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21 January, 2009 Swinger DTD -- Official Press Release By Justin Walker www.archangelprinting.com |
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Reliability, speed and simplicity; these have been some of the key selling points for the
Brother GT-541, since its release several years ago. Hundreds, if not thousands of
machines later, the GT-541 is still going strong. Though overall, feedback about the
machine is overwhelmingly positive, there is one glaringly obvious shortcoming, which
inevitably comes up in every conversation; the lack of white ink for dark garment
printing. While Brother has responded in kind with the new GT-782, its high price tag
and potentially obscene consumables costs might keep it out of reach of the average
print shop. Checking in at an estimated $50-55,000, the GT-782 will fill a definitive gap in
the technology for those fortunate enough to be able to afford one. Even Brother
promotes the new printer as being recommended for "larger production shops", which
excludes a large portion of machine owners and mom-and-pop shops.
Up until recently, many Brother GT-541 owners have been forced to outsource their dark garment printing, or else turn away orders. Left with few alternatives, machine owners often tire of trying to convince a potential client that they want a white shirt, not a black one. An Anaheim, Ca. based company, called Blackbyrd Design, recognized this issue as a serious one, and decided to take action. Working with top-notch screen printers, as well as special engineers and GT-541 owners, the company has developed a system for printing on dark garments, using existing GT-541 technology! Utilizing a K-IS- S philosophy, Blackbyrd founder Robert Lopez decided to approach the problem from a pseudo-traditional angle. By combining manual screen printing techniques to apply a waterbase white ink, with the Brother GT-541's innate ability to print beautiful CMYK prints on light backgrounds, Lopez was able to achieve results that were previously considered impossible for a GT-541 printer. This new system has been appropriately dubbed the Swinger Direct to Garment Decorator, and attaches with minimal fuss to the standard GT-541 stand (although its universal design allows for it to be attached to many different styles of tables). The screen assembly is used to lower the screen down with perfect registration, and then lifts up to allow the platen to move into the machine for CMYK printing. With the addition of optional laser accessories, you can minimize setup time and guarantee repeatability.
Although the Swinger DTD kit is perfect for medium-long runs, the necessity of screen preparation makes short-runs and one-offs less practical. However, this seems like a small price to pay for the ability to print on dark garments using a standard GT-541 (especially when compared to the new price tag for the 782). Additionally, the Swinger DTD provides the user with the ability to add specialty inks, such as glitter, puff, foil and more, directly on top of a printed design! Simply switch from the white underbase ink, to a specialty ink of choice, and start printing. The company is currently working on a simple solution for "fast screening", the process of manufacturing a completed screen stencil with minimal or no chemicals, and without the need for a specialized dark room.
The Swinger DTD allows for unlimited potential for new and existing GT-541 owners. With a competitive price point of just under a thousand dollars, this device promises to deliver what few have been able to deliver in the past: simple and affordable dark garment printing, without the need for an expensive up-front investment or unrealistically high ink prices. Due to the obvious absence of digitally printed white ink, consumables costs are reduced from several dollars per print, to several cents per print. With the one-swipe manual underbase, you also cut your print time down dramatically, compared to full DTG printing, on darks!
Although the Swinger is not intended to be a complete and total dark garment solution, it will enable hundreds and thousands of GT-541 users to experience the joy and satisfaction of saying "YES" to full color, dark garment orders. The Swinger DTD will be on display at the ISS trade show in Long Beach, in booth # 250, and is available immediately from Blackbyrd Design or from one of their many distributors. Check it out for yourself, and see if this might be the answer you've been looking for
Up until recently, many Brother GT-541 owners have been forced to outsource their dark garment printing, or else turn away orders. Left with few alternatives, machine owners often tire of trying to convince a potential client that they want a white shirt, not a black one. An Anaheim, Ca. based company, called Blackbyrd Design, recognized this issue as a serious one, and decided to take action. Working with top-notch screen printers, as well as special engineers and GT-541 owners, the company has developed a system for printing on dark garments, using existing GT-541 technology! Utilizing a K-IS- S philosophy, Blackbyrd founder Robert Lopez decided to approach the problem from a pseudo-traditional angle. By combining manual screen printing techniques to apply a waterbase white ink, with the Brother GT-541's innate ability to print beautiful CMYK prints on light backgrounds, Lopez was able to achieve results that were previously considered impossible for a GT-541 printer. This new system has been appropriately dubbed the Swinger Direct to Garment Decorator, and attaches with minimal fuss to the standard GT-541 stand (although its universal design allows for it to be attached to many different styles of tables). The screen assembly is used to lower the screen down with perfect registration, and then lifts up to allow the platen to move into the machine for CMYK printing. With the addition of optional laser accessories, you can minimize setup time and guarantee repeatability.
Although the Swinger DTD kit is perfect for medium-long runs, the necessity of screen preparation makes short-runs and one-offs less practical. However, this seems like a small price to pay for the ability to print on dark garments using a standard GT-541 (especially when compared to the new price tag for the 782). Additionally, the Swinger DTD provides the user with the ability to add specialty inks, such as glitter, puff, foil and more, directly on top of a printed design! Simply switch from the white underbase ink, to a specialty ink of choice, and start printing. The company is currently working on a simple solution for "fast screening", the process of manufacturing a completed screen stencil with minimal or no chemicals, and without the need for a specialized dark room.
The Swinger DTD allows for unlimited potential for new and existing GT-541 owners. With a competitive price point of just under a thousand dollars, this device promises to deliver what few have been able to deliver in the past: simple and affordable dark garment printing, without the need for an expensive up-front investment or unrealistically high ink prices. Due to the obvious absence of digitally printed white ink, consumables costs are reduced from several dollars per print, to several cents per print. With the one-swipe manual underbase, you also cut your print time down dramatically, compared to full DTG printing, on darks!
Although the Swinger is not intended to be a complete and total dark garment solution, it will enable hundreds and thousands of GT-541 users to experience the joy and satisfaction of saying "YES" to full color, dark garment orders. The Swinger DTD will be on display at the ISS trade show in Long Beach, in booth # 250, and is available immediately from Blackbyrd Design or from one of their many distributors. Check it out for yourself, and see if this might be the answer you've been looking for