Author Topic: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??  (Read 4194 times)

Offline whitewater

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can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« on: May 27, 2011, 10:47:22 AM »
just wondering.....

light blue tee...black ink...left chest and back


Guess I need an auto sooner than later...


Offline Clark

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2011, 10:50:39 AM »
I printed 20K+  2 over 2 on a manual.  So yeah, it can be done.  I hired a printer and paid him by the piece instead of hourly, and he knocked it out in a few weeks.  But I had another press that was doing all the other work during that time. 

Offline Denis Kolar

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2011, 10:50:57 AM »
1000/day for two weeks (week days)

You will be SORE. How about outsource to a bigger shop, plenty of them on this board. Take money with no work involved (I know, I'm not that kind of guy either)

Offline Northland

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2011, 11:02:21 AM »
If you contract it out.... the contract printer may be able to get the shirts a little cheaper than you. Which would help offset shipping costs.
This is a 40 hour job in most auto shops (20 hours per side).

Offline Clark

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2011, 11:19:30 AM »
If you contract it out.... the contract printer may be able to get the shirts a little cheaper than you. Which would help offset shipping costs.
This is a 40 hour job in most auto shops (20 hours per side).

I don't know of any contract printers that will front the money for 10K shirts so their client can save a few pennies on the garments.  YOu have to remember, most contract printers don't order shirt very often.  Like me, I print a crap load of shirts, but a small retail shop probably orders more shirts per year than me.  At that quantity, you'll probably be getting the same price anyway.

Offline GraphicDisorder

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2011, 11:28:09 AM »
just wondering.....

light blue tee...black ink...left chest and back


Guess I need an auto sooner than later...

You could do it, but consider this much, any regular business you would have durring that time you would have to put off in favor of doing 1 order.  In other words tick off a few clients for 1.  Unless you have multiple manuals and other people to man them. 

I would say that would take you a long time on a manual! 

Are you sure the client would wait that long?  Also will you make enough money to do the job?  Are you sure you cant outsource it and it be done faster and you still make some money?
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Offline ZooCity

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2011, 11:45:26 AM »
At 10k pcs, being it's only single color front and back and black no less, I'd go for it.  But I would do something like Clark did and set someone else up doing it on another press.  Grab a used manual (all you need is for one head and one station to function) get the beer, find the friend who needs some cash and has nothing to do for a week and rip it out.  Then put that $ in a cookie jar for the auto. 

The only issue I see with it is having to deal with the incessant stream of blue Ts on the dryer belt while you work on other jobs.

Another take is to assemble a crew of three more people on your main press- loader, puller, catcher and you as the printer.  I do this for the big jobs and it works pretty well, you can get at least 350 pcs/hour this way and probably more if you have a larger dryer than us. 

Offline Scobey Peterman

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2011, 11:59:59 AM »
We did 3k one time, full ft & back.  We used a speed table.  One loaded, I printed and took of and put on the belt, one person stacked. We were able to print a case, front & back in an hour.

10k, I would farm it out.
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Offline whitewater

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #8 on: May 27, 2011, 12:30:28 PM »
At 10k pcs, being it's only single color front and back and black no less, I'd go for it.  But I would do something like Clark did and set someone else up doing it on another press.  Grab a used manual (all you need is for one head and one station to function) get the beer, find the friend who needs some cash and has nothing to do for a week and rip it out.  Then put that $ in a cookie jar for the auto. 

The only issue I see with it is having to deal with the incessant stream of blue Ts on the dryer belt while you work on other jobs.

Another take is to assemble a crew of three more people on your main press- loader, puller, catcher and you as the printer.  I do this for the big jobs and it works pretty well, you can get at least 350 pcs/hour this way and probably more if you have a larger dryer than us.

you know....I do have my first crappy press in the corner that would work........hhhmmmmm....

I may farm it out though...


Offline tonypep

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2011, 12:54:10 PM »
Not sure where you are located but we could do it in three days......but you have to act fast there's a crap ton of work coming down the pipeline pretty soon
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Offline killergraphics

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2011, 01:28:19 PM »
I did 5000 6 color sim on black one time on a manual.

It would be no dought in my mind I would let Tony do them for you or even Jay is he closer to you?

Offline blue moon

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2011, 01:54:11 PM »
Jay should be pretty close, I am not to far away. You could rent a truck and pick them up to save on shipping . . .
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!

Offline killergraphics

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2011, 03:13:33 PM »
He should be free inbound.

And man a truck would save a bunch on the trip to your customer.

Offline whitewater

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #13 on: May 27, 2011, 04:10:20 PM »
Yeah i'm in ny...I talked to jay already....not sure if it will work out...he's busy...I'll keep everyone else in mind...would be helpful if I could pick up.


Offline blue moon

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Re: can i do 10,000 shirts on a manual press??
« Reply #14 on: May 27, 2011, 05:11:45 PM »
Yeah i'm in ny...I talked to jay already....not sure if it will work out...he's busy...I'll keep everyone else in mind...would be helpful if I could pick up.

 I can get them done, but I am 7 hours away. Steve (SBrem) should be pretty close and I believe he has the capacity to turn those around and should be only few hours away. Don't forget Sammy!
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!