FAQ

What types of customers/markets are the direct to textile prints sold into?
What else do I need to get started besides what comes with the FastT-Jet?
Is this technology ready for prime time, or are there still too many problems?
Why should I buy a FastT-Jet over the other direct to textile machines out there?
What does it take to make the T-Jet portable?
Is this equipment and T-Jet process as easy as it seems?
Is the FastT-Jet a reliable machine?
What kind of experience do I need to operate the FastT-Jet successfully?
Is this machine a competitive advantage compared to screen printing?
How many washes will the T-Shirts last for before fading?
Will the FastT-Jet printed on 6 panel hats?



Q. What types of customers/markets are the direct to textile prints sold into?
A. The market opportunities are almost endless because of the nature of the technology. The traditional shirt market includes schools, organizations, family reunions, groups, clubs, businesses, and internet sales are obviously available. The portability of the Fast T-Jet gives you many other venues such as car shows, horse shows, athletic events, etc. In addition to these there are owners of the Fast T-Jet 2 that are printing fine art on canvas. Of course many users are already selling decorated garments using embroidery, screen printing and heat applied transfers so the direct-to-garment is a great enhancement to those businesses.


Q. What else do I need to get started besides what comes with the FastT-Jet?
A. You will need: 1. A 16"x20" flat heat press. 2. A separate area to pretreat dark garments prior to printing. 3. If you elect to print hats you will need a hat press or industrial heat gun to dry the prints. You will also need a powerful windows based computer (you can create the artwork on a MAC but you need Windows to run our printing and graphic software called FastARTIST. And, even though we provide all the software you need, you might want to have Adobe Photoshop. And… you will need customers. Easy!


Q. Is this technology ready for prime time, or are there still too many problems?
A. The Fast T-Jet is not only ready for prime time it is prime time for many of our 1,700 customers. It has been on the market since late 2004 and is a proven product that prints garments day in and day out. The ability to print full color images on any color textile substrates in small quantities (as small as 1 piece) pushed it right into a primary revenue generating resource for our customers.

As for any "problems" the Fast T-Jet is simply an inkjet printer. It does require a little maintenance to keep it clean an of course there is no "magic" when trying to print bad artwork big and bold on a shirt. If you spend a few minutes a day maintaining your T-Jet, it will be a happy machine that makes money.


Q. Why should I buy a FastT-Jet over the other direct to textile machines out there?
A. The FastT-Jet is the most "mature" and complete system in the industry. We send everything you could ever need and it has a very complete manual which you can review on our website. (Include manual link) Most of our competitors don't post their manual, and some of them don't even have one. We have over 1700 users worldwide and have the most respected dealer network in the world as well.

You also receive a complete graphics program called FastARTIST. We include a number of training DVDs on how to use your system and how to work with FastARTIST.

Best of all we offer the best support in the industry. Our support hours are 7:00am to 8:00pm, M-F and 9:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday (MST). We also provide technical support including web cams and Skype so we can actually show you how to fix and maintain your machine.

What really separates "US" from them is you are dealing with a solid company that has been around since 1979. We are the most well respected company in the industry and have the infrastructure you need when investing in a piece of equipment like the T-Jet. We have over 50 employees dedicated to making our machines the best in the world. With a large R&D, Manufacturing, and support staff, you are in good hands with U.S. Screen.

Company co-founder, Scott Fresener (with his wife Pat), has been a pioneer in this industry, having written over 300 trade magazine articles, consulted companies around the world (including Disney, World Wrestling and others) and taught over 12,000 people at the famous "U.S. Screen Printing Institute." Scott and Pat are the authors of the industry "bible" How To Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit. Scott is also on the Board of Directors of SGIA and is the past chairman of the Academy of Screen Print Technology. Click HERE to read Scott's bio!


Q. What does it takes to make the T-Jet portable?
A. The T-Jet is Portable right out of the box. It weighs approximately 90lbs and only used about 1.5 amps of power. All you need to do is have a way to cure the shirts and power a laptop. Take it on the road and make money!


Q. Is this equipment and T-Jet process as easy as it seems?
A. The Fast T-Jet is simple to set-up and with good artwork easy to use. The machine does require some care and maintenance, but if you follow our easy instructions, you can be printing daily worry free. The package comes with all the software you need, and with just a few clicks you can print a shirt. No mess, no film positives, no screens to burn, no screens to register, just push print on a light shirt.

For dark shirts we have brilliant screen print quality white that prints quickly in just one pass. Our magic software, FastARTIST does everything for you. Setting up the machine is easy with our step-by-step manual and easy to follow DVDs. And, you can simply call our support department when you get your machine and we will walk you through the setup.


Q. Is the FastT-Jet a reliable machine?
A. The T-Jet is manufactured from true Epson components and is as reliable as the maintenance required by following the maintenance schedule provided with every machine.


Q. What kind of experience do I need to operate the FastT-Jet successfully?
A. It would be very helpful to have good computer, inkjet printer, and graphic software knowledge to operate this equipment. Because this printer is printing textile ink, which is known to build up, even in screen printing, it will also require some maintenance to keep the machine clean. T-Shirts generate a lot of lint and when printing on textiles we have to "open the flood gates" of the inkjet head to lay down a lot of ink.


Q. Is this machine a competitive advantage compared to screen printing?
A. Currently, inkjet direct to textile technology does not rival screen printing for longer runs or where ink cost is a major factor (contract printing on customer supplied garments). The main reasons are that it isn't possible YET to produce special effects with inkjet direct to textile technology as well as the fact that the ink is not as rubbery as needed for thick athletic type prints. However, the FastT-Jet machines fit a business model with which multi-colored textile screen printing CANNOT compete. If a customer has a multicolor job and wants it to be printed on ONE (1) BLACK shirt, for example, the FastT-Jet will do this in a blink of an eye and the customer can walk away instantly gratified (compared to what time and effort and expense it would take to do the same thing via the screen printing method). Screening cannot touch this nor would a traditional screen print shop probably ever pay any attention to such requests because it is prohibitive to burn a set of screens for a multicolor job on darks if the production run only contemplates one or a very few pieces. But now the screener does not have to turn away the short run opportunity if the screener has a T Jet! NO MINIMUMS!


Q. How many washes will the T-Shirts last for before fading?
A. T Jet printed shirts when properly cured will last for the useful life of the garment. The washability is comparable to 4 Color Process Inks being used in the screen printing process (properly cured!).


Q. Will the FastT-Jet printed on 6 panel hats?
A. Yes - The actual printing device is not touching the item, so the ink is just sprayed right over the seam with no problem. It looks great! And, you can print on any textile material or items including bibs, towels, bandanas, thongs, panties, shorts, etc. It is EASY!

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