HELP ME Buy a Right Automatic Screen printing machines

[cleveprint]

we have an old 48" harco dryer that we run every single day.

[Sparkie]

....
So, Sparkie, what kind of numbers are you producing with your Electraprint? The simplicity does have certain appeal in some circumstances. Not everyone needs to buy and drive a Mercedes or BMW, and presses are designed to be more practical without the same aura of image generation as cars.

As a one man operation, for a 1 or 2 color design, I can print an average of 200-250 shirts per hour. I have a 36" x 11' (6' heat chamber) dryer, which is more than enough to handle the workflow. If push came to shove, those production numbers could be higher, but at my age (59), I'm in no hurry.   Print some, fold some, print some, fold some......

[Printficient]

....
So, Sparkie, what kind of numbers are you producing with your Electraprint? The simplicity does have certain appeal in some circumstances. Not everyone needs to buy and drive a Mercedes or BMW, and presses are designed to be more practical without the same aura of image generation as cars.

As a one man operation, for a 1 or 2 color design, I can print an average of 200-250 shirts per hour. I have a 36" x 11' (6' heat chamber) dryer, which is more than enough to handle the workflow. If push came to shove, those production numbers could be higher, but at my age (59), I'm in no hurry.   Print some, fold some, print some, fold some......

That is 10-11 hours for 2500 and 20-22 hours for 5000

[Kwan]

First, I want to take a moment to say to this organized community that how much I appreciate the great insight you all offering me on this thread. I know how much time, energy and brainstorming my project demands and I deeply appreciate all of your efforts to making it a great success for me. Again Warmest thanks to all.

Thanks Frog, all your inputs really help me to make my Tough situation good and easy. I will edit and update my first post shortly

Let's establish some pretty obvious points to get it back to being helpful and informative.

First, let's all agree that the heading is absolutely off base. Kwan is not looking for help buying his press, but obviously desperately needs help and guidance as he enters this industry.

Strongly Agreed

Second, let's accept the fact that he has not decided upon a specific press.

Strongly Agreed

Followed with the information that he has a need for 2500 shirts a week and definitely wants to produce them in house. (That itself is fodder for discussions of the practicality of that versus contracting it out as well)

Definitely wants to produce them in house - Strongly Agreed

Given those parameters, everyone has their opinions on presses (in fact, the opinions from another forum seemed to have helped him initially make his decision)
Over here, he has learned that he gets different suggestions.

Strongly Valid

Have you seen these presses at a show?

Have you visited shops in your area to both watch the process and see various presses in action?

It appears that you did not get to the show in NJ, bummer.

It is confirmed that I never attended any trade show.
So far all the knowledge and guidelines that has been gained, its from the help of fellow members.
These engaged member really help you grow (lol)

I think we are only seeing half the story.. The nature of their sneaker website and the number of visitors puts them in a special position to have a distribution in place with motivated and receptive customers.. Some of there post are dedicated to matching what to wear with the new kicks.. So why push other peoples shirts when they are setup to push their own.. It wouldn't take a year for them to make back their investment.. To do it right, they need at least 8 heads to be ready for offering any thing.. Some of these sneakers are loaded with colors.. I don't think a site that has come so far, would miss the obvious.

Thanks for your input, I agreed

Kwan- What made you want the S.Roque to begin with? Where did you take your screen printing class? Was it by chance through Ryonet?
Sorry if the questions are intrusive, it is just a S.Roque press(guess any auto press really) is not something you usually hear of someone looking to purchase if they don't have screen printing experience. Again, I am sorry if you feel offended by my question I mean no disrespect, I am just trying to wrap my head around this whole deal.

I was about to say the same. This all sounds Ryonetish to me.

Ya, but when he said he was working with Alan from TechSupport that threw me for a loop. Actually this whole post has me thrown for a loop.

I'm a big fan of highly modular systems in any equipment. It appears that, even if any modular presser exist, I may not be able to go far with my budget to have that. Therefore, this puts me in to the specific condition where I can only look for the system, which allow me to upgrade same system as I go instead of replacing whole unit.
To summarize this, I absolutely won’t take the route where I have to sell and then buy a different machine.
From my perspective S. Roque offers everything what we need. On the contrary, now I know more about screen printers (by joining forums) and now I can seen that I have many choices from a wide selection.

Currently I am in contact with following dealers, but haven't truly decided yet. THERE IS MUCH MORE TO EXPLORE with the help of fellow users;

S. Roque for "You P10M" 8 Color 10 Station MSRP $49k

Brown "ElectraPrint Junior Automatic Textile Printer AP810JA" 8 Color 10 Station MSRP $40k

M & R for "Diamondback S" 6 Color 8 Station MSRP $27k

Workhorse for "Freedom" 6 Color 8 Station Starting at 21,800

(Note to all above dealers (who are assisting me), thanks you all for your great services. Feedback will be written in this forum about your service after my purchase) 

More power to you Kwan! If you got the demand and backing to make it work that is awesome and you should be proud! You just have to understand all of us are coming from a position where we print(or job out) for more than just ourselves or one client. It is just a whole different dynamic for us.

Thanks

I say get the Brown, it is going to be the simplest way to get started, no compressor, only one electrical run for the flash and dryer, minimal cost for anything, if you are only going to print 2-3 days per week then keep it simple and if you find you hate the machine or printing in general there is always a garage shop that will take it off your hands.

Kwan, I run a Brown ElectraPrint Jr. and I promise you, 2500 pieces will NOT take you two years to print as ebscreen suggests. Brown may not be the leader of the pack, but it was my choice for many reasons:

1. Small footprint
2. All electric (110v)
3. EXCELLENT SERVICE & SUPPORT
4. Easy setup
5. Low maintenance

I believe you will be happy with ANY press you decide on. Your success will depend on how well you learn to operate it properly and to it's fullest capabilities. After many years of manual printing, it took me a month or so to get the hang of running an auto. The machine (ElectraPrint) is rock solid, and if you can live without some of the bells and whistles of some other autos, Brown could be the perfect choice for you as a beginner.

As a one man operation, for a 1 or 2 color design, I can print an average of 200-250 shirts per hour. I have a 36" x 11' (6' heat chamber) dryer, which is more than enough to handle the workflow. If push came to shove, those production numbers could be higher, but at my age (59), I'm in no hurry.   Print some, fold some, print some, fold some......

I do like their clever machines and its Specification, but some how they have many strong negative feedbacks (about their customer services, not on equipment) and I'm having a slight hesitation to move forward with them.

@ Mr. Sparkie, How would you describe their customer service experience, specially when you require their attention in emergency?

what kind of space are you putting this in? warehouse, garage, basement?

Thanks Ryan,
We may go for new location, drive in next to printer. Its very important to us avoid anything above 240 single phase.

Is an 8 color too much press?

could you do a 6 color if all you are printing is that 1 design?

Currently we are only working with 2 colors, however we are planing to do more in a future.

That being said, I would look for something that can be packaged together, press/dryer/exposure unit/screens etc. an all for 1 deal.

Yes we are going for Packaged deal.

Your venture though is big and important enough to consider a trip out to the the left coast and visit the ISS show in Long Beach in the middle of January.

There. you have a chance to see many of these equipment choices up close and personal, under one roof.
You also get the added benefit of meeting me, lol! and my partner Pierre, and a bunch of members with whom you've schmoozed and butted heads.

Wish I could make it and have demo unfortunately we need to make this purchase before New Year. But if somehow we fail then I will definitely visit.
Please accept my thanks for your kind invitation, I will be happy to attend and for sure look forward to see my team members.

[Sparkie]

I do like their clever machines and its Specification, but some how they have many strong negative feedbacks (about their customer services, not on equipment) and I'm having a slight hesitation to move forward with them.

@ Mr. Sparkie, How would you describe their customer service experience, specially when you require their attention in emergency?

Kwan, any time I've had an issue with my Brown equipment (dryer, flash, and ElectraPrint), Brown was on top of it with my first phone call to them. If a part was needed, it was shipped out that day. If it was a hands-on fix, they were able to talk me through it over the phone. My issues were sometimes operator error, and Brown still took the time to take my call and help me out.

This is my first automatic printer, and it has served me well. 90% of my orders are 1 and 2 color prints, and in order to save myself some money, I only have 4 of the 6 print heads installed on my machine. The other 2 heads can be added if and when needed. Mike at Brown went over and above to help me get the entire financial part of this deal to where I could afford the purchase.

I too have seen some of the bad experiences some have had with Brown support. Just remember, what you are seeing or hearing is only ONE side of the story. Do yourself a favor and talk to Brown, (or any other manufacturer), and get their side of the story before making any judgments.

Like you, I did my research, put my needs  before my wants, and in the end, Brown was the best fit for me.

[Gilligan]

A local friend of mine had a brown semi-automatic, when he decided to go full, he looked at a few other presses but went back to brown.

He's always been very happy with them and their service.

Personally, I won't be getting a brown, but that is because I have my own set of needs and wants.  Just don't let some "2 week" comment scare you off.

You can always find someone that isn't happy with every company... Even M&R has had ppl upset with their service and it's considered #1 in the business.

[GraphicDisorder]

Did someone tell him not to buy a Brown or that Brown was no good?

[Frog]

Did someone tell him not to buy a Brown or that Brown was no good?

eb used a little hyperbole and jokingly said that 2500 shirts would take two years on a Brown!

Then, there were some general mentions of hearing of poor service as well as good reviews from an actual user.

Point is, it's great that Kwan sees and explores the whole spectrum of available options.
I am not crazy about his self-imposed two week deadline though.

[Sparkie]

...I am not crazy about his self-imposed two week deadline though.

I agree. It took me many months of research to come to my decision. I strongly suggest that Kwan see various machines in action before making a decision. What works for one may not work for another.

[Kwan]

Actual decision to make a purchase in 2013 is came from our accounts department (I can't explain here).
However I am able to convince for extension and attend ISS show in january (if necessary).

[Sparkie]

Attending ISS would be most beneficial to you Kwan.

[blue moon]

don't forget to call Hirsch and get a quote on an MHM. They do set up fastest of any press which is where most of the time is wasted.

They have presses in stock and you should be able to have one by the end of the year. As a high end press, they are more expensive than what you are looking at now, but in my opinion they are worth it.

pierre

[blue moon]

I should add, that there is a used 8/10 press in like new condition up for sale at a significant discount. Problem is, you would not get the deduction you are looking for (my guess why you have to buy before the end of the year) as it does not apply to used equipment.

pierre

[Kwan]

Attending ISS would be most beneficial to you Kwan.

Thanks Sparkie, I may chose this route.

Problem is, you would not get the deduction you are looking for (my guess why you have to buy before the end of the year) as it does not apply to used equipment.pierre

Thanks Pierre, You absolutely correct on above.
We can wait to have machine until march, but we trying to make a purchase in year 2013.

[Ryan]

Going to iss will help. Get your building situation settled, electrical needs and then you can talk to manufacturers having more knowledge of your situation and what you need from a press. Most of the big manufacturers would be able to build a press that fits your needs but you'll be able to see a quite a few and see what you like at ISS

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