Top Four Reasons To Automate Your Screen Printing Production

Many printers dream about going automatic. Not only does an automatic press help serve larger orders, an automatic press tremendously helps a printer thanks to its speed, consistent quality, saved labor costs, and less wear and tear on the printer. Bringing automatic equipment into your shop is a big investment, but one definitely worth considering. Let's talk about it!

SPEED

The biggest advantage of an automatic press is its speed. With an automatic press, it isn't unreasonable to expect anywhere from 500 to 1,000 shirts per hour. With a reliable, increased production speed, your capacity for larger jobs will grow overnight. You won't have to turn away clients who come in with big orders and short deadlines. You’ll find them well within your grasp with an automatic press.

RELATED: THE UNEXPECTED WAYS YOUR BUSINESS WILL CHANGE AFTER INSTALLING YOUR FIRST AUTOMATIC PRESS

Photo by Floodway Print Co.

CONSISTENT QUALITY

Even the most proud screen printer has to admit, when you're at the end of the shift, your shirt quality probably suffers. Even the best printer will run into the problem of exhaustion. The squeegee gets heavier and heavier with each stroke, and suddenly your consistency is just not what it should be. Print one does not look the same as print three hundred. Hey, we're only human.

With an automatic press in your shop, you'll find that every shirt is the same, every time. You have full control of the pressure, angle, and speed of the squeegee. Set it, forget it, and watch your automatic press give you perfect prints on every single shirt. You can relax. The product will look fantastic. 

Photo by B2B Signs and Prints.

WEAR & TEAR

How many shirts do you think you, or your employee on a manual press is outputting? 100-300? As much as anyone loves screen printing, it's easy to agree that after a long day, you feel a bit ragged. Your shoulders and wrists are sore, your back is aching, and your feet are singing the blues.

Kiss goodbye to pushing/pulling a squeegee with an automatic press. The physical requirement with an auto is to set up the screens, push some buttons, and load and unload shirts. Your body is saved from constant, long-term wear and tear damage.

RELATED: ARE YOU READY FOR AN AUTOMATIC PRESS?

Photo by Forte Clothing Co.

COST OF LABOR SAVINGS

Every two weeks, you process payroll for your employees. It's a good chunk of change that leaves your business's wallet. Maybe you're even considering bringing another team member on to make up for a recent increase in business. Did you know that the cumulative monthly cost of hiring an additional employee is usually 1 to 3 times higher than the cost of adding an auto press to your shop? 

Instead, consider bringing in the employee who never calls in sick, who never gets tired or sore, and who can increase your productivity by leaps and bounds. If you have a growing shop and you're trying to decide what your 'next big step' is, maybe it’s time to start looking into the world of automatics.