[CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
Does anyone else here run a website print to order? I have been doing this ok for a few years now but it gets tiresome. All my designs are 1 color and i have a t-shirt vendor who gets me my tees in 1 day so i keep the customers happy as well. I just screen print the designs as i get the orders to keep down on overhead costs but this can become old quickly. I don't want to try Plasitsol Transfers as I feel my method is actually faster in labor, I also worry about ruining shirts or having problems with the transfers. I am scared to try and change what has worked for me for this long but I really feel i can't keep doing this forever...or can i? Thanks for any input and or advice.
re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
Since your current business model seems to be working, you probably should not make any changes that would result in a downgrade to your quality, service, costs, labor, etc. Upgrades, on the other hand, are a natural course of a sustainable business.
Are you doing enough volume to support printing in larger print runs and stock the printed shirts as opposed to printing on demand? Maybe you can do multi-color designs to add value to the shirts to increase sales. Just some ideas...
re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
I have roughly 100 designs and i can print anywhere from 1 t-shirt to 15 t-shirts of any given design. I usually print 2 times a week and print days average between 50-80 tees. I actually still average about 20-25 shirts an hour even with swapping out screens every t-shirt or so. I just wonder if i can simplify things? Thanks again everyone!
Re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
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I am scared to try and change what has worked for me for this long but I really feel i can't keep doing this forever...or can i
That's one of the downsides to doing it all yourself.
The upside is the increased profit and overall control.
The downside is that you lose one of your biggest assets: TIME
If it's something you enjoy doing, you could probably keep doing it for as long as it makes you happy.
But if you'd rather be doing something else with your time instead of printing (hanging with friends or family, designing, going on vacation, marketing your existing line), then it might make sense to outsource some of the work.
You could do that with plastisol transfers (you could still print while you test and research the best way to apply them), or you could outsource the printing all together and just focus on the selling.
What are you hoping to accomplish if you decided to change the way you're doing things now?
Re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
I would love to outsource and just package and ship orders as they come with stock readily available. However with 100 plus designs that can be quite costly. I guess this is pretty much the norm with most online novelty t-shirt shops?
Re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
Are you running a conveyor dryer currently?
Do you have a heat press?
If you have both then you might consider making your own transfers if you screen with plastisol. Transfers are cheap to make yourself and would be much easier for what you are doing.
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God Bless! Booger County Outfitters LLC. Maker of custom knives and screenprinted T's
Re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
Anyone else start this way and then just pick the best sellers and print them and have them in stock? How did you go about the transition? I just worry that if i cut my deigns down by half i may lose customers? However, I would then be able to print a few of each design and have them in stock ready to ship as opposed to printing to order. Any advice?
Re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
Another option would be to outsource the transfers with any of the transfer companies. Have them gang as many as possible on one sheet to save money. Then you wouldn't have near as much work involved.
__________________
God Bless! Booger County Outfitters LLC. Maker of custom knives and screenprinted T's
Re: [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order
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Originally Posted by Basikboy
How many prints of one design do most t-shirt sites have printed at one time? Any ideas?
At 300 shirts a month, you should have a pretty good idea what your more popular designs, colors and sizes are.
I would start small by printing some extra's (doesn't have to be many, 2 or 3) in your more popular sizes and colors as you get an order on your more popular designs. At that point, your only real cost is the shirt.
Before you know it, you'll have a pretty good inventory of your top selling items and you'll find yourself printing less as you'll have the stock on hand.
This is a discussion about [CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order that was posted in the General T-Shirt Selling Discussion section of the forums.
[CLOTHING LINE] Does anyone else screen print each order as it comes in? Print to Order 
