You might have heard about a VersaCAMM. It's a printer/cutter made by Roland. This unit is primarily used in the sign industry for printing full color signs, banners and decals. Well you might be wondering why I'm talking about it, since I don't know all that much about signmaking.

Here's why: First, something that I must get out of the way.. If you are considering a Direct to Garment printer then you should look at a VersaCAMM. This especially holds true if you are an Embroiderer, Promotional Products Company, Sporting Goods Dealer, Retailer, T-shirt Store/Brand or just starting out. Notice I didn't say t-shirt screen printer, while I think it's still worth a look for a t-shirt screen printer I tend to think that it should be considered extensively by the mentioned markets. Let's go over what the VersaCAMM does for fabric. (not just t-shirts - I said FABRIC)

Basic Functions:

• 1. The VersaCAMM Prints/Cuts Full Color Designs on heat transfer material that can be applied with a heat press to fabric - both light and dark colored fabrics.
• 2. The VersaCAMM cuts just like a standard vinyl cutter for using with heat transfer vinyls that can be heat pressed to fabrics. (most commonly used for names, numbers and one or two color text based designs and logos)
• 3. The VersaCAMM cuts tackle twill material which can be sewn down to the garment with an embroidery machine. (this process is used for appliques and creating authentic numbering and lettering on jerseys - also used heavily in the collegiate market with frats and sororities)

Now lets elaborate on what you can do with some of this functionality.

When coupled with the proper media the VersaCAMM produces unrivaled results on all fabrics of all colors.

In this case, unrivaled means: more durable and vibrant than DTG, Inkjet Transfers and other methods used to create full color graphics - especially on dark color fabrics.

The prints can also go to more fabrics and colors than other technologies.

For example, consider what a retail store would look like if it was stocked with the items that you could produce. Most Direct to Garment Printer stores would be outfitted with mainly white t-shirts and other garments made of cotton and polyester primarily in white.

Now walk into the VersaCAMM store and find all colors (even darks) and types of fabrics that include t-shirts, nylon jackets, tote bags, fleece, leather portfolios, cheer shorts, umbrellas, fold up chairs, baseball uniforms, mesh basketball jerseys, polyester soccer jerseys, spandex wrestling uniforms, performance fabrics, speedos, hats, sneakers, coozies, lunch cooler bags, luggage, banners, stadium seat cushions, socks, neckties, hoodies, polos, towels, backpacks, business cases, golf bags, robes, pillow cases...well you get the point:) Anything made of fabric that you can get onto the heat press.

And don't forget about those things that don't even need the heat press like helmets, water bottles, signs, stickers and banners - these are great add on sales that just can't be stocked in the Direct to Garment store.

Now that we have our store, let's talk about what the customer's experience is like when they look/touch/launder the fabrics in each of the mentioned stores.

Since the only product that is like in each store is the cotton and/or polyester t-shirt, we'll compare it first.

On a white t-shirt after five washes:

Look - the print off of the VersaCAMM is definitely more vibrant as the Direct to Garment print has faded a bit after the initial laundering

Touch - the Direct to Garment t-shirt is slightly softer - definitely rivaling silk screening moreso, but the VersaCAMM print is still definitely sellable and customers are happy with it

Launder - both prints hold their color after additional wash cycles, the initial fading of the Direct to Garment shirt was the biggest deal

On a black t-shirt after five washes (keep in mind that there are few Direct to Garment printers that can do black and it can get labor intensive)

Look - vibrancy is still in the VersaCAMM's favor, actually much more this time as the Direct to Garment printer prints haved faded quite a bit after initial washes

Touch - the Direct to Garment printer shirt is still slightly softer, but the gap has closed considerably on this dark garment

Launder - color is good after additional washes on both processes

On all of the other fabrics/items mentioned above: the very slight thickness of the VersaCAMM print was a non issue as it was the only solution for a lot of these items. Color vibrancy and durability also were top notch.