Printer or cutter or both?

[Amandavc]

Morning all,

Very much a newbie. I have a business idea and would like some advice on making it work please. Currently only looking to print on fabric Tshirts bags etc. I have done the research and have decided on a heat press, however a little confused on printers.....

Do I need a printer and a vinyl cutter? Or do you have one or the other? And if so which one is best?

All opinions are appreciated.

Thank you

[Customprintwales]

Depends on what you plan on doing.
Are you going to be using vinyl - in which case you need a cutter but no printer
Are you going to be using sublimation printing - in which case you need a printer but no cutter
Are you going to be using printable vinyl - in which case you will need both.

[UK Printed Mugs]

If you want to make money then none of the above

Just Sunday humour - good luck!

[pw66]

Print and cut machines start at about £4500. Unless you specifically need a solvent ink printer, which print and cut machines are, or you need wide format capabilities, get separate machines.

[Amandavc]

I need a Dummies guide really. What's the most cheapest effective way..?
I'm not sure how the sublimantion printing works compared to the vinyl.
I want to print mainly just text on Tshirts but sometimes will need carton type pictures.
Thank you

[pw66]

For vinyl you only need a cutter, to go with your heatpress. Great for simple designs, lots of coloured or patterned vinyls available, and suitable for use on most fabrics.

For pictures you will need some form of transfer technology. The obvious two are either sublimation or pigment ink transfers. Both methods use inkjet printers, and both have pros and cons.

Sublimation transfers use specialist ink and paper, and ( on fabric) only work on lighter coloured polyester rich garments. White 100% polyester is best. When pressed onto the garment the ink transfers from the paper to the fabric and the paper is discarded. The print is very soft ( 'soft hand') because the ink has been turned into a gas by the heat press and has bonded (sublimated) into the fibre. The print is permanent and on 100% poly doesn't fade noticeably.

Pigment transfers use standard pigment ink that comes with many (but not all) printers. There is a range of transfer papers for light and dark garments, and for different fabrics. You generally need to run the printed transfer through the cutter to cut around the image before pressing. The transfer is then pressed onto the garment in the same way as vinyl is. Like vinyl, the print doesn't have a particularly soft hand, but fade resistance has improved over recent years.

Sublimation is nicer, but more expensive and not as versatile on fabric. You can use sublimation for dozens of non fabric items.

I would recommend you start with a cutter and heatpress and look into adding transfers when you need them. Ideally you would eventually add both sublimation and pigment transfers, but pigment transfers are the more versatile for garments and bags, so that is possibly the place to start.

I would recommend something like the Epson 7110 at about £125. It comes with the correct pigment ink, and gives you the ability to print A3+, which is a bonus for t-shirts. If you only need A4 then there are plenty of smaller printers for about £50, but make sure they have pigment ink, not dye ink.

[Amandavc]

Pw66

Thank you so much this is perfect all the information I needed in one reply.
Cutter and Epson it is