Which Printer?

[L33R]

Hi,

I'm going to start printing transfers onto tshirts (hopefully) this month. I have read a few threads on the forum and it seems for me starting out I have a choice of two:

Epson 1500w with ciss and either Dye or Pigment inks

or

OKI 511.

Maybe its worth getting both (I dont know). Im quite new to this so a nudge in the right direction would be great.

Thanks for any help

[logos unlimited]

hi
,stick to the epson far better in the long run .

[socialgiraffe]

Not sure anyone can possibly offer advice on this as there are so many other questions that need answering first.

They are two different types of printers (one ink jet the other laser) and both behave very differently and do different things. If all you want to do is transfers to t-shirts then the OKI is by far and above better than the Epson, without question. The transfer papers available for laser based printers are better (by a country mile).

However, if you are intending to sublimate your garments and are restricting yourself to polyester based white garments then the Epson will be better (although I personally would recommend a Ricoh instead).

Before anyone can really answer your question properly you need to give more information and do more research, otherwise you may make some very expensive mistakes.

I am not sure how Logos Unlimited came to their response without knowing your exact requirements and would be interested to know.....

[L33R]

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry, I should have been clearer about my intentions. I am going to be printing on transfer paper for t shirts.

I read the laser printer is pretty good but inkjet is more vibrant when pressed and has more choice when it comes to transfer papers.

The laser is also the cheaper option (well the 511 is)

Could you recommend some laser transfer papers for white and coloured shirts?

I was looking into image-clip for darks and trim-free for lights but Im new to this and dont want to make any expensive mistakes.

Thanks

[jonna]

i use an epson wf7110 ( it does both a3 and a4 in seperate trays and was only £80 from viking direct) i use pigment ink and jetpro ss or 3g opaque for my transfer printing never had any problems in the test tees I done for myself and family. The ink is just my personal preference I have seen people use basic cheap dye based ink with similar results the one thing to consider with epson and pigment ink is the heads sometimes block becuase the micropieze heads that epson use so they need to be used often, i sometimes print pictures on to some paper just to get ink through the heads aswell as a head clean every so often. I would also get an icc profile made up for your setup will help with colours im sure a member on this forum can make them for you. I hope this helps

[socialgiraffe]

The 511 is a very good machine.

Personally I would recommend you visiting one of the suppliers who can show you the various papers and techniques available. Personally I would recommend The Magic Touch in Luton, others may suggest other suppliers.

As far as ink jet papers I am not sure I can answer. My knowledge of ink jet papers is set way back in the 90's so would not be a fair judgement. Others will have far superior knowledge.

[logobear]

are there any good inkjet papers that compare well with laser?

[socialgiraffe]

are there any good inkjet papers that compare well with laser?

Not that I am aware of, but last time I looked at ink jet papers the ZX Spectrum was state of the art

Am hoping that other members might know more...