Craftrobo C330-20.

Target Transfers Launch the NEW NEW CC330-20 Craft Robo Textile A4 Vinyl Cutter
The new model has all the features of the CC220-20 but also has Auto Feed System and SD Card Reader.
The Craft Robo range is simple to use and . Its unique cutting tools ensures fingers stay safe, and using a coloured tip system allows you to change your cutting depth easily. Cutting onto the patented carrier sheet allows you to die cut shapes out of many different materials. You can cut sign vinyl, Cad-Cut textile t-shirt vinyl, adhesive sheets, card, paper and many other types of media.
The Robo Master software is so easy to use, cutting the most intricate shapes is simple.
New Features For The CC330-20?The new Craft Robo now comes with an auto-feed function, just line the paper up and press the feed button. This helps with accurate loading for printer registration mark recognition.
The unit also features an SD card reader which allows you to save your designs on your SD card and then select them directly using the LCD menu screen on the Craft Robo, ideal if you take your Craft Robo away from your computer.
Main Features A4 cutting area for cutting printed material and you can cut up to 1000mm long if cutting without the cutting mat.
The Craft Robo has an Optical Eye so it can read printer registration marks. This means you can print a graphic from any printer, insert the print out into your Craft Robo and then cut any shape, allowing you to create bespoke shaped labels.
Robo Master Software The Craft Robo software is so simply to use. You can draw, type text, create shapes and import graphics.
Computerised Die Cutting Full die cutting of paper, card or vinyl, perforated cutting available for fold lines.
All Software Included Not only do you get the Robo Master software the Craft Robo also includes plug in software for Adobe Illustrator and import of Corel Draw files.
Cut Printed Images Alignment of printed material is automatically done using the registration mark sensor. Easy to cut the outline of printed material precisely.
Tutorial kit included Full project tutorial kit including sample media, tutorial booklet and templates. Everything you need is in the box.
Cutting Force The cutting force has increased on the new Craft Robo by 50% from 150g to 230g, enabling you to cut a wider range of materials
Supporting 11 Local Languages 11 local languages for the Plug-in Driver 5 local languages for the ROBO Controller
New cutter set New improved design for cutter plunger. 2 levels of cutting force can be selected by plunger setting angle.
New improved design New design giving a 15 % reduction in weight Read More..

Direct to Garment Printing (DTG)

DTG is a relatively new fabric printing method that prints an image directly onto a garment or fabric through what is essentially a modified version of a traditional inkjet printer. Think of a regular inkjet printer which has been modified to “accept” garments instead of paper. The ink is printed directly onto fabric which results in exceptional “hand” (common term in the industry referring to how a garment feels once the image or design has been printed on it), and offers more flexibility than screenprinting in terms of color variation and turn-around time (especially for smaller orders).

Originally it was best suited for light garments as white ink was not available. As the technology continues to advance, however, major DTG printing providers are adding dark garments to their lists.

Since the technology is relatively new it is more likely that small to medium-sized businesses will be able to incorporate a DTG printer into their operation as they are quite expensive. To give you an idea, I was at a trade show in Atlantic City marveling at a DTG printer in the process of printing a t-shirt when I was told the machine would cost upwards of US$10,000. For me, the discussion stopped right there…

Long story short, DTG printing is not for everyone-at least not at this point. It suffers from mixed reviews. Determining if its right for your business will depend on your own judgement and research. How “good” or “bad” it is seems to vary depending on the type of business, its client base, and individual experiences. It is important to remember, however, that it is a relatively new technology and once perfected could change the lives of many a t-shirt printer due to its flexibility.

Here is an exert from an article on www.impressionsmag.com by Mark Collins in which he pits DTG printing against Sublimation ink printing (a heat transfer process):

The DTG Process
…Direct-to-garment (DTG), also known as inkjet-to-garment printing, involves using a printer to print ink directly onto a cotton garment and curing the ink with a heat press. There is very little set-up time, which usually involves little more than sizing the image correctly in Adobe Photoshop or CorelDraw. There is one limitation — I can print only light shirts via DTG because I have not yet found a printer with a “white ink solution” to inkjet print on darks that I think could work in my production environment.

Since my shop prints about 275 to 350 shirts a day using DTG, I shopped for a printer that could produce that volume without much maintenance or down time. I chose the Brother GT-541 and have found it to be a reliable and fast four-color (CMYK) printer that works for my needs.

I looked at printers with 8-color printheads that can produce a larger color gamut and finer detail, but the speed was more important to me.

Inkjet printing directly to a shirt obviously cannot yield the same image quality as inkjet printing to paper — just as printing on copy paper can’t compare to printing on high-quality photo paper. The substrate dictates the limits of your image quality.

Knowing that, I shop for blank garments that are closer to “photo” paper than “copy” paper. I look for thread count and a fine, dense weave that will provide a better print surface. I avoid garments with too much fluff, or pile, because that inhibits the inkjet process. Ring-spun cotton is softer and more expensive, but that soft hand comes from all the tiny fibers that stick up off the fabric.

These tiny fibers block some of the sprayed ink from making a solid bond with the shirt and little bits of the image wash away as the fibers wear off. These tiny fibers also can lift up immediately after being printed, exposing areas that did not get full ink absorption. Avoid both problems by using shirts woven from open-ended yarn, or yarn that is card spun. Read More..