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M2 DTG Printer VS Brother GT-381

What to look for when comparing the M2 DTG to the Brother GT-381 dtg printer.

The Brother GT-381 DTG Printer is Brother’s flagship t-shirt printer. So how does it compare to the M2 DTG printer machine in features, output, quality, size, costs, and ease of use?

We compare each dtg printer in the following 6 ways:

Cost per Print– How much do prints cost on each machine

Print Quality – Which one has better quality and feels softer

Productivity – M2’s removable platen system vs Brother’s stationary system

Print Size – What are the advantages of the M2’s larger field size

White Ink Management – M2’s automatic design vs Brother’s manual agitation

Construction – Which machine is built better / Quality of Construction

 

Comparing ROI & Cost Per Print

T-shirt printer profitability is what business owners look for most.  The M2 DTG printer brand is the hands down market leader in this area.  The M2’s industrial direct to garment printer turns out to have the lowest cost per print when compared to the BrotherGT-381

When your DTG printer helps you keep more money in your pocket each month, that extra money can be used to fulfill your dreams.  That’s what we call getting a great return on investment.  But to know where you stand, you have to know what things cost.

The included Rip Pro software that comes standard with the M2 machine counts the costs for you.  It allows virtually any custom t shirt business to do Job Costing Up -Front.  No more guesswork, know where you stand on your jobs.

How much to charge for a t-shirt is a common question. The job costing feature built into the Rip Pro software lets you know exactly how much ink you will need when pricing out a job.

Compare that to the Brother print driver which does not offer job costing. In fact, in a recent cost per print comparisonthe Brother GT-381 was estimated at over three (3) times the cost per shirt in ink costs.

The published retail price per liter for the M2’s Genuine DTG inks is $266.59/liter for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, or Black.  Whereas the white inks cost $299/liter.  You can compare that to the published prices on the PAS store for the Brother GT-381 (GT-361, GT-341). Their white ink works out to $806/liter.  That’s nearly four times the price per liter.

Not only that, but you get even more savings on DTG printer Ink with our new Ink Savers program!

Print Quality Comparison | M2 – Best Quality DTG Printer

There are some measurable differences in quality of output between the Brother dtg printer and the M2. The maximum print quality of the Brother gt-381 machine is 1200 dpi compared to the M2 DTG brand which sports 1,440 dots per inch precision.

Also, the M2 applies 240 more dots into every inch of its print output. That’s over three thousand (3,000) more dots in a standard 14” design.

There’s enough precision and quality to satisfy the needs of even the pickiest customers or artists.

M2 Has Precision Encoding

The M2 also has a single encoder strip across the full print area of the dtg printer. This encoder strip maintains registration over distance so the machine always knows the position of the print head.  That’s what leads to the better precision of the M2.

Furthermore, along the up and down axis is a direct screw-drive mechanism made of solid steel.  This mechanism gives precision control of the distance between the garment and the print head. It allows the M2’s print head to get closer to the substrate which means each print can look crystal clear when compared to the Brother GT-381.

If you look closely on the encoder strip, you can see the tiny lines that go up and down, those sensor lines are used to know where the print head carriage is at all times. 

Complete Control Over Look and Feel

ColDesi, Inc.’s flagship M2 DTG printer comes equipped with DTG Rip Pro C6 software for higher quality and a softer print on light and dark garments compared to the Brother DTG printer, which uses a standard printer driver.

You’ll have complete control over every aspect of the print job. And, the software is well known in the graphics world by professional printers.The Rip gives unlimited customization of the print job for different fabric & item types.

Considering the thousands of different fabric types and styles in today’s garment industry, it’s important to be able to control each aspect of look, quality, and feel of the printed garment.

This image shows how the operator can stage multiple jobs and have them processed and waiting for the operator to simply hit “load” again. Combined with the preloading, you’ll have non-stop production.

Unlimited Customization

The RIP (raster image processor) allows for unlimited customization of the print job for different fabric & item types. Considering the thousands of different fabric types and styles in today’s garment industry, it’s important to be able to control each aspect of look, quality, and feel of the printed garment.

The DTG RIP Pro C6‘s unique print queues come pre-loaded with the Rip Pro C6 software.  Rather than waiting for each job to process, the operator or artist can “pre-rip” the design while the machine is printing.  Compare this to the Brother GT-381 (and GT-361, 341) dtg printer which requires additional processing time. The print drivers that come standard on the Brother t shirt printer typically use even more ink per print and do not allow for the customization that the DTG M2 system provides.

Comparing Productivity and Output

The GT-318 is a traditional DTG printer with a single load, fixed platen system. It has been designed to load or print one garment at a time.  While printing, there is no additional platen to prepare the next shirt.

Also, each garment must be opened and pressed onto the platen one at a time.  Correct alignment is tricky and is done in the upside down position. The machine is idle while you unload the previous garment AND while you prepare the next.

A Sticky Situation

The Brother t-shirt printer uses a specialized sticky substance called “pallet glue”.   It has to be brushed on and allowed to dry to ensure adhesion of the shirt to the platen. Not only that, but the glue must be scraped off periodically and replaced. The fuzz on the inside of the garment builds up causing a loss of adhesion.

The end result is downtime, more hassle, and multiple periods throughout the week where the operator must stop printing and scrape.

Removable Platens and Interface

The M2 DTG printer uses a flexible, removable platen system. This is a superior design and lets you preload garments, much like an embroiderer will hoop garment #2 while garment #1 is sewing.

With preloading, the operator can simply swap platens and press start again to keep on printing.  Furthermore, the M2 has a snap-in-place positioning system that allows the platens to be changed in seconds.  There are no handles or levers for the garments to get caught on.

DTG’s flexible platen system is also the key to being able to print 1, 2 or 4 shirts at once! Or up to 12 shirts with the DTG M6!

The M2 Keeps Your Platens Moving

The M series platens are sturdy and the patented TucLoc® platen system allows for easy garment loading every time without glues or sprays. The M2 flexible platen design keeps your platens moving while the Brother GT-381 printer single platen waits for you.

The M2 comes standard with 2 adult size platens which allow you to print two garments at a time.  In addition to the ease of use of the M2, the machine will be able to finish most print jobs much faster.

The M2 is Faster All Around

The M2 outpaces the Brother DTG printer at higher quality even when using the Brother GT’s half quality “fast pass” mode.

With it’s Lower interface time, printing of multiple shirts, and lower operating costs, the M2 a better choice for nearly any custom t shirt business.

No waiting for the previous garment to be unstuck and brought to the heat press first. There is no need to open the garment and stick it to the platen while the machine is stopped. No having to stop the machine to agitate the head, or scrape off the garment fuzz. More up time means more money saved.

Comparing Print Size | M2 DTG Printer vs Brother T-Shirt Printer

Larger prints and the flexibility to do BIG prints can supercharge a business’s profits.  Here again, the M series printer have the advantage. The maximum print area of the Brother is 14” by 16” compared to the M2 machine which has a maximum print area is 16.5” by 24”.

Multiple Prints Saves Time and Money

Bigger prints allows DTG custom t shirt businesses to charge more per print.  The trend in the market is towards larger designs and more choices when it comes to printing BIG.

Also, the larger print area lets more items to be printed at once.  Up to 4 left chest logos can be printed at the same time on the M2 custom dtg printer.

For example, a dozen left-chest logos can be completed in only three print cycles on the M2 compared to twelve print cycles on the Brother.

The M2’s larger print area combined with the dual platen design allows for much larger prints and dramatically higher production rates.  Time is money and the M2 Large print cost savings go straight to the bottom line of any custom t-shirt machine operated business.

M2 T-Shirt Printing Machine vs GT-381 | White Ink Management

The differences between the two machines here is extreme.  When it comes to managing the white ink, the DTG brand approach is system wide and requires little to no intervention by the operator.

The Brother DTG white ink printer requires daily and weekly operator intervention.  Managing the white ink is absolutely crucial to success.  The M2 approach to white ink management is automatic and painless.

How Much Maintenance Required?

The Brother requires up to 17 hours of operator time per month.

After a weekend of non-use, the operator must spend approximately 75 minutes performing what Brother calls a “white tube cleaning” function.  This requires draining the white ink out of the print lines of the Brother to “keep the whiteness” of the prints.

White Agitation – Hand Shaking of the Ink

After each night, the operator must do what Brother calls a “white agitation” cycle.  The carriage will move back and forth to be “agitated” for approximately 5 minutes.  This must be done in order to minimize the “ink waste overhead up to 66%” Brother says.  However, this agitation feature only affects the ink in the print carriage.  The print

This must be done in order to minimize the “ink waste overhead up to 66%” Brother says.  However, this agitation feature only affects the ink in the print carriage.

The Brother DTG printer ink lines and the print cartridges must be maintained by hand.

Maintaining the Whiteness of the Print

Surprisingly, the Brother Flagship model GT-381 direct to garment printer has no circulation of the white ink when not in use.

The operator must “pull out the White Ink Cartridges one at a time and hold the cartridge with both hands and manually agitate (shake) for 45-60 seconds to keep the whiteness” as listed in the Brother Regular Maintenance schedule.

Smooth Ink Delivery

Compare that to the patented “White Ink Management System” WIMS the DTG brand has on its M2 (and the M6) line of printers.  The WIMS white ink system automatically controls the smooth delivery of white ink to the garments and other print items.

For starters, there is a specialized paddle rotation system built into the bulk white ink storage area.  No hand shaking or mixing is required.  The system is pressurized to help prevent air from getting trapped.  This unique system keeps the white ink constantly moving.

WIMS is Automatic

The White Ink Management System is automatically controlled and does not require the machine to stop printing when it’s working  The machine can be left alone for long periods of time, long weekends, or while on vacation without problems.

There’s also sports a secondary circulation system to keep the ink moving within the print lines.  Direct to Garment machine owners know that stagnant ink in the lines is the primary causes of clogs and expensive print head issues.

To prevent clogging problems, the DTG brand machine has individual print line dampeners to remove and separate any remaining air or off-gassing in the print lines.  For long periods of non-use, you can rest assured that when it comes to White Ink Management and problem prevention, the M2 is far superior to the Brother DTG printer.

Comparing Construction

Both t shirt printers are built from the ground up for commercial production. Checking out the M2, it’s got an industrial look and feel.  It’s framed in solid steel corners and joints and sports a lightweight structural aluminum frame.

The DTG M2 machine has sturdy “wipe clean” metal covers and a high-contrast liquid crystal control panel.  The Brother GT-381 also has a liquid crystal control panel and a smaller base as a result of its “one print at a time” design.

Larger and Wider Base on the M2

The M2 base is larger and wider to accommodate its larger print area and its ability to print two custom t shirts at the same time.  The M2 clearly targets the commercial or industrial grade DTG garment printers market.  It’s construction and multi-shirt printing capabilities work for both small and big markets.

Inside Construction, High-Quality Steel

Moving to the inside, we compare the quality of the individual components.  The M2 has two powerful industrial servomotors  to control the precision movement of the DTG M2 print carriage.

The M2 DTG printer brand holds even the heaviest of garments because of its steel linear bearings, metal gears (not plastic), and a steel rail-guided transport system.  Also, it’s generous print area and hot-swappable platens allow bigger and bulkier items to be more easily positioned.

The M2 base is larger and wider to accommodate its larger print area and its ability to print two custom t shirts at the same time.  The M2 clearly targets the commercial or industrial grade DTG garment printers market.  It’s construction and multi-shirt printing capabilities work for both small and big markets.

An example of the M2’s servomotor with metal gears. Note: One of the 6 or 7 things actually warranted on the Brother for 2 years is the gears. It says in parentheses both the plastic and metal gears.

Take the Next Step in Choosing the Right DTG Printer for Your Business

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