You may want to think about stock iron-on designs that the large suppliers sell in bulk to north american t-shirt shops, and a heat press. Also you may want to consider a small 15inch vinyl cutter with inexpensive cutting program so that you can type names and import vector based art images for cutting. After you cut this vinyl you "weed" it (remove what you don't want) and then you apply a semi-sticky sheet on top (called pre-mask) and then you apply it using the heat transfer press that you use for the stock designs. This vinyl comes in a large variety of colors and is inexpensive.
An embroidery machine is a little more of an expense and good if you are going after the corporate clients. (like hotel staff uniforms or golf shirts) This higher end product also means higher profit, and you want to "push" the multi-color designs, after all thread is cheap. And don't forget that your most important tool is a decent artist/designer who can scan images, do clean up and make the design work with the system that you choose. I would suggest looking into systems where you are and going from there.
Also as a note if you increase the size of your vinyl cutter to 24inches you are now able to also market signage to the same hotels and businesses. As for screen printing you can make your own stencils and screens but you will need a t-shirt press (4 to 6 station) and a uv dryer to "bake" the inks after you print them. And a lot more room. I'm sure there's not an awful lot of these dryers laying around the D.R. The inks have a good shelf life but again you'll need competent help that you can trust. See some of the other messages for employee horror stories and govt regulations. Apparently you really have to know the rules for dismissal and compensation.
If you have any more questions please let me know, I'll be happy to help.
