Saving money

[stevecrocker58]

Hi there,Just starting up in a completely different career...I'm 65! Quick CV...Worked overseas as tour operator for 30 years...left at the age of 50. Worked in the Care Sector for 10 years- that drives you around the twist after a while but saved and saved determined to go into Printing Fabrics,T Shirts,Hoodies ( you get the picture ). Last March2023 I bought the TEXJET ECHO 2 Laser Printer from Amaya...£13,000. Bought the inks and all the heat press,accessories from them The inks are water based .Still a few stationary items I need like a labeller and digital scales.
My question is this : The company are saying I must buy the colour inks and most accessories from them and they're really expensive. Just paid £270 for inks ( they'll start to run out after 300 T shirts worth of printing ) Can I use a cheaper brand online or through a wholesaler?

 

[WaveJumper]

No you will do the print head in

 

[stevecrocker58]

No you will do the print head in

Thanks for that...not what I wanted to hear,but with respect would like to hear a few more replies. Its exactly what they say.

 

[japancool]

It's a specialty ink, so would you be able to find a cheaper brand?

 

[fisicx]

Have you found a cheaper supplier?

Vendor tie in for inks is common so even if you find a cheaper source they may not work.

 

[WaveJumper]

Apologies for the rather short response before, yes you could run the machine on a cheaper ink however I would not recommend it. Hopefully you have a warranty on the machine, and when you do have an issue (and you will) it’s one of the first questions they will ask and when you do pay to have the engineer visit believe it or not they can tell.

I know the company and the TEXTJET (based by the way on an Epson printer) very well. Look after that print head and ink delivery system as replacement head and tubes will be setting you back the north side of £2k ………and if I walked into my sons office right now pretty sure there’s a brand new fuse and mother board still sitting there

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

@stevecrocker58 well done at making the move - I hope it goes well.

A bit off topic, but did you test your business idea before investing in the equipment?

 

[stevecrocker58]

It's a specialty ink, so would you be able to find a cheaper brand?

There's quite a few different brands.The company I usually buy from are really pricey. They,of course,admit that there are cheaper brands,however,they would interfere with the mechanics of the Printer.

 

[stevecrocker58]

@stevecrocker58 well done at making the move - I hope it goes well.

A bit off topic, but did you test your business idea before investing in the equipment?

I did....albeit through online sites,YouTube ,Google etc. I know I'm not going to be rich but due to receive my pension next December.So looking at it as a money making hobby more than anything.

 

[pentel]

Ink choices and digital printers are a bit of a minefield. Having gone down the 3rd party ink route on our first digital printer (once the warranty had expired) we learnt our lesson when we ended up scrapping the machine as the head replacement costs got too much. We have stuck with original inks when we replaced the printer and have had little or no problem. We look at the extra cost of the ink as being insurance

 

[stevecrocker58]

Apologies for the rather short response before, yes you could run the machine on a cheaper ink however I would not recommend it. Hopefully you have a warranty on the machine, and when you do have an issue (and you will) it’s one of the first questions they will ask and when you do pay to have the engineer visit believe it or not they can tell.

I know the company and the TEXTJET (based by the way on an Epson printer) very well. Look after that print head and ink delivery system as replacement head and tubes will be setting you back the north side of £2k ………and if I walked into my sons office right now pretty sure there’s a brand new fuse and mother board still sitting there

Thanks for that.Yes...think your wise suggestion hits home. I'll stick to the inks from Polyprint and Amaya for now....let's hope I get loads of orders to cover the expenses.Im not going in blind...done all my research but also looking at ways of saving some money.Thanks so much for your response.Much appreciated.

 

[stevecrocker58]

I did....albeit through online sites,YouTube ,Google etc. I know I'm not going to be rich but due to receive my pension next December.So looking at it as a money making hobby more than anything.

Ink choices and digital printers are a bit of a minefield. Having gone down the 3rd party ink route on our first digital printer (once the warranty had expired) we learnt our lesson when we ended up scrapping the machine as the head replacement costs got too much. We have stuck with original inks when we replaced the printer and have had little or no problem. We look at the extra cost of the ink as being insurance

Thanks for your wise response.Most are saying exactly the same.So...I will stick to the original inks. Just looking for ways to economise and I just hope I get lots of orders...do my own designs to cover that expense.Thanjs again.Much appreciated.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Is this a DTG machine, a DTF or both?

 

[fisicx]

Just looking for ways to economise and I just hope I get lots of orders.

The is a lot of competition. Thousands of online designers and T-shirt sellers, print to order and other options. You need a top notch marketing campaign to even get noticed. Chap I know is happy to get one order per week. And most of those are from his uni mates.

 

[stevecrocker58]

I did....albeit through online sites,YouTube ,Google etc. I know I'm not going to be rich but due to receive my pension next December.So looking at it as a money making hobby more than anything.

Have you found a cheaper supplier?

Vendor tie in for inks is common so even if you find a cheaper source they may not work.

Thanks for your response.The inks ( going by what most are saying on here) with the printer supplier are pricey...but if anything goes wrong with the heads- they know you've changed inks and warranty doesn't cover it.2000 quid later to have them changed.

Is this a DTG machine, a DTF or both?

It's a TEXJET ECHO 2...think DTG. T shirts,trousers,hoodies etc

The is a lot of competition. Thousands of online designers and T-shirt sellers, print to order and other options. You need a top notch marketing campaign to even get noticed. Chap I know is happy to get one order per week. And most of those are from his uni mates.

Ah....but it depends on design.I trained as a Graphic Designer. I've looked at the designs on some T shirts and they're awful . And this is where the 'niche' comes in.I have a friend in LA who goes to a thrift shop,buys up a load of T shirts with designs on them and sells through Amazon and earns a decent living.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Ah....but it depends on design.I trained as a Graphic Designer. I've looked at the designs on some T shirts and they're awful . And this is where the 'niche' comes in.I have a friend in LA who goes to a thrift shop,buys up a load of T shirts with designs on them and sells through Amazon and earns a decent living.

You may or may not be right.

The key point here is that your (or my) opinion of what is awful, or what is good are completely irrelevant.

The only opinion that matters is that of your target customer. Find them / ask them / deliver what they want.

 

[Fagin2021]

Ah....but it depends on design.I trained as a Graphic Designer. I've looked at the designs on some T shirts and they're awful .

Wrong way to think! "I've looked at some really good designs on popular T-shirts and I know I can do better" is what you ought to be saying.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Thanks for your response.The inks ( going by what most are saying on here) with the printer supplier are pricey...but if anything goes wrong with the heads- they know you've changed inks and warranty doesn't cover it.2000 quid later to have them changed.

It's a TEXJET ECHO 2...think DTG. T shirts,trousers,hoodies etc

Ah....but it depends on design.I trained as a Graphic Designer. I've looked at the designs on some T shirts and they're awful . And this is where the 'niche' comes in.I have a friend in LA who goes to a thrift shop,buys up a load of T shirts with designs on them and sells through Amazon and earns a decent living.

This is a little after the horse has bolted but Direct to Film is stealing a march on Direct to Garment with many companies producing conversion kits to the latter. The process is similar but the flexibility of transfer production far outweighs DTG in many cases. It's particularly good for establishing which designs work without the need to print an actual garment.

 

[WaveJumper]

This is a little after the horse has bolted but Direct to Film is stealing a march on Direct to Garment with many companies producing conversion kits to the latter. The process is similar but the flexibility of transfer production far outweighs DTG in many cases. It's particularly good for establishing which designs work without the need to print an actual garment.

You are defiantly correct there, the print world is moving very fast in all sorts of new directions at the moment, with new equipment coming onto the market like never before. Our OP may be better served in looking at some of the very good print forums out there and maybe I would suggest attending the NEC later this month ......for a real eye opener.

In the meantime keep that printhead running

 

[Gecko001]

Obviously you want the best designs, but some designs use much more ink than others. Can you price the shirts with ink hungry designs slightly more than those which use very little ink?

 

[stevecrocker58]

Obviously you want the best designs, but some designs use much more ink than others. Can you price the shirts with ink hungry designs slightly more than those which use very little ink?

Yes...it makes sense to just use 2 to 3 colours as in comic strips. Quite effective too.

 

[stevecrocker58]

Yes...it makes sense to just use 2 to 3 colours as in comic strips. Quite effective too.

And cheaper

 

[stevecrocker58]

Wrong way to think! "I've looked at some really good designs on popular T-shirts and I know I can do better" is what you ought to be saying.

Yes...I get your point.'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'!

 

[Fagin2021]

You are defiantly correct there, the print world is moving very fast in all sorts of new directions at the moment, with new equipment coming onto the market like never before.

That's your second 'defiantly' in a few days of posting. The first was probably a typo, the second 'finger trouble' but if there's a third it'll confirm all our suspicions!

 

[stevecrocker58]

That's your second 'defiantly' in a few days of posting. The first was probably a typo, the second 'finger trouble' but if there's a third it'll confirm all our suspicions!

Most 'definitely'.....I'm the one who's defiant!