help to start my little hobbie/business

Hello all

I know its been already few topics around the forum and internet about how to start on this industry. but im looking to get more advise also i have publish the same context in other forums, just to get different opinions, i had the idea to start few years ago but left on the garage

My plan
- cutting vinyl for cars/or other and press on t shirts
- Print on t shirt with vinyl and sublimation
- print on mugs and accessories

My budget
unfortunately i dont want to spend a big amount of money for now.
around under 1000£ pounds for stock and equipment.
i been see on ebay and 2 hand stuff too


Hardware im looking for
Vinyl cutter (under 300£ or nearly )

Printer for sublimation (under 300£ or nearly )
should i get a a4 printer or a proper printer and cutter
what do you really recommend and quality its the same ?

Heat press
heat press its important too, i been looking in ebay and some stuff there are like 8 in 1 multi function heat press for 189£
what do you say about the equipment?

Mug & accessories press
do you recommend ST-3042 3D Sublimation ??

Regarding accessories i have done a small list of few small tools i will need along the time.

Also if you can recommend me some other stuff like
good vinyl paper
good paper for sublimation


all comments are very welcome and thankful for the time you spend here,
a nice weekend/week for all

Hi. I know it's difficult when cash is limited but here are my suggestions...

• A Silhouette Cameo 3 (or even an older model) will give you a good start for cutting small vinyl jobs for t-shirts, car stickers, bags, cushions etc.
• A halogen oven (Argos or many other outlets) will only cost £30 to £60 new and, along with silicone mug wraps at around £5 each, is perfectly capable of producing results as good as, if not better than, a dedicated mug press.
• Be wary of buying a second-hand printer, they often have blocked nozzles or other issues.
• Always use decent quality inks and have an ICC profile to match them. An ICC should be supplied by any reputable ink supplier.
• An A4 printer will get you a long way before you need to consider anything larger.
• Get the best flat heat press you can afford. Many 'bargain' presses don't have a consistent temperature across the entire platen. The temperature needs to be even across the whole platen, more especially for sublimation.

Once you get started and have completed a few initial orders you will get more of a feel for what you'll need for the future. After relatively few orders your equipment will have paid for itself anyway, allowing you to think of adding additional bigger/better equipment.

It's certainly a gamble, and competition is severe, but in my opinion vinyl work and sublimation is not something I would take out a loan for as so many are forced to quit after a short time. Just do as you have posted and spend your available cash wisely. Remember, apart from equipment, you will need blank items to print and consumables such as vinyl, ink, paper, etc which can take a heavy toll on your startup funds.

Lastly, don't underestimate the advantage of a Premium membership of the forum. For only £10 a year you will gain discounts from forum advertisers, some of whom are the best in the business.

I purchased a us cutter from eBay when I started for around £300.
avoid the cheap machines they have little to no pressure control without which you will either cut right through the vinyl, just skim the surface or both!

Cameo machines are good little machines for starting out so you can’t go wrong there ;)
If your looking at selling on eBay be warned the competition is fierce and how some people make money is beyond me??

For sublimation avoid all the tat on eBay and amazon as the majority of sublimation paper is junk and you will end up regretting the purchase.
Go for a premium paper like trupix and a quality ink you won’t regret spending the extra money on decent equipment.

I think I just answered this on the other forum...