starting a Heat Transfer Business - can you help with these questions?
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Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
starting a Heat Transfer Business - can you help with these questions?
starting a Heat Transfer Business - can you help with these questions?
Hey Everyone,
I am looking into starting a Heat Transfer Business with both ink jet and sublimation. I am not going to have much overhead to deal with, only about $200. I will also be working another job and so I only have about 20 hours I can put into it right now, until it starts making money then I will have more. I am looking to target the surrounding area schools and churches along with the sporting events(golf and baseball tournaments), we also have a huge event that happens every Labor Day called Westfest and a rodeo, I will also be putting ads in all the papers near me.
Oh yeah I also forgot to add that I live in a town of estimated 4000 people. My boyfriend and his parents own a trophy business so I will not just be doing t-shirts. That is also where all my display will be so I have a potential customer with each of his.
Here are a few questions I have before I actually jump into a pit of death...uh..I mean debt. My starting amount I have is roughly 10k.
#1. I am planning on purchasing a bundle pack from best blanks.com and wanted to know if this is as good of a deal as it seems.
your best bet is to do alot of research. there are tons of threads on this forum that deal with the exact same questions you are asking. do a search above for specific topics. just off hand i know lots of people here use the epson 1400 and it seems to be the printer of choice for this type of work. i have an 8 yr. old geo knight heat press and it works like a charm. they're a good brand. BUT! look around. sometimes you're better off slowing down and making sure you're getting the best deals from the most reputable people. the vendors on the left of the page are many of our favorites. if i was to look into buying a heat press nowadays, i'd look at the hot tronix from imprintables. SWEET!!
Why do you want to get into sublimation? Last I read it is limited to white shirts with at least 50% polyester. You can do other items as well but as far as shirts I believe you are limited. Sublimation costs can be expensive for longer runs. It a local church needs 50 tees for a class or club plastisol transfers would be the best way to go. They are easy to use and all you need to own is a heat press. I would also suggest a teflon sheet. This helps protect the garment and press.
What items do you want to sell to the churchs, events and teams. Define your market (you can't and should not offer everything possible right off. I started with ink jet transfers (JetPro Sofstretch using an Epson printer with Durabrite inks) then went to plastisol transfers and recently added a vinyl cutter for shirts. My main focus is t-shirts, sweats, tote bags and other items for small business. My total investment is well under $5K with the equipment and software I own. I bought everything new.
Will sublimation images print well on dark colored shirts? I learned early on that most people don't want white shirts. I prefer white but the most popular are blacks, reds, blues and perhaps you local school colors.
Before you drop $5K PLEASE make sure you have a good idea what you are going after. As suggested above research the forums quite a bit. I spent almost a year reading everything I could (forum, trade magazines, marketing & sales etc) before spending money on equipment and supplies. Many of our forum sponsors offer packages to start with. Most packages have things you do not need or will not use very often.
I suggest defining your objectives, customers and product offerings. Start off small and grow your business based on the types of requests you are getting.
If you have any questions post them on the forum. Somebody here will have some useful advice.
As far as presses GEO, Mighty Press (I own the 15 x 15), Stahls, Hotronix are all good presses. As far as ink costs that depends on the size of you design. Bulk ink is the way to go once the volume is consistent. I have read several posts that bulk systems will clog if not used on a regular basis.
hey kaitlin: i just went back and reread your original post. i'll try and give you some answers to what i know. first let me say i know nothing about dye sublimation which eliminates me from knowing about the profit from bags vs. mugs etc. but here look at this link:
even when you ugrade the presses, it's still cheaper than your package. and some questions for you. do you already have a computer with graphics software? have you ever thought about investing in a vinyl cutter? just a couple of links for you to look at:
and don't be afraid to pick up the phone and talk to some of these people from the vendors list. i know the guys at imprintables and coastal would be happy to talk to you explain the processes and help with any concerns you might have. -good luck!
To Kaitlin...If you are trying to start with $200 in capital...you will NOT make it. you will need at least
a printer - $100-200
sublimation ink - $450-900 depending on printer
a second printer for regular transfers...again same price for printer..OEM ink will work..then you need paper
press - $300 for a Sunie...up $1000 for some name brands
then you will need a sales lic, city/county permit etc
You may have to save some more before starting out too soon and lose your initial investment
Check into the Ricoh GX7000 gel printer. Sublimation ink costs are lower, and the printer is less susceptible to maintenance issues. This is the next generation of desktop sublimation printers. You get the speed of a laser printer, the quality of a high end desktop, and the cost of a mid range printer along with the ability to print on up to 11 x 17 paper, for about half the usual price. Not to mention the color gamut is slightly larger (so I'm told). If 8.5 x 11 is ok, you can get a much cheaper version of the Ricoh in the GX5050 at about a third of the price of the GX7000, and use the same ink. Color gamut is slightly reduced over the GX7000 though and the blacks and reds are slightly less vibrant (which may not matter to a lot of people). The Epson 1400 can't compete with the Ricohs on speed either.
Plus, the Epson needs a bulk system; the Ricohs use 60ml ink cartridges.
Be careful of the all inclusive packages; a lot of them either may not include some important items, OR, you may wind up paying for a lot of items you don't really need. Small extras add on a lot of cost. The package referenced includes the DK20S press (which is a great press) - great for flat goods or something that doesn't exceed about an inch or so thick. The Knight DC series combo press is a better alternative, and ideal for a startup since it will allow a wider variety of items to be pressed.
If you are just testing the waters, you can start with a budget setup that will give you two low end desktop printers (the Epson WF30) - use Chromablast for cotton shirts and other cotton goods in one; and sublimation ink in the other, get a Knight DC16 combo press, a DK3 for mugs, some paper, some sublimatable items, and you are in business for under $3000 for all of it.
Thanks Tim for all the really good links and videos.
Yes I do already have the computer with CorelDraw as well as PhotoShop.
I haven't really thought about vinyl but I am looking into it now.
What I really need is something that will fit the demands of schools and churches as well as the smaller jobs who just want something for birthday or grandparents.
I think that is what ink jet transfers would be good for but I am not sure about this, that therefore is why I am here trying to figure out.
well if you have the extra money a vinyl cutter is a good investment. you can do signs, vehicle graphics, shirts/jerseys etc. anything you can heat press basically. and if you are going to have your counter at the trophy shop why not offer signs? you can also cut rhinestone templates with it. i know it's alot to take in so take your time.
inkjet transfers are ideal for small jobs but the quality is lacking. out of all the printing methods discussed on the forum, it's the cheapest and it looks the cheapest. check this thread out:
i use vinyl for one to two color designs only, and for orders up to 50 shirts. anything more i get custom plastisol transfers printed for me which i then heat apply myself. but for school athletic uniforms/jerseys it's the preferred method (vinyl). applied correctly it's virtually indestructable. and for the people coming in off the street looking for ten shirts to say "grandma's 85th bday" (or something) it's perfect. type up in corel, output to cutter, weed-out and apply to shirt. you could have ten shirts done in an hour easy. and @ say $15/shirt (here in ny, say $10 in tex). that's a quick profit. i don't know about dye sub paper but the inkjet transfer paper leaves a polymer window that must be cut out or it leaves a yellowy residue behind.
Last edited by miktoxic; August 11th, 2009 at 01:14 PM.
Re: starting a Heat Transfer Business - can you help with these questions?
To Tim and Kaitlin....I would respond but I am too busy try to get my foot out of my mouth!...Probably had my tongue wrapped around my eye teeth and could not see what I was saying...SOooooooo forget what I said in my post!!!!
I will add that I have the Ricoh GX7000 gel printer for sublimation and it is super!
This is a discussion about starting a Heat Transfer Business - can you help with these questions? that was posted in the Heat Press and Heat Transfers section of the forums.
starting a Heat Transfer Business - can you help with these questions? 
