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tyro · September 10th, 2007

Great forum here, i actually found it by watching some videos on youtube, great they were. I've been reading around t-shirt manufacturing business. The thing is i have a nice amount of customers that will be interested in buying our company branded t-shirts. I own a powerlifting and a bodybuilding site. Well thats enough about me.

After long searching places like cafepress i found out that with the design and the delivery prices it is, well how you put it crap for my business. When the price adds up it is too high i think as this would put of my customers so i decided to invest into a heat pres and do my own shirts.

There are some questions i wanted to ask that i am still not sure.

Heat transfer onto white and light t's from heat transfer paper. Does it need to be cut out into the specific shape of the design or does it just press on the design?

Printing designs on black t shirts needs vinal? Does it behave in a similar way as heat transfer paper?

What would be a good brand of heat press to buy? What size is recommended for optimum use? I was looking into clam press as they look the best in my case. Would buying a heat press would be a bad mistake?

ebay 1
ebay 2

I have read to print on heat press paper you need a pigment based printer?
I have epson d88, would this do if no this brings me onto my next question.

Are there companies online that only specialize in transferring designs onto heatpress paper for light and dark t-shirts at reasonable prices?

Are there any good blank t-shirt suppliers if you main goal is to provide cheap-ish shirts to who are going to wash it over and over again, meaning the best quality you can get at that price.

Plain t-shirts, blank t-shirts, discount t-shirt

Do you need a specific license or something to sell t-shirts online?

I have more questions but i think this is enough for now any help appreciated and again great forum.

badalou · September 10th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyro


	Great forum here, i actually found it by watching some videos on youtube, great they were. I've been reading around t-shirt manufacturing business. The thing is i have a nice amount of customers that will be interested in buying our company branded t-shirts. I own a powerlifting and a bodybuilding site. Well thats enough about me. After long searching places like cafepress i found out that with the design and the delivery prices it is, well how you put it crap for my business. When the price adds up it is too high i think as this would put of my customers so i decided to invest into a heat pres and do my own shirts. There are some questions i wanted to ask that i am still not sure. Heat transfer onto white and light t's from heat transfer paper. Does it need to be cut out into the specific shape of the design or does it just press on the design? Printing designs on black t shirts needs vinyl? Does it behave in a similar way as heat transfer paper? What would be a good brand of heat press to buy? What size is recommended for optimum use? I was looking into clam press as they look the best in my case. Would buying a heat press would be a bad mistake? ebay 1 ebay 2 I have read to print on heat press paper you need a pigment based printer? I have epson d88, would this do if no this brings me onto my next question. Are there companies online that only specialize in transferring designs onto heatpress paper for light and dark t-shirts at reasonable prices? Are there any good blank t-shirt suppliers if you main goal is to provide cheap-ish shirts to who are going to wash it over and over again, meaning the best quality you can get at that price. Plain t-shirts, blank t-shirts, discount t-shirt Do you need a specific license or something to sell t-shirts online? I have more questions but i think this is enough for now any help appreciated and again great forum.

First I hope those were my video's you watched. If you have a customer base which it sounds like you do then I would recommend doing the shirts yourself but not with digital printed shirts but with plastisol design (Outside source) You can have the designs printed and then place them on the shirts as you need them. I would recommend a 15 x 15 heat press. I have a Mighty press which serves me well. I use tee shirts from Bodek and Rhodes ans SanMar. Yes buying a press may be a big mistake unless it is a company that is well known which is rare. But again plastisol transfers will save you a lot of work. Yes digital transfer need to be trimmed but not plastisol. Digital transfer need to be placed on white shirts or light shirts unless they are opaque transfers which most of us hate to use. But plastisol transfer can go on any color. Hope this helps.

tyro · September 10th, 2007

Yes they were your videos, good indeed. So what are you suggesting with plastisol design and what is it exactly? What would be a good price for a ok quality apparatus which is 15x15 i have $400 at maximum somewhere around there, remember i run a site and i have allot of different expenses.

Does that meen getting someone else to print out and cut out the designs for me? if so do you know any companies that do that at compatible prices. My goal is provide branded shirts and accessible prices. My profit margins will be little well somewhere about $5 if that, quantity over quality

So ebay is a no no? and what is the difference between hot or cold peel?

badalou · September 11th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyro


	Yes they were your videos, good indeed. So what are you suggesting with plastisol design and what is it exactly? What would be a good price for a ok quality apparatus which is 15x15 i have $400 at maximum somewhere around there, remember i run a site and i have allot of different expenses. Does that meen getting someone else to print out and cut out the designs for me? if so do you know any companies that do that at compatible prices. My goal is provide branded shirts and accessible prices. My profit margins will be little well somewhere about $5 if that, quantity over quality So ebay is a no no? and what is the difference between hot or cold peel?

You might find a used unit for $400. but I recommend a 15 x 15 which is in the $600 area and uo. Cut out the design?? Not with plastisol transfers. There is no cutting it is screenprinting on release paper that you do not cut. $5.00 is a nice profit if your dealing qunatity in fact it may be high, Hot and cold peel are just the types of ink that is used. Most plastisol transfers I get are hot peel.

tyro · September 11th, 2007

I still dont quite understand plastisol, do you know any good places that do printing or should i try to find some locally?

Rodney · September 11th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyro


	I still dont quite understand plastisol, do you know any good places that do printing or should i try to find some locally?

Hi Tyro, any term or equipment you need more info on can be found by putting that term into our search engine

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/search.php
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/tags/

For example, this post found in a search for plastisol transfers will give you explain it in detail and give you links to places where you can buy it: what is a plastisol (silk screen printed) heat transfer: a definition

Quote:


	Heat transfer onto white and light t's from heat transfer paper. Does it need to be cut out into the specific shape of the design or does it just press on the design?

You need to trim around the design so that the paper "polymer" doesn't show on the t-shirt.

Quote:


	Printing designs on black t shirts needs vinal? Does it behave in a similar way as heat transfer paper?

Depending on the design and the quantities, it can be done with vinyl, opaque inkjet transfers or plastisol transfers.

Vinyl requires a vinyl cutter, which will cut the design on a solid color sheet of material and then you press that material onto the t-shirt. Read more here: Making my first custom t-shirt with cut vinyl, a vinyl cutter and a heat press

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	What would be a good brand of heat press to buy? What size is recommended for optimum use? I was looking into clam press as they look the best in my case. Would buying a heat press would be a bad mistake?

Read here: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?

And here: Heat Press Basics - What You Need To Know

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	I have read to print on heat press paper you need a pigment based printer? I have epson d88, would this do if no this brings me onto my next question.

Sounds like you're in the UK? The epson D88 is the same as the US Epson C88.

Quote:


	Are there companies online that only specialize in transferring designs onto heatpress paper for light and dark t-shirts at reasonable prices?

Yes, read here: Where do you buy YOUR custom plastisol transfers? - a list of vendors!

Quote:


	Are there any good blank t-shirt suppliers if you main goal is to provide cheap-ish shirts to who are going to wash it over and over again, meaning the best quality you can get at that price.

Yes, there are lots of them. For UK specific suppliers, you may want to use the popular keyword tag search and search for united kingdom:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/tags/united-kingdom/

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