Ok, so I wanted to try DTF for myself, since it is the hot new thing. I run mostly Mimaki gear at my shop, but their new TxF300-75 is about $24,000 too much for my blood. So, time to look around for a better solution.
For specs, I want 17" width, roll handling, 6+ ink channels, Epson heads, compatible with common DTF software. Also, CHEAP and used.
$100 local pickup deal on an Epson Sure Color P5000, needs capping station apparently.
$20 on eBay for pirated Epson service program, reset counters, printer no longer cares about the capping station, yay, $230 saved.
Ok, now we need refillable cartridges. eBay and US based sellers want $200-300 for a set, gross. AliExpress, $81. 2 sets bought, one for cleaning solutions, the other for ink. No need for chip resetters on these.
Maintenance chip resetter, $8 on AliExpress. The Stylus Pro and P5000 use the same resetter, but the 4900 ones are listed much cheaper as it is the older model number.
Ink, cheap is also the name of the game. Looking at SDSs on tons of brands. Seems everyone's using similar formulations. Nice. 6x 500ml bottles sourced for $90. CMYKWW bottles
Software, CADLINK is cheaper, but AWFUL to use. Also, I can't manually define the ink channels as I wish, something I want to do for fluorescent and custom inks in the future. Also, handy if that bargain basement printer's TFP head gets a clogged channel. So, reluctantly, I blow $595 on a copy of AcroRip 11. Mediocre software, prints well. Why do we still have dongles these days? Also, dongle now emulated by an Arduino Nano. Infinite copies of AcroRip acquired.
Shaker, going cheap, a $7 plastic tub works for now.
Powder, generic DTF powder 1KG (2.2lbs), $20.
Oven, well, more precisely, Harbor Freight's cheapest heat gun $22.
DTF Film, first roll seemed to be wrong material and I want stuff quickly. 100 meters of Vortex DTF Film Dragon Hot Peel sourced from the local GSG, $70. Cheapest thing I have ever bought from GSG, amazing. Seems decent, but only 13" width, but fine for now.
Mimaki aqueous flush (3) I had in stock, dirt cheap at like $26 for 2-liter bags. GREAT aqueous cleaner. Basically free.
Setup on the printer was done where the left 6 ink bays were used. Ran a lot of flushes with cleaner to remove old ink and filled 6 channels, CMYKWW setup. Put AcroRip in single pass mode, 1440x1440 DPI. Test results are looking pretty good. Some banding and the printer seems to hate USB, so have it on network (we have 2 P5000s, both with that issue and one still runs stock inks). Printing is decently quick with the TFP head at the higher DPI, but the printer seems to have a general dislike for clear films. Automatic nozzle checks have a damn seizure when trying to detect clogged nozzles. White ink lacks a shaker/circulator, so regular cleaning cycles on the channel pair that has my white inks are done. Did a nice size stack of shirts, some leather, some wood and a bunch of other crap over the weekend. Really happy.
Damage total: $934.00
If I do more prints, a shaker/oven would be nice, but not much room for improvement given the insanely cheap cost. Most similarly equipped dodgy Chinese units are easily in the $4k+ range for 17" width. Not a huge fan of Epson's idiotic firmware that asks for a $900 service call whenever it feels you should replace the $19 wiper, but the service program gets around that well.
