking for a couple of days now  Its clearing but slowly, I figure I will keep this one for a spare. As far as printing white, this is the first time I have had any clog since purchasing my machine almost a year ago and it was strictly due to my negligence 

Any machine will have maintenance to do if it prints white ink as it is the nature of the white ink. It has titanium dioxide in it which is a metal so it settles if not used. This will be the case with any white ink as it needs the titanium dioxide to be opaque. I do agree though that the kornit inks are much cheaper.


----------



## f5guy (May 25, 2008)

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

hi friends, im considering to buy one for a biz model same like you (my store expecpted to print 5-50 shirts per day), and would like to ask you few questions below:

1/ how much did you buy the machine? 

2/ can you list all the must-have components and optional items of the machine? as iam living in Vietnam, which parts of the machine should i buy more for future replacement?

3/ did you have to buy outside softwares to manage the machine as maybe the software provided along with the machine not perfect enough?

Could other onwners of Brother, T-jet .. answer me those questions. Thank you all very much.

F5


----------

