😭😭 need artwork help and printing

[Hammerking]

Hi everyone, I'm a noob, to the site and the artwork world, I'm trying to print out my own vinyl artwork but, it's beginning to be a real pain... So here's what I know... You need atleast an inkjet printer (which I bought one lastnight) and transfer paper... But I can't find where to buy the vinyl printing paper from.... My next step afterwards will be to buy a large format printer to print full size but I want to try small before I decide to fully invest and waste money because I cant get things to work right......any help?

[Mike A]

Have your artwork printed professionally. Unless you plan on printing artwork for a couple hundred arcade machines, it will be much cheaper and it will look better.

[Hammerking]

Yes I want to start my own little business

[SlammedNiss]

Do you have any experience on this line of work? It doesn't sound like you do.

[Hammerking]

No first time trying to print...i Bought a inkjet printer so I could do some testing, and thought obtaining the vinyl paper locally would be easy  (which I haven't found any) and that's as far as I got..Been researching forums and Google for a week!

[SlammedNiss]

No first time trying to print...i Bought a inkjet printer so I could do some testing, and thought obtaining the vinyl paper locally would be easy  (which I haven't found any) and that's as far as I got..Been researching forums and Google for a week!

I don't know about printable vinyl for smaller inkjet printers, but we buy most of our material from Fellers, Gregory and Sign Warehouse for our 64" wide-format printer. It isn't a cheap endeavor to get into the business. Our Mutoh was about $20k, and that DOESN'T include a laminator which you'll need as well.

[Hammerking]

That's definitely a good heads up, the next printer I was going to buy was I think a 32" large printer... And I also checked out eBay to see what I could find, and i keep seeing this one, what do you think?

[SlammedNiss]

Be extremely wary on used wide-format printers. If a print head goes out in can cost thousands to fix properly by a certified tech. If you're serious about purchasing one, purchase new so you get a warranty with it. Also, if you keep seeing the same one for sale used, that's a red flag.

[Hammerking]

Excellent advice,

[Hammerking]

and I'm going to check with my bank on help with purchasing a new one

[Mike A]

If you are seriously looking at the printer you pictured, then don't put yourself in debt to start this business. You don't have the knowledge base to start a printing business. I am sorry if this is too negative for you, but you need to hear it. A real printing business has real equipment. It costs real money. You will never be able to compete with their prices or quality.

[Hammerking]

My short term goal is to build arcades here in Houston, and lots of people are asking me to make them one, but they all want the artwork also... I rather cut the middle  man out and print myself.... And hopefully business goes well enough for me to expand into something bigger

[Mike A]

good luck.

[yotsuya]

How do you plan to protect your ink jet printed artwork?

[Hammerking]

Thanks, gotta start somewhere

[Hammerking]

Yotsuya, do you mean like laminate

[JDFan]

My short term goal is to build arcades here in Houston, and lots of people are asking me to make them one, but they all want the artwork also... I rather cut the middle  man out and print myself.... And hopefully business goes well enough for me to expand into something bigger

Thing is you always get a lot of people asking you to build them one -- but when it comes time to actually pony up the money they all of a sudden walk it back many times or want the friends/family pricing that leaves no room to pay for the labor hours let alone any investment in equipment !!  Don't invest in expensive hardware and equipment up front (everyone would love to have a 4' x 8' CNC router to cut the wood with and a large format printer to print the artwork with but the initial investment in all of that equipment would take decades to recoup (esp. when you consider the ongoing expenses like maintenance - new parts to keep things running - the inks, vinyl, cutter, laminator, etc. etc. etc.) -- and usually when you start building them to sell the fun of building quickly fades ( much faster than the bills for the equipment get paid off !! ) and it turns out to be a job that pays less than minimum wage and is no longer fun.

If you really think you want to do it find a printer (either local or online ) and let your customer know the cost of the artwork as well as the rest of the build (be sure to include the labor hours and lots of small disposables that are easy to forget to factor in !)  and get at least 50% upfront as a non refundable deposit before ever spending to start the build.