Getting into screen printing coro signs

[wildindian]

We print coro and make good money, the trick is to keep it simple. A used $500 or cheaper Filbar or something simliar will produce just as many signs as the high dollar with all the bells and whistles, as for exposing screens all you have to do is cut vinyl apply to screen coat with emulsion let dry remove vinyl and print using a fan to dry screen can be printing in 30 minutes. Two colors can often be done with one screen tape off the color not used and print, clean screen remove tape tape off previous color and print. Go to all the sign franchises and sign shops and give them a discount and print for them and make a good profit.

 

[Jet Fast Printing]

I would say go for it. But please stay on the cheap side before you jump in with both feet. If you are not looking to be a ka-billionaire and just want to expand your business a bit, do it. Just be realistic.

I can't give you any options on what machines to buy, as I don't do any screening but have been thinking of doing a little when our flatbed is backed up.

Good Luck!

 

[Marlene]

find out what is required for OSHA and any enviromental regs. there's ventilation, collecting wash water from screen washing and crap like that. just make sure the regs aren't more than you want or can afford to get into. all of that was a factor in us getting out of screen printing.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

see and then i have to come in and disagree..here is my input if you are wanting to screenprint.

you either need to keep it super simple, doing smaller quantities or you need to go full tilt and print by the pallet.

those are the ways i have made money screenprinting either doing small quantities that didnt make sense at the time to do any other way (like 100 18X24's) but now there is flat bed technology to compete with and they are going to kill you on pricing if they want to because the labor is so much less.

or i've made great money printing pallets of material at a time on my svecia sm and printmaster..buying literally coro by the semi truck load.

it is the in between that seems to kill people where they are hell bent on doing it themselves because they have hand printing equipment when they get a larger order and insist on printing them in house when htey should be sending it out and if you don't have room for mark up you need to find better sources or you are pricing your finished product incorrectly

in today's market the only way i would consider adding screenprinting would be if i had some heavy hitter accounts that i could justify something like a svecia sam or printmaster and then bring in a flatbed printer for the smaller quantity work....i would not even bother thinkign about bringing it in house for small quantity work the market is saturated and those who dont have a loyal established customer base and diversified businesses offering other sign services are being handed their lunch by flatbed technology.

if you dont have the money to play with the big boys (and more importantly the work to justify it) sub it out

 

[Techman]

but just cause someone says it wont work doesn't mean its not going to work for me.

Just because we who do this for a living say it doesn't pay,, does not mean you are right in thinking it does pay.

You row upriver for a proper reason. You do not row upstream just top prove to every one else you can.

 

[wildindian]

Been doing this for a living for 42 years yet some people think they know everything there is to know about he sign business. We printed 500 signs both sides this morning and have 400 more this afternoon and we will make a few bucks, so if you don't know how to make money why tell everybody that they can't either. I mean it is simple price it for a profit, so everybody that does this for a living is not saying it won't work.

 

[Gino]

I don't think anyone is telling the OP there's no money in this, but if you're buying a specific machine to do one size only for $XX of dollars and he doesn't have the workload to back up his idea..... experience and common sense tells you not to jump in with both feet before you tested the water.

If the OP wants to do it.... he's gonna go do it and I don't think anyone here cares if he does or doesn't, but he asked some questions and based upon his input... it would be a dumb decision business-wise at this point with the details he's provided so far.

At our shop, we also screen print and when you're talking one or two color flat stock, one or two sided... you can make a good buck whether you're automated or hand pulling the squeegees. However, unless you're doing high volume [which 900 pieces isn't], if this is a once a week thing or five days a week.... you're wasting your money buying this kind of machine in the limited space this OP has. He'd still be better off, just building a constant backlog... until the business end warrants the purchase. Again, if he was just to set up a simple hand pulled press with a 3' x 4' capability.... he could do these 100 piece or 500 piece orders easily in a day's time and make some extra bucks.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

it is frustrating to me to continuously see business owners fall into the most common trap that i see in our trade and that is the trap of creating a job for themselves versus creating and building a business..the trap of looking at and working in a direction that they are generating hourly wages for themselves.

more than anyother segment of the industry i notice this with the shops that i work with that are primarily screenprinters (and yes there are a few exceptions). but some of the comments in this thread expose that thinking and way of doing business and i just want to scream.

...and then you read comments from ppl like Pat W who get it....why would you want to do a task that others will do for a very low cost and then you can mark it up and focus on the things that you do well and more importantly the thigns that you do PROFITABLY and enjoy doing.

the people that i know that are truly dominating the screenprinting end of the industry are really sharp business people they have a much deeper understanding of business in general than just the knowledge to pull a squeegee and burn screens..those are the people that are making great profits in the screenprinting arena.

and then i see the shops where the owner is covered in ink, always running out of materials, bandaiding and fixing broken down equipment and is doing it because honestly they are making more money 'per hour' than they could at another job...but they still dont see the big picture.

 

[cdiesel]

Did you happen to notice the UV dryer in the background that the lady in the video is feeding the coros into? Without a dryer, you're going to be using solvent ink, getting cancer, spending more money on ventilation, and needing a LARGE area for drying. On second look, it looks like they are using solvent ink. Still, notice the large drying area on the wall!

We own screen printing equipment for textiles. We also used this equipment to print coros a couple of times. What a PITA! We're talking a few orders a month of 100-500 18x24s. Absolute nightmare. Then we wised up and started subbing out the jobs to Keith.

Coincidentally, we're selling the rest of our screen printing equipment now. I look at screen printing like this: If you just do it "on the side" to compliment the rest of your business, it isn't worth it. If you're a screen printer, it can be done and you can make some decent money.

 

[Stealth Ryder]

In my travels the past couple weeks I saw 2 new 1824 Coro Screen Machines in 2 different shops... Makes me wonder why folks are getting back into it?

 

[cdiesel]

Dan is the Man.

 

[G-Artist]

Holy crap!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPrNNE3ZBDw

I'd love to know the inks they use where they:
1. need a respirator.
2. air dries instantly for pallet stacking.

@Gino...your first post had me snorting beer out my nose.
In the future, please post a warning.

 

[wildindian]

I know 900 pieces is not a large volume and I know that I'm not the business person that most of you are but I did check my invoices and in the past year we bought 150,000 pieces of coroplast and printed the majority on our 2 Filbars at about 600 per hour and made a decent buck. I did say the OP should jump in and make a large investment in equipment I think I said the opposite. Techman and some others need to bill themselves as print brokers instead of sign makers all they ever say is sub it and take the profit. I decided a long time ago to build a business and to do that I invested in equipment, training and a lot of late nights and early mornings that is why I hate to see some people who always make smart comments about something about which they have no knowledge. I sometimes have ink, sometimes vinyl, sometimes laser dust, sometimes dirt, sometimes lint, sometimes glue so I guess that makes me a bad business person. I have sent 4 kids through school and college, have a lawyer, a doctor, and 2 professors, so before you think you know it all you might just be wrong in your thinking.

 

[Flame]

Can I buy you a drink Wildindian? I like a hard worker

 

[wildindian]

Flame would love to have the drink but am too busy just send the cash.

 

[1leonchen]

i don't do coroplast but i bought a one color one station press and it worked fine for me for t shirts. i actually got interested when i saw flame post. i would try http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/

i spoke to lucas and he prompted me on what equipment i should start with. he told me whe i am read though i can do coroplast i just need a few upgrades. i would only do very small quanties in house. and sub out large orders. i do 50 shirts in house max any thing else i sub it out. i also had to build a few stuff so if you go this path make shure you are good with power tools.

 

[Techman]

The original poster said....

I never screen printed before but we are starting to get more and more people asking for screen printed signs.. I researched around and this is what i am looking for..

Then wildindian said,,,

Techman and some others need to bill themselves as print brokers instead of sign makers all they ever say is sub it and take the profit. I decided a long time ago to build a business and to do that I invested in equipment, training and a lot of late nights and early mornings that is why I hate to see some people who always make smart comments about something about which they have no knowledge.

Smart comments?? not hardly..

The posts above are two different positions.
The original poster never said he was going into it as a full time high volume deal. He said he just was interested to get into it. From this viewpoint it seems like it is an add on to his bizz. There is nothing to indicate he wants to focus on full time high volume screening..

In that case all those others and myself would direct him and anyone else to outsource it. I do and make a good amount of profit from an hours of work. That is just plain smart. yes???
Maybe I am purchasing from you. Did you just drop ship an order to Bossier city LA?

With prices at less than $2 bux / 100 with shipping why would any one want to purchase in equipment for a part time usage? Lets see here... $200 bux for 100, drop shipped. I charge $500.. That's $300 bux for an hour of work. Man, Every one should to that when first starting out. Yes?