DSF

Hi, we are thinking about venturing into Embroidery and would appreciate some advice, we already print T Shirts etc but get asked for embroidery a lot, not sure where to start with the machines etc

Be prepared for a HUGE learning curve

it is a different mindset,

expensive machines, noisy, and time consuming.

Embroidery is so popular especially as it last forever, my only regret was to have sold my single head machine because I was able to have this in the house. I then bought a three head machine that lives in the garage wonderful machine but if I get any orders I have to heat the garage for a least an hour before I can start work in the cold months. It is amazing to see the machine work and see the picture/logo come out. I would recomend it but as john said it's a real learning curve especially digitizing.

Good Luck

logobear;61563 wrote:it is a different mindset,

I recall a post you made some time ago, where you described how difficult trading conditions were! How are you finding things now? Have you changed direction in any way?

viccar;61569 wrote:expensive machines, noisy, and time consuming.

Noisy? I've only got a single head, but it's nowhere near as noisy as a vinyl cutter

Don't bother!!!

Until my ex business partner scum ripped me off I owned a screen print business which also did sublimation and embroidery. I only ever targeted promotional items and bulk deals as that is where the business was positioned. Although we had loads of quotes it soon became apparent that there are so many embroiderer's out there that could do a better and cheaper job than us that it simply was not worth it. If you want my opinion, set up a trade deal with a established company. During this economic period there are bound to be companies that have downtime on their machines and would jump at the chance to take on more work, even if it was for slightly less money. This will give you the expansion you require and also allow you to work on other items while someone else is also making you money embroidering.

Re Noise, - A HEAP more than vinyl cutter.
trade good.
P

If you are asked to embroider just names or words then you could start off with the PR650 from Brother. These have on board software with a limited range of built in fonts. Choose your font, write the text and away it goes. But its very limited for quality and speed. Small size text is a no no.
Dont expect to make a fortune with embroidery. Eg; In one hour on the embroidery machine ( single head) you could make 6 items and earn 20 pounds , in an hour printing with vinyl you can print 30 or more shirts at 3 pounds each profit.

And as others have said, its a big learning curve.