bumclothes

A good friend of mine and I have been discussing starting a small clothing business. We hope to make t-shirts, hats, and maybe hoodies. From reading on this site I think that the way for us to go is some kind of heat transfer--for the ability to make small scale runs and use more colors. What type of transfer would you guys recomend? Also I assume to print transfers, we will need special software and printers? Is there anything else we would need? I know buying a heat press would be ideal but the initial cost is fairly high, so would a regular iron get the job done (and/or is there any alternative?)
It seems that initial equipment costs are a bit steep which makes sites such as Cafepress appealing. However I've heard that their quality is questionable and that this option would cut considerably into profits. I'm also not sure how flexible they would be with producing small runs of say 20 units per design--the benefit of having all the equipment at our disposal is that we can make shirts as needed and not end up with say, half a dozen XL shirts sitting around.
Another appealing option is sending our designs to a company that can make the transfers for us such as First Edition or Silver Mountain. This would be good since all we would have to do is aply the transfers..I don;t know much about this option so info I can get on it would be great.

Finally, we already have a good source of cheap but decent quality hats, but haven't found a place for shirts. American apparel and similar brands are nice but seem pricey, so what would you recommend for a good quality and moderately priced tee? Ideally we would be selling the shirts for $15-20 and hopefully making some profit.
Anyway I guess that about sums it up for now, I know it's a lot to read but we would appreciate any advice you can give us. Thanks in advance

 

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plaid

For a suggestion to a good shirt place check BlankShirts.com - Wholesale Name Brand T-Shirts and Apparel, they have good price for t-shirts, I think. I suggest getting their cataloge. They have all kinds of t-shirts. Like Hanes Heavyweight T-shirt is $1.56- 2.26 for S- XL (colors), they also have Gildan, Port & Company, Jerzees, etc. Hope that part helps.

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Rodney

Quote: What type of transfer would you guys recomend?

Read through the heat transfer forum or search for plastisol transfers for lots of great tips and recommendations.

Quote: Also I assume to print transfers, we will need special software and printers? Is there anything else we would need?

Some transfers you can print, some transfers you outsource the printing. Read this thread for a good equipment list:
Heat Transfer Equipment List: Getting ready to purchase my equipment.. thoughts??

Quote: know buying a heat press would be ideal but the initial cost is fairly high, so would a regular iron get the job done (and/or is there any alternative?)

You can't make quality clothing with an iron. If you're doing it as a hobby or just for yourself, it might work, but not for retail clothing.

Quote: It seems that initial equipment costs are a bit steep which makes sites such as Cafepress appealing. However I've heard that their quality is questionable and that this option would cut considerably into profits

You could always sign up for cafepress and test it out. It's free to try and if you buy a t-shirt, you may find that the quality is perfect for your needs. 1000's of people sell on cafepress every day and are doing just fine.

If you don't have the startup capital and you don't want to be a printer or a website builder, then the fulfillment services like cafepress/spreadshirt/zazzle/printfection, etc are worth looking into.

Quote: Another appealing option is sending our designs to a company that can make the transfers for us such as First Edition or Silver Mountain. This would be good since all we would have to do is aply the transfers..I don;t know much about this option so info I can get on it would be great.

All you have to do is search the forum and read through the threads Lots of detailed information is out there

Quote: Finally, we already have a good source of cheap but decent quality hats, but haven't found a place for shirts. American apparel and similar brands are nice but seem pricey, so what would you recommend for a good quality and moderately priced tee? Ideally we would be selling the shirts for $15-20 and hopefully making some profit.

Just search the forum for wholesalers and you'll find lots of t-shirt/hat/hoodie wholesalers listed

Quote: o what would you recommend for a good quality and moderately priced tee?

Read here: The Tee shirt "a " List

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ruch1v

Quote: Originally Posted by Rodney Read through the heat transfer forum or search for plastisol transfers for lots of great tips and recommendations. Some transfers you can print, some transfers you outsource the printing. Read this thread for a good equipment list: Heat Transfer Equipment List: Getting ready to purchase my equipment.. thoughts?? You can't make quality clothing with an iron. If you're doing it as a hobby or just for yourself, it might work, but not for retail clothing. You could always sign up for cafepress and test it out. It's free to try and if you buy a t-shirt, you may find that the quality is perfect for your needs. 1000's of people sell on cafepress every day and are doing just fine. If you don't have the startup capital and you don't want to be a printer or a website builder, then the fulfillment services like cafepress/spreadshirt/zazzle/printfection, etc are worth looking into. All you have to do is search the forum and read through the threads Lots of detailed information is out there Just search the forum for wholesalers and you'll find lots of t-shirt/hat/hoodie wholesalers listed Read here: The Tee shirt "a " List - T-Shirt Forums

Hey Rodney, i know heatpress is the real professional machinery but someone once described it to be as 'overgrown hair straightners' dont you think that with the right amount of pressure, the right timing and the right temperature it could get the job done just aswell? cos the thing is that im looking to start my own tshirt business, but since i dont know how successful it would be i cant afford to invest big, i would have thought with plastisol transfers the quality shouldnt be too bad right?

thanks

 

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