A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.

A garment printing machine is provided with a transportable platen that can be utilized to significantly decrease the delay in printing expended in loading and unloading a garment for printing in either a digitized garment printing machine or a screen garment printing machine. The platen is provided with structure that holds a print receiving area of a garment firmly in position atop a print panel support plate that forms a part of the platen. Furthermore, the invention includes a platen support structure that cooperates with the conventional couplings' on existing conventional garment printing machines. A plurality of transportable platens constructed according to the invention are utilized interchangeably so that while one garment loaded on one of the platens is being printed upon in the printing machine, the prior garment just printed upon is unloaded and the next garment to be printed is loaded onto another identical platen. This totally avoids any delay in printing due to loading and unloading of garments on the platens.

Printing machine includes a guide; at least one printing station located along the guide; at least one supporting station for supporting a product to be printed by the printing station; at least a first and a second positioning units mounted along the guide, at least one of the positioning units being located at the printing station. The supporting station includes: a motor substantially integral with the supporting station for moving the supporting station along the guide; an acquisition device capable of acquiring an identification code from each of the positioning units when the supporting station is at each of the positioning units; a memory wherein reference codes corresponding to the identification codes and at least one reference distance corresponding to a distance between the first and second positioning units are stored; a processing unit configured to control the motor based on the acquired identification codes and on the reference codes and reference distance stored in the memory.

A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.

A method of screen printing a design on a substrate, the method comprises the steps of controlling a computer-controlled plotter to cut an outline of the design into stencil material the stencil including a perimeter. Then, registering the perimeter of the cut stencil with marks on a printing screen and securing the cut stencil to the printing screen. Then, positioning the printing screen and cut stencil on the substrate and applying ink through the printing screen and stencil onto the substrate, wherein the design is reproduced on the substrate.

A garment printing machine is provided with a transportable platen that can be utilized to significantly decrease the delay in printing expended in loading and unloading a garment for printing in either a digitized garment printing machine or a screen garment printing machine. The platen is provided with structure that holds a print receiving area of a garment firmly in position atop a print panel support plate that forms a part of the platen. Furthermore, the invention includes a platen support structure that cooperates with the conventional couplings' on existing conventional garment printing machines. A plurality of transportable platens constructed according to the invention are utilized interchangeably so that while one garment loaded on one of the platens is being printed upon in the printing machine, the prior garment just printed upon is unloaded and the next garment to be printed is loaded onto another identical platen. This totally avoids any delay in printing due to loading and unloading of garments on the platens.

A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.

Print station (1) for a screen printing machine, said print station (1) having a screen frame (14) and a print base (8) for receiving a product (10, 10A) to be screen printed through said screen print frame (14), said print station (1) comprising a screen frame elevation mechanism comprising a first shaft (6) and wherein the screen frame (14) is rotatable about said first shaft (6), wherein said first shaft (6) is movable between a first and a second position, such that the screen frame (14) is translationally moveable relative to the print base (8) when the screen frame (14) is in a printing position relative to the print base (8), further comprising a rotatable circular-section second shaft (5), wherein the first shaft (6) is solidly fixed to the second shaft (5) and the first shaft rotation axis is offset from the second shaft rotation axis. Also, a method of operating the print station (1) for a screen printing machine, comprising: lowering, or raising, the screen frame (14) into, or from, a printing position relative to the print base (8) by simultaneously rotating the screen frame (14) about said first shaft (6) and also moving said first shaft (6) such that the screen frame (14) moves translationally relative to the print base (8).

A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.

A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.