making it my career. I used all of the money I saved from my business during college to purchase my very first commercial embroidery machine, a Melco EMT 16X. Not even a year later and my business now has 6 Melco EMT 16X machines and we are still growing. The Melco EMT 16X has changed my business for the better. I am able to create more products to reach my demand and expand into new product categories since my machines can do it all!

is easy to learn and use, providing more options and flexibility than many operators will ever need, yet is intuitive enough for anyone to understand and use. The documentation that comes with the F2000 is superior and can save hours on the phone with tech support and shorten the learning curve greatly. A huge advantage of working with Melco is the availability of on-site service if needed. While it’s a serious investment, I would not hesitate to recommend the Epson F2000 to anyone serious about the DTG business. The others are now obsolete!”

training, as I began my venture into the field of embroidery. Their training classes in digitizing logos and the operation of the machine are instrumental in the proper operation and job flow procedures. As with any new, high-tech piece of equipment, the technicians at Melco were helpful with fine-tune adjustments. The progression of my abilities in my new field improved as I went through trial and error periods, but the service technicians were by my side. At one point, Melco offered to use me as a beta test site for one of their machines and work with the design engineers to help them improve all aspects of their new designs. I jumped at the opportunity and have never regretted it because of how much I learned during the process. It has definitely helped me become more efficient for my own processes and improve the products and services I can provide to my customers. Twelve years later, I now have four machines. I have learned to use them with a variety of processes including tackle twill, 3D foam caps, luggage, and backpacks. I know that if I have mechanical issues with any of my machines or need suggestions on how to run a specific item, I just need to make a phone call to a Melco technician for assistance. Thank you, Melco for helping make my business successful.

an Anajet mp10i. The Epson is superior. Our previous printer had quality issues; occasionally print with banding, or have a color dropped out. Not with the Epson, we have had the printer for several months and it has been flawless! The peace of mind knowing that the machine is going to print well every time is valuable to us. The amount of ink used to clean the printer is very low compared to the anajet. How has Melco helped you with your DTG printing needs? Very helpful. I really didn’t want to spend too much when purchasing the printer and asked if they had a demo for sale. I was able get one for $14,000 which is $1000 less than the least expensive one out there. Granted it had been used, but we were able to go see the machine print right away, pick it up right away and ask the sales guy who was demoing the machine a million questions which he was able to answer right then and there. I know not everyone will have this experience, but Melco was the only one we called who was able to work with our budget. They also seem very knowledgable, John LeDrew sent us to his site which answered many of our concerns about the machine specifically. How has the F2000 benefited your business? Since the machine never makes a misprint, we save so much time and have less headaches. We print 5 days/week, 8 hours/day with various color garments and are amazed at how efficiently the Epson uses ink. Due to not worrying about the quality and machine issues we are so much more confident about printing than we were before. I used to think, “this is new technology, struggling to get this right is just the nature of the beast”, but Epson has figured it out. In addition the servicing of the machine is so simple. The machine tells you when to service on a regular interval, which is important and really one of the biggest drawbacks about other printers. With other printers we would maintain it, but it was on our own assumptions of what should be done and when. The Epson is super specific on what to do and when. This gives us more time to focus on production and not worry about what I might have to do and how it will effect production. The prices of ink per cc is not too far off the the other companies, but the fact we get so much more yield out of the ink makes us so much more profitable.

have enclosed a 500 sq. ft. garage that I use as my workshop. Over the past nine years, SugarPlum Stitching has expanded its customer base to include numerous local and small chain corporations from restaurants, financial institutions, construction contractors, hospitals, and manufacturing plants. I also do the embroidery and printing work for several educational, karate, and dance schools, churches, civic groups, and individuals. After a very negative experience with one equipment supplier, I will only purchase from Melco. I have a great 9 yr. relationship with Lynn Weaver, my sales representative, and that relationship just keeps growing. With Melco, I have had only positive experiences from the purchase of equipment to the maintenance of equipment to the purchase of more equipment. I have learned from them, customers are a very important and valuable part of my business and should be treated as such.

our embroidery training top-notch. He is very patient and explains everything very well, especially for those of us that are brand new. Our experience thus so far with Melco has been very good. I would recommend Melco to others and very excited to be in the embroidery business with such great people and support. I had a very good impression right from the beginning with Todd, our sales representative. Thanks to everyone!

and service. We strive to provide the highest quality products and customer service while meeting customer deadline requirements. The desire to improve in these areas and many others is always at the forefront of my mind. We print on a wide variety of products. We specialize in the swimwear industry so we embroider bags, warmup jackets/parkas, hats, towels, suits, polos, sweatshirts, and many other items. We also embroider a high volume of high school letter jackets. We offer high-quality 3D foam and applique designs that allow us to stand out from the rest. Our products and services are available on www.swimmisports.com. Additionally, we have 2 storefronts. Our main printing location is in Loveland, Colorado and we have a retail store-front in Denver, Colorado. Melco was local and we had a friend recommend the Melco equipment when looking to get into embroidery, and we currently run 4 Melco EMT16 machines.

ill check out that Puff video.

with two children. My combat injuries were beginning to catch up with me, and my military career was winding down to an end. It became evident that it was time to retire from military service and move on. In 2007, my brother started a screen-printing business. While I was away, he was building a solid client base back home. By 2012, when it was my time to medically retire, he had built up a nice base of clients. My family and I returned to NJ, and I went to work with my brother. We soon realized how much business we were losing by not offering embroidery as a service. After some discussion, we agreed that I would attempt to learn embroidery and he would stay with screen printing. I had access to an older 6 head machine, and someone who was willing to show me the ropes. The learning curve was pretty steep on the older, analog style machine, and the space wasn’t set up great for embroidery. We started researching smaller single-head machines that would fit in my home. The commute to the shop was brutal, and I really wanted to be able to spend more time with my family while working from home. We came across Melco and liked all of the specs…American company, 16 needles, and the fastest stitch speeds out there. I also found the “actifeed” feature attractive, as I was having trouble with thread tension on the older machine. A lot of the reviews stated that Melco customer service was the best in the industry. That also stuck out, as I know one thing you don’t want to be is down and out in this business. Lastly, I like the ability to link the machines together as you add more. As our business grows, we can add the amount of heads we need, rather than have to add a bulky multi-head machine that can only run a single job at a time. We are almost 2 years in with our Melco EMT16 PLUS and I can’t say enough good things about this company. The machine produces incredible work. Our business does about 80% hats, and it stitches them with ease. The learning curve is pretty steep, and the training is a huge help. In my opinion, worth every penny. But, if you take the time to practice, and learn the nuances of the machine, you will produce great embroidery. The Melco staff is second to none. From sales, to tech support, to instructional videos, they are the nicest people on the planet. Tech support is incredible. Any time I’ve had an issue, they’ve been able to get me back up and running. I’ve had parts overnighted and at my door by the next morning to make sure we’re not down too long. The sales staff is amazing and super helpful. Sue Gorton is excellent, and always willing to help. Purchasing this machine for business has been one of the best decisions we’ve made, and we will be adding more Melcos to our business in the future. It’s been a lot of fun learning this business, and Melco has made it that much better.

catered to entire parties in-home and offered a comfortable personal experience for a usually stressed bride. When you sew, people assume automatically that you offer embroidery services. I was always asked if I could put a date on a kerchief, personalize groomsmen and bridesmaids’ gifts. So, I invested in a small dual sewing/embroidery machine and pushed it to the very limit. It had a 4 x 4 sewing field and I did incredible things with it. I was familiarized with the very basics of digitizing software, using an auto wizard to convert images mostly and just taking what I could get, as I couldn’t edit the stitches with this software. I was still maxing out possibilities with that machine when I took a job opportunity at a local print shop, Printboy. At first, there was not a commercial machine in the shop and I learned how to screenprint. The ins and outs of using an auto-press and understanding artwork and separations were fun and challenging, all while taking side jobs on that same machine. One year into working at Printboy, we were finally able to offer embroidery as a new in-house service. We acquired a brand-new Melco EMT16 through my boss’s family member, who had chosen the machine after seeing it at a convention. Drawn to the versatility of the machine, which after experience with it, I confirm completely. At first, I was too intimidated to even use it. But after diving in headfirst into learning the DesignShop software and applying my screen-printing knowledge to the artwork, I took off running. The software was a breath of fresh air compared to what I was used to, and I love being able to manipulate my design down to the stitch. My first thoughts on the machine itself, I was loving every inch of the large sew field, and HATS!!! I could do hats with no problem at all! Switching the arms and hoops took no time at all, and I only have gotten quicker with that over time. Three years later, the machine continues to impress through experience. I am still learning every day about it My primary market has become patches and Tattoo shops, I believe that is a reflection of my personal style. I utilize the forums and Melco Live feeds on Facebook often for help and tips. I have also had a great experience with my Melco Tech, Juliet Collura. She was very helpful and generous with her knowledge of the machine to a newcomer like me. I am very grateful for her help, as well as all of the help from the Melco community. I look forward to producing new designs on my machine every day.