You will find that there are a lot of screen print equipment packages on the market today. Some of these are meant to be affordable for start-up businesses while others are meant to keep your ongoing costs down. It is important to know what you want to accomplish before looking at these packages so that you are sure to choose the one that fits your needs best. In doing so you will find that most complete packages include an exposure unit, dryer, printer, spot dryer and supplies. Otherwise you will find that the packages vary in the following manner.
Budget Packages
This is a great option for whenever you want to get started with screen printing but don’t have a lot of money to invest therein. It will include a screen maker, a printer and a dryer so that you can produce between 20 to 30 shirts per hour. All you need is a 6’ table to set your equipment up on. As far as supplies are concerned, you will receive:
- Metal frames with metal clamps
- Wooden frames
- White print squares
- Squeegees in different sizes
- Pallet knives
- Block-out
- White-out
- A carbon pen
- Spray adhesive
- Citrus spray
- Paper
- Temperature labels
- Double face tape
- Packing tape
- Scrubs-in-a-bucket
- A box of super wipes
- Some glass cleaner
- Ink (usually yellow, red, blue, black and white)
Sometimes you will also receive instructional materials that will teach you how to use all of these things.
New Business Packages
Whenever you need a solution to help you develop your business and are ready to print between 70 and 80 shirts per hour, this is the package you’ll need. It includes a printer that can be set up in as little as 150 square feet, a screen maker exposure unit, a convection tunnel dryer and an infrared manual spot cure unit. The supplies that will usually be included are:
- Metal frames with frame clamps
- Wooden frames
- White print squares
- Charcoal print squares
- Several squeegees
- Pallet knives
- Block-out
- White-out
- A carbon pen
- Spray adhesive
- Citrus spray
- Paper
- Temperature labels
- Double face tape
- Packing tape
- Scrubs-in-a-bucket
- A box of super wipes
- Glass cleaner
- Several different inks (yellow, red, blue, back and white)
Professional Packages
Once you are doing a high volume of printing you will want to be able to quickly process orders. With this package you will receive everything that is included within the new business package along with a screen maker, mesh screens, a metal stretch frame with clamps, block-out, printing and drying equipment, a floor model printer, a conveyor dryer, an infra red automatic spot cure unit and an infra red heat gun. Your supplies will include:
- Metal frames with frame clamps
- Wooden frames
- A white print square
- A charcoal print square
- Several Squeegees
- Pallet knives
- A spot cleaning gun kit
- A graphics light table
- Plastisol inks (yellow, red, blue, black and white)
In Conclusion
Knowing what screen print equipment package you will need is an important first step. Once you have this information you can choose the best package for you. Of course, it does help to take some time to look around and see what companies have to offer and who is offering the best price. Whenever you find a company that you want to work with you will be off to a great start with your turn-key business.