The Yudu screen printing machine was introduced to the market particularly for small scaled t-shirt printing tasks or businesses.
However, in this day and age where many people are interested in starting even just a small t-shirt printing business at home, it is understandable why there are some who are wanting to take the risk and are open to delving into the industry by buying something as appealing as the Yudu screen printing machine.
What exactly is the Yudu screen printing machine?
The Yudu screen printing machine is manufactured by Provocraft. It is a portable screen printing equipment that has a built-in exposure unit, lightbox, as well as a drying system.
Having a weight of just around 31.7 lbs., and the dimensions of 33 inches x 22 inches x 11 inches (L x W x H), it’s easy to picture beginning a t-shirt printing business in a vacant room within the comforts of your own home with the Yudu. Available on Amazon for as low as $199.99.
Once you have already printed your design with the use of a computer and an inkjet printer, you can screen print them on your t-shirts.
This screen printing machine was designed to be used for printing on fabrics, primarily on cotton and poly-cotton fabrics.
The Yudu was originally marketed as a ‘Personal Screen Printer’, and solely from that product description itself, the equipment already gives a hint that it is more suitable for personal t-shirt printing tasks – that is, hobbies or do-it-yourself projects.
However, despite the Yudu’s own product description, there are countless individuals in the t-shirt business industry who have personally tried using the product for commercial use.
Pros and cons of using the Yudu screen printing machine
When you purchase the Yudu Screen Printing Machine, it usually comes with the printing machine, a couple of emulsion sheets, a 110 mesh screen, a plastic squeegee, an adult t-shirt platen, platen adhesive sheet, blank ink-jet transparency, 2-ounce bottle of black ink, an instructional DVD, and an instruction manual.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of the Yudu – not only the machine itself but also the Yudu products that come with it.
Pros:
The Yudu machine does not take up a lot of space – Since the screen printing machine is relatively small, all you need is a sturdy, reliable desk or table placed in any room in your house and you should be able to print. Therefore, if you intend to start a small business from home, the Yudu can be satisfactory in terms of size.
You can start printing on garments right away – The Yudu screen printing machine is ready to use, and you don’t really need any major setting up before you can use it. Also, because the machine comes with a complete set of accessories, you can go ahead and begin printing as soon as you have read the manual or watched the DVD that comes with it.
Great for practicing screen printing – While some people purchased the Yudu machine with the intention of making profits soon by printing commercially, let’s admit it, we all need some sort of practice before actually venturing into a full-blown t-shirt printing business. If you are new to the industry, the Yudu can definitely help you gain knowledge in screen printing field.
The screen printing machine is reasonably priced – On an average, the Yudu screen printing machine is priced at around $200 to $300 on eBay or Amazon. So, taking into consideration that the equipment also has the function of an exposure unit, a drying system, and a lightbox, you practically get the benefit of having three separate machines for the price of one.
Built-in digital timer – With this special feature on the Yudu screen printing machine, it is easy to monitor your drying, screen printing, and exposure jobs.
Cons:
Expensive accessories – While the Yudu printing machine is affordable, the accessories that come with the equipment can be quite pricey. This is especially true for the Yudu inks as well as the Yudu emulsion sheets – and let’s face it, these items WILL run out, and you would need to buy more. According to Yudu, only Yudu replacement inks and emulsion sheets will work well with the screen printing machine; however, several veterans in the t-shirt printing industry actually said that other more affordable water-based inks in the market. Popular choices of water-based inks that work excellent with Yudu screen printing machine include Permaset, Speedball, and Jacquard.
Challenging to use for some – Unfortunately, one popular feedback for the Yudu printing machine is that it is not easy to use for some; not the machine itself, but the accessories that come with it. For instance, a common comment shared by many who have used the item said that they couldn’t work with the emulsion film, and there were also some complaints that the Yudu ink washes off easily.
The drying machine takes too long to do its job – While the Yudu screen printing machine comes with a built-in drying feature, many users have reported that the drying equipment does not work fast enough to dry the mesh screen or the emulsion sheet. Thus, it takes them a really long time to get even just a single print done on a t-shirt.
Accessories not working as well as they are supposed to be – Another downside of purchasing the Yudu products would be the quality of some of the add-ons that come with it. Aside from the supplies that are exhaustible such as ink and emulsion sheets, the mesh screen and squeegee did not receive positive feedback from most t-shirt printers who have used the Yudu printing items. For example, many commented that the 110 mesh screen did not produce crisp and fine details that they had to purchase a different 220 mesh screen from other stores. The same goes with the squeegee; many were disappointed with it that they purchased a more reliable squeegee from somewhere else.
Instructions not clear – Even though the equipment has a DVD and an instruction manual, many users said that the instructions were not clear and the video itself was confusing. Often, they had to rely on online tutorial videos for information on how to make the machine work.
The digital timer does not beep when done – This may seem like a minor issue to some, but if you are a busy person who does a lot of chores while printing your shirt with the Yudu, you risk overexposing your screens, and it might make it harder for you to wash them off for future use. Printing could require more time and attention for best results.
Who should buy the Yudu screen printing machine?
All in all, if you are truly inclined to starting a small business without spending much, then the Yudu screen printing machine may just be the perfect equipment for you. With the amount of only $300, you can get going on your t-shirt printing business.
If you have a limited work area to carry out the printing tasks on, this product is also suitable for you. The Yudu printing equipment is not lightweight, though, so you have to invest in a stable desk where you can put it on.
On the other hand, the Yudu screen printing machine may not be the best choice if you want to go for an all-out t-shirt printing immediately. Because the reviews include the machine and accessories taking a significant amount of time getting used to, you might want to explore doing little projects first. While many t-shirt printing pros suggest that the Yudu screen printing machine should just be used by hobbyists and do-it-yourself enthusiasts, you can still use it to earn a profit, but not for big orders such as printing a hundred t-shirts or more.
Also, if you are keen in using the machine for commercial purposes, it would be safer if you would only accept jobs that would not have a tight deadline, especially that there were also instances when the drying feature of the machine doesn’t work as quickly as expected. If you are just starting a business and establishing your image, you wouldn’t want to ruin your name by not meeting deadlines, would you?
Additionally, if you are not particularly motivated or don’t have a lot of patience, this machine might not be for you. Due to the fact that numerous people who have purchased the product revealed that it takes a lot of time to get the hang of printing with Yudu, you would need a huge amount of patience and genuine dedication to learn everything you need to know since working with the machine may involve a whole bunch of trial and error.
So, is the Yudu a good product to buy to print shirts to earn a profit?
Simply put, yes, the Yudu CAN BE a good product to purchase for commercial purposes but ONLY if you are willing to exhaust an extra effort in learning how to handle it properly.
You have to be prepared to invest more if you want to get better results and you have to be ready to perform some workaround solutions for problems that are likely to arise. For example, you have to be ready to use a blow dryer to make the drying process faster should any issues with the built-in dryer take place.
Moreover, you have to commit a sufficient amount of time in getting accustomed to using the machine for you to find out the perfect technique you have to use to make the printing work smoothly.
To sum it up, using the Yudu calls for a little money but a lot of perseverance; if you believe you have this perseverance, the Yudu screen printing machine can get you a lot of profit in no time.