Anatol part Deux...

Northland · April 12th, 2012, 08:17 PM

Well... the first Anatol thread got hijacked and sidetracked to the point of comic farce. But being an Anatol owner, I'll interject my experience and opinion.

I'll avoid the whole... my press is better than your press argument.
Truth be told, I think it's all about selecting the correct press (size and options) to match your business plan.

I have a 6x5 Anatol Titan.... will it allow me to compete with every shop??
Hell no.
Does it allow me to compete for 1-3 color jobs?
You bet.
There's a sweet spot in the <200 shirt market for small timers like me. The price was right and it does everything I was told it would do.

Will the servo last?
I'm spinning an 8' carousel, typically at about 250/shirts/hr (I work alone).
So ya... it will last.

Is the step-back a "killer" feature?
I don't know... I would prefer to concentrate on getting the job done in one hit. A properly tensioned screen, with the correct mesh, good EOM, the right blade duro, correct blade speed/angle,the appropriate ink... problem solved. A highlight white screen when needed.
I like the thought of having the step-back... but for me it's not a deal breaker.

Is a cool down station necessary?
If using a Quartz flash at 250/hr, dialed in to the best setting... no cool down is required.
Some folks are nailing 1000/hr.. so ya, a cool down is probably needed.

So, that much we can probably "agree to disagree" on.
Not all shops have the same operations concerns.
The successful shop will find a way to choose the press that fits their needs.

Prosperi-Tees · April 12th, 2012, 09:11 PM

The Titan is a solid little machine. I almost pulled the trigger on one last year but that 16x16 print size made me say no. Everyone says get more colors but in 3 years I have not sold more than a 2 color print, that's just the market I'm in so the Titan would be perfect if it could only print a few inches more longer. Oh and the odd sized frames are a bit weird as well.

The Bumper · April 12th, 2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northland

Well... the first Anatol thread got hijacked and sidetracked to the point of comic farce. But being an Anatol owner, I'll interject my experience and opinion.

I'll avoid the whole... my press is better than your press argument.
Truth be told, I think it's all about selecting the correct press (size and options) to match your business plan.

I have a 6x5 Anatol Titan.... will it allow me to compete with every shop??
Hell no.
Does it allow me to compete for 1-3 color jobs?
You bet.
There's a sweet spot in the <200 shirt market for small timers like me. The price was right and it does everything I was told it would do.

Will the servo last?
I'm spinning an 8' carousel, typically at about 250/shirts/hr (I work alone).
So ya... it will last.

Is the step-back a "killer" feature?
I don't know... I would prefer to concentrate on getting the job done in one hit. A properly tensioned screen, with the correct mesh, good EOM, the right blade duro, correct blade speed/angle,the appropriate ink... problem solved. A highlight white screen when needed.
I like the thought of having the step-back... but for me it's not a deal breaker.

Is a cool down station necessary?
If using a Quartz flash at 250/hr, dialed in to the best setting... no cool down is required.
Some folks are nailing 1000/hr.. so ya, a cool down is probably needed.

So, that much we can probably "agree to disagree" on.
Not all shops have the same operations concerns.
The successful shop will find a way to choose the press that fits their needs.

Good post/thread.
Glad that you are happy with your setup, that's all that matters!

GraphicDisorder · April 12th, 2012, 11:32 PM

When I looked at Anatol I was satisfied that they built a good product. Almost bought one even. I am super happy with my m&r purchase but Anatol also builds a good product and all told people seem to also get their machines when they order and pay for one. That's a big bonus compared to some others!