Images_Digital_Edition_July_2019

www.images-magazine.com JULY 2019 images 27 TIPS & TECHNIQUES level. The online transition has helped decorators get more designs out, offer faster lead times and make more margin. The B2C decorators have a lot more flexibility because of the short-run, graphic-intensive designs. This business is truly market-driven and has new entrants every day. This group needs to focus on more output in the same footprint of machinery and the highest quality print to differentiate from competition, which is Aeoon’s strength. Highly intricate, full-colour, unique designs are what drives this market. True marketing and operational efficiency are drivers that must be considered to maintain and maximise profitability while creating a happy, returning customer base. The bottom line Value added services like folding and bagging options are dependent on the markets served. If a decorator is serving a retail customer who will put the items on display, a crisp looking package is needed. If it is a contract decorator, typically shirts are delivered in bulk and packaging is not as important. If multiple labour resources can be running more production which will drive revenue versus packaging, automation makes sense. The goal with all automation is to have as short a return on investment as possible. The labour pool is very tight and getting the most product out the door economically is what will drive profit, either with human capital or capital equipment. The bottom line with DTG is identifying the most reliable machine that delivers a cost per print that meets your specific business’s profitability requirements. Buying an entry level system because of the initial lower cost isn’t necessarily the best way to maximise profitability. The market is migrating to digital and this cycle will continue for several years and those who adapt the fastest will reap the most benefit. Be sure to do your homework and envision your business five years from now because that is what your competitors are doing. www.aeoon.com Calculate your costs The best tool to calculate an average price is labour units needed to produce a product and the consumable usage per design. The RIP software in all Aeoon machines gives the user a calculation after the artwork is processed to help you to understand how much consumable is needed to produce the required print. In DTG, the most expensive consumable is the ink so finding the right system that offers the lowest cost per print is a major component. Profit margin will vary by the size and scope of the decorator and what customer base they are serving, but they should be aiming to find jobs that maximise their resources and keep their machines busy. Typically, in the DTG world, more can be charged for short runs and in order to maximise profits a system with the lowest cost per print will reap the most profit. On- line and printed line [rate] cards are for reference and for shopping customers. Repeat and larger orders will deliver lower margins, but they will utilise more of the overall burden rate of the entire facility so they should be costed on a contribution margin basis. www.graphtecgb.co.uk CE Lite-50 a new class of cutter 4.3" TOUCH SCREEN OPERATION Easy-to-use operation with 4.3" touch panel USB OFFLINE OPERATION Saved cut-data on USB memory, USB offline barcoding automatically loads file - without requiring a PC connection. ARMS 7.0 DETECTS REGISTRATION MARKS A line to the printed image without registration marks utilising the new edge mode. Only£695plusVAT