Lost Job due to colors!!! (Press doesn't have enough capability)

[3Deep]

Had a nice little job about 100 or so shirts light color, offered a cymk/ sim process but they really didn't understand that and wanted the color's very bright which would have been about 8 to 10 colors front and back and we only print up to 7 colors light and 6 dark.  I know most of you have pretty large press's and can handle 10 to 12 colors, but how often do you get that type of job not counting Danny LOL, I think this is the only job we've never been able to do, guess I could have contracted it out but 100 plus shirts? I don't see this being a trend around here I hope 

Frog I posted this here because it's about equipment, but if you have to move it do so

edit: I just added a little to the subject to help steer it in the direction of equipment

[jvanick]

with a 10 color print, even on white, you'd still probably be looking at least at a few flashes to keep everything perfect.

we've only had a few 9 color prints on our press...

our bread and butter is 1-3 colors.

for 100 shirts 10 color it would be over $12 per shirt for our retail pricing (just 1 side on a white shirt)... can't see too many people spending that much, but I'd take their cash if they wanted to pay us.

[Homer]

D, I would bet a dozen donuts if you sent the art to a guy like Scott @ Myseps, he could have got the count down for you. Unless you have neon colors or something like that.

I never explain the print process to people, they don't know -or probably don't care- what you are talking about. This is where print samples come into play. Our showroom walls are covered in various examples.

[Admiral]

I'm not sure we have lost stuff due to colors really.  It would have to be a high quantity order and a ton of colors for us to lose it, because like you said who wants to pay for 10 screens with a 100 shirt order?

We have definitely done several 9 screen orders, maybe one or two 10 screen orders.  Our biggest press is 12 color, so ideally we cap it at 8 screens (7 colors typically).  6+ colors is rare but does happen often enough for us, probably once a week for custom stuff.

[bimmridder]

We have 2 16 color, and one 14. All have three flashes in them. We also have an oval that has 22 stations, true 14 usable heads (four head left off for flashes and cool stations). We print tons of spot color, butt register jobs (I call them boring) averaging five screens but many times going 8 and 9 colors. Probably 75% on darks. We don't blink and eye anymore when those come through. Our market is a bit different than most of yours. It's just what we do and how we do it.

[ebscreen]

We had never lost a job with a 10 color press, but since installing a 14 color we've maxed it out almost weekly, lights and darks.
If you build it they will come....

[GraphicDisorder]

Lost jobs weekly on our 8 color, still losing some from time to time on our 12 color. I think 18 color would be the ticket.

[Frog]

We had never lost a job with a 10 color press, but since installing a 14 color we've maxed it out almost weekly, lights and darks.
If you build it they will come....

When we added machines with more heads at Andy's, just like software writers bloating their programs to sap all increased computing power, the artists were able to use all of the colors (even if it meant three different if indiscernible reds! LOL!

[Underbase37]

We had never lost a job with a 10 color press, but since installing a 14 color we've maxed it out almost weekly, lights and darks.
If you build it they will come....

This.^^

Murphy

[DannyGruninger]

We are looking to put in two 18 color presses here pretty soon as we are maxing out the 12 color stuff all the time now. When a client wants sim process + foil or flocking having the larger press is the only option. Our oval here allows us to do a lot with 10 heads on it though as we can flash anywhere we want on that machine up to 9 flashes total. Ideally a roq oval 20 print heads w/ 36 pallets would be the ticket but that is one pricey machine!

[3Deep]

I don't think I have to worry to much here our bread and butter is 1 to 3 colors and we do max out the press from time to time, I would love to have a 10/12, but we just don't have the space for it.  With me doing the art I pretty much can dictate the outcome of the art colors, it's just when people bring in some of there master piece's.

[Sbrem]

You could always use one of your friends here to print that for you; we have a 10 color, most sim we print with 7 or 8...

Steve

[LuckyFlyinROUSH]

 We've got a 16 color...we have printed 10 colors exactly 1ce. Mostly 8 colors.

If we couldn't handle a job we would contract it out to Bimm or Danny, or anyone that has a larger press just to keep the business.

[ZooCity]

We suck it up and revolve a lot of jobs here.  I'm not a fan but it gets it done.  Daryl, you might be able to just eat the extra time and revolve some of these jobs v. having to take a hit on the margin by contracting?

I agree that color counts seem to be going back up. 

When I got into this low color was popular and we still sell the low color count, good art, wb/dc printing, great/soft shirt combo hard here but I'm seeing a trend for the monster color count orders from some clients. 

What makes me think it's an actual market trend is that the folks requesting the high color count runs aren't balking at costs, they want those colors.  Definitely wasn't the case in years past in my experience.

[ebscreen]

I agree that color counts seem to be going back up. 

When I got into this low color was popular and we still sell the low color count, good art, wb/dc printing, great/soft shirt combo hard here but I'm seeing a trend for the monster color count orders from some clients. 

What makes me think it's an actual market trend is that the folks requesting the high color count runs aren't balking at costs, they want those colors.  Definitely wasn't the case in years past in my experience.

Yep, same exact thing here.