www.images-magazine.com JUNE 2022 images 27 TIPS & TECHNIQUES ■ The cost of ink used when your DTG printer is on but not being used. ■ The cost of power when the machine is in use or left on 24/7 to prevent clogging of the ink. I’ve encountered many printers who do not understand why they do not seem to be able to make a profit. I always tell them that when they are looking at DTG equipment, whether it is to purchase a new machine or a replacement model, they need to ask the supplier how much ink is used in daily cleans, and how much power is used when the machine is left on 24/7 to enable the system to run the cleans. These costs need to be factored in when you are working out your prices. There are systems on the market, such as the Polyprint TexJet range of printers, that can be switched off whenever they are not in use, and this means that there will be no wasted ink when you are closed at the weekend, away on holiday or just not busy with your DTG service. Total peace of mind. My advice is to spend a couple of hours working out these hidden costs and be sure that you are enjoying the true profit margin your business needs. offering a print-on-demand service – is they are not focusing on what we call RCPP – ‘real cost per print’. While RIPs will give you the cost of ink for a design, and you should have an estimated cost of your pretreatment per shirt, what about all the other consumables you are using to keep the printer running and maintained? Most DTG printers on the market need to be powered on 24/7 to circulate the ink and stop it from clogging and blocking the system. For me, the RCPP should include: ■ The ink for the design. ■ The pretreatment for the garment. ■ The labour cost involved in printing the shirt and finishing and packing it, plus an allocation of time per week for maintenance of your system, which can then be divided by the number of shirts you are printing. ■ The cost of cleaning solution and accessories for daily/weekly cleans. ■ The cost of ink involved in head cleans that you run during a day of production, whether that is manual or if the system runs automatically to keep your print quality high. The Digital Factory Polyprint software offers lots of tools to help keep costs down and profits up
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