Colin,
Our business started nearly 20 years ago on the embroidery side. We've owned four different brands over the years and still own two different brands, four machines, 15 heads all together. We started out going after the personalization market and very quickly made a sharp turn into the mid-sized garment orders. (4 to 144 pieces)
I will sum up my recomendations and you can feel free to call me if you'd like me to elaborate. (But please don't call until next week - we're buried alive with Friday delivery promises) 513-755-8740
Machines - I am so surprised noone mentioned Tajima. In my opinion, nothing else compares with the exception of possibly Baradun. The tajima's are easy to operate, fast, reliable and the service and support from Hirsch is great, at least here in Ohio. Everyone else tries to be like Tajima. If you go to the trade shows you will hear all kinds of claims like (quiet as a tajima or fast as a tajima. The SWF mentioned earlier is actually a Tajima clone. Well heck - why buy the generic? One tip - go and visit the larger production shops out there, the ones that handle contract work and run hundreds of heads all day every day. The overwhelming majority are Tajima shops. Look at the prices of used machines and you'll see the tajimas hold their value far and away better than the others - it's not even close.
Software - you will need at least a good lettering and editing program. I wouldn't own anything other than Wilcom and their ES21E and ES21D programs are affordable and you can upgrade to their digitizing software as you grow. Pulse makes a good package as well and it is sold by Hirsch so your support would be one-stop if you also bought Tajima. Drawings has been mentioned and we own it as well but I have to tell you if you were to only own one piece of embroidery software, Drawings should not be it. The latest version is a huge improvement but the output from most vector files is not production ready and not up to reasonable quality standards. Once you are more embroidery wise and can handle some design editing then Drawings is a very nice addition to the arsenal.
New vs Used - I have two machines for sale right now but to be completely honest, given your situation I would recommend buying new just to get the training and support for your first machine. It doesn't sound like price is your primary consideration and that is usually the reason for buying used. (I must admit my latest machine was a repo - only a year old, like new and saved me almost 15,000 over the cost of an identical new machine.
Digitizing - I would never recommend starting out trying to digitize your own custom designs. Once you learn how embroidery works and what direction your business takes, then you can decide to add it later. Start of with good lettering and editing software and farm out your cusotm digitizing. There are several great sources online for very fast and affordable custom digitizing. If you are focusing on presonaization, the lettering and editing features are more important. Also, buy a basic stock design collection. A good one will cost you a few thousand dollars but you can't sell the onesy-twosey market without stock designs.
Bells and whistles - Hoops are the frames that hold the item being sewn. You slide the hoop onto the arms of the machine and htre machine pantograph moves the garment under the needle. Especially if you are planning to focus on personalization you will need a variety of hoops and frames. At a minimum you need the four basic sizes of round hoops, one or two larger shirt front and jacket back hoops, hat frame and driver. I personally think the 270 degree hat option is a waste and prefer the Hoop Tech hat frames available on the secondary market. Hoop Tech also makes a great series of hoopless clamps that are an incredible time saver and worth every penny of their seemingly high price. And don't forget that with hoops, you will need two of each size for each head. One running on the machine and another being prepared for the next run. The object is to keep the needles going up and down. Idle machines generate zero revenue.
Features - at a minimum for a single head machine... 15 needles, no less than 1000 stitches per minute (but be careful about manufacturer claims in this regard) large sewing fields for jacket backs, upper thread and bobbin thread break sensors, Quick changeover from hats to flats. And depending upon where your business is located and how you are setup - don't overlook the machines noise output. There are several machine out today that are so noisey you can't carry on a conversation within 10 feet. The noise issue is the number one reason we first switched to tajima.
Training - learning embroidery is not easy. There are a lot of variables that don;t exist in engraving (and vice versa) If your business is running well, maybe you should consider hiring a machine operator with experience? (But be careful as most experienced operators that come from the production shops will be of little help with your personaization business - you are going to get some off the wall requests and the ability to be creative with hooping and framing is a must) There are several trade shows put on by Impressions and EMB magazine (www.issshows.com) and they have a seminar called "Startup Decorator" that would be money well spent.
Hope this helps. Good luck! |