Titere

For all of you who use cutters and vinyl to make shirts, here is a question that has been around in my head for a while.

Do you keep all your designs and have them available "forever" and just keep adding new ones to your product line, or do you just use the designs by seasons and then discard them with new ones?

I ask this because I have some designs I like a lot and that sell good and I dont know if it is "healthy" to carry them with me all the time.

I asked this to the vinyl cutting people as it is easy for us to repeat any design anytime without setting many things and without having to make long runs. We can easily open the document and cut and we have the design again.

I dont know if I should discard those old designs and only offer the new ones or if I should add, add, add, but keeping the old ones.

What do you usually do? What do you think is best and why? Do you screenprinters discard or add?

Thank you.

Joe

 

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mmagdesigner

well i am just starting with the vinyl but i can say that i will be keeping a file system with disks for repeat customers and as for old designs......hold onto them sweetie....in the words of my oldest and most certainly wisest sister "if i only had thoes old bell bottoms i used to have years ago!!".........it all eventually comes back and you can always revise it instead of using the same old one or starting all over again.

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COEDS

I advise you to keep all designs along with info on type of vinyl used,type of application,how many they odered, and the price they paid. This info will help you on future buisness with them and others . ..... JB

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joeshaul

There is no reason to toss away your work. Suppose someone spots the shirt and says "I'd like 1000 of that design for an event!" I keep every design I've done for myself, the public, and for companies. I try to back it all up once a month as well, usually use an external hard drive for this purpose.

JB is right in that you should document how/what you did during the process as well, I'm a bit guilty of slacking on that, however I try to be sure I include very important details in the offchance someone comes to me a year from now and says "Remember that shirt you did? I'd like another", consistency is a good a thing. Only takes a few seconds to add some notes into the design saying: "Pressed with suchandsuch" "Ordered 5 on 6/10/2008", etc. I learned this lesson working at a sign company, where we had to duplicate the same edge from two or three years ago because someone was renovating.

 

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helix-2000

I keep all my designs as well. No sense tossing soemthing away that may come into play the next season.


Carl

 

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Titere

Thank you all!

When I said "discard" I didnt mean to delete them or anything. I have all my files saved and backed up, my original designs and my customers designs.

So do you reprint your designs on different seasons?

I do need to follow JB's advice on keeping additional info. That is something I never do :O

Joe

 

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COEDS

I will tell you, I use my card file of information. I keep all notes on index cards, I have evhing in alphabetical and chronological order. I can tell them what ,when ,athread or vinyl color ,type and color of shirt and how much it the order was. I do this because I like to be able to surprise customers with my knowledge of their account. I start digging into the card file as soon as I know whom I'm talking with. This allows customers to feel remembered . .....JB

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