What do you use

[sweetts]

I was wondering if You guys could tell me what machines you  are using and what kind of production you turn out along with pros and cons and If you are happy with your Choice. I am kicking the idea around looking at a mod1, mpower or the small brother

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[mk162]

We run a Brother GT-541.  Couldn't be happier.  The machine is reliable and fast.

I would not buy anything with epson heads.  They just can't handle the viscosity of most dtg inks well.  And not to mention, they are slow.

I print an average of 30-45 shirts an hour for a decent size full chest and 60-80 an hour for left chest.

In the 7 years I've owned this machine, I have not had more than 1 day of downtime with over 80,000 prints.  I had to replace 1 head at $900 and the system battery $3, oh and a wiper blade $40.  The maintenance isn't much at all.

The downside is it doesn't print white ink and some colors are hard to achieve.

That being said, I am looking at upgrading my printer to the Brother GT3 with 4 white heads.  I will simply not have another DTG machine in here other than Brother.  That machine is a tank.  I am sure there are other option just as good, but the simplicity of the Brother and the reliability makes it perfect for us.

[sweetts]

Great that's the info I am looking For What would you say ink cost is vs screen printing? I understand its  tough to set in stone but if you had to estimate once vs the other

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[mk162]

it really depends on the image size and ink coverage.  I would say most of my prints are in the $.65 range for ink.  Left chests are usually around $.15.

The ink cost is higher, but it works out with no screens, films or setups.

[sweetts]

I have been thinking it might be a better way to go for me most runs are under 100 units and it would be easier to setup and print multi color work saving me some time I would think with out all the cleanup and burning of screens setup and what not it might be a better route to take. Keep the screen printing for bigger runs. The only down side is the investment price to start.

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[mk162]

keep your eyes open for a used brother unit.  When I make the switch, I will probably let mine go for between $6-8K

[newuser12345]

sweetts - what did you end up deciding?

[sweetts]

Well I am still socking money away for it and have not pullef the trigger but I am leaning heavy towards the brother. For its price it seems to be the machine with good support, easily serviceable and the consumables (ink) seems OK priced. Also some of the other machines seem to have some quirky software

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[mk162]

the brother unit is hands down the most dependable machine I have here.  It just prints when you turn it on.  Yes, ink is a little more per print, but when you can't print a job, how much is that bargain ink saving you?