Knowledge
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR NUMBERS ACTUALLY MEAN
Buying guides, cost benchmarks, machine comparisons, ROI and production know-how plus real case studies — each with the formula, a worked example and the matching calculator.
Sections
Buying Guides
Investment decisions
Structured decision guides for machines, methods and financing — with the advantages, the disadvantages and the mistakes that cost the most money.
7 articles
Cost Benchmarks
Compare your numbers
Planning values for labour, energy, consumables and cycle times, with the formulas that turn them into cost per garment.
4 articles
Machine Comparisons
Investment support
Neutral, vendor-independent comparisons across specifications, registration, cycle time, automation, labour and energy.
3 articles
ROI Academy
Financial concepts
Every metric the calculators produce, explained with definition, formula, a real example and the rule that keeps it honest.
9 articles
Production Academy
Improve production
Setup, registration, downtime, OEE, energy and layout — practical improvement work with the arithmetic attached.
6 articles
Case Studies
Real business stories
Background, challenge, inputs, calculation, result and lessons learned — every scenario can be recreated in a calculator.
3 articles
Filters
32 articles
Featured
How to choose between screen printing, DTG and DTF
A decision framework built on run size, colour count, labour and setup — not on brand preference.
10 min14/07/2026
When does automatic screen printing pay off?
Automation only pays when released hours turn into cash or into sold output.
12 min02/07/2026
Average labour cost by country
Loaded hourly cost of a print operator across key European and North American markets.
6 min01/07/2026
Automatic vs manual registration
The comparison that changes short-run economics more than press speed does.
7 min22/06/2026
What is ROI — and what it is not
Return on investment compares net gain to capital employed over a defined horizon.
6 min08/07/2026
Why released labour hours are not cash savings
Time freed on the shop floor changes the payroll only under specific conditions.
8 min11/07/2026
All articles
How to choose between screen printing, DTG and DTF
A decision framework built on run size, colour count, labour and setup — not on brand preference.
10 min14/07/2026
When does automatic screen printing pay off?
Automation only pays when released hours turn into cash or into sold output.
12 min02/07/2026
Should you buy or lease a printing machine?
The financing decision is separate from the investment decision — and must be evaluated after it.
9 min20/06/2026
Choosing the right dryer or curing unit
Dryers set your throughput ceiling and a large share of your energy bill.
8 min28/05/2026
Buying a pretreatment machine for DTG
Pretreatment is the quietest cost centre in DTG — and the loudest quality risk.
7 min10/05/2026
Choosing the right registration system
Registration time is setup time — and setup time is the tax on short runs.
8 min05/06/2026
Average labour cost by country
Loaded hourly cost of a print operator across key European and North American markets.
6 min01/07/2026
Average electricity and gas prices for print shops
Industrial energy price bands and what they mean per printed garment.
6 min01/07/2026
Typical consumption benchmarks: pretreatment, ink, film and powder
Grams, millilitres and square metres per garment — the numbers that build digital cost.
7 min25/06/2026
Typical setup, registration and cycle times
Time benchmarks that decide short-run profitability.
6 min25/06/2026
Automatic vs manual registration
The comparison that changes short-run economics more than press speed does.
7 min22/06/2026
Oval vs carousel presses
Layout, station count and workflow — not brand — determine which fits.
8 min16/06/2026
DTG vs DTF machine classes compared
Entry, mid-range and industrial systems across throughput, labour and consumables.
9 min16/06/2026
What is ROI — and what it is not
Return on investment compares net gain to capital employed over a defined horizon.
6 min08/07/2026
Payback vs ROI: two questions, two answers
Payback measures risk exposure in time. ROI measures profitability in money.
5 min08/07/2026
What is NPV?
Net present value prices the fact that money next year is worth less than money today.
7 min30/06/2026
What is IRR?
The internal rate of return is the discount rate at which the investment breaks even.
6 min30/06/2026
Why released labour hours are not cash savings
Time freed on the shop floor changes the payroll only under specific conditions.
8 min11/07/2026
Why free capacity is not revenue
Capacity becomes money at the moment an invoice exists — and only at contribution margin.
7 min11/07/2026
Contribution margin, variable and fixed costs
The one split that determines whether an extra order helps or hurts.
7 min18/06/2026
Facility costs explained — allocation is not saving
Rent, floor space and overhead must be allocated, but they rarely change with a machine.
9 min05/07/2026
Direct vs indirect labour
Only one of them belongs in your cost per garment.
5 min12/06/2026
Reducing setup time
SMED for garment decoration: move work off the machine before you speed it up.
8 min28/06/2026
Improving registration quality and speed
Repeatable registration removes reprints, not just minutes.
7 min14/06/2026
Improving OEE in a print shop
Availability × Performance × Quality — measured on the constraint, not on every machine.
9 min10/06/2026
Energy optimisation in garment decoration
Curing and pressing dominate the bill; scheduling beats equipment swaps.
7 min08/06/2026
Facility and layout optimisation
Material travel is invisible labour cost.
6 min30/05/2026
Pretreatment optimisation for DTG
Less fluid, fewer rejects, better hand — usually at the same time.
6 min22/05/2026
When is DTG more profitable than DTF?
Two digital processes with completely different cost structures and bottlenecks.
10 min09/07/2026
From 32 to 14 months payback: manual to automatic
How separating cash savings from released capacity changed an investment decision.
9 min03/07/2026
Choosing between a DTG and a DTF line
A 9,000 pieces/month shop tested both and found the answer in its garment mix.
8 min26/06/2026
Reducing setup time by 40% without investment
Eight weeks, no purchase order, 11 press hours recovered per month.
7 min19/06/2026
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