Ryonet?

kannansmomma

Hi, I'm looking to start screen printing at a semi-pro level. I was looking at the Semi-Pro kit on silkscreeningsupplies.com and I'm wondering if it is a good product? I would like to keep my start up costs under $1200 right now and this kit seems to include everything. I'm hoping to start up a small business. Would this work? Thanks!!

brothersprinting

It would work... But that kit I think is a table top press which in my opinion are kinda cheap. The flash dryer is also not the best either. I think you'd be better off getting a regular press. Really all you need is a press, exposure unit, flash dryer, screens, squeegee, ink, emulsion, and chemicals. A conveyor dryer is really nice to have but not necessary. When I first started out I used a flash dryer to fully cure shirts. But if your going to go that route you definitely want to get a laser temp gun to make sure you are getting your ink hot enough to fully cure. Really your best be is to get used stuff. You should be able to get better quality equipment slightly used for what you are going to pay for that start up kit. Ryonet is great for chemicals and so on but their equipment is pricey but hey all new equipment is. Now that I think about it I don't think I ever bough brand new anything.. well except screens and squeegees.
Hope this helps
BCP

gotshirtz001

I concur with brothers...
Your press is the heart of your entire venture... and with presses (like most things) you get what you pay for. You CAN find good presses used, but dont expect to pay pennies on the dollar for a quality press. Its very rare that someone is totally in the dark about what they have. Be prepared to pay about 2/3 of new for a piece of used equipment that is in excellent condition. They best you may find is about 1/2 off the cost of new... and that press will need a few things to be perfect (knobs, stems etc...). Those CRAZY AWESOME deals come by every now and again... I found a barely use Workhorse 6/6 AHD ($5800 new) for $1600 once. The guy only ever set up one station and 5 of the 6 platens were still brand new in the box. That is the exception however.

I would recommend at least a Workhorse 4/4 to start (the teal one, not the grey Odyssey). If you decide you need all 6 colors (which sucks to print manually) then you can always upgrade. Personally, I found that anything over 2 colors was actually cheaper to outsource to a larger shop running automatics. You make less on the job but it frees up a lot of time for you to line up your next jobs. Not to mention, pricing standards in the industry continue to fall and if you're not running an automatic, its hard to compete on the larger volume multi color jobs..... more importantly, if you even think to attempt these larger complex jobs with a cheap press with dodgy registration, you'll be out of the biz before long.

Flash cure and a conveyor dryer are your next purchases. You will need both. Trying to be a professional grade printer while trying to cure shirts with a flash unit is a waste of time... you're better off just brokering from the outset.

Bottom line, the best advice I can give you is to know what kind of printing you plan to do before you buy equipment... if you're gonna be sports team guy, some equipment is better than others for that (fewer color press, numbering system). If you're gonna be clothing line guy, then there's other equipment you will need (oversize screens, HUGE flash etc...). If you're gonna be band shirt guy, buy cheaper equipment cuz you'll never make any money off your broke-*ss friends (haha).

If your interested in chatting some more, feel free to PM me.
I also have equipment left over from my transition out of production.

kannansmomma

Thanks so much for the replies.
I plan to start out printing onezies, bibs, and small designs on clothing for right now. I was hoping to get started for under $1200 for everything, that is why I was looking at the Ryonet kit. However, I do want the option to do any order that comes my way so it may be good for me to wait it out and get something of better quality, as you mentioned.

gotshirtz001

I think I just saw a semi-pro kit for sale used for $650 in GA.
4 and 1 ScreenPrint Equipment $650(CASh)

The biggest difference between the cheap presses and the expensive ones are the printheads. Obviously, the more functions they have, the more they cost.

You will need to look into the specialty inks that may be required for infants. I know that certain inks are not approved for use on baby clothes/accessories due to the potential for allergic reactions and such.

Best of luck!