PDA

View Full Version : How much to get into embroidery?



Dave271069
26-10-2012, 08:27 PM
How much would a standard basic machine cost capable of doing breast logos onto t-shirts.
is embroidery difficult to get into?

smitch6
26-10-2012, 08:52 PM
i got a recon multi machine which is a sewing machine with an embroidery attachment capable of up to 4" for 495
you can get them cheaper thru the usual channels like flebay etc but get a good one.

the software tho costs twice as much as the machines so unless you can get a copy from somewhere it'd be best to outsource the digitizing

Dave271069
26-10-2012, 08:55 PM
Could you show me some links to some machines I could keep an eye out for,
Don't know the difference between a sowing machine and a embroidery one.

ASO Embroidery
26-10-2012, 09:12 PM
Hi Dave
I suppose at the end of the day it all depends how much money you want to spend. You can buy a sewing machine that does embroidery probably second hand for a few hundred quid what you have to remember with these though is if you have a design with a few colours that means changing the thread every time it changes colour which can be time consuming.( especially if you have a lot of t.shirts to do ) on the other hand if you want to spend a bit of money you can again pick up decent 4 or six needle machines maybe around about the £1500 £2000 mark it really all depends on how much you can/ want to spend. The other thing to take in to consideration with embroidery is the digitizing side designing your own logos there is a wide selection of embroidery software available all at different costs. or you may decide you dont want to do your own digitizing and just farm that out to a specialist digitizer who will do the design for you. Is embroidery difficult to get into. I pesonally would have to say no we run this as a second business and I actually find it quite theraputic and quite rewarding. Hope this has helped answer a few of your qustions Im sure someone else will be along in a minute and give you there view.

Regards,
Sammy.

Dave271069
26-10-2012, 09:18 PM
Thank you, great answer.
only thinking about it at mo. I have a business plan but it did not include embroidery. But over the last few days I have had a lot of feedback regarding contracts, one for a night club chain and one for a school . So I think it's time to re think my plan and look into different ideas.

ASO Embroidery
26-10-2012, 09:28 PM
Hi Dave,
if you were seriously thinking about buying a reasonably priced second hand machine you cannot go wrong with a brother pr 600 or similar there is new models out since that one but that was our first machine and it was great its a single head six needle machine and once you get to grips with it quite easy to operate but there is one or two others out there also. If you need any further advice please feel free to pm me and will give you any help i can.

Regards,

Sammy.

Earl Smith
27-10-2012, 11:06 AM
SWF also have a machine similar to the Brother Pr600 / 650. Cost about the same as well.
Ditto what Sammy has said.

logobear
27-10-2012, 08:02 PM
WE do both, embroidery is harder work for the same return ...... AND - the equipment is much more costly.
Single head machines are the most costly, you can get a 4 or 8 head unit for maybe double the cost of a single head.
The control software is a major expense. We contract out all the digitizing.
Logobear have a single head 15 colour machine.
If I were to re plan my shop from scratch, I would either:
do no embroidery, OR
have at least 4 heads.
If you want to do it, £10k will give you some options, but you could spend much much more.
The problem of getting in tiny, is that you will have to say no to nearly all the jobs you might get ......

smo
28-10-2012, 01:31 AM
We have top-end 16 needle single head machines - they each cost as much as your average brand new family car, the software was then a few thousand extra.

You can strt out with a £500 hobby machine but it depends what you want from it, ours run all day non-stop but reliability and durability comes at an industrial price tag :)

Limara
29-10-2012, 09:43 AM
if you decide to go with a " home machine" stitch field is important you will quickly find the 4 x 4 isnt good for a lot!
Go for a Janome embroidery only machine 300e was the first model and there is now a 350e they have a 5.5 x 7.5 emboridery area. and the hoop is attached to an independant arm which makes hooping most things a lot easier than the attachment on the brother combined machines.
you can get designs to the 300e by using a compact flash and ata card ( no stupid expensive stuff to buy) and I think the newer mosel has usb input
Beware of some of the older machines they have unique card systems and the stuff you need to get designs to the machine will cost you more than the machine itself.
I dont agree with the sewing and embroidery machine combined I went that route and its better and cheaper to buy them seperate as with the 2 machines you could be using them at the same time instead of waiting for the embroidery to finish before you can sew! and price wise its cheaper to buy them seperate unless you really will stitch all 550 sewing stitches included in the embroidery model machines.http://content.janome.com/index.cfm/machines/embroidery/mc300e there is a downloadable user manual there
I have 2 mates both running successful embroidery business using the 300e machines.
I have now gone to the Brother pr600 and love it, but they still make serious money secondhand if you want to test the water on embroidery you wouldnt loose on buying a s/h embroidery machine if it doesnt work out you could resell

mrs maggot
29-10-2012, 10:45 AM
i outscource all my stitch work and get back vinyl work from the other business, we are both small businesses so it is good for both of us - i would find someone local to pal up with

WorthDoingRight
29-10-2012, 01:59 PM
Well I bought a Brother 750e single head single needle embroidery machine earlier this year that can embroider up to 5" x 7" and it came with both 12 months Interest Free Credit and Brother's own basic software (which is infact better than I would have thought it would be). It is fairly easy to thread and use and I love it. Have embroidered a few items for myself and a few guest towels as examples for friends and family. I cannot say that it plays any role in my business as it currently does not but if someone wanted a name or logo then I would give it a go.

Paul
29-10-2012, 02:39 PM
How many colors you can do pal?

WorthDoingRight
29-10-2012, 03:43 PM
How many colors you can do pal?

It only embroiders one colour at a time but the swap over time is minimal and the machine will embroider quite complex designs.

Earl Smith
29-10-2012, 03:47 PM
If you have a one needle machine you can only do one colour at a time. Then change the thread and move onto the next col. In theory , thousands and thousands of colours. My 15 needle machines will automatically change needle to another colour but if I need more than 15 colours I put in a stop and keep changing threads. Never had to do this as it doesnt pay.
A friend has a one colour machine. He does a design that a 15 needle will do in an hour but it takes him twice as long. Strange thing is that he has to get his wife to lay the colours out as he is colour blind. Hes made some amazing mistakes , pink seas, yellow sky..etc.

logobear
29-10-2012, 04:39 PM
if there is one thing i struggle with, it is giving concentration to more than one thing at once ......
With a multi htread machine, you program it once, then just hoop up garments as you go, idiot proof, and fits in nicely with other jobs about the shop.
If I had to re-thread several times per job, and get it right time after time it would do my head in.
But names on towels etc in single colour would be fine

WorthDoingRight
29-10-2012, 05:34 PM
I agree, it is not the machine I would like to ultimately own - however the multihead machines were well out of my hobby related reach. However if you want a single colour logo or name on a shirt then it copes with that in a few minutes.