The Spreadshop support channel says that flock and flex are still available as print types, but I’m seeing no way of choosing what print type of which print to use for a design.
I’ve tried uploading an svg file and it didn’t give me the option of choosing flock or flex, just the print color.
Hey @dontblinktees unfortunately it is not possible for you to choose in the Partner Area which print type you want for your design. Rather it will be assigned automatically and is by default with digital printing whenever possible. Flock is only being offered on Create Your Own. Flex will be selected automatically if there is no other print type possible and if your design is a vector graphic. The decision for DD as default option was made following extensive research and there were many other try-outs that showed that offering Flex is simply not feasible since it comes with various print technic limitations and it requires expertise and extensive training. In fact, a majority of customers prefer Digital Direct: it’s soft, more breathable, better suited for thinner fabrics, and even larger prints will not “weigh down” the fabric.
[quote=“Cindy-Spreadshop, post:2, topic:12893”]
offering Flex is simply not feasible since it comes with various print technic limitations and it requires expertise and extensive training. In fact, a majority of customers prefer Digital Direct: it’s soft, more breathable, better suited for thinner fabrics, and even larger prints will not “weigh down” the fabric.[/quote]
This is patently untrue. I’ve been with Spreadshirt more than 10 years and for most of that time, shop owners were able to understand the requirements for plot printing just fine without any supposed expertise. It’d be nice if you guys could just be honest and say you’ve decided to give shop owners fewer options to cut costs, rather than framing this incredibly frustrating decision as somehow beneficial to us, or something that we shop owners actually wanted.
@dontblinktees I meant that it needs a lot of training and expertise for our staff to be able to do Flex or Plot printing which requires placing the design perfectly by hand. We already announced Digital Direct to be the Norm in November 2017, since then this print type is being developed more and more. I understand that other print types have a specific look and feel that Digital direct can’t offer. But they also take way more time in production. Digital Direct is much faster – a huge advantage when it comes to guaranteeing on-time deliveries in the busy Christmas season. Even with hiring more team members, we were not able to keep up with the growing demand and seasonal peaks while of course keeping a consistent quality - without having to significantly increase the prices for Flex-printing. So no, this switch wasn’t made to cut costs but rather to be able to offer our shop owners constantly good quality, better prices and to fulfill the high demand.