TSB

screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: brandon on June 28, 2019, 10:48:01 AM

Title: M-Link?
Post by: brandon on June 28, 2019, 10:48:01 AM
On the M&R website getting supplies rounded up for our CTS and noticed the M-Link is gone? Only the Digital Squeegee is listed. What happened?
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: RICK STEFANICK on June 28, 2019, 02:57:57 PM
On the M&R website getting supplies rounded up for our CTS and noticed the M-Link is gone? Only the Digital Squeegee is listed. What happened?
[/quot

The entry level DTG market is probably one the decided not to compete in and are only focusing on the DS. That would be my guess
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: brandon on June 28, 2019, 09:03:48 PM
I can see that plus other things. Interesting. The times are a changing.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: IntegriTees on June 29, 2019, 02:18:56 PM
Why pay $50k to print one shirt at a time when you can print 400 an hour with the digital squeegee?
Mine is getting installed the second week in July.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: mimosatexas on June 29, 2019, 03:05:20 PM
Different tools for different needs. We do screenprinting and DTG. Both departments make shirts and are busy all day. We screenprint around 10 to 20 times as many shirts as the DTG, but the DTG puts out around 50x as many skus in the same period. We do on demand production for around 1000 designs (probably many more, but I don't actually have a number). Only about 50 of those are screenprinted, and only about 20 of those are always done as screenprinting due to art, stock, or volume reasons. Maybe I'm missing something, but why would I want to tie up an auto for that kind of variety and volume vs a cheaper, smaller footprint machine?
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: ericheartsu on June 29, 2019, 06:41:44 PM
Different tools for different needs. We do screenprinting and DTG. Both departments make shirts and are busy all day. We screenprint around 10 to 20 times as many shirts as the DTG, but the DTG puts out around 50x as many skus in the same period. We do on demand production for around 1000 designs (probably many more, but I don't actually have a number). Only about 50 of those are screenprinted, and only about 20 of those are always done as screenprinting due to art, stock, or volume reasons. Maybe I'm missing something, but why would I want to tie up an auto for that kind of variety and volume vs a cheaper, smaller footprint machine?

This is a super valid point. But i believe tools like the DS will kill the full color market between 50 and 300pcs, where for most shops, it's cheaper and easier to print two bases, and use the DS for a flawless full color image.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: Maxie on June 30, 2019, 12:23:04 AM
I don't think you can compare the two machines.
With the digital squeegee as far I as know (maybe there is something knew that I don't know about) you have to print the white base, flash and then print the image with the digital squeegee.
This means that you have to make a base screen, register it and then print.     Not practical for small runs.
I have not seen or heard of any white bases that work without a lot of problems, drying in the screen, etc.      Remember you need a base that is compatible with the DTG inks.
A good DTG will print the white base and the better ones print the pre treatment as well.
It's good for small runs but all DTG machines requite a lot of maintenance, and they need to work a lot to stay trouble free.
It's not a unit that you can switch on now and again and print, you have to have a maintenance schedule and you are purging with expensive ink all the time.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: CBCB on June 30, 2019, 08:45:57 AM
Registering one spot colour screen versus 6+ for Sim Process and adjusting them to blend properly seems practical to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: brandon on June 30, 2019, 09:42:09 AM
Everyone has good points on here but I think that is another discussion thread. I was just curious if they stopped making it and are now putting everything into the digital squeegee series. That's all. But all good points one way or another.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: RICK STEFANICK on July 01, 2019, 10:56:11 AM
Registering one spot colour screen versus 6+ for Sim Process and adjusting them to blend properly seems practical to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Especially with tri-loc
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: mk162 on July 01, 2019, 11:21:55 AM
I think there is so much competition on low-mid range DTG printers that it's hard to make it work.  It's too bad because I think the M-link was one of the more impressive units.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: Frog on July 01, 2019, 11:24:32 AM
I think there is so much competition on low-mid range DTG printers that it's hard to make it work.  It's too bad because I think the M-link was one of the more impressive units.

Certainly better than their first attempt. The I-Dot seems to have somewhat been erased from history.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: mk162 on July 01, 2019, 12:45:19 PM
I think there is so much competition on low-mid range DTG printers that it's hard to make it work.  It's too bad because I think the M-link was one of the more impressive units.

Certainly better than their first attempt. The I-Dot seems to have somewhat been erased from history.

true, it also doesn't help that the first couple times I read i-dot it looked like idiot.
Title: Re: M-Link?
Post by: Frog on July 01, 2019, 01:24:20 PM
I think there is so much competition on low-mid range DTG printers that it's hard to make it work.  It's too bad because I think the M-link was one of the more impressive units.

Certainly better than their first attempt. The I-Dot seems to have somewhat been erased from history.

true, it also doesn't help that the first couple times I read i-dot it looked like idiot.

No, that would be how some of the adopters felt, LOL (though I think that I heard that folks were offered some assistance.)