hello everyone I have always been interested and wanting to design my own clothing line since forever. My father is giving me a 1000 dollars to get thing started but he expects me to pay him back in two months. I been here searching for over a year just learning and gaining knowledge from all of you guys.To give further insite on what i want to do is market the toward the urban market and plan on selling my shirts to local stores and hopefully nation wide and i plan on opening up an online store. far as design I been working on about 4 to 5 using inkscape program that seems to freeze always. and I want to have some design by a screen printer but there expensive designer fee will be killin me but i want a professional look. I plan to have the shirts relabel and attach hang tags. I was thinking i should buy a heat press machine and send my designs to get plastisol. I will be paying 3.00 for my blank white tees at wholesaleusa. for my relabeling i was going to cut the tags and have the gang plastisol and heat press them. and do the business cards for hangtags.
thats what i research so far now should i buy a heat press 16x24 for $375 or can i get one cheaper or should i invest all in getting screen printing? Whats a good minmum to start up with 12,24,or,100s? and do you think i will be able to pay off my loan thank you all
First, you need to pay a designer to create your ideas the right way (vector format). Usually you can find plenty at local colleges that will do this for free or for a small amount. You take these files to a screen printer and get quotes (from at least 3). A decent run to start would be 48 of each design. Do not do it yourself if you have no experience. The quality of the prints needs to be high if you want to have ANY chance of selling them. GL
I started off with about 1500 bucks a few years ago and got a vinyl cutter and the cutting software.I've since earned my money back but 2 months isn't a whole lot of time.Unless you already have the marketing plan worked out and going.i have recently bought a heat press and entered the tshirt field. Its slow but i live in a small town with a small target audience.I have about 3000 invested in software and equipment and have made a fair profit off my investment.If there was one piece of equipment i could buy with 1000 bucks and start over id get a heat press.If you have a good printer youre good to go.The next piece of equipment i would invest in is a vinyl cutter.Unless you have cutting software buy a package.Starter packages now can be bought for under a little under 1000.It would open a whole new revenue of income.My customers are mainly schools,churches and non profits.i have screen printed but its a messy job and mistakes can cost you big money.The setup time and cost will be offset in the long run if you go with a heat press.I can have a customer come in and order a single personalized shirt and have him out in 15 minutes as long as the design isn't too detailed.Others may disagree but thats my opinion.Good luck with your investment and hey.offer your father a return on his investment.he may be more likely to give you more in the future.
wow thanks for the needy and speedy advice I will continue to do further research before I can make my decision but I do believe going to a screen printer does make alot of since since I want a professional look but I see it come down to design more than anything thanks
I don't think 2 months is enough time unless you already have some designs to get printed. Historically, most businesses do not see a return on their investments within the first 6 months at least. I'd try to renegotiate with your dad if possible.. maybe pay a low interest rate to keep the money longer?
For maximum speed I would say go with contracted screen printing and focus on your designs and focus on WHO you are going to sell to and how you will sell to them - make a plan.
Printing shirts yourself is fine, and is a good way to go for many people, but honestly you don't really have time to research equipment and figure out how to get your prints to look the way you want (there is a lot of info here in the forums but it's still a lot of trial and error).
Having a professional looking line with custom labels and hang tags is overrated. Many of the top brands out there today started out with just regular Gildan or American Apparel shirt with a screen print on the front. You can always upgrade/improve your brand later and do the labels and stuff.. sometimes it's even better to wait to fully establish your branding until you get feedback from your customers. For now the important thing is to actually get off the ground and get some sales.
thanks you guys our wonderful and I love your insight I already workin on a payment plan wit my dad now where or who should I go to for a screen printer
Personally, I feel like can't take more then couple of months to learn from this forum & another comes in my mind is why didn't do part time job at any local store/subway for a year to make that 1K?[you might have made a lot more $]. just my thought.
Now back on topic... I think you should watch
I recommended to find any financier[Relative or (best)Friends] & to buy GX-24 with 1.6K atleast which will do most of the stuff.[almost anything]. main thing is design & your niche.
I am planning to start screen printing & Vinyl/Heat trasfer soon. Things i am worring about is Economy & Designs[which designs can sell more. any book/idea on it?]
I have excellent designer but no concept to tell him what to design. I really need you guys help to which[design] one works more in market & which never work?
Regards
Quote:
Originally Posted by hustleran
....................... My father is giving me a 1000 dollars to get thing started but he expects me to pay him back in two months. I been here searching for over a year just learning and gaining knowledge from all of you guys.................
I have that exact cutter, purchased from that exact company! Its great! Its def. a good investment, but i have to admit screen printing is way more profitable!
60 days to pay him back?? If you know how to double your money in 60 days you need to forget about T-Shirts and go to Wall Street!
You need to tell your Dad that he may NEVER get his 1K back. That is a drop in the bucket as far as equipment goes. You can spend $20k to be able to print a $20 DTG t-shirt. You have to sell 1250 of them to pay for the machine before you ever make a dime.
If you gotta take 1K today and pay it back in 60 days it is best to go to Las Vegas and put it on RED at the roulette table. (Black if you prefer)
thanks you guys our wonderful and I love your insight I already workin on a payment plan wit my dad now where or who should I go to for a screen printer
Go to your phone book and look for "Screen Printing". Go visit them and see a few samples, find out about turn around times and pricing. It's best to go see them once you have at least one design ready so they can give you a proper quote.
Be aware that they will have minimums.. usually around 24pc per design. And you also have to take setup fees into consideration.
Pricing.. in general, what you pay for the shirt should be 1/2 of what you will sell it for if you want to make a profit. So if you want to sell your shirt for $30, you need to get it for $15 or less. If you are just starting out it's ok to pay more and have a lower profit margin because when you re-order you'll be hopefully getting a bigger discount due to quantity.
What to do with a 1000 dollars 
