A buyer's guide to comparing DTF, TPU label, embroidery and flocking quotes, written by a supplier who will tell you which machine not to buy.
Check 7 things, in this order: the supplier's engineer response time to your address, whether print heads and spares are stocked in India, who supplies consumables after month 3, the exact print head model and count, the real output at the pass setting you will run rather than peak speed, the power and floor space the machine needs, and whether the supplier will print your own design on your own material before you release the balance payment. Price is the 8th question, not the 1st. A garment printing machine has to earn for 5 to 10 years, so the total of machine plus 5 years of support is the number that matters.
Ask each one in writing. A supplier who cannot answer 1 to 3 in writing has told you what their after-sales looks like.
This is the first question because it is the one that decides whether the machine earns. Ask for the number of hours and the number of engineers in your state. Our own commitment has 2 parts. Live phone and video diagnosis during working hours, so the first fix attempt starts the same minute you call. Then an engineer on site in 24 to 48 hours, same day or next day in metro and tier 1 cities, up to 3 days for remote locations, from a service team of 48 people across 11 cities.
A print head that ships from China after failure costs you 2 to 4 weeks of production, not just the price of the head. Ask which heads are held in India, at which location, and what the replacement lead time is once the fault is confirmed.
Consumables are where a cheap machine gets expensive. Confirm the supply source, the price per unit today, and whether the machine will run on third-party consumables or only on the supplier's own.
Head model and quantity set both your speed and your repair bill. "Industrial head" is not an answer. A 600 mm DTF line running 6 i3200 A1 heads is a different machine from a 4-head unit of the same width, and it should be quoted as such.
Peak speed is quoted at the fastest pass, which is rarely the quality setting you sell at. As an example, a 6-head 600 mm DTF printer runs about 27 sqm per hour at 4 pass, 23 at 6 pass, and 15 at 8 pass. Plan your capacity on the pass you will use, not the number on the brochure.
Arrange this before the machine ships. A 600 mm DTF printer draws about 2200W at 10A, while its automatic shaker draws about 7000W at 35A on 220V. The printer and shaker together need roughly 4.5 metres of run length. Most installation delays in India are electrical, not mechanical.
Sampling is the only test that survives contact with your order book. Ask the supplier to install, then run your own artwork on your own garment before handover. If a supplier resists this, the brochure is doing work the machine cannot.
Because the price you compare is not the cost you carry. Add the 5 lines below to any quote before you compare 2 sellers.
| Machine price | The only number most buyers compare |
|---|---|
| Consumables for 5 years | Ink, film, powder, at the price your supplier will actually charge in year 2 |
| Print head replacement | Heads are wear parts. Ask the price and the India stock position before you need one |
| Downtime | Days the machine is stopped multiplied by the value of a production day in your unit |
| Rework and scrap | Higher on a machine nobody trained your operator on |
We do not sell the cheapest machine in the market and we say so out loud. We price at the margin that lets us keep an engineer on the road for you. A seller priced too thin to service the machine after the sale is spending your money and their own time.
| If your orders look like this | Buy this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small mixed full-colour runs on many fabrics | DTF printer | No screen, no plate, no setup cost per design, so a 1-piece order is still profitable |
| Brand labels and badges you buy from a vendor today | TPU or PU label printer | Zero plate cost on a design change, and a sample costs ink and 10 minutes instead of a week |
| Repeat logo work on caps and uniforms | Digital embroidery | The setup is done once and the same design runs for years |
| Fashion and kidswear where feel sets the price | Flocking | The raised velvet surface is what the buyer touches before reading the design |
| Very long runs of 1 single-colour design | Screen printing, not us | At that volume screen still costs less per piece, and we will tell you so |
Support starts on the call, not on the visit. Ring us in working hours and an engineer takes your operator through it live, on phone or on video, while the machine is in front of him. Most stoppages clear on that call. When it needs hands on the machine, an engineer travels: 24 to 48 hours, same day or next day in metro and tier 1 cities, up to 3 days for remote locations, from a team of 48 people across 11 cities.
Call in working hours and an engineer diagnoses it with you on the spot, over phone or video. For a unit with a shipment tomorrow, even 24 hours is too long to wait, so the first fix attempt happens now.
For anything the call cannot fix. Same or next day in metro and tier 1 cities. Up to 3 days remote. 48 people across 11 cities.
Your operator sends a nozzle test to our group every morning. We catch a clogged head before it becomes a stopped machine.
We install the machine and run your own designs on your own material, so you see the real output before you sign off.
Ink, film, powder, heads and spare parts stay in stock here. Buying the machine in India means you can keep running it in India.
DTF, TPU label, embroidery and flocking are all supported by the same engineers on the same terms. You do not chase 4 suppliers.
Across the Axis garment printing range, machines run from 3 lakh to 16 lakh. A single-head A3 label printer sits at the bottom of that band and a 600 mm multi-head DTF line with an automatic shaker sits at the top. Price is driven by print width, print head count and whether a shaker or curing unit is included. Ask any seller to quote the model name and head model, not a category.
DTF prints onto a PET film that is powdered, cured and heat pressed onto the garment, so it works on cotton, polyester, denim, nylon and leather. DTG prints ink directly into the fabric and works best on high-cotton garments. For a mixed order book across fabric types, DTF covers more of your catalogue with one machine.
One trained operator runs the printer and shaker line. A second person on the heat press keeps the output moving. Our engineer trains your operator during installation and the operator stays in a WhatsApp group afterwards for daily checks.
A 600 mm DTF printer typically draws about 2200W at 10A, and the automatic shaker draws about 7000W at 35A on 220V. Confirm the electrical point and the floor space before the machine ships, because arranging it after delivery is what delays most installations.
PET film, hot melt powder and pigment ink in CMYK plus white for DTF. UV ink for TPU label printing. Ask your supplier to confirm in writing that all of these, plus replacement print heads, are stocked in India.
No. A garment printing machine has to earn for 5 to 10 years. The cheapest machine usually carries the thinnest margin for the seller, which means there is no money left to service it after the sale. Judge the total of machine plus 5 years of support, not the invoice.
Ask us for the service terms in writing along with the price.
