r/CommercialPrinting

I have a Summa S2 160 T-Series on the job. Does our light work like kiss cutting decals for masking and whatnot. Every time I send a job to it from Flexi Production Manager, it scans my OPOS marks (top and bottom bars too) then returns to its home position without cutting the job. No errors. No backtalk. Just scans its OPOS and says its done without having done anything.

The only way I can make it work is to bring the RIP and Print back up in Flexi, (like I'm about to re-send the whole job from the artboard) and tell it to just send the contour. THEN it goes and does what it's supposed to.

I've reset the plotter itself, and re-installed the plotter through Production Manager, and looked at every setting and calibration I have, all to no avail. We are a one RIP shop, so I don't have Onyx or Caldera to fall back on to see if its a problem with the plotter or Flexi. If anybody has any ideas or has had a plotter with Sundowners themselves lemme know.

Hi all! I have been in the large format signage industry for six years. I started in production design setup, preparing files for print and CNC work then I went to college for design and now I do the front end Design work for another printing shop. I have decided that I am ready to be a business owner and become a freelance Graphic Designer but I don't want my shop experience to go to waste, however I do not want to own a printer etc. I have been thinking of offering production ready print files, permit proofs and maybe even vending whole signs. I have confidence in my Sales and Design abilities but thats about where my confidence ends, I dont come from wealth and I don't have a business owning community around me I can ask questions to so that alone makes me nervous about starting out right and its difficult to just get my brain into gear and do it.

Are there people in here who are currently doing what I am hoping to be doing so I can feel a little more comfortable going full steam ahead with getting my business license?

For anyone who’s made the jump to UV large-format printing, what’s something you wish you’d known before buying your first printer?

I got the hardware set up. It was 2nd hand got it for ~2000. No software included. What software and drivers do I need to run it? The website is relatively useless.

Thank you

Does anyone know a reliable printer for custom metal business cards with a quick turnaround? Im searching through google rn and trying to find one which offers 24H Printed Metal Cards. I’m mainly curious if the actual delivery matches the advertised timeline.Im not really sure if this the right sub to post it.

Any personal experiences would be appreciated.

Starting a T-shirt business can get confusing quickly because there are several popular ways to decorate apparel, and each method has different strengths depending on what you plan to sell.

Before buying equipment, it helps to ask a few practical questions:

What will you print most often?
Full-color logos, small left-chest prints, large back designs, names, numbers, or simple text?

What materials do you want to decorate?
Cotton, polyester, blends, dark garments, light garments, or non-apparel items?

How many orders do you expect to produce?
A few custom orders per week is very different from producing 100+ shirts regularly.

How much maintenance are you comfortable with?
Some systems require daily upkeep, while others are better suited for occasional or short-run use.

Here is a general breakdown of the most common options:

White Toner Transfer Printing
This method uses a laser/toner printer to print designs with white toner onto transfer media, which is then heat-pressed onto fabric or other compatible substrates. It can be useful for small runs, custom orders, light and dark garments, and some non-apparel products such as wood, acrylic, ceramic, glass, and metal. Since it uses toner instead of liquid ink, there is no daily ink maintenance. Results depend on the right transfer paper, adhesive, artwork setup, and pressing technique.

DTF Printing
Direct-to-film printing uses ink printed onto film, adhesive powder, curing, and heat pressing. It is popular for full-color apparel and works on many fabric types. It can be a strong option for shops focused mainly on garment production, especially when making transfers in bulk. The tradeoff is that it requires more workflow steps, maintenance, powder handling, and curing.

Sublimation
Sublimation works by turning ink into gas under heat so it bonds with polyester fibers or poly-coated blanks. It can produce bright, durable results on the right materials, especially polyester garments and coated hard goods. The limitation is that it does not work well on cotton, dark garments, or raw/uncoated hard goods.

HTV
Heat transfer vinyl is a lower-cost way to start. It works well for names, numbers, simple logos, and short runs. The main downside is that weeding and layering can become time-consuming, especially with detailed or multi-color designs.

Screen Printing
Screen printing is excellent for larger runs of the same design and can be very cost-effective at volume. However, it requires setup, screens, inks, space, cleanup, and more skill. It is usually less practical for lots of one-off custom orders.

There is no single best printer for every new T-shirt business. The right choice depends on your budget, order volume, materials, maintenance tolerance, and whether you want to focus only on apparel or offer a wider range of custom products.

For those already running a T-shirt or customization business: which method did you start with, and what would you choose differently now?

 

Like it says, Our shop is looking for a UV printer so we can run ADA in house, need suggestions. All of our current printers are HP Latex so we're looking for a UV printer with white & varnish channels so that we can run ADA signage with braille & raised inks. For now a smaller unit will be sufficient but in the future they would like to invest in a larger unit that can print full panels. Any & All advice is welcome. Thank you guys in advance.

I run sticker jobs through Versaworks, and when I compile a job it seems to go haywire and can't place the files in any efficient way that makes sense. Odd spacing, pieces intermingled. What are my options?

I’m going to be installing some pretty big printed vinyl panels by myself. They’re not huge, around 80 × 167 cm, and I have about 20 pieces to put up.I don’t see many people on YouTube using wet application for printed vinyl, but the print shop told me it’s fine. I’m just wondering if wet application has any downsides or if there’s something I should watch out for.

Hi I was just wondering what everyone's hourly wage is for running an 8 colour flexo press in the UK.