brentonchad

As I continue doing my research on opening up shop I have put together the numbers I need to make a profit. I am now at the point that I need to estimate the time commitment this will take as this will be a home based business that my wife and myself will be handling. As it has been stated that you can not win in the business with pricing, but there has to be something added in value that the other guy isn't doing and most likely that will be service. I want to make sure we are able to commit a service level that we can meet when orders start coming in. But I am not real sure how long some of thesem processes take.

So my question is what amount of time does it take on average to do 100 t-shirts with Plastisol Transfers and or Vinyl(assume 1 color). If possible I would like time estimate for a beginner and for someone with experience. I am assuming there is an increase in effeciency as you become proficient.

Thanks,
Chad

 

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brentonchad

Just to clarify - I will be using Plastisol transfers and heat press only.

 

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charles95405

I think you can answer your own question. do a time test...with the press off. take a shirt put it on the press..take a piece of paper as if it were a transfer..place on the shirt..taking care to align properly..close the press for the prescribed time...open the press...remove the paper.pull off the shirt...and hold up..next put another shirt on the press. now see how much time that took...that will give you an idea of what you can do...not someone else. It is just a dry run to get an idea

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brentonchad

That's a great idea if I already had the equipment. Like I said we are still in the process of putting together a business plan. And in order to get true profitability I have to be able to estimate the amount of labor it takes to produce the product. It is very viable to say that you can create a 50% profit from T-shirts if you don't include your time as a cost. So to do this right and to create a sound business plan I have to estimate labor costs and time to complete the product.

 

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Moo Spot Prints

It depends on the type of transfer and how precise you need to be with the placement.

Some transfers require only 3 seconds (hot peels) of press time.
Others can take a minute or more (sublimation).
Even with a tool, getting the transfer lined up can take 20 seconds or so.
Need to get rid of moisture? Add another 20 seconds.

If you are pressing on both sides, double up the time.

On average, my shirts take a total of 3-4 minutes to do (front and back, 2 presses each plus a wrinkle/pres line removal pressing). I can trim 30 seconds if I'm doing a lot of them by doing it assembly line style.

Doing 50 at a shot takes a long time and is very tiring. I would seriously start looking at screening the shirts if you want to get the production numbers you're talking about.

[Edit]

You wanted numbers, so here's my ballparks. This is just for pressing. It does not take into account time spent opening boxes, moving piles of shirts around, cutting transfers, picking up dropped shirts, etc. It does take into account the brief time it takes to pick up the shirt and place it on the press, place the transfer and putting the shirt on the pressed stack.

first press: 40s
second press: 30s
wrinkle rid: 15s

Per side: 85s
Two sides: 170s

Sleeves: 80s for 6 shirts

 

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agerundajr

Chad,

As a complete newbie my first ever client ordered plastisol transfers on 40 dozen pieces of both t-shirts and heavyweight hooded sweatshirts.

I did a fair amount of research before embarking on this endeavor and though I was a bit intimidated I learned fairly quickly that with the right tools anyone can produce a quality product and make a profit while keeping the customer happy.

I bought a new Phoenix Phire 16 x 20 and I got my transfers from Versatrans and together they worked flawlessly. Admittedly, the design was pressed only on one side and did not require any complicated alignment. Before I was halfway finished with the order I was cranking out between 30 and 36 pieces per hour.

I have since done several other large orders that did require special alignment or were two sided presses so I'll always price each job according to the inherent complexities.

Standing over a hot press and cranking the thing several hundred times in a day isn't easy work but it's not rocket science either. A good work space and an organized workflow plan can also make bug a difference in your productivity.

Hope this helps.

Artie

 

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EastBayScreen

The phone just rang. The shirt has a thread in the way. The design is hard to center. These shirts are damper than usual and must be preheated for longer than usual. The coffee was weak. My arms hurt.... etc.

Far too many variables in this game. I'd estimate 12-120 an hour, depending. People are people, not math numbers. If you're looking for efficiency, look for an air assisted press. Or just focus on customer service and let someone else do the work. There are many "print brokers" who do little more than talk on the phone and rake in the cash.

'luck

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