I’d like to start a small business customising various fabrics and items. I’d like to keep the initial investment below €5,000, can you please suggest which types of printers, machines and materials I should use?
If you’re looking to customise a limited number of items of varying materials (fabric or otherwise), the ideal solution is digital transfer printing.
To cover the widest possible range of items (T-shirts, cups, phone covers, etc.) it’s a good idea to use two different types of transfer:
– sublimation (for cups, phone covers, and anything made of polyester, or which has been pre-treated for sublimation printing, such as pillows, jigsaw puzzles, etc.);
– laser (for cotton T-shirts, jumpers, solid materials such as aluminium and wood).
You’ll need the following equipment:
– a horizontal heat press costing between €300 for the inexpensive ones, rising to €1,200;
– a sublimation printer costing just over €400;
– a laser printer, costing from €380 to around €2,000. In addition, you’ll also need the various materials, which you can buy as you go according to your needs.
So, your budget of approximately €5,000 is certainly enough to start this type of business.