Images_Digital_Edition_April_2019

www.images-magazine.com APRIL 2019 images 35 TIPS & TECHNIQUES one fully industrial printer for precisely the same reasons as outlined above. Demo designs The next step in purchasing a DTG printer is to find three suppliers and ask for a demonstration. All salespeople have their favourite designs to showcase their printer, but I suggest that you take two graphic files with you, preferably in a PNG or a good quality jpeg format, to see how your prints look. There are many sites online where you can find designs, but please make sure they are at least 300dpi. Normally, the salesperson will print two or three shirts for you. Most demo centres should have garments for you to print on, but it’s a good idea to take some of your own. That way you can make sure they are suitable for DTG – if not, hopefully the salesperson can advise why. Ask them to print some very small lettering so you can see how the quality stands up. Some printers are not very good at this, which is mainly down to the size of the ink drop. The printers with drop sizes of 3pl (picolitres) can produce very small letters with accuracy. Remember to check out the colours on the print in relation to your design‘s colours, but do bear in mind that colours on the screen are often not that accurate. It‘s always a good idea to have a go at using the printer yourself as it‘ll give you confidence and show you how easy it is to operate (and how easy it is to change the platens). This is a good point at which to ask about maintenance – how often will you have to carry out maintenance, and how easy is it? And what will happen if you need to leave the printer off for a certain period of time? Some printers can be switched off for up to 30 days while others will need to be left switched on for the ink to keep circulating, or may need to be flushed out after being turned off. The latter two will waste ink. Ask the salesperson to run through the return on investment, including the cost of ink, as this is a major factor. Make sure it‘s clear what will be included in the sale – for example, the printer, a set of ink, Rip software, platens and a starter kit of spray gun, pre-treatment solutions and protection paper. Ask if there are any add-ons, such as a web- to-print solution – how much will the software cost and what training is needed? Customers should ask about tech support – will the technicians visit in person or is it a ’return to base‘ warranty? You should choose a supply company that will visit you to train you up and repair any problems. As to how many technicians a distributor should have – we have four plus telephone support and we probably have around 600 printers out there. Fewer technicians to customers risks waiting longer for service, so ask the question. After the visit, take the sample garments you’ve printed home and do a wash test to see how the prints hold up to being laundered. Once you‘ve decided which printer to buy, from payment to install should be about two to three weeks. Ask about the installation procedure and how long the technician will spend with them. We send out a procedure letter before the install that explains what the customer needs to do beforehand, and what we will carry out. The training should be carried out on the same day as the install. Take your time in evaluating your requirements, find the best supplier and start making money. www.amayauk.com STAY CURIOUS Great Innovations are approaching Barcelona June, 20-25 Booth H3, A115 PERFECTION IN SCREENPRINTING R Munich May, 14-17 Booth A6-C55 GmbH German Partner Peter suggests taking your own designs when testing a DTG printer