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Surfsuprex
09-06-2019, 04:33 PM
Hi all, yes I am a newbie so this may be obvious.

My trusty Brother printer can not be used with pigment inks so a new one is needed. I’m purchasing a sub printer separately. So I thought I had it straight in my head what to get then I got pulled into laser printing and white toner printers. Another choice then.

If if you were starting out with transfers would you go with pigment ink or the laser options?

I will be printing large art graphics for T’s mostly. Detail and colour needed.

Thank you in advance for any guidance on this subject. Best wishes Claire :)

pw66
10-06-2019, 10:28 AM
The choice is largely down to budget. Inkjet printers are cheap and laser printers can cost thousands.
For Laser transfers you need a printer with white toner which is where the cost is - A4 is about £2k and A3 is about £5k. You are halfway to a dtg printer if you need A3.

Laser transfers are a better product than inkjet, but both have a limited product life.

Surfsuprex
10-06-2019, 11:51 AM
Thank you. Yes you are quite right! It helps to have someone else put it into perspective like that for me. I think I'm putting most of my start up money into the press. Then an A3 sub printer. If it all goes well I will invest in a printer that can handle pigment inks and a cutter for vinyl. Plus it will allow me to focus on one skill at a time. See, I warned you I'm so easily onto the next project! Thank you for your time it helps me keep on point. BW Claire:)

pw66
10-06-2019, 12:05 PM
Both inkjet and laser transfers have their place, but in my opinion neither are true retail quality solutions. Both are great for short use products - such as stag and hen parties - but inkjet looks very second hand after a handfull of washes. Laser is slightly more durable but still not perfect.

Surfsuprex
10-06-2019, 12:21 PM
Agree. Only limitations I have with only sub is white/light colours, my designs may sell better in darker colours. Although I have seen some clever ways around this using glitter vinyl but you then lose the feel of the sub and not everyone loves the glitter! Plus not 100% cotton. The 100% cotton thing is a niche thing. My daughter can't wear anything else during summer. She's not alone in that so its a way to supply for that. I was going to make clear the difference and reflect that in the price?

pw66
10-06-2019, 01:02 PM
Russel sell a range of 65/35% poly/cotton tees in colours if your designs are suitable for a vintage look. Not 100% cotton, but nice garments.

Your option of reflecting the transfers in the price is limited. A3 sub paper is about 20p sheet, A3 Inkjet Dark nearly £2 and A3 Laser over £2 a sheet. You would be eating into your margins.

If you are planning on printing on dark then consider outsourcing to a DTG provider.

Surfsuprex
10-06-2019, 06:04 PM
Thanks for the heads up on the T's that might work for those with more sensitive skins. Fair comment on the pricing. I did look into outsourcing DTG at first but because I think I will be doing mostly one offs it didn't seem to work out as cost effective? Maybe I should re-look at all again. lol back to it then!