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FEBRUARY 2017 images 49
What is the capital cost of the
hybrid, and the ongoing costs?
CM: The hybrid system excluding the screen printing
press starts at £9,950. This does include the direct-to-
screen process, CMYK white T-shirt printing and, of
course, dark garment printing when used for hybrid print-
ing. Running costs are very low due to the R-Jet/Free-
Styler using thermal print heads. This makes it practically
zero maintenance with the benefit of never replacing
expensive print heads.
NV: The Hybrid can come in different configurations
(different number of print heads, different size, etcetera)
so the capital cost depends on the chosen configuration.
Something that the owner of a digital printer must have
in mind is that the print heads are replacement parts, and
their replacement is a significant cost. Their lifetime is
shorter than the lifetime of the machine. We can make an
analogy between the print heads and the tyres of a car: if
a car has a normal level of use, the tyres will not last the
lifetime of the car – they will wear out.
JW: If the customer already has a manual carousel or
a single station, with micro-head adjustment, the only
additional cost would be the Texjet DTG printers and the
necessary brackets for the screen press. Ongoing costs
would simply be the DTG inks and any necessary con-
sumable parts on the printers.
ME: The FreeStyler computer-to-screen with the optional
DTG Hybrid option with a starter pack of CMYK inks and
T-shirt platens will retail in the UK for £10,995. The only
ongoing costs are the ink cartridges. Print head reliabil-
ity is not a factor with the FreeStyler as the print head is
integral to the ink cartridge and is therefore a disposable
item.
OL: The price of the Paradigm system is 110,000 Euros.
The only investment one will have is the system itself as
it uses the existing screen printing infrastructure. After
that, you will have the ink and consumables cost which
are typically low as the digital component will print only
the CMYK portion of the image, not the white. And you
should calculate some amount for an extended warranty
after the first year.
GB: Cost can vary from around US$100,000 to over
US$800,000 depending on the unit. Ongoing costs are
the minimal costs associated with routine maintenance.
What’s the best way to make money
from a hybrid?
NV: The real deal here is that a printer will be able to output
jobs that they couldn’t before and almost no-one can today.
They can run a production of 450 pieces an hour with digital
printing quality and add to it glitter or foil or any other special
screen printing effect, and do all of this in the same process
with one, maybe two operators. When you are able to supply a
higher quality service, you are able to charge more. That is how
a printer can make money with the Hybrid. And of course if the
customer only needs digital, they can do it, and if the customer
needs only screen printing, they can also do it. With the Hybrid
the options are endless.
JW: By utilising the superior print quality and feel, it will enable
the garment decorator to increase the margin in their printed
apparel. It is definitely a unique selling point, which will enable
them to achieve a higher sale price, along with the benefits of
quick turnaround on small to medium size runs, which ordinari-
ly attract a higher margin.
ME: Fundamentally the cost of DTG printing is always going to
be more expensive than conventional screen printing. Therefore
concentrate on how it adds value to the garment decoration
process such as short run, specialist designs or medium run
prints on dark shirts where substituting a screen print white
underbase for the digital white ink can produce cost savings.
OL: In garment decoration, margin is a direct function of cre-
ativity in the business model and in the design. In terms of run
length, the ‘sweet spot’ will be medium run lengths–50 to 500
units per job–and jobs with multiple screens as this is where
you can save most compared to screen printing only.
GB: By combining the four-colour digital process with the
speciality printing techniques of screen printing at competitive
price points, you will be able to achieve the higher efficiency
and lower cost to manufacture from the hybrid set-up.
CM: The complex colour designs used for textile printing are
very well suited to hybrid printing. When the print run is too low
for a multiple screen set-up or too high for DTG printing, this is
where the most money can be made. All systems are different,
but as a general rule anything from 10 to 200 dark shirts will
normally be best suited to hybrid printing.