# I am thinking of buying a dtg printer in Australia



## embroideyallsort (Sep 3, 2012)

I hope I am posting in the correct place. I have a home embroidery business in Queensland and I am thinking of adding a garment printer. I have been looking at the viper, but I am not sure if that is the best deal out there. I was also wondering how some of you guys went about doing a feasibility study for market.
TIA
Alice.


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## Gecko Signs NT (Aug 3, 2012)

I would also be interested in this info.

In the meantime, we are attempting to build our own DTG. So far, so good


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## bern (Feb 14, 2007)

I do screen printing from home and I have thought about DTG printers and then I read about the problems people are having on this forum and I would never be brave enough to put the money into the printer and then dread it not working properly . I owned an Epson 4000 ( sure not a DTG printer ) and it had some issues and even though the printer was still in warranty I had to either ship it to a Capitol city or fly a service rep here to fix it so that is something to consider for Australians . The thing that always puts me off DTG are the skill required to pretreat effectively so that the print is long lasting . The issues with Colours not being the same as input files on some users and the fact that people are scared that it may clog if they went on a holiday . Oh and one other thing most files I receive for screen printing are poor resolution files that need to be fixed or rejected . I would be annoyed to have a major investment that I could not utilize because of poor artwork . I can fix poor artwork for screen printing because they are ordering 24 or more . For me to try and fix up artwork for a couple of shirts , couldn't do it . I know there are many people that make it work , for me though I am happy to send those jobs off to the skilled DTG operators .


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## LeadBullion (Sep 1, 2012)

Hmm. I'm also looking at investing in a DTG but am still weighing up the option of outsourcing. From what i've seen there are plenty of cheap, stoogy ones from China, India, and Asia in general. They may do the job but i'd be more comfortable paying the extra few grand a buying one from a supplier in Australia.


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## Gecko Signs NT (Aug 3, 2012)

Good point, Bern. I've been monitoring the forums about issues with any brand DTG and it is alot of money to fork out here in Australia. I guess thats why we are attempting to build one ourselves. It may or may not work, its just something fun to do on the side. But, at the same time, we will have first hand knowledge of the problems we will encounter with DTG without the expense.


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## LeadBullion (Sep 1, 2012)

M2 printer is $36,000. From what I can tell thats a pretty decent one though, but one down from the Viper.

Ouch.

Source: Digital Graphic Supplies | Australia's Premium Graphic Arts Supplier


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## Gecko Signs NT (Aug 3, 2012)

Thats ridiculously expensive. I'd like to know how they justify a price like that.


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## LeadBullion (Sep 1, 2012)

That site has the Viper for 30k as well too.

sussed out ebay: dtg printer | eBay

16k or so for some other brand and 24k for a used viper. Both are likely failed DTG business attempts I reckon. Might be worth looking at the US market and importing.


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## bern (Feb 14, 2007)

Hey Jen good luck with your DTG build , at least when you do it that way you will not be scared to do the maintenance . Will you post a picture of a shirt you print after your build ?


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## zhenjie (Aug 27, 2006)

The price comes down largely to the support you receive. DTG (the company) are well established in Australia so support is extensive through themelves and their distributors. don't ever think about importing your own DTG from overseas, I can guarantee it wont be a happy ending.

If you invest in a DTG machine you need to make sure you use it. I'm not talking about once a week, I'm talking about 5 days a week or preferably 6-7 days a week. It is not for casual use as continual maintenance is required, even for the newer machines.


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## spiderx1 (Oct 12, 2009)

Guys take a look at DTG Print Solutions | Your Friends in the Printing Industry!
for some good info. Also most DTG printers are epson printers in sheeps clothing. M2 is an exception.
A good chunk of that cost goes to support, DTG printing is not as easy as it looks. DIY is an option but you need to take your time and your heart medicine as you go along. They can print as well as the big boys, after all it is the same print engine. The RIP software is a big influence on the print results. An example is the NeoFlex which is an 4880 based machine, what makes it awesome is the outstanding integration of RIP and machine. Check out some of their results on the web, I believe the link I gave earlier here has some NeoFlex print examples. and a epson 4000 was used in the MS ONE DTG printer which was a good machine but dumped by the mfg for bigger and better things. The 4000 came before the 4800 then the 4880 of course. The 4880 generally considered to give the best results in print quality.


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## Gecko Signs NT (Aug 3, 2012)

bern said:


> Hey Jen good luck with your DTG build , at least when you do it that way you will not be scared to do the maintenance . Will you post a picture of a shirt you print after your build ?


Absolutely Bern. I've posted on the DIYDTG forum of what we have done so far. We're using a Canon Bubblejet 7 Print Head model. Pray for us! lol


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## embroideyallsort (Sep 3, 2012)

Thank you all for your answers, some great info here, it has actually made me decide not to by a garment printer, I could not be sure I would use it enough.
Thank you all, 
Alice.


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## Gecko Signs NT (Aug 3, 2012)

Alice, if you want to expand your product range, I would suggest getting a heat press and heat transfer media. That's what we are doing atm until we get our DTG up and running.
For me, I'm thinkng about maybe getting a simple cheap embroidery machine to expand our range of services. But thats a far way down the track atm.


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## embroideyallsort (Sep 3, 2012)

Thanks Jen, I was thinking about that, what sort of heat transfer media would you recomend? Also I went looking for your post about the printer you are building. I could not find it and I got terribly distracted reading other posts. Can you post a link to your thread. 

Thanks heaps.
Alice.


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## Gecko Signs NT (Aug 3, 2012)

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/diy-dtg/t197891.html

I'm not sure of all the technical details about the DTG as my other half is the one building it and I don't understand the technical mumbo jumbo. All I know is that he stripped down a Canon Bubblejet and mounted it on the frame. He works on it when he has spare time. Once we are done, we will be posting a much more detailed description.

At the moment, we are trying to source some media out of Adelaide. I believe the range is called The Magic Touch, but we haven't tried it yet, so not sure of the quality.


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## LeadBullion (Sep 1, 2012)

I had a look at their range of laser transfer papers. Was thinking of trying the WOW 7.2 myself. By the looks of it it'd make printing letters a bit easier. Which one are you trying out?


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