All aboard the 6Tee6

Children’s DTG printing birthday parties is just one of the doors that Sixteesix’s Epson SureColor SC-F2000 DTG printer has opened for the company. Owner Mark Rhone tells all

What machine do you have? The Epson SureColor SC-F2000

How much did it cost? £14,000. I was so impressed I bought it outright.

When did you buy it? I bought it in February 2015. I always used to sublimate or ChomaBlast, but I happened to get in contact with Epson-reseller Adelco and decided to have a look at the Epson.

How has it been working out? It’s made my life so much easier. Before, I was offering same day prints for people, but having the Epson means I can scan and print it straight away. It’s so speedy, just unbelievable. It can print a white tee in under 30 seconds.

What has the customer response been like? They love it as it’s so great for doing one-offs and copies of photographs. I mainly use it for tricky or detailed logos and shadowing.

What is its best feature? The colours are fantastic.

Anything you’d like changed/tweaked? No, it actually amazes me. Even though I’ve had it since February, I’m still learning something new every day.

Any advice for others looking to buy it? Remember to look at the price of the ink. I wouldn’t use a copy ink, but I have put about £5,000 of ink through it since March, which is quite a lot.

Best way to market it? It has opened up so many doors for me. I’ve started giving children’s print parties where children get to create designs that are then printed on to T-shirts. For £20 per child we give them crayons and paper for the pictures, with the T-shirts included in the price. For extra appeal I’ve created a viewing platform that looks like a double-decker bus, the 6T6! Once the pictures are scanned the children climb aboard the bus and watch their design being printed. It’s fantastic seeing their faces as the T-shirts are printed!

As the pictures can be saved on the computer system it’s easy for the children to come back and buy tea towels for their grandparents, or a tote bag – anything really. The Epson has enabled me to expand my business in a number of very creative ways. Without it, I wouldn’t have the business I have today.

www.sixteesix.com

To read about other print shops’ DTG equipment choices view Printers and their DTG machine choices