Various Printing Methods Used in T-shirt Printing

Whether you want to promote an exciting new brand or outfit your Instagram photo ops at a family reunion, there's always a good reason to print your custom t-shirt. You probably have a large collection of comfortable, versatile tees. Still, there's room for more, so why not make your own?

In this step-by-step t-shirt printing guide, we will review the ins and outs of t-shirt printing, including determining your quantity & budget, selecting a printing method and selecting the right fabric for garmentprinting We're here to help you print your new favourite shirt!

Set up design:

Without great design, you can't print a t-shirt. So make sure you have a model that tells your story suits your brand, or looks cool. Start by asking yourself what your shirt says about you or your brand. Who's the target group you're trying to attract? Take time to create a design that reflects your brand identity, whether it has an illustration, a logo, a slogan or a combination of all three.

Note, the design needs to work with whatever t-shirt colour you choose: a dark-coloured model won't show up on a dark blue or black t-shirt. So, if you decide you want to print on black t-shirts, use lighter colours and vice versa.

Isn't a prototype yet? Check out our ultimate t-shirt design guide to cover all you need to learn to design a t-shirt you'll love. You'll learn how to choose the right style, illustration, colours and typography, so you'll finish with the perfect t-shirt design.

Figure out your quality and budget:

Before entering the printing process too deeply, identify your estimated quantity and budget. As with any garmentprinting type, ordering large quantities will likely reduce costs per item. Ordering in bulk is smart, particularly if you sell the shirts.

Identify, besides quantity, what sizes you will need and how many of that. If you're printing merchandise shirts, note that some sizes are more common than others, but an inclusive range is always necessary. Based on your maker, certain measurements may be larger than others.

Also, setting your quantity and expenditure in stone is an essential step towards increasing your printing process.

Select your printing method:

When it comes to printing a T-shirt and choosing the right way, there will be variations in price, design, production time and materials. 3 common printing techniques cover these important details:

1.       Screen-Printing:

2.       Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing:

3.       Heat Transfer Printing:

·        Screen-Printing:

The popular and famous T-shirt screening method. We've used screen-printing for many years. Screen-printing can be manual or a computer. Screen-printing uses thick printing inks, and when used in T-shirts printing, they are durable and produce vibrant colours. Using low-quality ink will fade away, making the fabric look weird.

They are using screen-printing when orders are high. The pressure applied by the squeegee, the number of strokes and the mesh count printing anything from 200 to 500 shirts is a probability. Printing such a volume is highly possible if you have enough ink supply to make it cost-effective.

Pros of Screen Printing:

·         Screen-printing ink absorption rate goes deep into fabric, giving vivid and bright colours without compromising material durability.

·         When setting up, you can manufacture several T-shirts using the same layout at a faster rate. Screen-printing compatibility with different fabrics is not debatable if you use the right mix of inks and screens

Cons of Screen Printing:

·         Screen-printing is messy and carrying out the task at home means dealing with ink and many spillages

·         You need some space to have a proper screen-printing workspace

·         The workspace should be dust-free and done in the dark to help preserve screens and ink.

·        Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing:

Uses inkjet technology to print high-quality, full-colour, and T-shirt images. This method of printing is suitable for designs complex for other tshirtplus methods like screen printing. DTG has a large colour variation potential, making in-depth prints.

If you have a few shirts, DTG printing seems to be the best option due to its ease in loading blank shirts into the printing machine. By printing directly. Screen-printing involves several steps to interrupt the cycle before printing the T-shirt.

Pros of DTG Printing:

·         Print as many colour variations as possible without restrictions Setup time is low compared to screen printing.

·         You can print your T-shirt in less than half an hour

·         The printing machines aren't big enough to give more flexibility in the business Ink cartridges doesn't mess up your work area.

·         There's no feeling when you touch the fabric with a DTG print on it because it's directly injected into the fabric.

·        Cons of DTG Printing:

·         The best quality will only come out when using 100% cotton T-shirts or high-cotton fabrics.

·         DTG Printing machines can be expensive Colors can be washed out over time Limited in design placement Much maintenance is needed to ensure the machine runs

·        Heat Transfer Printing:

Put, heat transfer printing involves placing sheets of transfer material over the fabric to be pressed to mount a permanent custom design on a shirt.  Using some ink solvent, the desired design is digitally printed on special heat transfer paper. That specific ink helps the model to pass through a heat press machine from the paper to the T-shirt.

The good thing about the heat printing process is it will work on various materials and fabrics, leaving no mess. Compared to others, the machine needs minimal maintenance.

Tips to Help with Your Custom T-Shirt Brand

Unless your goal is to fill Walmart's generic t-shirt rack and convenience stores, your custom t-shirt line needs an identity. There must be meaning behind the product name and purpose. When someone digs in their closet and feels in a certain mood, they will bust out some clothing article that portrays that mood. When someone has a party to attend and wants to portray a certain self-image, they will bust out a certain clothing article that will portray that image. If somebody. Well, you get the picture. Your custom t-shirt brand should convey a kind of attitude, belief, or idea that is worth representing.

Here are the 6 tips to helps your custom t-shirt brand

1.     Who Is Your Custom T-Shirt Brand For:?

Billabong started making durable surfboard shorts in Australia. Now the company has grown into a brand not just for surfers but for those who love a laid-back, sunny beach-filled day. The Hundreds is all about a trendy, urban alternative street culture where, like Starter, the ironic hipster scene is revitalizing. Who's your custom t-shirt? Finding and understanding your demographics is key to a successful brand. If you produce your line of custom t-shirts because you feel a certain idea or style you like is hard to find, marketing to like-minded people will increase your chances of success. Once this happens, your brand appeals to those attracted by certain elements of what it represents.

2.     Honest feedback is rare:

Friends are amazing. After a wild night in Tijuana, they'll bail you out of Mexican jail. Okay, unless they're with you. True friends always support you, but that can be a problem sometimes. Especially in the creative field. Unnecessarily positive reviews can stifle ideas. Don't limit feedback to friends. Finding opinions from a variety of people you know will be constructively honest and thoughtful about what you're doing. The honest feedback you get on your brand, the better you'll have on the direction you're taking.

3.     Make product quality:

We're talking about quality t-shirts and screen printing. It's our business' staple and should be serious about their custom printed t-shirts for anyone. Quality is all, and first impressions are paramount at any fashion industry level. If you think you have a quality idea, the finished product must be on the same level. Search. Look at different types of fabrics and garment printing out there. Function with your budget's best material. Too often, we've seen great design ideas stifled by poor execution. The quality level represents your respect for your custom printed t-shirts. It's up to your mark. Here we have a great piece on the form of garments used in screen printing.

4.     Make Market Effective:

Budgeting is necessary for any small start-up, so money must be wisely spent. If you're in the tshirtplus industry, see your custom t-shirt. It's a great idea to invest in recruiting models and photographers, capturing the brand's essence. The models should represent your brand.

Photographers should be able to express your dream in work that does justice to your line. You don't want to see your brand as amateur or cheap, so the services you hire shouldn't be either of those two. Naturally, if you're on a budget, you shouldn't pour all your money into marketing, but make sure the money you spend yields professional results.

Remember, in the creative industry, you get what you're paying for. Building an online presence is also essential to effective marketing. Use social media to all potential.

5.     Contests & Giveaways:

Holding competitions or giveaways can be a great way to reach new people and keep consumers involved. The more value you can give people, the more interested they are in your brand. For example, after reaching[x] amount of likes, you can give away on Facebook or set up a competition people can enter by liking your post. Contests and prizes bring new people to your pages to connect with your product!

6.     Don't put the eggs in one basket:

We can sit here pretending we don't know Hanson's "mmm bop" or Chumbawamba's "tubthumping." We do. Especially after pints. We all love one-hit wonders, but you want to stop being in the creative industry. Having an amazing custom t-shirt that sells is awesome, but the last thing you want to do is bet your t-shirt brand's success on one hit. Ideas for the next clothing round must always come. Ideas always reflect the company but new and special. If you mostly do custom t-shirts, consider tanks or sweaters. Stop pigeonholing your clothing line, nor pervert the brand's nature.

Final words:

Failure is almost guaranteed. That’s a harsh statement to read especially if you’re trying to get a business off the ground, but it’s the truth. However, it’s in our failures where we learn the most about ourselves. One road may close, but we can find another path. And if there isn’t one, we can get our machetes and axes out and make one. When you truly believe you have a solid idea that can thrive, make it a reality. Success doesn’t normally happen overnight. It happens through long hours and missed lunches. Believe in yourself, believe your brand.

More information about Tips to Help with Your Custom T shirt band check out: t shirt plus

Saving Money in your Custom T-Shirts

Good custom t-shirts. You can create t-shirts that make someone's perfect, personalised gift or t-shirts for a charity event, or you can make a personalised t-shirt. Whatever the case, if you're ordering custom t-shirts, you'll also want to make sure you're saving money, especially if you're buying bulk. Here are five ways to make sure you can

Here are  9 ways to save money in custom t-shirt

1.       Consider the T-Shirt Style

2.       Consider the Color

3.       Consider the Colors of the Image

4.       Consider Printing on Only One Spot

5.       Search for Promotions

6.       DIY your T-shirts

7.       Have a local, crafty friend create pins for you

8.       Use the Digital Promotion

9.       Buy in bulk

Consider the T-Shirt Style:

Basic t-shirts are the most affordable way. But if you want a bit more fitted t-shirts, you'll pay more, but it'll be a bit cheaper if they're still unisex shirts. Typically, when form-fitted or female, t-shirt styles are the most expensive.

Consider the Color:

The darker the t-shirt colour, the cheaper t-shirts will be. This is because it takes more time to print on a dark t-shirt, as the ink usually has to be applied more than once to show the image or wording. White or light-grey is the cheaper option.

Consider the Colors of the Image:

If you want more than one ink, expect to pay more. If possible, you want to reduce the amount of colour you have in the model to save money. Also, remember that it doesn't matter how much one colour you'll use. If you want to use pink ink for just one letter, the time it takes to change inks and finish the shirt customisation will still cost more.

Consider Printing on Only One Spot:

Keep in mind that it will be more costly to print on the t-shirt at multiple spots. For example, if you want a front-and-back photo, it will cost more than just getting it printed on the front. The more tshirtplus in your areas you want to be printed, the more time it will be, which means you're spending more money to get it done.

Search for Promotions:

Print shops want your business to set up promotions to help you save money. Typically, this is done by giving you a bulk discount. Every shirt is cheaper when purchasing bulk versus buying just one or a few. You can even find offers to save money if you want to use more than one colour paint. Seek these if you want a more intricate and detailed design on your shirts.

DIY your T-shirts:

Shirts are a great way for bands to make some extra cash from fans interested in hitting the post-show merch table. Especially for new bands without a table full of CDs or records. But for new bands without a slew of physical releases, the band fund may be too low to invest in a huge, customised order of professional garmentprinting like a t-shirt. That's why hand-made stencilled or screen-printed shirts with thrift store shirts are ideal. As covered in an earlier article, Mannequin Pussy screen prints their band logo on pre-owned shirts, creating one-of-a-kind merchandise at extremely low prices. Something unique is sold to interested supporters, who become your band's walking billboards.

Have a local, crafty friend create pins for you:

An even cheaper merchandise item, sometimes delivered or thrown in with t-shirt or album purchases, is one-inch pins. These tiny badges find their way into bicycle messenger bags or denim jackets, two other types of band-free advertising. Many artists order online, paying a sum plus shipping. But in cities where music and crafts overlap, why not approach a local pin-maker? Smaller orders are possible, and shipping costs are out the window. Plus, the budget for making pins remains within its extended creative community.

Use the Digital Promotion:

While physical flyers, promo copies of physical records and other printing and mailing options still have room, digital promotion tools should be considered. Electronic press kits, such as those provided by Sonicbids, as well as the simple online promotion of shows and releases, are among the tools available. Even with traditional promotional means, adding a digital element can double or triple productivity without investing too many extra hours.

Buy in bulk:

Although you might be tempted to stick with a smaller, cheaper merchandise order, realistically, you'll have to restock somewhere, whether it's a week, a month, or a year from now. Buying in bulk not only saves you money because, typically, the more you buy, the lower the cost-per-unit, but it also keeps your merchandise healthy in the event of an unexpected sales rush. If you're wondering what the price difference is, a small order of 50 one-inch round buttons costs about $0.24 per button at the popular custom button retailer Pure Buttons, but buying 1,000 in bulk is down to $0.19 per button. Your order may be more expensive, but consider how much you'll make if you sell a piece of your buttons for a dollar. (Bonus: because your buttons are completely customised, you can still tap your local design market!)

Issues With Starting Your Own T-Shirt Printing Business

Printing T-shirts for profit is entirely feasible for people who have the resources to invest in the right equipment and who do their homework and develop their expertise on how designs can be applied to blank shirts.

Tshirtplus T's market is huge; nearly everyone on the planet owns at least one. We have become a growing way of exercising people's right to self-expression and are a classic staple wardrobe.

Nonetheless, there are also many widespread myths about the degree of difficulty involved and the types of problems that can be faced when starting a shirt printing business.

So let's go through some of the most common misconceptions and problems in garmentprinting  business until you invest in expensive equipment and print your advertising collateral

Here are 5  issues  starting your own t-shirt printing business

1.       Computer generate heat transfer designs

2.       Thinking that a start-up T-shirt business package will teach you everything you need to know

3.       Your designs are a huge part of your investment

4.       Not having enough space for your screen printing equipment

5.       Forgetting to focus on solving your customer's marketing challenges

·        Computer generate heat transfer designs:

Sure, heat transfer is an easy way to mass-produce such models. If you're smart about using your equipment and figure out what materials are appropriate for heat transfer, this can be a good start to a profitable custom T-shirt company. Many people successfully used heat transfer in their T-shirt printing business. One problem facing would-be entrepreneurs is that heat transfer designs don't transfer well to dark shirts.

·        Thinking that a start-up T-shirt business package will teach you everything you need to know:

Providing the right equipment with an accompanying tutorial is not the end of all, and all that many people selling these items would have entrepreneurs believed. Extensive research into the type of designs you want to create and which method best suits your purpose, and the materials available to you will go a long way towards ensuring you don't waste time and valuable resources.
If you have a penchant for creating complex designs on your preferred computer program and plan to produce limited runs, then using a digital clothing printer (also known as direct clothing) is probably more suited to your skills and needs.

Don't waste your money-thousands of people buy start-up kits with a vague promise to increase their income without fully understanding what it means to get into this type of business. Their equipment is usually pushed back to their garages or storage unit until they drag it out for a garage sale during spring cleaning.

An alternative to buying your equipment to use another company specialising in contract digital printing for your work. Take orders from your customers and have another company do the actual printing. This is a good way to wet your feet by improving the sales process and developing a client base before investing in equipment.

Your designs are a huge part of your investment:

Learning the processes involved in the various techniques used in T-shirt printing is just the tip of the iceberg-your artwork is a huge part of your design and printing business. Your artwork will attract potential brand customers. You must also align your artwork with the correct T-shirt content and printing technique to optimise your investment.

For example, for silk screen printing, you need to be careful about how to arrange and install your artwork. Any deviation will result in wonky-looking shirts that fail to meet customer expectations. The easiest designs for silk screen printing include text and simple art.

If you decide to start some business venture, make sure you do a lot of research before making a huge financial commitment, such as buying equipment or finding space for your company. Apparel design forums are a perfect way to gain new perspectives and share ideas with other entrepreneurs.

·        Not having enough screen printing equipment:

Professional screen printing equipment safely and efficiently needs storage. You need space to plan, reclaim and wash screens properly. And don't forget a dryer to heal your apparel. You'll also have to sort, fold and pack the finished decorated clothing including t-shirts, hoodies, towels, etc. Commercial automatic presses won't fit in your bedroom, basement or garage. Special electrical wiring, ventilation, air compressors and safe waste disposal are usually required when operating commercial screen printing presses and dryers. Starting a home-based screen printing business means you're almost always a better candidate for a smaller manual press. Make sure you have the easy-to-move click. If you need to move your press frequently or take it elsewhere for on-demand or on-site printing?

·        Forgetting to focus on solving your customer's marketing challenges:

Often, your customers will be other local small business owners who have marketing and advertising challenges but can not afford a large-time advertising agency or professional marketing company. When you become a tool for your clients and help solve their advertising problems, you'll bring more value to the table. Help define your challenge, which will become your marketing objective. Figure out who their target audience is: internal workers, prospects, clients, etc.

Once you know the goal and the audience, you can define a message and create a graphic to help tell the story. The graphic text, design and logo are what you'll print on a t-shirt, cooler, wallet, towel, hoodie... or a hundred more things. Solve their advertising issues and return again and again!

Starting a screen printing company at home is simpler than ever. How much less stress would you go through starting this business with experts at every step? By starting your apparel decoration and promotional printing business with Printa Systems, you'll avoid more than the seven errors listed above and lots of drama!

How to Make Money Printing T-Shirts

If you're printing your T-shirts, you should try making money from your efforts. Because of famous T-shirt sites like Zazzle and Cafe Press print for you, you can't use these platforms to sell your printed T-shirts. Although this may seem like a downside, it also has its benefits as you can make more of a profit by printing your shirts than selling through a garment printing company. With some hard work, you can make money by printing your T-shirts

Here are  9 useful ways to make money online

1.       Create your  designs

2.       Set the price of your T-shirts

3.       Write a business plan

4.       Create a business name

5.       Make your business legal

6.       Build your shirts website

7.       Promote t-shirts online

8.       Secure local festivals, outdoor markets, fairs

9.       Visit local warehouses

·        Create your  designs:

Instead of paying someone else to make your designs. It stops you charging for designs. You may freely create your designs on paper or another medium or in design software like Photoshop, Fireworks or GIMP.

·        Set the price of your T-shirts:

Set your T-shirts price by calculating your value. If you pay someone to screen print them, measure the per-shirt printing price by multiplying the total by the number of shirts printed. If you've printed the shirts alone, you can add up your materials to see how much you've spent printing the shirts. Don't forget to include the shirt prices. Add these figures to the total cost per shirt. Once you have that number, you can determine how much to add to that number to make the amount you want on each shirt. For example, if you cost $6 and want to make $10 per shirt, you need to pay $16 for each shirt.

·     Write a business plan:

Although like all businesses, selling t-shirts sounds straightforward, without a plan, you'll waste time and money. Your business plan outlines your product, the perfect market, financial projections and sales goals.

·        Create a business name:

You can build and start selling t-shirts online in a matter of minutes, but if you're planning to make a living, you should set up an official company. Beginning a company starts with a business name. Your name should reflect your t-shirt, but not limit your ability on your t-shirt line. While a digital t-shirt printing company can set up shop

·        Make your business legal:

You need to determine your business structure (i.e. sole proprietor or LLC) with a business name and obtain necessary licenses and permits. The local business office issues business licenses. If you use an online t shirt plus service, selling your shirt through its online portal, you may not need a sales tax permit. Though, if you sell your shirts through your website or in-person (i.e. fairs or markets), you may need to apply for a sales tax permit through the comptroller's office of your state.

·        Build your shirts website:

Create a website for your shirts, if you like, or hire a web designer to create the site for you. To find a web designer, you can use a site like Elance.com, visit a local technical college, or ask your friends and neighbours for references. You may create shirts around a website you already have, such as a website for games or artwork. If this is the case, include a single page for your new T-shirts on that site. You should have a way for people to pay for online shirts, which can be done via merchant account, PayPal or Google Checkout.

·        Promote t-shirts online:

Promote your T-shirts online through free methods such as Facebook and Twitter. Pay for ads from Facebook Ads and Google AdWords. Prices differ. If you can afford to distribute free products, you can contact blog owners or websites that are relevant to your T-shirts and send free shirts to giveaways. This will market your brand and your designs.

·        Secure local festivals, outdoor markets, fairs:

Win a spot at local festivals, outdoor markets, fairs and events related to your T-shirt designs. Prices for booths differ. Having a booth will sell directly to consumers. Look for upcoming events in the local newspaper or use the Festivals.com website to search for events. When you locate an event you want to attend, contact the event organisers to reserve a spot.

·        Visit local warehouses:

Visit local clothing stores and shops in your area to inquire if they will store your t-shirts. Be prepared to leave the shirts on a consignment basis at the store, meaning you're only paying if the shirts sell. In this type of arrangement, you regularly check back with the store to see how the merchandise moves. This is a good way for a store to try new merchandise without financial commitment. Negotiate the amount seller gets from the transaction. This can range from 25-50%.

Best places for T-shirt printing your custom design

Why would you like to consider designing your own T-shirts? There's actually a surprising number of reasons. It may be as simple as wanting to create a top from a favorite photograph, or you may not find something in the shops that reflects your tastes. You may have a business or event you want to promote with custom clothes, or maybe you're planning a stag or hen party and want to kit party-goers with matching outfits. You could even design a witty T-shirt and sell it online for cash.

But where are you starting? You could go to a specialist print shop, but it could be expensive and limited. A better option is to use the right tool to help you out. Here's five of the best garmentprinting t-shirt tools and services.

Here are the 5 best tools where you can easily design your custom t-shirt

1.       Spreadshirt

2.       Shirtinator

3.       ooShirts

4.       Custom Ink

5.       Teespring

·        Spreadshirt:

Spreadshirt is a well-known name for creating a custom T-shirt, and for very good reason. You can also browse through a selection of T-shirts and other items created by independent designers to create your clothing items for special events, marketing, or just for fun.

Despite the name, you can create more than just a T-shirt — mugs, sweatshirts, aprons, phone cases, and more— and the online design tool itself is a joy to use.  You can browse through a searchable selection of clip-style images, or you can upload your images and position text and images wherever you want on a product.

Prices are very fair, more so if you buy in larger quantities, and the cost you see includes delivery. With the site's European and U.S. versions available, Spreadshirt aims to reach much of the globe.

·        Shirtinator:

Like Spreadshirt, there are different versions of Shirtinator, though limited to European countries. Other customizable products like hats, mugs, baby clothes and bags are available in addition to T-shirts and garment printing . You can browse through numerous ready-made designs, all of which can be customised through the use of text, different positioning, and more–on t-shirts, for example, text and images can be placed on the front, back and sleeves. Including pre-designed pictures, you can also upload your images, so you can make T-shirts using your favourite photos.

There's an impressive range of sizes and colours, and while pricing doesn't include shipping, it's reasonable. Bulk buy discounts are available, which is great news if you buy multiple items for an event or people's team.

·        ooShirts:

As you might suspect, ooShirts specialises in t-shirts. There are a variety of different styles and sizes to choose from — as well as shorts and pants — but none of the extras found on some of the other pages included in this roundup.

Text, clip and uploaded image can be cropped, coloured, rotated, resized, and so on. The online shirt designer is a fairly simple affair, but it does the job and lets you see with a degree of confidence what you will order. If you're looking for sport-style shirts with names and numbers on the rear, templates are available to help you create them quickly and easily.

Depending on how desperately you need your order, you can choose between fast or free shipping, so you can choose speed as needed.

·        Custom Ink:

Not only can you customise T-shirts with clipart, text and your photo, but it also offers a range of templates for quick and easy performance. Like ooshirts, the sports team's inspired clothing has name/number templates. When you place small orders, you're limited to customising a shirt's front and back; if you want to add sleeve logos, you'll need to order more.

There's a very handy ' notes ' option that allows you to add information to an order – Custom Ink suggests this could be used to provide precise colour details, such as Pantone codes.

Custom Ink's downside is delivery. There are three choices: two weeks (free) delivery, one week (rush) delivery or three days (super rush) delivery. If you need your order quickly, prepare to pay a premium. If you're looking to save money, the key is to plan, rather than the last minute.

·        Tshirtplus:

tshirtplus is unlike the other sites featured in this roundup. While it can be used to create and order custom T-shirts and other clothing, if it also gives you the option of selling your creations through the site–as a promotional and brand-building tool, or to make some money.

The beauty of the site is that t shirt plus takes care of everything. Your customers can place their order through the site, and Teespring will manage payment, manufacturing and shipping for you–and shipping is available in the US and EU and Au. It's pretty simple. The range of goods is impressive. Numerous other clothing items are available as well as posters, prints, custom phone cases and more.

The range of clipart and images you choose from isn't overly impressive, but if you're working with your images and designs, it's not a problem.