New Vastex V-100 Introduces New Press At Entry Level Price

Posted by Dwayne Collins - Outside Sales on 11/12/2015

Recently Vastex Equipment sent us some information on one of their new presses that they are targeting at an entry price point.  This is an exceptional quality press for the person or shop that might be looking for a higher quality press than what you might normally find in the entry-level price points, as it typical of Vastex.  The entire contents of the press release is as follows.  

LOW-COST GARMENT PRESS
INTRODUCED BY VASTEX

ALLENTOWN, PA¾ Vastex has introduced an all-new V-100 line of low-cost tabletop screen printing presses from 1-to-4 stations and 1-to-4 colors that are purpose-built for garment printing, overflow printing, and printing in restricted spaces such as spare rooms and mobile shops.
            Quality results are achieved by retaining critical components from the company's commercial and industrial models: no-warp steel pallets, screen off-contact and level adjustments, rotor detent for positive engagement of pallets, and three-point bearing locks providing pinpoint registration of print-heads-to-pallets and allowing all-heads-down printing.
            Compared with the company's commercial and industrial presses, V-100 presses are characterized by lighter-duty construction, tabletop-only configuration, omission of quick registration micros, limited pallet choices, increased use of fasteners versus welds, and shipping of units disassembled in multiple cartons.  Approximate assembly time is two to four hours.
            The V-100-11 1-station, 1-color base model is expandable, allowing the addition of individual pallet stations and print heads as needs grow.
            The V-100-44 model is configured as new with four pallet stations and four print heads.
            Units with multiple stations and colors allow all-heads-down printing using screens up to 21 in.
(50 cm) wide, maximizing productivity when printing registered spot colors and process colors, or multiple one- and two-color jobs simultaneously.

            Options include neck guides and rubber tops for the included pallets, and a variety of specialized pallets for long sleeves, pant legs, caps, umbrellas, koozies and other textiles and hard goods.

            Other Vastex equipment performance-matched to V-100 presses includes: VRS-Lite Pin Registration Systems, E-100 Tabletop Screen Exposers, D-100 Tabletop Conveyor Dryers and DRI-CAB Screen Drying Cabinets which can also serve as stands for tabletop equipment.

            The company also manufactures commercial-lines and industrial-lines of equipment encompassing numerous models of screen printing presses,infrared conveyor dryers, flash cure units, exposing units, screen drying cabinets,washout booths and complete shops packaged according to desired capacity, range of printing capabilities, available floor space and budget.

            Also offered is a comprehensive range of training classes tailored to the needs of entry level, intermediate and advanced screen printers.

   Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com

When should you choose to Screen Print your products, and when should you choose to use the Heat Transfer Method - and what is the difference between the two?

Whenever you begin to shop t-shirts, tablecloths, or tote bags, you may see many foreign sounding printing types available on various printers’ websites. You’re probably wondering what the difference is between all these very similar sounding printing options - like heat transfer vs screen printing. I will try to help you decide which printing process is best for you by breaking down the differences between these two common printing types.


Screen Printing vs Heat Transfer

When a design is produced using the screen printing method, actual screens are used in the process.  Essentially, this screen is cut to make a stencil for the design. Ink is then spread over the screen, passing through to the object underneath only in the areas you want it to be. Only one color per screen can be used - so depending on the number of colors in the design, you’ll need multiple screens to produce the final item, and of course the proper screen printing equipment.
The heat transfer printing method applies custom designs to items like t-shirts or tablecloths through a process that uses a combination of heat and pressure. Common kinds of heat transfer printing include vinyl heat transfer and digital print heat transfer. With the vinyl heat transfer process, a machine is used to cut out designs and letters in pieces of colored vinyl. A heat press is then used to transfer each vinyl color of the design onto the object being printed. With digital print heat transfer, the desired graphic is first digitally printed on special heat transfer paper using a solvent ink. This type of ink allows the design to be transferred from the paper to the item being printed when pressed with heat. With both these types of heat transfer, a heat press machine will be needed to transfer the graphic, either vinyl or digitally printed, from one surface to another. It’s the actual combination of heat and pressure that transfers the design.

Which Printing Type Should You Choose?


The best printing type for you depends on what type of item you are customizing and how many you would like in total. Because unique screens need to be cut for each color of a screen printed design, it is much more cost effective to produce a larger number of items with this method, versus just a few at a time. Conversely, the heat transfer process is the same with every print made, so you can order just a couple items at a time without costs ballooning.

   Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com

Posted by Allen Wesson - Webmaster on 8/17/2015
Not all Screen Printing Supply companies have a dedicated outside sales staff, and of those who do an even smaller number can boast that they have the experience and expertise of the Texsource Sales Staff.  This post outlines one of those experts!

Service to the customer is what we are all about here at Texsource, and that service comes in a huge number of ways - website and internet sales and support, customer service on the phones, online chat support, easy and convenient return policies, and more.  But not every company has a qualified rep who can walk in your door, see and understand your operation and your needs, and be able to help you with your specific issues when you need it.  Texsource does - and depending on where in the US your business is at, we are here to serve you and listen to you.

Our outside sales staff consists of Ronnie Cannon, Steven Grant, Doug Smith, Harvey Cole, Bubba Thomas, Ryan Bolin, Larry Park, Todd Craft - and Dwayne Collins, who today you can learn more about as we begin a series to better kintroduce the staff here at Texsource Screen Printing Supply and Equipment.  

Dwayne Collins, 54, is a long serving and experienced sales rep for Texsource, where he has served his customer’s needs for over 15 years.  In addition to serving as a sales rep, he is also involved in planning, implementing, and often teaching our series of instructional classes, particularly the Special Effects Printing and our most popular Introduction to Screen Printing class. 
Dwayne serves customers in various areas of South Carolina, Tennessee, and the mountains of North Carolina.
Outside of Texsource, Dwayne is an avid outdoor sportsman, including deer and turkey hunting, and is an experienced and decorated barrel racing rider along with his daughter Amber, 26, who also competes with him in rodeos and National Barrel Racing  Association events.  In 2015 Dwayne qualified for the World Championships in October for the Senior Division on a horse that they trained together. 
Dwayne has been married to his wife Kim for 31 years.
Call Dwayne at Texsource today for all your Screen Printing needs!

  Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com
    


Posted by Allen Wesson - webmaster on 7/20/2015


This week at Texsource, we are beginning a great new 'We Have Gone Mad' Promotion.

This promotion, which will run for a limited time, will grant you 10% off any order over $100, OR free shipping for supply item orders over $150.  One of the regular feedback items that we would receive from customers is that those who had smaller checkout prices and did not qualify for our old Free Shipping @ $150 promo, would get no benefit (other than our already low prices).  And indeed, if your cart did not have over $150, it seemed that you were left out of any running promotion (we have had other 'across-the-board' temporary promotions, of course).  This changes that, and puts the choice of savings directly in your control!  

SO WHAT DO I DO?
Try it out!  When you add items for purchase to your cart, simply enter the appropriate promo code at the 'view cart' page, or on the checkout page (you must be at or above $150 to qualify for the free shipping offer).  For the 10% off promo, if your order totals $100 or more enter the code '10off', and for the free shipping promo, enter the code 'freeship'.  The system will automatically apply the savings that you can see right there on the checkout page.  Are you over $150 and want to compare savings?  Not a problem - enter a code on the checkout page and observe your savings.  To compare, click 'Shopping Cart' back in the top-right portion of the screen - from there, enter the other code and observe the savings.  Repeat this as many times as you like.  When you have saved the most, use that code on the final checkout page to apply to your order.  

HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST? 
The promo is aggressively featured on the front page of our website, as well as our social media pages, Facebook and Twitter.  We will, of course, be gauging the satisfaction of our customers while the promotion runs, but the total length of the promotion is currently unknown, so definitely use it while you can - as many times as you can!  

ANYTHING ELSE COMING SOON?
Texsource is always looking for new promotions and opportunities to help our customers grow their business, but these decisions are often made with the cooperation of our vendors, who we are in regular contact with.  Such examples of that include our Daily Deals and Midweek Deals features.  Our Texsource Giveaways have also been very popular, with thousands of entries for free equipment and supplies.  More promotions are coming!

As always, it is a privilege to be able to bring you promotions, and to be the trusted supplier to your company.  Texsource puts customer service and satisfaction at the top of our list, and to constantly be exploring ways to pass savings off to you is our business.  Lower prices, best selection, fastest shipping, best service - this is the Texsource way!



Promo Guidelines
- Only 1 code may be used per checkout
- 10% Off Promo excludes all Screen Printing Equipment Automatic Presses and crating fees that may be required of any equipment.
- Free Shipping promo is for supply-items only; equipment, crating, or special-order items do not qualify.  
- Promotion subject to end without notice

  Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com
Posted by Robin Bumgardner - Custom Color Mixing on 3/26/2015
As an everyday screen printer, it is easy to fall into bad habits that can be hard to break out of.  As someone new to the screen printing industry, it is a good idea to learn what habits to avoid from the very start.

Using Old or Outdated Equipment - New equipment is constantly being engineered and developed with the goal of being able to increase production and efficiency, yet many shops (who have the money to invest) refuse to do so because 'things are running just fine as they are'.  Upgrading equipment is especially important to higher volume shops as an increase in efficiency can often mean the difference in having to hire another person or not, which can be a considerable expense for any shop.  Are your exposures taking too long?  Have a look at some of the new LED units, or perhaps your dryer won't hold a consistent temperature.  These things cost you time and money. 

Not Marketing Yourself Properly - There was an excellent article here written earlier this month on this very issue.  The successful shops I see are the ones that keep their name in front of their customers.  In this age of electronic media, many avenues are open to you that cost you nothing more than some of your time - take advantage of that and watch your business grow.

Ignoring Industry Trends - This is a big one; business owners will get in a 'rut' where they are simply offering the same products over and over.  The market has changed. The customer wants softer prints. They want what they see hanging in stores. They want edgy graphics.  They want the distressed look. Do you print with discharge ink? No? Why not? You heard it was too hard? Discharge ink gives a softer feel to the print. OK, it is waterbased and can have an odor but a LOT of printers have found out that this is what the customer wants – no hand to the print. How about ink additives that give your plastisol a waterbased feel? How do you find out these things? You read the trade magazine, follow industry forums and get out to trade shows.

Take Advantage of Additives - These days many brands of ink are very rich and work well through high mesh screens. If your ink is too thick, simply add a little reducer and thin it. Get it creamy and smooth. It will flow through high mesh screens and on all of your multi-color jobs you will get less pickup, cleaner and softer prints and higher production.

Avoiding some of these common problems will lead to business growth and enable you to be a more versatile and in-demand screen printer.

   Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com

Learning to successfully market your screen printing business means following some tried and true methods, and also learning to think outside the norm in some cases.

Paging through marketing ideas can be a tedious task, and many screen printing businesses simply ignore creative marketing altogether, opting instead to print some shirts with their logo and give them away, or perhaps some tried and true business cards.  It is true that some of the older established methods such as yellow page listing may not be as effective as they once were, so it is important to take advantage of every avenue available to you.  With name recognition being extremely important, your reputation will definitely precede you when a customer is looking for a company to do business with.  You must have a reputation for value, honesty, and quality above all other things.  

Generate Return Business
You may look at new customer rate as an important metric, and it is; but a more telling number is your return business.  Show your established customers that you want to keep their business by periodically offering return customer discounts or specials.  This will also let a new customer know that yours is a company that appreciates and works with established clients. 

Stay Active on Social Media
Social Media of today are excellent ways to keep your name in front of customers, both new and established.  Platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all free and fast ways to have your work be seen and keep up name recognition.  Remember that customers are not always looking for a print job, but it is important that when they are that your name comes to mind first.

Take Advantage of Other Outlets
There are numerous other outlets to stay active in front of your customers - write and promote a screen printing blog, have your local newspaper do a feature on your company, participate in screen printing online forums, get listed on as many business indexes as you can online.  

Almost everything mentioned so far are methods that will mostly cost you nothing more that time.  Compare this to marketing 10-15 years ago when you had to count on word of mouth and paid advertising and you can see how important these opportunities are to take advantage of.

  Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com
Posted by Ryan Bolin - Outside Sales on 2/11/2015

Spring is right around the corner, and with that comes Numbers Printing season.


Screen Printing numbers for athletic jerseys is one of the most common issues that I see customers facing - how to print numbers with the most efficiency.  Many shops will have screens on hand with numbers already burnt-in, but this method requires you to keep up with these screens for long periods of time.  Some burn screens each time an order comes in.  Athletic printing is the lifeblood of many shops, so an efficient numbering system can significantly impact your profit during this busiest of times.  

Consider a dedicated numbering system.  The Vastex DiGIT is perhaps our most popular one.  Here is a video that helps to introduce the system and demonstrate just how quick and easy it is to number a jersey (as demonstrated at Texsource by Paul with Vastex).



As you can see, this is far superior in almost every way to not having a system such as this.  Another way is with a dedicated Number Stencil pack such as those from Texsource by Prestige.  You can buy individual numbers in sizes form 2" to 12", purchase a complete package with all numbers, and also select block or outline.  This numbering method allows you to direct print numbers on most fabrics without investing inexpensive numbering equipment. These inexpensive stencils adhere to the screen on the printing stroke and are thrown away after printing. The next stencil is then adhered to the screen in the same fashion with no adjustment or clean up of the screen between numbers. Texsource also offers numbering systems from Brown Equipment.  

Lastly, a very efficient but not quite as cost wary method of numbering is by Heat Transfer.  Pre-printing your numbers to transfer paper in a variety of colors will allow you to always have numbers on hand for customers who need a print job done at the last minute.  You can simply pull from your inventory of numbers and press them right onto the garment. There is, of course, some setup time involved in this step, but having numbers on hand, ready to go, can sometimes mean the difference in making a sale or losing a customer.

   Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com
Posted by Doug Smith - Outside Sales on 1/29/2015

Is an investment in a new LED exposure unit worth the price?  With new units from Vastex and Workhorse available at Texsource, we can help you answer that question, and any other questions that you may have.  

LED technology is not new, but it is relatively new to the world of screen printing, particularly when used in exposure units.  The new E-2000 LED from Vastex and the recently released Lumitron LED from Workhorse are both excellent quality products that can offer significantly improved exposure times over standard exposure units.  

The Vastex unit in particular has been extensively tested here at Texsource.  Here is a video featuring Paul with Vastex that shows just how fast the unit can expose a screen - this particular video is shown using a screen coated with Ulano Orange emulsion.


As you can see, the exposure time is significantly faster than standard units.  But is it right for your shop?  Certainly the upfront cost  is to be considered.  In the case of the Workhorse Lumitron LED, retail price is around $600 more for a similar sized unit with LED than for one without.  Also, extremely fast exposure times, such as the claimed and tested 6-second exposure time for the Vatex, is accomplished by using specific emulsions - your favorite emulsion may have varying exposure times.  In any case, this is certainly an investment in efficiency and production.  High workflow shops certainly do not want to bottleneck at the exposure unit, same goes for shops who are rapidly increasing their production.  These units can offer significant time savings over standard units.  

Will this become the industry standard in the future?  Most think that it will, although the standard exposure unit isn't going away just yet.  If you have recently purchased a standard-type unit then there is likely very little reason to upgrade until you are having problems.  But if your unit is getting some age of you find your shop is waiting on screens, then this may be a purchase that will move you into the future of exposure technology.

  Texsource Screen Printing Supply  www.screenprintingsupply.com
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