i want to start my own t-shirt business then branch out to other clothing pieces..when screen printing on to the shirt should i do it myself or pay someone to do it?
I think you could do it either way. We have members here that are doing it themselves (screen printing their own line of t-shirts), and we have members that just send their design to a professional screen printer and have them do the printing.
It can work either way. I guess it depends on how much you actually want to do (and how much you can do based on your time/budget/physical space constraints).
If you are just starting out, it would be less expensive to get a few t-shirts printed up by a professional printer than to purchase screen printing equipment. The learning curve (time expense) would be less as well if you outsourced the printing.
Personally I'm inclined to the view that anyone who needs to ask whether or not to outsource printing, needs to outsource. You'd know if you could do it yourself.
Longterm you may want to learn to do it yourself (for satisfaction or maximising profit), but short-term there's no need (and longterm if you're successful you wouldn't be printing them yourself anyway).
I'm in the same position as fresh. I've got some good designs (I think...but I suppose everyone thinks this) developed in Photoshop, but don't really know where to go from here. I'd rather have someone else do the printing, and it's heartening to hear that this is a valid commercial option.
Another query: do Tshirt designers generally get their designs screenprinted, or is heat transfer a real option? I get the impression that quality and heat transfer do not generally go hand in hand. Interested in the views of experienced designers...
Another query: do Tshirt designers generally get their designs screenprinted, or is heat transfer a real option? I get the impression that quality and heat transfer do not generally go hand in hand. Interested in the views of experienced designers...
People have been successful selling t-shirts printed with heat transfers and t-shirts printed with screen printing. There are some challenges and benefits with each printing method; either way, you have to make sure that you get quality printing on quality garments.
But assuming you do get quality printing on quality Tshirts, aren't heat transfers liable to fade and lose their sharp, vivid quality far faster than screen? That's what I've heard. Any definitive opinions on that, based on experience rather than folklore (which is how I'd classify my information on the subject)??
But assuming you do get quality printing on quality Tshirts, aren't heat transfers liable to fade and lose their sharp, vivid quality far faster than screen?
I think heat pressed plastisol transfers can have similar durability to a screen printed t-shirt.
I'm a bit biased because I really prefer screen printed t-shirts. In my opinion, they are currently the standard for quality and is what you normally see in retail stores.
That being said, I think that heat press done right can sometimes be hard to tell from a screen print.
Each has it's benefits (lots of specialty inks and techniques can be done with screen printing...if that's your thing - heat press can be done "on demand" without much setup cost) and drawbacks.
I love the hands on feel of doing it myself, and long before i got a press kit I knew I could do it. I kind of don't like the idea of someone coming up with something, and sending it off elsewhere to get done. I think the DIY type approach is more admirable, and shows more character and more interest in screen printing and shirt design in general.
Since I have my own press, I could change up my logo at any given time, put my logo on any area of the t-shirt i see fit, make little sleeve designs, press labeless tags on the inside, and just goof around with designs without being charged more, without consulting anyone, or getting turned down because the people im paying to that think it's dumb and don't want to do it.
Before I got my press, I tried to get a few shirts done by a pro, but I had to have a minimum quantity which sucked, i wanted a logo on the sleeve and front and back, which came out expensive, and they kept telling me what shirts i should get them printed on (gildan 100%) and that fruit of the loom 50.50 would be too thin to print on, so I just thought that was absurd and never dealt with anyone else since.
Also the setup fee's for color's were pricey, and they wanted to tweak my art too, wh ich was also unacceptable.
as for doing it myself, there is alot of frustrations and trial and error, but it feels so awesome when you get the hang of it and do things right, it seems worth it. also, ive been making some $ by also doing custom jobs for freinds and one of a kind shirts, which is also something you can't do if you outsource.
I love the hands on feel of doing it myself, and long before i got a press kit I knew I could do it. I kind of don't like the idea of someone coming up with something, and sending it off elsewhere to get done. I think the DIY type approach is more admirable, and shows more character and more interest in screen printing and shirt design in general.
I personally don't see how this shows more character, and how it's relevant to running a successful business.
If someone wants to contract out any part of their business, especially if the end product will be better because of it, I think it's smart and shows just as much character.
Just listing some of the things required to run an online t-shirt business (in no particular order):
1.Website design/creation
2.Create designs for t-shirts
3.Having shirts printed
4.Shipping shirts to customers
5.Overseeing the running of the business
These are just some of the things involved, and each of these things present various challenges themselves and require lots of time and energy.
I don't see how someone contracting out 1 or more of these things (having the shirts printed in particular) shows less character, or is less admirable than if someone chose to do most or all of these things themselves.
Are people that print their shirts themselves but have someone create their website showing more character than someone that does most of these things, but sends their shirts to someone else to get printed? I certainly don't see how that could be. I also don't see how that's more admirable.
Different people have different skills and different skill levels.
Some people can create websites, others can't. Some can print their own shirts.
I think there is something to be said for someone that can oversee the whole operation and make it successful. Whether they print themselves, create their own website, ship their own products, or have someone else do some or all of those things.
I would also like to point out that there are some people that are too busy running their successful business in order to print their own shirts. And that's mostly because they are busy creating designs, updating their site, shipping their products, and marketing their business.
Well, I'm a newbie so am not speaking from a position of experience, but I think Comin'OutSwingin makes a lot of sense. It seems to me curiously judgemental, self-congratulatory and ego-orientated to take the sort of purist stance MinusBlindfold has taken.
As far as I'm concerned, the most exciting aspect of Tshirt printing is the design itself (and let's face it: if the design stinks, it doesn't matter how accomplished you are at doing the rest of the job of having the Tshirt printed and marketed, whether by yourself or someone else - it ain't gonna work!). What's less admirable about focusing on the thing that excites you most, if that happens to be design, and contracting others to do the parts of the job they specialise in? As far as I'm concerned, the only issue here is whether it is economically feasible. It seems it is, going by most responses - to the posters concerned, thanks for the benefit of your experience.
MinusBlindfold, while I also disagree about the admirable/character comments (although I think I see what you're getting at), I am right there with you on the thrill (and benefit in flexibility) of doing it yourself.
The feeling you get from designing the shirt and the thrill you get from printing it yourself and seeing it followed through to the finishing point really aren't the same.
This is one of those don't-know-what-you're-missing until you try it situations.
ok, you guys read into that wrong. I wasn't taking a purist stance and being ego-oriented or whatever, It's just my opinion.
Since I don't have dollar signs in my eyes everytime I print a shirt, I guess I disagree with contracting different people for jobs I could do.
Also, I work a part time job and go to school and print shirts, so I guess printing isn't my full time job, therefore when I get a chance to do it, I don't treat it like a job, but rather something fun and something I take enjoyment in. From desiging, printing, shipping, what not, I like it.
I don't have a store, a website, or sell a high volume of shirts per month. But some people come up to me, through word of mouth and are like "you do those shirts, huh? got any on you?" and I sell them a shirt.
so i guess Im not at the level of shirt selling you guys are at, and I think our priorities, and opinions, are different.
and my last post, was just that: opinion.
Your opinion was that printing your own shirts is more admirable and shows more character than people that contract their printing out. I don't think I read into it wrong, but I also stated an opinion.
I simply disagree and said why.
There are many reasons why someone doesn't print their own shirts, and having dollar signs in their eyes isn't necessarily the reason they contract it out.
Speaking for myself: I am married, have two children (boys ages 8 and 5), work full-time in the medical insurance industry, go to school part-time, and am trying to run a small business.
With the learning curve it takes to learn to screen print quality shirts, I just simply don't have the time.
I'm sure there are other constraints such as expenses and just the inability to learn to do it that would also hinder people from being able to print their own shirts.
I would love to learn to be able to do it someday. I am sure there is a great degree of accomplishment that comes with printing your own shirts.
But, to make a blanket statement of printing is more admirable and shows more character than outsourcing, I think is quite short sited, especially given the many different reasons people can't/don't print themselves.
My opinion.
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Last edited by Comin'OutSwingin; May 6th, 2006 at 12:18 PM.
Do it yourself or pay someone else? 
