Direct To Garment DTG - success or regrets?

[logobear]

as we approach trade show season the idea of DTG re presents itself, - and the fear of making an expensive mistake .......
Can any forum members share any errors they have made in machine choice?
Choice of pre-treatment machines seems particularly important to get good results .....
Mention of particular brands and models would be most appreciated.
I know cost can vary from 5k to 50k + - my decision is not governed by cost of kit, - but viability of the process and reliability & support for the machine.
I am UK based to local answers will be particularly appreciated, - so if you have good news stories, please share! - and any mistakes can be strongly hinted at

[mrs maggot]

Its a shame you are so far away from Chongsta, that machine of his is a very good buy

[logobear]

Swansea is a long way, - what machine does he have?

[mr-gobby]

Viper 2 its in the buy it sell it section http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/vbforum/sh ... er-Viper-2

[logobear]

thanks, - I did take a read, - it is a long way off, - and 20% off (plus extra pattens) didn't seem enough price reduction for a machine that is best part of a year old, so doesn't come with manufacturer's training/support/installation etc and out of warrenty. looks like good kit thou.
Is that the machine YOU would buy ?

[mr-gobby]

I don't know enough about DTG or Viper2 to be in a position to answer that but if I were in the market I would be looking at all the possible options including used equipment both privately and commercially as well as the new offerings and trying to justify buying them to myself. Dave appears to have progressed in a short space of time to an upgrade position which suggests two things, he's a man to talk to and the equipment helped to get him there quickly so could do the same for someone else.

Mark

[mags1892]

Biggest issue i seee about the viper and other machines in this mould and one I have looked at myself as im bringing a machine to market. The machines like VIper still use the DX5 printhead and whilst I loved this printhead and still think its the most reliable head epson ever made, its now over 15 years old and as such will soon be defunct. Yes there are a couple of manufacturers with special agreements with epson so they can still get heads but even that will be dead before long. This is why the Spectra is so good a seller in the USA , its now based on the P600 and modern head technology similar to epsons own F2000. These heads will be readily available albeit at greater cost.

[JMugs]

Just watching this
https://youtu.be/ufxHrGPqvSQ

[Earl Smith]

Hi Phil,
I think we run similar busineses though mine is smaller and not in a shopping center where you have much more foot traffic.
I had a DTG and a very good machine it was too. ( The Neoflex ). But it , and any DTG has one big drawback, you MUST print with it every day. Ignore it for a day or two and the heads will clogg up. This was four years ago and maybe the technology has improved over this time but if it hasnt then beware.
You will need to dedicate someone to the DTG and enough customers to keep it going. If YOU are planning on running the machine then , in my opinion, forget it. You have enough to do running your shop, doing embroidery, vinyl printing, paperwork and dealing with customers.

I ended up giving my machine back to the supplier as I didnt have daily customers to keep it going. At the time I had the DTG my embroidery business picked up and I ended up concentrating on that and ignored the DTG.

Eventually I bought the Oki white and that does all the white printing that the DTG did for me.

My thoughts are; If you are confident that you can use the DTG everyday and have someone other than yourself to look after it, then go for it. If not, then leave alone and use your Oki.

[JMugs]

Xpres have the epson DTG on promotion at £8990 instead of £12995....or something like those figures!!