Images_Digital_Edition_April_2019

www.images-magazine.com APRIL 2019 images 107 DIGITAL PRINTING Jack Merrony, owner Tell us a bit about your business I started Old Eltons Print Studio in my parents‘ garage in early 2017 with the intention to design and produce garments for their shops. This quickly turned a corner and I found that I started to gain quite a big customer base and decided to invest in some more machinery. What digital printing system do you use, and when did you buy it? I currently use the Oki Pro8432- WT printer paired with the HTP 265 Plus heat press, which I bought in February 2018. What prompted you to buy this system and how much did it cost? I think the whole package was around £6k. I bought it because I was being continually asked to do one-off prints for people, which I was unable to do on my manual carousel. What other systems, if any, did you look at before purchasing this one? We looked at DTG, but decided that it was too pricey to purchase so early on in the business. What were the main reasons for choosing this system and what do you rate as its main advantages? I chose the Oki Pro because it is incredibly quick to turn a job around on this thing. And customer satisfaction is guaranteed: I landed one of my biggest clients to date through the use of this machine. They came to me with a garment from another printer, I photographed it using the Adobe app, transferred it into Illustrator, then out into SpaceControl v.4 and onto a T-shirt. This was all in the space of around 20 minutes. It‘s very quick to turn out T-shirts and hoodies. Is there anything you‘d like to see in an upgrade or don‘t particularly like about it? When I first started using this machine, I kept making very simple mistakes, but it’s the same with anything when Jack with his Oki Pro8432-WT Old Eltons Print Studio: Oki Pro8432-WT printer fromTheMagicTouch you first start out. I think I’d like to have seen some improvement to the SpaceControl v.4 earlier on, but I’ve recently received the latest version and I’m currently in the process of trying it out. Is it easy to use? Do you have any tips on how to get the most out of it? It’s incredibly easy, once you know how. It’s hard to explain, you have to get used to this type of garment transfer, but I would highly recommend it. Tips would be that if you’re in a cold industrial unit like I am, then up the temperature by at least five degrees. Temperature is everything with this machine and the corresponding paper – if that’s off, then your sheet is lost. And these work out at around £3 per sheet! What sort of work is it used for? I use this machine for all sorts: bags, jackets, tees, hoods... I’ve done up to 90 pieces on this so far, which is probably the maximum I’d do. It’s perfect for multi-colour artwork. What other machines do you have and do you use any of them in combination with your Oki? I have the M&R Sidewinder 6/4 manual carousel. I’ve used this machine to print all the artwork on the front and back, then used the Oki Pro to do inner napes. What’s your advice to others thinking of investing in a digital printing system? I definitely think it’s a great thing to invest in. I went through TheMagicTouch and their support system is great. You email and you get an email straight back. Very straightforward. I’m always confident that if I have an issue halfway through a run, I can ring them to sort it out for me. www.oldeltonsprintstudio.com