DAGuide

One of the most overlooked factors when looking at which dtg printer to buy are the Technical Support and Warranty Programs.  Make sure that you get a written copy, whether on paper or in an email, of the Support and Warranty programs that each printer offers.  Please do not just rely on a verbal conversation with a sales person.

Almost every dtg owner that I have talked to has needed some type of technical support at one point or another.  Just like some people learn in school differently, people need to have a different level of technical support.  dtg Manufacturers can provide support in any one of the following ways: email, telephone, online user forum, videos and onsite services.  You will need to determine what methods are the best methods for providing technical support for your business and find a dtg manufacturer that offers that type of support. 

BUSINESS TIP:  Every dtg owner should understand that there are times when a technical support person can’t immediately be reached by phone and in some cases are in a different time zone.  Having either the dtg manufacturer or distributor close to you can definitely be a benefit.   Otherwise, network with other dtg owners in your area or via an online user forum that might be able to assist you.

Some of the dtg manufacturers either offer training at their facilities or a distributor’s facility for new customers.  I recommend to any company that is going to purchase a dtg printer to go to this training – whether it cost money or is free.  The information that you can learn at this type of training can save you hours of headaches and potential prevent you from having to spend additional money replacing parts on your printer.  If no training is offered at a central location or a place convenient for you, ask to see how much it would cost to have someone do the training at your place of business.  Here are some posts about training classes:
- Brother - http://www.screenprintinguniversity.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4354
- DTG - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1638
- Flexi-Jet - http://www.screenprintinguniversity.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1835  
- US Screen - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2826

There are some key things that you should be aware of when looking at the warranty programs for the different dtg printers.  Most dtg manufacturers will warranty most of the parts of the printer for some period of time.  Some manufacturers will even offer an exchange program that will allow you to switch out a non-working dtg printer with one from the manufacturer.  Whatever the warranty program is, make sure you thoroughly understand what is covered under the warranty and for how long.  In addition, know what if any events could cause your warranty to be voided.

MAINTENANCE WARNING:  Don’t be surprised if the print head(s) are excluded from the warranty.  The print heads are a consumable part that needs to be handled with care.  A head strike or failure to perform the appropriate maintenance can cause damage to a print head that would require it to be replaced. 

First and foremost, don’t ever purchase a dtg printer without first seeing how it works in detail first hand - whether you go to a trade show, a distributor’s show room or to another dtg owner’s shop.   The main purpose of seeing the dtg printer in person is to see all the necessary steps needed to print a shirt.  Contrary to some rumors, running a dtg printer is not as simple as pressing the print button.  Ask to see how to do the following:
- Steps need to prepare the machine for printing and the necessary maintenance procedures.
- All the necessary steps to prepare and send the graphic to the dtg printer.
- The steps to pretreating a garment if necessary.
- How to load a garment on the platen.
- How to cure the garment for the best wash capability.

Don’t be satisfied with having a manufacturer or distributor send you a sample print.  Make sure that you know each step of the process and have seen them done in person before investing in a dtg printer if at all possible.

Whether you go to a trade show or a show room, make sure you bring a couple of your graphics on a USB memory stick or on a CD-ROM disk.  This way you can see exactly how the operator will adjust your graphic to get the best looking print.  Have your graphics saved in multiple formats (PSD, CDR, TIFF,…) just in case the computer that is running the dtg printer does not have the same graphic software program.  The best graphic is one that contains a lot of different colors and that is symmetrical in design.  This way you can cut the design in half to wash one side and keep the other side as a control sample to compare the colors.

NOTE:  If you plan on going to a trade show to get your designs printed, I strongly recommend you setting up appointments with the different exhibitors that you are interested in purchasing a machine from.   Let the exhibitors know upfront that you are planning on bringing your own graphics to print so there are no surprises.  This will also allow the exhibitor to plan their booth schedule around to adequately provide you with the time needed to print your design and answer your questions.

For those people that don’t have their own designs yet, here are links to a couple of files that can be used:
-  http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1421
- http://www.greatdanegraphics.com/store/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=14
- http://www.belquette.com/coolitemsprinted.html

Not all dtg machines will be right for your business.  Do your homework to find the best dtg printer that fits the needs of your business plan.  Don’t believe any sales or marketing figures – do the tests yourself and speak to current owners.

One of the first questions that should come to your mind is “what dtg printer is going to be right for my business”.  The key to this question is the “my business” phrase.  Not all dtg printers are necessarily a good fit for your business.  Thus, it is important that you create a list of dtg printers that match up with the business plan you created.  If you have not created your business plan, STOP and do it now.  Otherwise, a dtg printer might not be best of your company.  Once you determine that a dtg printer would be beneficial for your business, then you need to decide which one will work best for you.  Below are some of questions that will help you begin this process. 

1. What is the typical size of the graphics you are currently printing or want to print?
The size of the prints you want to do can dictate the size of the dtg printer you need.  Based on my research, the average print is 12” wide or less.  But, there are some businesses and target markets that need a larger print size.  So, make sure that the dtg printers you are looking at give you the printable width of your designs and that your target market wants.

BUSINESS TIP:  If you are new to the business of printing t-shirts, you should go to the mall or a retail store that will sell shirts to the same target market you have identified in your business plan.  Take a small, retractable measuring tape with you and measure the size of the designs printed.  Based on my research, the average dtg owner prints the majority of its designs 12″ and smaller. 

2. Who is going to run the printer?  What level of experience do they have with graphic software?  How much time are they willing to put into learning?
The skill level of the operator (or the willingness to learn) is going to be the key to getting high quality prints on almost every dtg printer.  However, some printers are easier to use than others.  Don’t be fooled… no dtg printer is as simple as click one button and the print comes out awesome every time.  Find a printer and software program that matches the skill sets of the operator - which might not always be you!  If you plan to have a retail shop and employ teenagers, you should make sure that the printing process is something your employees can understand and master.

3. Do you have to print on to dark garments?
You can breakdown all the dtg printers into three different categories: CMYK only printing, White Ink Ready and CMYK +White Ink printing.  The CMYK only printers will only allow you print on garments that are lighter than the colors in your design to keep your colors accurate.  Most CMYK only printers are not designed to print white ink or will require some type of an upgrade.  The White Ink Ready printers have the capability of printing white ink, but currently are not for one reason or another.  A CMYK+White Ink printer means that the printer is currently printing white ink.  Remember, most CMYK+White Ink printers can be figured into a Dual CMYK mode as well for those that don’t want to print white ink at the current time.  A CMYK + White Ink printer can also be configured with just CMYK ink and cleaning cartridges. 
Determine what type of printer you need based on what colors of garments your target market wants and the colors in your designs.  Here are two good posts that talks about how other people made their decision on what type
-    http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t50963.html
-    http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t41520.html

4. What is more important to you – lower cost per print (bulk ink systems) vs. less maintenance (closed ink systems)?
There are two types of ink delivery systems for dtg printers: bulk ink (i.e. open system) and cartridge ink (i.e. closed ink).  The bulk ink systems provide you bottles of ink (usually ranging from 100 ML to 1 Liter in size) that are used to fill up either a reservoir or refillable cartridges.  The bulk ink system tends to have a cheaper cost per print (because it is cheaper to put ink just into a bottle), but opens the door to allowing air, dust or other containments into the ink delivery system.  A closed ink system uses sealed cartridges that remove the potential of containments from getting into the ink delivery system.  Running a closed ink system has proven in several different types of printing (large format, sublimation, dtg,…) to have less maintenance issues with the printer.  However, the cost per a print is more expensive because of the cost associated with the process of cartridging the ink.  Here is a post that talks specifically about the challenges with a bulk ink system and air bubbles - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3032.  If you would like to figure out the differences in cost, check this link out - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1398.  

5. Is the Printer going to be stationary or will it need to be portable?
If you plan on taking your printer to do onsite event production, you will want to have a printer that is portable and easy to move.  Make sure you know the steps necessary to take in order to make the printer movable.  Some printers will require you to lock down the print head or remove the inks from the ink lines.  Figure out how long it takes to do this process and what the cost is associated with this.  You may also find out it is easier to move a dtg printer that uses a closed ink system compared to a bulk ink system.

PRINTING TIP:  Any dtg printer will react to changes in the environment.  Taking a dtg printer to a place that has a lot of dust or dramatic changes in the humidity / temperature will provide you challenges in printing.  You may want to have a digital thermostat (with a humidity gauge) and a small humidifier if you are going to print in an area that has low humidity to prevent the nozzles from clogging up.

Answer these questions and go to the dtg manufacturer’s website or industry forums to begin your research on which dtg printers has the potential of matching up with your business’ needs.  Once you have narrowed down the list to a manageable number, you will need to get in-depth information about all the potential machines.   Here is a link to a checklist that will help you get started in this process - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1539

Okay, let’s say you make the investment into purchasing a dtg printer and want to start making money with it.  A common mistake is to think you have to use the machine to help get your ROI back from it.  Simply put, a dtg printer is a tool to help satisfy customers by fulfilling some jobs using it and getting other jobs that will be done with another decorating method that ultimately puts money in your bank account.  A smart decorator will know what the break-evens are for doing a job in one decorating method compared to another.   Thus, the decorator will know which type of decorating method will yield the greatest profit. 

Most of the time, the two other decorating methods that are comparable in quality to dtg printing are screen printing and plastisol transfers (which is screen printing ink on to a special release paper).  I highly recommend to all decorators to network with other decorators to create outsourcing partners that will allow you to fulfill all types of jobs for your customers.  Most customers would prefer to deal with one source for all their personalized imprintables.  By creating outsourcing partners, you have the ability to fulfill all types of orders without having to invest and learn all of these methods.  Look in the phone book for companies that do screen printing to find a screen printer close to you.  For plastisol transfers, here is a link to post that has a list of companies that print plastisol transfers for decorators - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/heat-press-heat-transfers/t3560.html. 

It is also important to understand that your (or an employee’s) time needs to be factored into the decision process of whether to use a dtg printer or outsource the job, especially with dark garments.  Thus, it is important to factor in the time required of the decorator for each decorating method.  For example, most plastisol transfers take around 10 seconds to heat press to the garment.  However, the average production time to receive the plastisol transfers can range from 5 to 9 days depending on shipping time.  Outsourcing a job to a screen printer takes very little time of the decorator, but the job will be completed based on the schedule of the screen printer.  With a dtg printer, light color garments can be printed rather fast and the number of colors don’t make a difference.  However, dark color garments will need to be pretreated before a white underbase is dropped down and will need a minimum of two passes.  So the time necessary to print a dark garment with a dtg printer is substantial.  You should time how long it takes you to print a dark garment on the different dtg printers you are considering for your shop.  Please don’t rely on the times given by any manufacturer or distributor as they will not be the one running the printer in your shop.

PRINTING TIP:  There are two key things that you should take into consideration and speak with your customer about before considering what type of decorating method can be used: (1) the hand (i.e. feel) of the design on the shirt desired and (2) the type of graphic being printed – vector, raster and photograph.

Below are a couple of examples of the though process of how you should explore the pros and cons of other decorating methods:

Example #1:  Customer wants a 6-color vector logo (8” x 8”) on the back of the dark shirt and a 3” x 3” left chest logo on the front of the shirt.  Total order is for 24 shirts.  Customer needs the order done in 10 days.

                The first thing to consider in this example is the color of garment – black.  Printing a black garment via a dtg printer can be challenging, time consuming and expensive for medium runs (24 + shirts) and long runs (144+ shirts).  For this case, you may want to look at getting the job done with a plastisol transfer.  Because of the low quantity of shirts, this is probably not a job an outsourced screen printer will want to do for the same cost that you could probably get for a plastisol transfer.

PRINTING TIP:  For short-run, high number of colors in a design…you might want to consider a 4-color process plastisol transfer.  This way, the number of colors in a design will not affect the price of the plastisol transfer.  Here is a link to one company that provides this service - http://www.transferfreedom.com/freedompricing.cfm.  You may also want to look at ganging designs up on a larger sheet to save some money.

Example #2:  Customer wants a 1-color (Black) vector design (12” x 5”) on to a gray shirt on the front chest of the shirt.  Total order is for 144 shirts.  Customer needs the order done in 1 week.

                The keys to this example are it is a 1-color design and the quantity (i.e. 144 shirts).  This design could be done the most effective way via screen printing since the number of colors is low and the quantity of the shirts is high.  This is when you will want to use an outsourcing partner that does screen printing to make the most profit.  In addition, this will allow you to work on other jobs or marketing the dtg printing services.

BUSINESS TIP:  This job could also be done using heat applied film and a vinyl cutter.  For more information on this process, click on this link - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/vinyl-cutters-plotters-transfers/

Example #3:  Customer wants 16 memorial shirts for a funeral that is going to happen in 2 days.  The design the decorator is given is 12” x 14” and is to go on a white shirt, but the sizes of the shirt range from small to XL.

                The keys to this example are the graphic is a photograph and the time frame for the order to be fulfilled.  It is very difficult to get a photo realistic quality print on a screen print press or even have it done by a plastisol transfer.  This was the primary reason for digital decorating coming about.  This job will need to be done either using a digital transfer or dtg printer.  Because the customer wants it the design on a white shirt, the job can be done either method.  With a short timeframe to produce the job, the decorator most likely does not have time to get plastisol transfers made or outsource to a screen printing no matter what type of design it is.  Thus, dtg printing is one of the preferred methods.

Based on the capital investment needed to purchase a commercial-grade dtg printer, it is very important for every prospective dtg owner to write up a thorough business plan before getting into the dtg printing side of the business.  The bottom line is not all businesses are designed for dtg printing.  You should take a look at several key things in your business like (but not limited to) the following:

-        What is your current target market and what are their needs?

-        Of the things you currently do, what can be improved upon and what is missing?

-        What is the competition doing in your market – whether it is locally or via the internet?

Here are some links to different sites that have some helpful information on how to write a business plan.

-          http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html

-          http://www.score.org/business_toolbox.html

Although there is no hard-fast rule as to what type of company or target markets dtg printing will work best with, there are some common factors that have been shown to help existing dtg printing companies achieve success.  Here is a short list of them:

-          A retail store that caters to the one-offs or impulse buys

-          A screen printing company that needs to produce samples to attract new customers

-          An embroiderer that is looking to do t-shirt printing in-house for existing customers

-          An online personalization website that sales shirts created by customers (i.e. Café Press, Zazzle,…)

-          An company that sells custom items at events (i.e. fairs, tournaments, trade shows, meetings,…)

Check out this post for more information about the different business models for DTG - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?highlight=pricing+customer&t=1893

Just to show you that dtg printing is not for all business models, here is a link to a post where I recommend to a company not to go with dtg printing, as it did not fit their business model -http://www.t-shirtforums.com/member-introductions/t40877.html .

One of the most often asked questions about dtg printing is what type of money can be made.  There is no absolute answer to this question because it depends on several variables (i.e. your target market, the demand or need for custom shirts, the quantity of shirts ordered, the uniqueness of the design(s), the production rate to produce an item, whether a dtg machine will lead to getting other jobs – see the section When NOT to Use a dtg Machine,…).  It is important to understand that one-offs or short-runs need to be charged at a higher rate than what a longer run printed by screen printing.  From the companies I have consulted with, I have found it difficult for screen printers to understand this concept fully because they are traditionally use to selling long-run jobs at $3.00 to $6.00 per shirt range.  Any type of digital decorating (dye sublimation, inkjet transfer or dtg) needs to be priced differently than screen printing because digital decorating is commonly used for one-offs or short runs.  I have found it helpful to use the spreadsheet on this link to show what type of profit can be made based on the price charged and the quantity being printed - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/topic-1010.html

BUSINESS TIP:  Notice, the most profitable dtg printing runs are between 4-6 garments used in this example.  This is because of the time it takes to setup a design in the dtg software and prepare it for being printing.

As part of the business plan process, you should know what the return-on-investment (ROI) is going be for the dtg printer you plan to purchase.  To determine the ROI of a dtg printer, the you should know both the imprintable costs (i.e. cost of the garment or imprintable, the ink cost, the pretreatment cost if necessary, …) and the machine / labor cost (i.e. the labor cost for printing the imprintable, the maintenance cost for the machine, cost of electric,…).  Once you have this information, there is a useful spreadsheet located at http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1742 that will help determine what the ROI is for the dtg printers you are looking at.

Here is a link to a post on a forum that ask why some dtg owners purchased their machine - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t41520.html. 

Do your research and you will find the correct dtg printer for your business’ needs.

The most successful apparel decorators are the ones that understand the basics of each decorating method and when to use the correct application to get the best quality garment at the highest profit.  To do this, the decorator needs to know what the strengths and limitations of each decorating method are.  Thus the decorator needs to know the process for each method and the approximate cost for decorating the garment.

It is important to understand that I do not advocate that every decorator attempt to have the capability to do all types of decorating in-house.  A new decorator should become thoroughly knowledgeable in his/ her core decorating method before looking at expanding into a new decorating method.  However, I do recommend that decorators network amongst their peers to create an outsourcing partnership.  This way, the decorator can become a one-stop shop for their customers to get items decorated using different methods.  Once a decorator has enough business to justify the expansion of into a new decorating method, then explore in detail the process and equipment before investing.

BUSINESS TIP:  It would be wise to develop a close relationship with the other decorator you outsource with and create a mutual agreement not to go after each other’s customers.  Most contract decorators will already have this policy in place.

When you as the decorator begins the process of comparing which of the different methods you should consider when pricing a job, there are some questions that should be answered to determine which method(s) are even appropriate for this job.  Here are some of the questions:

1.       What type of fabric is the design going on to?  Cotton, 50 / 50, Polyester, Nylon,…?

2.       What color is the fabric?  Light vs. Dark fabric?

3.       What type of graphic format is the design in?  Photograph, Vector or Raster?

4.       What quantities does the customer want?   1, 6, 24, 48, 144,…?

5.       How fast does the job need to be done in?  Today, Couple of Days, Week,…?

The best way to illustrate the importance of these questions is to use a couple of examples as listed below. 

Customer #1:  Customer would like 12 ash colored, cotton shirts with a design on the front center that is a photograph of a family reunion picture.  The job needs to be finished in 24 hours.
                  Since we are working with cotton fabric, we will eliminate sublimation.  Because the shirt is a light color (ash) and the graphic is a photograph, the best options are heat transfers or dtg printing for a short run.  Both dtg printing and heat transfers can be done in a short period of time.  So either option will be appropriate.

Customer #2:  Customer needs 6 yellow colored workout shirts (like Under Armor©) for his intramural tennis team that has left chest design.  The customer needs the shirts in 3 days.
                 Since the workout shirts are polyester, the best decorating method is sublimation – which is ideal for short runs.  It is important to understand that the lightest color in the graphic must be darker than the yellow color in the fabric or the color reproduction will not be accurate.  Since sublimation is a digital printing method that allows you to create sublimation transfers in a matter of minutes, the time frame for completing this job is not an issue.

Customer #3:   Customer wants 48 black colored cotton shirts with two vector designs (left chest and center back).  The customer would like to pick the shirts up in a week.
                Based on the quantities and the dark fabric, the two best options would be either plastisol transfers (which most of the time is outsourced) or screen printing.  The time frame in this example is something that could be a factor depending on what the schedule of the outsource screen printer is and/or the necessary production / shipping times to get custom plastisol transfers made.

Below are some links to posts that talk about comparing dtg printing to other decorating methods:

-          Highlights of pros / cons of several decorating methods - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t37985.html

-          Comparing dtg printing to screen printing - http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1816

-          Comparing plastisol to screen printing - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t40018.html

-          General post on dtg printing - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t24915.html

-     Comparing dtg printing to digital transfers - http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t25451.html

-          Digital transfers vs. dtg printing – http://www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3736