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We have M&R parts in stock and ready to ship! Contact us today for details
We have M&R parts in stock and ready to ship! Contact us today for details
We have M&R parts in stock and ready to ship! Contact us today for details
Screen printing has grown over the last few decades to meet the never-ending demands of the market. More products need to be produced, jobs must be done quicker, and the quality must be better than before. The screen printing presses within these shops generally dictate the capability or volume that they receive. Buying a press is a big responsibility for any business, since it is important to find the best unit for your current needs as well as future. Manual presses can help you scale well into a medium sized shop, but there is eventually a time you will need to upgrade to an automatic press.
So, it begs the question – just when is the best time to upgrade to an automatic press? Naturally, it depends on the volume and quantity of the jobs received, but from our experience, once printers cross the threshold of 500+ shirts daily, auto presses begin to shine. As you read further, you'll see there are several other benefits they provide for shops trying to grow their operation.
In this case, the answer is in the question – because it is automatic. In the world of screen printing there is a lot of manual labor, especially when it comes to your press. The physical wear and tear can be taxing on your body and at times a bottleneck for your growth as a business. Automatic presses cut down the labor required exponentially, leaving you with time and money for the rest of your business.
The higher you go on the totem pole of screen-printing shops, the more automatic presses you will find per shop. At a certain level they stop being a luxury and become foundational components of the business. What are their big advantages? Let’s take a look:
Speed – This one goes without saying, but certainly one of the most important benefits. Up your output from ~100 shirts an hour to up to 1,000 per hour.
Labor – A full auto press can be run by a single operator, whereas manual presses require a lot of attention and often multiple operators.
Production Efficiency – Auto presses usually come with the technology to optimize all facets of your output. From repeating finished jobs, to uptime, maintenance warnings, and more.
Print Consistency & Quality – Eliminating as much human error as you can is quintessential for the consistency of your prints at higher volumes.
Reduced Overhead – Many implicit factors have less of an impact, such as reprinting incorrect jobs, employee availability & cost, and most importantly time.
Naturally, there are different kinds of automatic screen-printing presses to pick from. There are carousel presses, oval presses, hybrid presses, and less commonly all-electric presses. The market share is entirely dominated by carousel presses, such as the Cobra E or the Gauntlet 4. With close to 90% of the market share, carousel presses are valued for coming in a variety of options, being familiar systems for operators, and having more available support.
Picking the style of press shouldn’t get too complicated. For most situations a carousel press is the optimal choice – as it brings familiarity and more flexibility, while being at the best price point for those getting started. If you need specific features such as modular design (oval) or digital print heads (hybrid), then those would be appropriate choices.
Commonly, it is recommended that new users or new shops get a manual press first – due mostly to cost constraints, learning operating procedures, or ability to maximize the press. For more insight, check out our buyer's guide on manual presses. However, there are some scenarios when beginning with an automatic press make sense. Typically, businesses that already have a clear direction (niche or general), have experienced individuals on staff, or have funding can get away with starting on an automatic press.
If we look at it from a cost and time perspective, most shops early on do not have an adequate assessment of their order volume, or projected growth. The purpose of an automatic press is to alleviate the pressures of high-volume printing while allowing you to scale. If print shops never see the volume required (remember we said 500+ per day), the cost tradeoff (~$5k-10k) is better input into other facets of the business.
As mentioned before, there are multiple factors that contribute to a shop looking to upgrade from a manual press. Beyond expansion, there are some barriers we want to consider:
Workload– If you’re having to schedule jobs further out or decline them altogether due to labor limitations, or if you are at a volume of roughly 500 shirts per day.
Operations– With higher output from the press, the other elements of your shop must be able to match the increased pace it will bring, ranging from available staff to equipment like your dryer.
Future planning – If you’ve already thought of new ways to improve shop operations but don’t have the capacity, it is most likely time for an upgrade.
Now that you have an idea of what makes auto presses valuable and the differences between them, you should be equipped for your decision. Unless you have a specific niche, a carousel press is the way to go. Determining the number of colors or complexity of your press is something you will need to determine based on your own shop’s capabilities and direction.
M&R does provide a solution that’s considered suitable for every level of screen printer, known as the Sportsman series. Not only does it come in a very workable size for someone just making the switch from manual, but the familiarity is a welcome bonus as well. Once you begin printing in high volumes consistently, a bigger press like the Gauntlet makes more sense. If you have further questions about automatic presses, feel free to contact us directly at 888.435.2468.
