Issue Preview: The DTF Wave, Starting Engraving, and GP+ Wide-Format Printing

In the March issue of GRAPHICS PRO, set to mail on Feb. 23 and hit a screen near you on Feb. 24, print and graphics professionals cover if DTF is right for your shop, the importance of personalized sales, and how shops can use CNC routers to grow their business.

Plus, don’t miss GP+ Wide-Format Printing, which takes a deep dive into the wide-format printing market and where the future can take you.

The Incoming Wave of DTF

Kristine Shreve, Kristine Shreve Consulting

• “Direct-to-film, or DTF printing, is one of the newer options to crop up in the garment decoration world.”
• “If you work in some aspect of garment decoration or buy decorated garments regularly, you’ve probably heard of it, but you may not know or understand quite what it is and why you’d want to use it.”
• “Like with a lot of new things, it takes some time to learn the basics and to decide if DTF is for you.”

Starting a Laser Engraving Business

John Morman, Celtic Tides

• “With the investment of a laser engraver, store rental (unless you’ve cleaned out the garage to install your equipment the way I did to start with), a bunch of wood, plaques, leather glass, and everything else you think you’re going to be selling, you’ve spent a lot of money to get to the point where you can hang an ‘Open’ sign.”
• “Spend your first few weeks, or a month, whatever time it takes to become comfortable with what you think your core business is going to be.”
• “Product consistency is very important to your customers, and one piece of crisp engraving is of no use if a second piece is difficult to see.”

Making the Most of CNC

Paula Aven Gladych  

• “If a customer wants bigger products, larger format, or multiple copies … a CNC is certainly going to make life easier.” — Chuck Donaldson, Antares Inc.
• “The beauty of the grand format and CNC marketplace has to do with invention — daily invention of new substrates.” — Mark Packman, Multicam 
• “When we talk about quality of cut, quality of frame is important, tools are important, also the way the routing is executed is important.” — Cesare Magnani, Biesse

Find these articles and much more in GRAPHICS PRO March.