GormanArts

Quote: Originally Posted by Artwear By Alida And if anyone can tell me where I can get an affordable large scale scanner which will scan at least a 10 X 10 pen and ink drawing, let me know. I do all my designs by hand and I need a scanner...but I am starting over and I have very little income. I have a Mac OSX Tiger 10.4.11 OS with a powerbook G4. I really need a large format scanner but cannot afford $2000.00 for one. Happy Thanksgiving to all....

Hi Alida,

I draw all my own designs too. I have a high res scanner, but it's only an 8.5" X 11". But I've tried a compromise successfully. On larger drawings, you can scan a little more than half of it at a time (if the drawing's on board instead of paper, be careful you don't bend it if the scanner's got raised edges). Then re-assemble it in Photoshop. Use the brightest white paper or board you can find (compare different papers and you'll see a big difference between different brand's "brightest whites". This makes it a lot easier to remove the backgrounds in Photoshop if you want to drop in color in behind the drawings later.

Another thing I've started to do, is to pencil sketch the drawing as one piece, but do the final inking on separate pieces, if the drawing or cartoon lends itself to this kind of technique. This enables me to reuse elements, like later being able to use particular cartoon characters alone, in addition to using them within the original cartoon. I assemble the separately drawn elements, again in Photoshop, to re-create the original drawing, or to use in new ones. This still enables you to avoid the "computer drawn" look, because your work is still truly pen & ink, but allows you to use the computer to arrange things to your advantage.

Did you ever get your site done? I ended up learning to use Dreamweaver, and copying other successful T-shirt site's navigation set-ups (only the way it works, not the look of it), like Threadpit.com, which was profiled in my local newspaper for their big time success over a short time. I'm not on my server yet (had a hard drive go bad, set me back a bit), but it's coming along really well.

Best wishes....................Pete

 

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Artwear By Alida

Quote: Originally Posted by GormanArts Hi Alida, I draw all my own designs too. I have a high res scanner, but it's only an 8.5" X 11". But I've tried a compromise successfully. On larger drawings, you can scan a little more than half of it at a time (if the drawing's on board instead of paper, be careful you don't bend it if the scanner's got raised edges). Then re-assemble it in Photoshop. Use the brightest white paper or board you can find (compare different papers and you'll see a big difference between different brand's "brightest whites". This makes it a lot easier to remove the backgrounds in Photoshop if you want to drop in color in behind the drawings later. Another thing I've started to do, is to pencil sketch the drawing as one piece, but do the final inking on separate pieces, if the drawing or cartoon lends itself to this kind of technique. This enables me to reuse elements, like later being able to use particular cartoon characters alone, in addition to using them within the original cartoon. I assemble the separately drawn elements, again in Photoshop, to re-create the original drawing, or to use in new ones. This still enables you to avoid the "computer drawn" look, because your work is still truly pen & ink, but allows you to use the computer to arrange things to your advantage. Did you ever get your site done? I ended up learning to use Dreamweaver, and copying other successful T-shirt site's navigation set-ups (only the way it works, not the look of it), like Threadpit.com, which was profiled in my local newspaper for their big time success over a short time. I'm not on my server yet (had a hard drive go bad, set me back a bit), but it's coming along really well. Best wishes....................Pete

Thanks for the info...I may have to resort to that.
I use open source software like Inkscape.

My site is a mess and needs complete revamping. I hired a kid out of college to do it and then after doing a pretty nice site, he tells me he doesn't know anything about e-commerce, adding the cart, etc..so for a few years, I just used it as a resume and did some wholesale sales to shops. I like the wholesale biz with large orders. I would like to sell to huge chains, but all that is done in China now.

But I have found a new web guy and he is going to have me set up in early 2008. I just have to get to work on my designs. I like post modern art. I like cartoons. I like to do what looks like artistic block prints. I like to do it all, lol.

I have a plan to drive people to my site, which, in the t-shirt biz working in e-commerce is the trick...but I am good at marketing...just html and CSS and graphic arts challenged.

I would love to take classes but then I think being a purist in my art and it will be pure pen and ink drawings will be something everyone has given up and maybe my style will be marketable. Won't know till I give it a try.

But when I was in the handpainted, silk screen and airbrush biz 20 years ago, I couldn't paint it fast enough to sell in some galleries and shops.

So, here I am, 20 years later, starting over, but in a different media and retail arena.

So, we shall see how it goes.

I know I wish I had one of those inkjet printers and a dryer. I know a guy who can't keep up with business in a small tiny room using one of those.

But, I would need about $50,000.00 to get set up like that and I don't want to go in debt.

I am just an old lady who wants to sell her art again and make a little money.

Thanks for your information. I may end up doing just that. I really appreciate it.

I'll stay on these forums from now on.

You're never too old to learn something new.

__________________
"The t-shirt is my canvas."

 

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batikdruid

Quote: Originally Posted by Artwear By Alida I checked out authorize.net.....I didn't realize what you were talking about.. Someone wanted me to use a new company, e-junkie...I don't trust any of those types of companies....I would want higher security. Sometimes having a store location on a secure hosting site with verisign or a well known company is best. Thanks for that information, however. I am sure everyone needs to know where there has been a security breech from any company. That could be a good topic thread.

Yeah, I had built my own web site (it's still up) and online store with real time credit card processing, shopping cart, the whole bit -- worked great for like 4 years. Then all of a sudden, despite me still paying Authorize.Net the same amount I'd paid all along, I started getting transaction bills of $900 one month, $1000 +/- the next, and naturally, I freaked! I looked at my acct and there were hundreds, thousands of obviously robot hacking attempts, trying credit card numbers or something. My shopping cart was rejecting them, so they never came in to me as orders, etc. but I got charged .35 for each one of those from Authorize.Net!!! I called them of course and asked what was going on and they were like "duhhh" they said they had no idea, wasn't it my fault? lol Uh, no, it isn't my fault it's YOUR fault. So they said change your settings this way and that way, and I'm like "it already IS that way and has been for four years and worked just peachy!" So I said, (this is when I was still innocent/ignorant lol) "I'm not getting charged for these I hope! I just want to make sure." "Oh no! You don't get charged for them, they aren't going through." That was before I got my bills.

I had to drop them immediately which put a halt toward paying for shirts on my site to stop the bleeding. They had the nerve to say I owed them $25 for the month that I dropped them. Needless to say I didn't pay it, and it's probably on my credit report. Yes, I fought them, filed a complaint, but nothing. I got NOTHING back. I was so depressed and upset, I seriously almost lost the business that I had built up so lovingly, and it really never was the same. Well, I think the next year my studio got blown up in a lightning strike. LOL What are you going to do? You either keep going or give up. I'm not good at giving up, which may not be a good thing sometimes!!

 

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Artwear By Alida

Quote: Originally Posted by jhonkaz10 Well that helped a lot. Sence I am **new** to t-shirt selling, this was really great advice. I think I'll follow most of your advice. (As far as research goes I have a lot already, and google is around the corner in case I get into a snag.) Any suggestion's for a new online shop, specifically how should I ship my stuff? Should I send an invoice? As for authnet? Why not use paypal? Cheaper, secure, and less hassle!

You can get UPS or the US Postal service or Fedex and they have a system and you can do it all on the computer and they will even print out the address. You have an account with them.

And from a company, I buy small plastic white bags and the addresses just print out on your printer and they are sticky and just stick them on the t-shirt bad and UPS will pick them up or however you want to go.

I used it when I was selling on ebay....but you need some scale to get an idea how much the shipping is.

I just charged a Shipping and Handling Fee and based it on the weight of one shirt and added one dollar for my time and the Handling fee.

Make sure you charge a handling fee...that is time spent WORKING.

Go the UPS site, US Postal Service, and check out FedEx and choose the one you like the best.

And make sure you get the tracking number service.

People can say you never sent the shirt, but did and they got it, but they will want to try to rip you off.

I think I charged a base rate of $4.00 per shirt, I can't remember.

Just say what the S & H fee is for each shirt.

For sending to other countries, you have to figure that out.

I just sold in the US.

Of course you have more of a market if you want to sell world wide.

Good luck and Happy Holidays.

__________________
"The t-shirt is my canvas."

 

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RRCOLLECTABLE

KIPPYGIRLS12 Is right tee shirt from large to 3xl sell the most. I got stuck with a lot of small and med tee shirts for a while.she also right about making you own tansfer and stead of use someone else. it will move quicker then the stock tansfer thanks for the advise.

 

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karlking85

Quote: Originally Posted by RRCOLLECTABLE KIPPYGIRLS12 Is right tee shirt from large to 3xl sell the most.

For the most part, that may be true, but not always, I hope that the newbies don't see this and believe it to be scripture. It all depends on your particular market and the shirts themselves. Most tees aimed at truckers and construction workers will most likely sell in larger sizes, because the folks who wear these types of shirts are usually larger in stature. Whereas most shirts specifically targeting the high school crowd will sell in smaller sizes. This is not always true of course, but that's exactly the point I am getting at here, there are alot of variables to consider.

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dmm26

^^^ I have to agree. I sell everything from xs-3xl All my customers are so different that I have to stock all those sizes.

Once you have your target market found and you know where you want to go then that will determine what sizes you will for sure need to stock and sizes that you may only order once in a while. I sell mostly medium and large. Selling xs and xl,xxl,xxxl the least but i still get orders for them.

so it just goes to show that you never know who will like your product!!

 

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rusty

Quote: Originally Posted by kippygirl12 However I will say this about On-line selling, there is nothing, nothing, quite like making money while you sleep, eat & play. Making t-shirts is easy, a no brainer yet allows one to be as creative as he/she chooses.

I realize the statement, "Making T-shirts is easy, a no brainer", is probably an exaggeration, however I could think of a lot of ways to describe T-shirt making, and none of them would be "a no brainer". And seeing that a lot of newbies are reading this and making financial decisions based on some of this advice, I just thought I would say that there are a lot of ways to screw up a T-shirt :-) It's not a point and click operation... assuming your goal is to make a quality shirt.

Quote: Originally Posted by kippygirl12 I happy with $1000/month doing virtually nothing in addition to my day job as a nurse.

Again, probably another exaggeration, but printing 3-10 shirts a day (what you said you sold) is a whole lot more than "doing virtually nothing". I just don't want the newbies to get the idea that they are going to make $1000/mo by doing nothing. Being successful at selling quality T-shirts is a lot of work.

 

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Artwear By Alida

Quote: Originally Posted by bbrenda88 I never even looked at this as a factor..............interesting and valid point!

Another thing is following trends in all age groups. One time I bought dozens of fitted shirts with cap sleeves....I couldn't GIVE them away...and NOW that's what the girls want.

One of my problems is doing things which don't get popular till 20 years later, lol. So I don't just buy what I like. I choose what my target market wants.

If I only had those tees today, lol. The company in NY went out of business. The fashion district in NY is disappearing...so sad. I just read an article about it. The good ol' famous fashion district in New York is being replaced by upscale condos. That place used to rock with clothing manufacturers. I knew this global economy thing was going to cause chaos for many many years.

That is where you have to read the magazines of the market you are targeting to see what people are wearing.

Where I live, all the girls want fitted tees.

And the oversized may still be popular with a certain group of people.

Following trends is so important when you target your market.

__________________
"The t-shirt is my canvas."

 

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chdzns

You were right about squeezing vendors. I did that a little bit too before I got my shop. What happens is if you squeeze all of the profit out of the job and a better one comes along, your job gets pushed back. Another thing that you can do is bring the guys in the press room something to drink or something like that. Every screen print shop I have worked on is about 120 degrees in July. A couple of slurpees or bottles of water lets the printers know that you appreciate their effort. It will usually would get your done quicker and with omore attention to detail, Just something i have noticed over the yearse

Quote: Originally Posted by clothmoth I love sharing on threads like this, so much I have already learned and so much more to learn. Some of these are things I learned the hard way, and some just tips that will benefit others. My tips: 1.) Give yourself permission to make mistakes. It's easy to be hard on yourself when something goes wrong, but when you are diving into something new something (usually more than once) will go wrong. That said, many others in this thread have emphasized the importance of due diligence. The more you plan, the less wil go wrong, but go easy on yourself! 2.) Before you even buy your first piece of equipment, have an actual plan. (This is one of those pieces of advice that next to nobody will actually follow. . . I certainly didn't, but I know now the importance of this step). Map out what the next two years look like, in terms of what you will focus on, how you will grow, your plan for products, marketing, investment, equipment, etc. 3.) Continually revisit the plan you built in step #2 above. It WILL change as you gain experience. But it is important to revisit your initial vision, for both inspiration and guidance. It can be an amazing help in making key decisions (equipment purchases, etc.) to cross-reference your formal plan to see if your decisions align with your objectives. NEVER LOSE SITE! 4.) Don't always follow the quickest path to money, unless money is ALL your business is about. Very few people I have talked to got into t-shirts just to get rich. Most of us have a connection with shirts in some form or fashion, other than just wearing one on our backs. I made the decision early on that I ONLY want to design and print my own designs or designs that I have overseen in a creative capacity. In short, I get my jollies in the creative process. So I stay away from the promotional products business. In making this decision, I instantly severed myself from a great source of income, but the upside is that the whole time I am floundering from super slow growth I am having a blast creating and imagining the possibilities of the future. Be true to what you want, and it will come. 5.) EVERYTHING is negotiable, in life and business. Seek out the best quality first (in terms of equipment, blanks, supplies, contract screen printers, etc), then work on price. I learned after the fact, from the great folks on this forum, that most blank shirt distributors will offer case pricing just for calling and asking. I was on piece and dozen pricing with several distributors, and one phone call and a polite conversation got me switched over to case pricing regardless of my order size. Money in the bank! Similarly, I found a great screen printer in town that does primo work. After placing a few orders with them, and getting quite a few compliments from their staff on my shirts (they actually WEAR them!), I asked if they had a "friendly" rate card for clients that they have a great relationship with. Lo and behold, they do, and I am now on it. . . . it easily saves me another 20% or more off my bottom line. 6.) To balance #5 above. . . don't squeeze good vendors. Get a good, fair price and then let the vendor make a little money to stay in business, serve you, and help you grow. Being about nothing but the price makes you Wal Mart, and we have all heard how wonderful they are to do business with :-) 7.) Give customers a reason to come back. . . do a little something extra, whether it is printing one sample of their order on an alternate color or style as a freebie to show them ideas for future orders (and if you can, do it on a size shirt that will fit the customer!) or even just thinking about your packaging, freebie stickers, or some other cheap and easy thing to do that goes a bit above and beyond. 8.) This is one I DO wish I knew from the beginning. . . . that I also have read several others comment on, but I will highlight it again for dramatic effect: Never undervalue your goods. People are used to paying a certain amount for quality goods. Price yourself too cheaply and you give off the impression of inferior quality, whether you are retailing or wholesaling your goods. Look around at what companies of similar quality, size, and target market are charging for goods. Unless your strategy is to be the cost cutter (which I advise against in most cases), price your goods accordingly. Factor in your time as a hard cost into the cost of goods sold. . . this is so often not done and is critical to knowing when you are profitable. 9.) This is another one that is often overlooked, but super important. . . if you can start a business on your own, do it. If you NEED a partner (for additional starting capital, creative talent, etc.) then go for it, but proceed with caution. Make sure you would trust that person with your life, or your kids life for that matter. No matter how close you are to that person, before you invest a dollar in buying shared equipment, blanks, etc. get the terms of the partnership on paper, preferably reviewed by an attorney. Partnerships are dangerous business. . . if you don't believe me, spend a few minutes online. Bands are a classic example of informal business partnerships where everything is fine until the money rolls in, or the debts mount up, and then someone tries to run off with the lions share or slip out from under a pile of creditors. Don't believe it can happen to you? I hope you're right! I found in many partnerships one person ends up toting a lot more of the responsibility than the other, and this can lead to resentment. Good partnerships are great. . . the combined resources and talent of two hard working and like minded individuals can bring great things. Just know what you are getting into, and decide whether you really need someone else. I've started business both ways, and as somewhat of an independent, self sufficient control freak with just enough capital to fake it on my own, I've discovered that I like to call all of the shots, and outsource / ask opinions as needed. Do what is best for you, we are all different! 10.) I'll end on 10, since it's a nice even number and I can talk about this type of thing all day long. Never give up. Successful people all share one trait: persistence. When I was younger I started several different businesses that failed only because I was impatient and thought instant success was my right. It certainly is not. . . . I am just getting back into this shirt thing, with tons more to do and learn and fail at. . . the key difference is that I am having a blast doing it, and am dedicated to seeing it through to the rewards. You all can, and will, too! Thanks everyone for posting such great info, it has helped me immensely and inspired me to start posting, and thanks also for letting me hijack so much real estate for this wordy diatribe! ---

 

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marlo45

Quote: Originally Posted by batikdruid Yeah, I had built my own web site (it's still up) and online store with real time credit card processing, shopping cart, the whole bit -- worked great for like 4 years. Then all of a sudden, despite me still paying Authorize.Net the same amount I'd paid all along, I started getting transaction bills of $900 one month, $1000 +/- the next, and naturally, I freaked! I looked at my acct and there were hundreds, thousands of obviously robot hacking attempts, trying credit card numbers or something. My shopping cart was rejecting them, so they never came in to me as orders, etc. but I got charged .35 for each one of those from Authorize.Net!!! I called them of course and asked what was going on and they were like "duhhh" they said they had no idea, wasn't it my fault? lol Uh, no, it isn't my fault it's YOUR fault. So they said change your settings this way and that way, and I'm like "it already IS that way and has been for four years and worked just peachy!" So I said, (this is when I was still innocent/ignorant lol) "I'm not getting charged for these I hope! I just want to make sure." "Oh no! You don't get charged for them, they aren't going through." That was before I got my bills. I had to drop them immediately which put a halt toward paying for shirts on my site to stop the bleeding. They had the nerve to say I owed them $25 for the month that I dropped them. Needless to say I didn't pay it, and it's probably on my credit report. Yes, I fought them, filed a complaint, but nothing. I got NOTHING back. I was so depressed and upset, I seriously almost lost the business that I had built up so lovingly, and it really never was the same. Well, I think the next year my studio got blown up in a lightning strike. LOL What are you going to do? You either keep going or give up. I'm not good at giving up, which may not be a good thing sometimes!!

Is this really possible? I thought that you'll be charged only when the transaction gets processed. There's usually something like a 30 to 35 cent "processing" fee and, therefore, shouldn't be charged if your cart rejects them. That's a rip off!

I use them as well for another non apparel related site and had no idea of this vulnerability. I'm really concerned as i am strongly considering building my own site for the flexibility of my eccentric promotional ideas.

You mentioned their "fraud protection service", did you have this as well or was it the basic gateway service? I have the latter, but i would gladly pay an extra $5 bucks to get the peace of mind.

For th