Impressions - January/February 2023 - 27

EMBROIDERY SHOP
Since my expertise is in setting up heat transfer and screen-printing
shops, I reached out to industry embroidery expert Erich Campbell
for his advice in starting up an embroidery shop. In response, he emphasized
that, as is the case with any type of manufacturing, the kind
of embroidery equipment you start out with will largely depend on the
kind of market you are getting into.
" You can't go wrong by starting out with a solid single-head multi-needle
machine, " Erich says. " Make sure, though, that you have all the accessories
needed. Even for a single head, have two of any hoop size that
you will use frequently. You should always be able to hoop a second run
on any machine while the current run is underway. "
You get what you pay for when investing in a screen-printing setup
and inks. Team up with your local graphics supply house for a full
quote on the equipment you're going to want to get started.
AUTOMATED SCREEN PRINTING
Th ere are a number of manufactures of automatic screen-printing presses
that off er small to large format presses for those looking to take their
production capabilities to the next level. Many fi rst-time automatic
press buyers start out with a six-color, eight-station press or smaller
due to restricted shop space. However, my recommendation is to start
with at least an eight-color, 10-station unit, if at all possible, to keep
from being in any way limited in terms of your production capabilities
farther down the road.
Small automatic shops typically start with a 36-inch-wide belt dryer
and a 6-foot heating tunnel. Again, though, it's always better to start out
with a dryer that is slightly larger than is needed to allow for future production
growth. Th e ideal dryer size to run with an automatic includes a
48-inch or 60-inch-wide belt with an 8-foot or 12-foot heating section.
Be warned, an automatic screen print shop requires a whole host of
other pieces of equipment, including a large air compressor, a substantial
screen washout booth and pressure washer, pre-registration system,
oversized screen exposure unit and more. Consult your graphics supply
distributor for compete shop quote.
DIRECT TO GARMENT SHOP
Direct-to-garment printers are excellent for printing short-run orders
and for quick turnaround times on customized garment orders. Many
shops start out with a tabletop DTG printer, a setup that also requires
a garment pretreatment machine and heat-curing equipment like a
standard heat press or a conveyor dryer for larger DTG operations.
Today's DTG machines have come a long way since their introduction
in terms of preventing print heads from clogging. However, with
any DTG machine it is still important to run these machines daily to
prevent the ink from causing problems. Support after the sale is another
important part of buying a DTG machine, so check in advance if the
distributor that you are buying from has a support system in place for
any issues that might arise.
Developing and following through with a comprehensive maintenance
plan in a digital shop is important to prevent down time and maintain
the highest print quality. Before buying a DTG system, it is also important
to research the availability of replacement parts and make sure the
price for the inks and supplies are in line with other DTG equipment
suppliers on the market.
DTG printers, like this brother model, are great for printing short-run
orders and facilitating quick turnaround times
JAN./FEB. 2023
P.27
For those starting out in the embroidery business, you can't go wrong
with a rock-solid single-head multi-needle machine
As you expand, Erich says, " Th ink twice before you trade in that single-head
machine for a multi-head. Multi-head machines are great for
larger runs, but having a single-head for personalization, sampling and
fi ll-in work is versatile, and many shops that cater to customers with
small-run orders elect to run a small fl eet of single heads instead of
moving to larger multi-head equipment when they expand. "
As for those looking to grow their production capacity, Erich says,
" In the mid-sized shops one winning strategy is to have two multi-head
machines and two single-head machines, with one of each set up for fl at
goods and the other set up for hats. Th is is a versatile setup that reduces
the amount of time spent switching over. "
Whichever method of garment decoration you decide to go with, be
sure you choose a machine manufacture and equipment distributor that
will be there to back you with the support, supplies and service after
the sale and good luck with your new business venture in the garment
decoration industry! 
James Ortolani has 40 years of experience in the decorated apparel
industry, specializing in hands-on, direct screen printing and heat-transfer
production. For more information or to comment on this article, email James
at Jamesort12@yahoo.com.
Impressions - January/February 2023

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