I've never printed a t-shirt in my life. However I'm keen to give it a go, and not planning to let ignorance get in the way. I've been exploring the wealth of information in these forums, and I'll keep on looking, but I thought I'd let you know what I'm trying to do and see if anyone has any advice.
What I have:
some designs (still in my head)
computer, printer, design software
an empty garage
limitless enthusiasm
What I don't have:
any printing equipment or experience
What I want to do:
Print about half a dozen designs onto shirts, for myself intially, but if they go well I hope to sell a few locally (and, long-term, maybe on the web). Designs will be single colour, some from photos, but they'll be degraded images and text so it doesn't have to print perfectly. I want to be able to use different colours (shirts & ink), probably more interesting colours than black, white and primaries. Flexibility in the numbers I print, and keeping the cost down are priorities.
What next:
I'm pretty sure that screen printing is the way to go, but if I'm wrong please let me know. I guess that going to a printer will not be an option with small quantities. So the other three possibilities I can think of are to buy a starter kit and teach myself, buy/make the stuff I need (I've seen a couple of site which say you're better off making your own gear that buying expensive kits), or take an evening course at one of the local colleges / workshops (if it means I get to use their equipment). No idea which of these is most suitable, so I'll keep investigating and will appreciate any advice. By the way, I'm based in Melbourne, Australia - I see there's a few of us on here.
Small small numbers. My ideas are for shirts for an obscure sport I play, and I have no idea if they'll appeal to anyone but me. In an ideal world, I'd make one of each, wear it out and see what response I get. It's more for fun (at the moment) than a serious business plan.
One suggestion to check out.. instead of going to a screen printer for each design... Check out someone that does custom plastisol transfers, basically the same thing, except it will arrive to you on paper, and you can purchase a heat press, and transfer them yourself as needed, I believe you can order the transfers by the dozen... check out First Edition 800-872-6760
That way you dont have to choose which sizes etc.. and be stuck with them.. someone orders a small.. you press the transfer of your design onto a small shirt, xl.. press an xl.. etc =)
Just another option that I thought you may not be aware of...
If you want just one or two shirts of each design, screenprinting is probably not going to work very well for you.
If your designs are not too detailed you might think about using vinyl. With vinyl you can do just one shirt in each design. I think there is a pretty good range of colors available, although certainly not as many colors as screenprinting. You will need a vinyl cutter and a heat press.
The designs will be detailed enough that cutting them out by hand is probably not a good way to go. Maybe I just need to take the plunge and screen print some large quantities - what sort of number would you say are required to make it worthwhile screen printing (either myself or ar a printer?)
One suggestion to check out.. instead of going to a screen printer for each design... Check out someone that does custom plastisol transfers, basically the same thing, except it will arrive to you on paper, and you can purchase a heat press, and transfer them yourself as needed, I believe you can order the transfers by the dozen... check out First Edition 800-872-6760
That way you dont have to choose which sizes etc.. and be stuck with them.. someone orders a small.. you press the transfer of your design onto a small shirt, xl.. press an xl.. etc =)
Just another option that I thought you may not be aware of...
Good luck!
Ambrelee
Taylor Tees
Hi Amberlee, and thanks, I hadn't really thought much about that approach.
What is the finished effect like? I guess the print is thinner than with screen printing. Can you get good, rich colours with this technique, or does the colour of the shirt affect the colour of the print? I don't like the kinds of transfers where you can see a rectagular box around the image, can that be avoided?
You don't need to cut vinyl by hand. A vinyl cutter is a machine that automatically cuts the design in the vinyl for you. You just weed (remove) the excess vinyl and then press it on the shirt. The machine can cut pretty fine detail, it will just take a very long time to weed the design. Check the video I linked to, it shows the entire process start to finish.
As for screenprinting minimums, I don't really know what your budget is so I can't say what number would be worthwhile for you. Your best bet would be to call some local printers and ask them what their minimums are, and go from there.
What is the finished effect like? I guess the print is thinner than with screen printing. Can you get good, rich colours with this technique, or does the colour of the shirt affect the colour of the print? I don't like the kinds of transfers where you can see a rectagular box around the image, can that be avoided?
The finished effect with a screen printed (plastisol) transfer is just like screen printing directly onto the t-shirt. Same exact thing. No rectangle box
The minimums for screen printed transfers are sometimes lower than screen printing directly onto the t-shirt. I saw one company at a recent tradeshow that had a minimum of 1 transfer (Airwaves transfers).
Quote:
Maybe I just need to take the plunge and screen print some large quantities - what sort of number would you say are required to make it worthwhile screen printing (either myself or ar a printer?)
Speaking generally, I would say that 25 pieces per design would get you decent pricing from screen printers. Some printers will print as low as 6 pieces (like customink.com) or 12 pieces per design, depending on the number of colors in the artwork.
Square one 
