# Chinese brand DTG Printer, anyone used or heard of?



## trwebbusinesses

Hi All

I have been researching DTG printers and found a brand in china who seem to be decent quality.

They look legit and have a range of a few DTG printers.

Anyway, the printer I am looking to buy can print on a lot of things and you buy the t-shirt part as an extra which clamps the t-shirts into place.

The Brand is: Focus Digital Technoloy (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.

Website: FOCUS DIGITAL

The product i want to buy is here: Power-jet Whiteinksystem-FOCUS DIGITAL

i have spoke to them a lot and looked through the site, and they seem legit and that product seems really good.

i just wanted know know what you guys wuld suggest in the way of advice and also regarding the process, he says it doesnt require a heat press, but because its oil based ink, just requires a fixing solution.

Does this sound about right?

Hope you can help

T


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## Swagger11

Very interesting, how much is this printer?


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## trwebbusinesses

The printer, with Pre-treatment solution, Head cleaning solvent, and a good amount of inks, together with shipping to port of London works out at just over £3000. import Duty is nothing


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## charles95405

I would NEVER buy at DTG ....unless there was a support center...live people..in my country...In fact I would only buy from a vendor in my country..


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## trwebbusinesses

Charles.

Thats fair enough.

Well the plan is to become a UK distributor myself IF the product is quality, was just hoping people may have seen these before or have any advice, as it looks pretty dam good to me?


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## charles95405

I guess I should respond to the initial question....No I have never heard of this machine


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## trwebbusinesses

Has Anyone?


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## Do-more

Never heard of them, but a few comments...

Looking at the white ink printing video on their website the print of the girl's head on black shirt seems to show a white line along the bottom and up one side of the photo so there may be some register control issues with the printer.

Have you got any samples from the company? 

If not then request some sample shirts (both black and white) and maybe some sample prints on denim. Then subject them to repeated washing in a washing machine.

If they still look good with no cracking or deterioration after 15 or so washes then you might well be on to something.

Same goes for the other products, such as the drinks bottles subject them to some abuse, runs in the dishwasher etc. and see how the print holds up.


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## corakes

I don´t know that company. But I made the mistake of buying a printer from China 2 years ago.... NEVER EVER AGAIN ! Before they got my money they were really nice : answered all my emails immediately.
After I got that crappy machine : no response at all !
no email - no phone calls ! The rip they sent me was
a regular windows driver ! The machine had been used. It was so loud (the table movement) you expected
a tank running through your room ! I know it sounds 
tempting.... but save yourself the money and lots of trouble....
The pic of that printer you want to buy have at least
20 other chinese companies on their webpages !
They all claim that they innveted that printer !


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## trwebbusinesses

Finding out more about the printer.

This company is the manufacturer, quite a few compnies purchase these printers off this company, many change the outer casing.

The printers main technogoly is an epson 1900

He has invited me to his factory to come and try the printers, they also have sent me some info of them at many trade shows, and a couple of details for current customers in USA.

They do see a good, professional outfit, I am always open to buying in China, I have been doing it for years with many items, the problem is there are many dodgy companies that give the "chinese industry" as a whole a bad name


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## vctradingcubao

Go and visit them so you can test the machine and get an impression if they are a good reliable company. Good luck!


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## edcruz

yea, if you got the chance to visit them would be great. and also to try it to see the quality.
I personally wouldnt spend so much on it as it has the possibility of not working to your expectation and all the money would be wasted.


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## dragonknight

Never buy anything from them before you go and see the machine in action by yourself.


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## greatspirit

Hi, thanks for the link. 
I will take a trip to Shanghai ( I live an hour away by plane ), but first I order 2 samples. 
Website looks good, and the factory seems not to be one in one of those falling apart buildings ( very common ).
I will add some info when available 
Cheers


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## zhenjie

Sure hope you got other things to do in Shanghai else you are just wasting your money.


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## greatspirit

zhenjie said:


> Sure hope you got other things to do in Shanghai else you are just wasting your money.


Always great to see people concerned about others wellbeing.


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## trwebbusinesses

greatspirit

can you let me know when you find out?

Regards


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## zanone

Hi,

i have seen this machine on a tradeshow
the downside is definitely the improper registration when
printing on dark garments. the machine itself looks quite decent indeed.


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## trwebbusinesses

zanone said:


> Hi,
> 
> i have seen this machine on a tradeshow
> the downside is definitely the improper registration when
> printing on dark garments. the machine itself looks quite decent indeed.


Can you expand on this?

What was quality on white like.
Was the dark printing that bad?

Thanks


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## 109935

TAKE A TRIP TO SHANGHAI AND VIEW A DEMO OF THE MACHINE. tHE FACTORY ADDRESS IS ONLY A 20 MIN CAB RIDE FROM CENTRAL SHANGHAI WHERE YOU CAN RENT A CLEAN HOTEL ROOM FOR ABOUT SIXTY BUCKS A NIGHT.
I WOULD SUGGEST YMCA HOTEL IN SOUTH TIBET ROAD, RIGHT NEAR THE CITY CENTRE BY THE MUSEUM. 
THE CAB FARE WILL BE UNDER 5 BUCKS. A BRISK STROLL TO THE FACTORY WOULD BE ABOUT 40 MINUTES AND WELL WORTH THE SIGHTSEEING. 
CAB FARE FROM AIRPORT TO CENTRAL SHANGHAI IS ABOUT 30 BUCKS. HAIL AT THE RANK. A CHEAP HOLIDAY.
CHECK OUT THE PRINTING EXHIBITION IN SHAGHAI WHICH WILL BE ON THE WEB. I WENT THERE 4 YEARS AGO AND THE TECHNOLOGY IS INCREDIBLE. OF COURSE CAVEAT EMPTOR.
IF YOU CAN COMBINE BOTH TRIPS YOU WILL HAVE THE BEST HOLIDAY EVER. FOR A GOOD SOURCE FOR TRADE LEADS, JOIN MADEINCHINA.COM. GREAT LEADS.
I LIVED IN SHANGHAI FOR 18 MONTHS TEACHING CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH. A GREAT EXPERIENCE. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PROJECT.


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## zanone

trwebbusinesses said:


> Can you expand on this?
> 
> What was quality on white like.
> Was the dark printing that bad?
> 
> Thanks


The color layer just didnt lined up on top of the white layer , so there was a thin line around the color layer, like a halo.
it was very thin , maybe less than a mm , but you could still see it. the colors were altogether a little bit dull, but this can have many reasons (rip settings, curing technics).


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## Do-more

zanone said:


> The color layer just didnt lined up on top of the white layer , so there was a thin line around the color layer, like a halo.


That's exactly as I said in my post on the previous page, the thin white line is visible even in their promo video.


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## zanone

Do-more said:


> That's exactly as I said in my post on the previous page, the thin white line is visible even in their promo video.


Sorry , i haven't seen that you already posted this in the first page.


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## Do-more

zanone said:


> Sorry , i haven't seen that you already posted this in the first page.


Hey, no problem, I wasn't getting at you! 

It's good that you confirmed what appeared to be the case from the video.


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## orion001

any updates on this printer?


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## raveland

Sorry ,but I don't understand - this printer works or not?


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## kclaudio

does any one out there now about a good dtg made in china?
I would like to buy a dtg printer and I`ve got tempted to get one of those
they go from 1500 to 5000, I just do not know if they will work fine or they will
be a waste of money and time, can any one help?


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## equipmentzone

There have been quite a few threads on this subject over the last few months. If you find and read these threads the conclusion always comes out the same. These machines suffer from 2 serious flaws - poor quality and a total lack of support.

Harry
Equipment Zone


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## dragonknight

Made in china good for printing on white T-Shirt only if they advertise they can print on black T-Shirt you should consider to see it by yourself if they have some issues such as registration issue at second pass print. Always be carefull and see the printer in action by your own eye. Also other problem is they usually doesn't use Dupont ink so you should compare their printing result with other machines from the USA.


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## jakeinmn

OH god.
Its SO fine.


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## NYCasual

Has anyone purchased one of these Focus Digital Technology machines? Is it any good? I'm looking to buy one also, but I don't know if it's any good. Any info would be appreciated.

[email protected]


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## charles95405

I think that if any of the direct from China DTG machines were worth the price AND actually functioned as advertised with proper support/parts, there would be a large number of posts and info about it. While there there maybe some DTG from China for the sub $5k price, with support and parts 3k miles away and with language difficulties, it hardly makes me want to jump in. Just read the post in the DTG threads about problems encountered by units sold and supported in USA. Most of the issues are worked out, but think of the alternatives with off shore purchases


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## Don-ColDesi

> with support and parts 3k miles away


Actually its more like 8-10,000 miles away


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## tonyonthenet

Did you buy this printer? Any updates?


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## kclaudio

No I have not purchaise the chinese printer, I decide to go for a US made one, I was not copletely sure about it, after read some posts on this forum I decided to jump out from the chinese thing was to risky
for me, thank you.


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## Stormrelic

Hi my mate bought one of these printers from focus digital & it is now known as the £5000 paperweight , i have used it myself & it does print onto white ok but the print is very dull & lifeless, then when we tried to print onto a black tshirt it just wouldnt work , had to print the white ink onto the shirt 12 times to even see it , he now regrets his desision to purchace this printer & two days after he received it they told him it was a discontinued printer so he aint happy, so i personally would tell anyone who thinks about buying one to think again but this is only one situation & not all of them may be the same .


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## JeridHill

Stormrelic said:


> Hi my mate bought one of these printers from focus digital & it is now known as the £5000 paperweight , i have used it myself & it does print onto white ok but the print is very dull & lifeless, then when we tried to print onto a black tshirt it just wouldnt work , had to print the white ink onto the shirt 12 times to even see it , he now regrets his desision to purchace this printer & two days after he received it they told him it was a discontinued printer so he aint happy, so i personally would tell anyone who thinks about buying one to think again but this is only one situation & not all of them may be the same .


I'm not going to argue for this product. I imagine it's probably not anything at all what it was hyped up to be. The Chinese brand printers that are very low cost, almost always are worthless.

That being said, you may be able to try to print 2 passes of color to get it to pop more. As for the white ink, did you pre-treat the garment before printing with white ink?


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## Stormrelic

Hi we tried to do 2 passes but it didnt really work that well, focus digital say that you do not need to pre-treat the garment before printing as their printers use an oil based ink, they say you only need to print then spray with a fixer solution but just incase i got my mate to purchace some pre-treatment solution & tried again but with no luck , i tried to stop him from buying the printer in the first place as i had never heard of it but he didnt listen,thinking about buying normal ink & trying that in it to see if it will work better if at all.


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## JeridHill

Stormrelic said:


> thinking about buying normal ink & trying that in it to see if it will work better if at all.


This might be the only way to get the printer to work right. The problem though is color profiles. Most likely they are different than what the DuPont inks or others might be. You might need to invest in another RIP, but it would be worth a shot.


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## Stormrelic

JeridHill said:


> This might be the only way to get the printer to work right. The problem though is color profiles. Most likely they are different than what the DuPont inks or others might be. You might need to invest in another RIP, but it would be worth a shot.


Thanks for the imput i'll tell him to try & see if it works out


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## JeridHill

MultiRIP GP has a demo you can download and try. It would print a watermark, but at least you would be able to see if it works for your printer.

MultiRIP Screen Printing, Sublimation, Transfers, Photograph and General Printing RIP Software


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## DAGuide

Oil based inks? Hmmm, not sure how the colors will come up using our Dupont profiles... but if it is not working now... can't really hurt to try. Good luck with it.

Mark


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## RagnarssonSv

Garry, wich one of their machines did your friend buy, the Power-Jet or Fly-Jet? The Fly-Jets newer, maybe they have improved it? Wishfull thinking from someone that thought it looked neat until reading your post!

Anyone got any other views on focus digital?


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## Frosted Images

I was just reading about this company several months ago. I can say that Focus units looks sturdy built. However, when I contacted them...Charles or whoever answered the email was very short and didn't send proper information I requested. I have a problem with that. Consequently, I know that a lot of these so called U.S. DTG are not built in the U.S., they come from Singapore.


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## JeridHill

Frosted Images said:


> I know that a lot of these so called U.S. DTG are not built in the U.S., they come from Singapore.


We build ours here in Florida. I'm not sure who else builds in the US, but I don't believe the vast majority of claims are US built.

As a matter of fact, the various machines built are from outside of the country and out of all of them, I don't know of any distributed here in the US from Singapore (obviously that doesn't mean they aren't here, I just don't know of any).

I know of Australia, Korea, Greece, Japan & Israel. I'm sure I'm missing some, but these are some of the major players.


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## abmcdan

We build ours here in Phoenix, AZ. Other than the epson print engine it is designed and built here by american workers.


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## equipmentzone

JeridHill said:


> We build ours here in Florida. I'm not sure who else builds in the US, but I don't believe the vast majority of claims are US built.
> 
> As a matter of fact, the various machines built are from outside of the country and out of all of them, I don't know of any distributed here in the US from Singapore (obviously that doesn't mean they aren't here, I just don't know of any).
> 
> I know of Australia, Korea, Greece, Japan & Israel. I'm sure I'm missing some, but these are some of the major players.




I believe Dan from ColDesi has mentioned that the DTG Viper and Kiosk 3 are made in Singapore. Please also note that our Veloci-Jet printers are assembled here in the United States.


Harry
Equipment Zone

_


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## JeridHill

equipmentzone said:


> I believe Dan from ColDesi has mentioned that the DTG Viper and Kiosk 3 are made in Singapore. Please also note that our Veloci-Jet printers are assembled here in the United States.
> 
> 
> Harry
> Equipment Zone
> 
> _


Like I said, I didn't know of any, but now I do....


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## stix

assembled is a more appropriate word that build.


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## Frosted Images

I have never heard of Easy T Printer. I agree with Stix about assembled, instead of built. Many companies try to manipulate the buyers as if the are actually engineering and manufacturing these units. Consequently, selling them at ridicules prices. Anyone owns the Easy T Printer?


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## spiderx1

Since most of these printers are derived from an Epson printer it would be hard to claim made in the U.S. Easy T I believe is an Epson 1400 based printer made in Phoenix Az, except the Epson part of course. One of the TSF Sponsors is the mfg.


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## JeridHill

spiderx1 said:


> Since most of these printers are derived from an Epson printer it would be hard to claim made in the U.S.


With that logic, then nothing would be made in the USA, whether Epson based or not. Although the Epson printer was made overseas, the VAST majority of technology built into our machine is developed and manufactured here in Florida. Since we develop and build them here and not simply assemble already developed parts and technologies, we can proudly say, Made in the USA!

As a side note, I have a friend whose father designed high end men's and women's shoes. His plan was to open his own business where he had all the leather and soles made in Italy, then bring them into the US and then assemble them here. On the bottom of the sole it would be marked "Made in Italy". I wasn't fond of the idea and I'm not sure he ever did it, but I would think the quality could be substandard if it wasn't assembled correctly. I've always been up front and honest with people. If I've given out wrong information in the past it's because I thought the information I was giving was accurate. I've worked with Belquette off and on since 2006 and I wouldn't have made this move to Florida if I didn't believe in the integrity of the company and owners. When we say "Made in the USA", it's a fact....


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## spiderx1

No Offense or implications were meant, sorry if I offended. Howeverrrrr, The Federal Trade Commisson does have some guidance on this.

* 
Example:​*​​​​A company produces propane barbecue
grills at a plant in Nevada. The product’s major
components include the gas valve, burner and
aluminum housing, each of which is made in the
U.S. The grill’s knobs and tubing are imported
from Mexico. An unqualified _Made in USA _claim
is not likely to be deceptive because the knobs and
tubing make up a negligible portion of the product’s
total manufacturing costs and are insignificant​
parts of the final product.
*Example:​*​​​​A table lamp is assembled in the U.S.
from American-made brass, an American-made
Tiffany-style lampshade, and an imported base. The
base accounts for a small percent of the total cost of
making the lamp. An unqualified _Made in USA_​_
_claim is deceptive for two reasons: The base is not
far enough removed in the manufacturing process
from the finished product to be of little consequence​and it is a significant part of the final product.

Full ref is located here:[media]http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard.pdf[/media]

You may or may not like the content. I would consider the epson guts to be a considerable part of a DTG printer, without it would not function. Do not know, not a lawyer. Maybe Mark DA Guide has an opinion.


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## JeridHill

No offense taken....


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## Frosted Images

Any reviews on this Easy T Printer? Does anyone have one and satisfied with it? I see that they sell two models, light color only and dark or light garment. What software are they using?


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## abmcdan

Talley,

We only have a few machines in customer hands and they have been received in the last few weeks so hopefully we will see some feedback online in the near future. 

Our machines have only been on the market for a couple months so that is why you can't find any info beyond our website.

We are using EKPrint Studio for our RIP software.


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## duller999

i just downloaded the focus rip trail and it was full of viruses and used gutenprint for printing i wouldnt go near it


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## dragonknight

duller999 said:


> i just downloaded the focus rip trail and it was full of viruses and used gutenprint for printing i wouldnt go near it


Count me in Robert...GutenRIP is the best


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## Pitson

Hi did u ever go see printer in action what did you think


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