Printing Custom T-shirts with the Roland Versastudio BT-12 DTG

[@MAKE]

If you had a printer at your disposal, what would you print?

[@AL6S00740]

well .. all sorts of things ... first the T-shirts i am board to go buy :D

[@PedroDavidMoran]

Links to this channel first. And then Ill go print photos of my Bearded Dragon..mmm..then other pictures of reptiles/lizard and stuff I shot in the wild. OH. Also some of my Peterson's pipes too :D. And also help some friends with stuff. Your prints looks really awesome!. OH! Also pics of my beagle.

[@KowboyUSA]

We did silk screening junior high art class. Yeah, it was a bit messy. Too bad that Roland doesn't print white though. Most of my t-shirts - have quite a few - are either black or dark colors with lighter colors and white on them.

[@jfbeam]

They can print white. The model they had didn't.

[@CalebKraftmakes]

agreed. Being able to lay a white layer down first would make this thing absolutely top class. You'd end up paying more for a printer capable of that.

[@roseleathercraftsph]

Wait - is this printer the same printer as the Ricoh Ri100?

[@minitruckin]

seems like

[@PedroDavidMoran]

The size is not "extreme". Almost looks like a Hp inkjet multi-functional printer with a lot of stuff I had...sadly I tend to destroy printers. Very tempting product. Thanks Roland for the unit, now you have my attention :D....See you around!

[@shoelessjoe2555]

What is the version with the "white ink" I have looked all over and cannot find it.

[@SoundOfYourDestiny]

This is only the second of these videos I've watched so far, but I notice that the camera has been focused on the pegboard in the background in both. Interesting product, though. Good choice for a review.

[@alansantiago6398]

Would you be able to print on sweaters or would they be to big?

[@colleenfrances]

I'm totally baffled that they would make a DTG printer that doesn't print white. Black is the most popular shirt color.

[@ALECTRICSK8n]

Honestly so pissed off since black is the #1 color I use for shirts and they can’t refund me for the machine. Guess I’ll have to do with what I have smh

[@eduardjesusce]

Have you printed onto polyester shirts? I have printed on a 57% cotton 38% polyester and 5% spandex shirt and it lose the color

[@octapc]

Love 💗 this. It could be used at a market stall, assuming I have a generator. Could you video products that can be used at markets?

[@CalebKraftmakes]

it would be perfect for that kind of setup

[@stugotswins]

Just curious what is the actually print size is that a full edge to edge A5 print area?

[@mandidesigns7563]

Trying to cut out a middle man when it comes to putting my designs on shirts. However, you mentioned that this is intended for white/light shirts and would need a white layer of ink laid down first on a dark tee. Does this particular printer have that option? I'm needing something that is an all in one in terms of pretreat, print, and curing. This is the closest I've found to coming anywhere close to what I'm looking for. But I have designs that are white ink intended for dark shirts.

[@Cfeldersproduction007]

Do you have a link to the one with white ink

[@XSpImmaLion]

I'd have wanted one of those some 15 years ago more or less when I printed stuff on my shirts... xD But probably wouldn't be able to afford it. I can't remember the brand and model, but I used to have this printer... perhaps Canon, or Epson, that used these tape cartridges instead of the usual inkjet stuff or laser toner. It was pretty much like a small K7 tape. Had a ribbon with some sort of wax that transferred to paper with heat. It was horrible to print regular text, but for photos and stuff like acetate to transfer images to fabric it worked better than trying to do it with inkjet printers. Still a hassle though. Problem was durability. Colors ended up fading, and big images started to crack.

[@craciunu]

What is the maintenance? How often? How many days of unuse until clogging?

[@MaltandMake]

How do the prints compare to vinyl transfer, screen printing etc. ? Looks like a really interesting tool.

[@CalebKraftmakes]

1000 times nicer than vinyl, you can't feel it. As for screen printing, this is full color and higher resolution than most screen printing, but it is also going to not have the same low cost as screens.

[@MaltandMake]

@@CalebKraftmakes Thanks, that's really helpful!

[@ManScoutsofAmerica]

Caleb Kraft everything is nicer than vinyl.

[@ElMatonAKAJuan]

Dope toy. Curious how much the "ink" would cost.

[@ManScoutsofAmerica]

A lot and if you don’t use it all the time, it leads to problems. These printers are only commercially viable for small jobs.

[@lesjohnson1538]

What is a "small amount of shirts"? That statement is very subjective. Is 30-40 at a time once a month small? or a 100+ count print job every 3mths? Or are they both Small/large?

[@francescocorasaniti6077]

hi, thanks for the video....i'd like to ask: what you mean for "small amount"? because i'd like to open my own business...you think that is good for a beginners that want to start his own business in this field? thanks.

[@francescocorasaniti6077]

i'll be more precise: - it's ideal for print high definition photo/drawing with dimension a bit more bigger than A4? - I must use just t-shirt "cotton 100%" and I Could use t-shirt of different color (white, black and others colors)? thanks.

[@lesjohnson1538]

@@francescocorasaniti6077 Did you end up purchasing this? If so, how did it turn out for you?

[@JD2jr.]

Sounds crazy expensive for something that *isn't* made for mass production... Sounds like desktop printer+ acetone transfer would be wayyy better for the purposes this fills.

[@jfbeam]

Except it won't last very long. This sort of printing technology has been around for a long time -- I know epson has had fabric printers for many years, some as small as a common desktop paper printer. What's being shown here is only noteworthy for its size and relatively low cost. (it appears Roland is using Epson print heads.) There are "iron on" transfer sheets that work pretty well -- 'tho still doesn't last as long as screen printing, or "DTG".

[@JD2jr.]

@@jfbeam But what are you making shirts with less than say, ten copies that you even care if they last more than one wash? Either you're making family outing shirts (at which point you're not spending thousands of dollars to make them), or you're making them as a business, at which point you're going to just go straight to screen printing or whatever other powerful machine is out there. This takes what, at least half an hour per shirt and you have to interact with it (move it in and out of the heating tray) multiple times? That's a time commitment that will only go to something that's a cheap toy or will make you hundreds of dollars per item.

[@CalebKraftmakes]

that's not a direct comparison at all. Yeah, things like acetone transfer are neat and all, but this has its place as well. I could totally see this fitting in at a busy makerspace and earning its keep pretty quickly. Compare this more to something like a laser cutter/engraver of a similar price.

[@jfbeam]

@@JD2jr. Or you go to a Maker Space that has one. Personally, I make a stencil and spray paint it on whatever -- shirt, box, car, building, ...

[@266marie]

@@CalebKraftmakes Truthfully how long does it take to make 1 shirt?

[@Reach3DPrinters]

Thats a cool gizmo! How long does the entire printing and pre-heat, post heat take?

[@CalebKraftmakes]

in total it is about 5 min per shirt. It will depend on the print of course.

[@tanvysingh7621]

No white ink?? Thats a huge No!! I run a printing company and its not the equipment that expensive but its accidentally the INK. White ink plays a vital role in making certain colors on images pop out because it acts as a base layer using minimal color ink which is very costly $60-$80 per cartridge. I would recommend doing your research..also the printing area is small.

[@_itis8809]

and it lasts... 2 washing circles?

[@xenonram]

What do you think? It uses ink made for textiles. It lets just as long as screen printed shirts.

[@brucecarr6258]

The question about cost wasn't answered ... cost to print the "Make" logo? We could all find the information, waste 20 minutes Googling the printer and refill costs, how much they hold, etc., but why not just put that information in the review? Printers are priced cheap to get you to buy it so you'll be forced to buy the expensive refills. King Gillette came up with the concept long ago - give 'em the razor, make money on the blades.

[@iman7godiswithus]

Everyday user is right. Ive never had a DTG that wasn't a pain to declog unless it's printing once every 8 hours. More so if it has white.

[@CalebKraftmakes]

agreed typically. I didn't mention it in the video, but this one does a little cleaning after every print. I let it sit 3 days between prints without issue. Will it hold up over time? I have no idea, that's why it isn't in the video.

[@stevenhaley5563]

Roland Textile Pigment Ink For Roland BT-12 DTG Printer £82.50 per colour ink

[@SonyaJTuck]

Comment who is watching this video at this time…

[@yousifebaid3566]

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