Bought Screen Printing operation whats it worth?

[Suz]

That's a nice press, I have one (but my press is 4-color) and love it. I'd rather have micro than joy stick, but oh well.
That's a nice little conveyor dryer too, great deal you got! I have an old purple National, about same size.

Enjoy it!

 

[Andre Robinson]

...and people say Screenprinting is dead.

 

[Brandon708]

I was just looking to see if I can find a deal like you and I came across this listing. It looks to be the exact same set up as you and he is selling it for $13,000 https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/clo/5325148127.html

 

[Suz]

Brandon,

I think that price is pretty high, lol! Geesh! Platemaking machines are generally for the offset printing industry. However, you can use them if you have your emulsion on a backer material in rolled form. That way, you would just expose the emulsion (like thin film), wash out the image area, then apply to your screen. Platemaking machines are generally for exposing flat plates used on printing presses that print paper. For "Exposure Unit" look for something like an old Atlas 5 way, or something you can put an entire frame in, that has a rubber blanket and vac. Workhorse makes a similar one. National was an older one, which was also set up like a 5-way. They use a combination of 4 flourescent lights and a 1000 watt quartz bulb. This is a point light system, it makes a nice clean exposure.

I was just looking to see if I can find a deal like you and I came across this listing. It looks to be the exact same set up as you and he is selling it for $13,000 https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/clo/5325148127.html

 

[Johnny Best]

Brandon,

I think that price is pretty high, lol! Geesh! Platemaking machines are generally for the offset printing industry. However, you can use them if you have your emulsion on a backer material in rolled form. That way, you would just expose the emulsion (like thin film), wash out the image area, then apply to your screen. Platemaking machines are generally for exposing flat plates used on printing presses that print paper. For "Exposure Unit" look for something like an old Atlas 5 way, or something you can put an entire frame in, that has a rubber blanket and vac. Workhorse makes a similar one. National was an older one, which was also set up like a 5-way. They use a combination of 4 flourescent lights and a 1000 watt quartz bulb. This is a point light system, it makes a nice clean exposure.

Those screen films that she is talking about are called indirect films, Macdermid Autotype or Ulano. They give the best resolution for screen printing because the emulsion depth is controlled. A metal halide lamp is your best direct light source. Direct light gives a harder edge and not sawtoothed like a rack of tubes will give you. With the indirect films it is also easier to clean off afterwards and is faster to make a screen instead of the coating emulsion method.

 

[player]

I would sell off the equipment on the high $ side, take the profits and buy a direct to garment printer.

I did sign screen printing for a number of years and would never do it again. No matter what kind of deal
I could get on the equipment!

 

[reQ]

I would sell off the equipment on the high $ side, take the profits and buy a direct to garment printer.

DTG printers are good if you do very small batches of t-shirts etc. Its very expensive compare to screen print. Yes, there are some advantages with DTG, but its still not there so i would be able to set my inks & squeegees aside.

 

[Johnny Best]

I would sell off the equipment on the high $ side, take the profits and buy a direct to garment printer.

I did sign screen printing for a number of years and would never do it again. No matter what kind of deal
I could get on the equipment!

Totally agree with Player. Silkscreaming is rough work. You can outsource t shirts to be screened about as cheap as you can do them yourself. If you are doing high end work such as glass panels for one arm bandits, a good flatbed would be better and more cost efficient. Also the large fabric printers are used in place of the old ways that are probably still being accomplished in India with screen printing. Unless you have a big setup with major buyers around the nation, like Player says, "never do it again".
If you have a store front that sells clothing apparel then maybe it would turn a good profit.
Getting into the screen business and learning from your mistakes is like buying brushes and learning how to be a sign painter and compete with the inkjet and vinyl boys. Its going to be awhile and a side job or your wife is a lawyer.