[Nikar]

Hi all,

I need to create prototypes of some t-shirt designs. However, these will be more like "concept pieces", where it's not actually being sold at this point, just to test my potential customers' response.

The printing will be on the sleeve and chest, and some designs are required to be printed on the bottom of the t-shirt etc. I think DTG has many limitations in this regard, so screen printing is the way to go?

Problem is, screen printing has minimums of 12 (the lowest I saw). Are there screen printers who can print just 1 piece?

 

[Twisted Grafix]

Screen printers can print just one piece. The reason we don't like to is because it isn't cost effective. By the time the films are printed, screens are made, and the time to setup the press is done, it doesn't pay very well. Our shop doesn't charge a setup fee for orders of 12+ pieces, but we do on small screen printed orders of 1-11 pieces. Number of locations and colors is what would determine the price.

 

[NoXid]

It is not that they can't do it, it is that they assume no one would be willing to pay enough for one piece to be worth it.

Printing films, burning screens, setting up the press, cleaning up the screens after printing ... all that takes the same amount of time, effort, and materials regardless of how many shirts they print, so you would need to pay enough to cover all of that. Depending on number of colors and number of placements on the shirt, maybe $120 or so?

 

[Nikar]

Thanks guys, so if I'm printing 1 piece, 1-color, 3 locations, I'm looking at $120 per tshirt and more?

Secondly, is DTG/heat press able to print on the inner neck label area, the sleeve, the bottom of the tshirt and other locations?

 

[NoXid]

Sorry, I just pulled that number out of my--uhm, posterior. I generally print for my own product line, not for other people/companies, so that was just a WAG.

Probably your best bet for a "one of" is to have a local shop do it with heat press vinyl or inkjet/laser heat press transfer.

 

[Twisted Grafix]

The style of shirt would factor into the cost as well. You could do a basic tee or you could go to a fashion tee. The style will change the pricing since fashion tees are higher priced than the basics. If you were to print a different image in each of the 3 locations with 1 color in each location, you would have 3 screens. Each screen has a setup cost, plus each location would be priced at 1 color x 1 location. You could easily be $75 and up depending on where you go and how that shop's pricing structure is set. Screen printing is more practically priced for long runs/larger orders because with every shirt to be printed allows one more piece for the costs to spread out.

Let's create a hypothetical example and say that:

1 color (black ink) = $5.00 per location for 1-11 pieces
Screens are $20/ea x 3 screens
The white shirt is $7.00 for an XL

In this case, 1 XL shirt with 3 locations, printed with 1 color in each location would be $82.00

Now, if we did 11 shirts the exact same way:

1 color (black ink) = $5.00 per location for 1-11 pieces
Screens are $20/ea x 3 screens
The white shirt is $7.00 for an XL x 11

The total for the 11 tees would be $152.00.
Each tee would drop significantly to $13.82/ea

12-23 pieces would see another drop.

The costs are the same, but more pieces allow distribution across the entire order. We as screen printers also see it as a slight time increase to print the extra shirts since the screens are already done and the press is already registered for printing. The increased time to print is nowhere near the time to get it all setup and ready, so we are always more than happy to print more rather than less. The pricing structure allows profitability for the job, with true justification for the breakdown. There are times, such as your situation, that it actually DOES make sense to pay a high price for 1 shirt. Comparing a DTG or HTV print against screen printing can sometimes get you into trouble. Each process has it's advantages and disadvantages. Colors may be off, texture is different, and even wearability is different when a sample is sold and then printed with a different process. The reason is because it's a different process all together.

You can get heat seal labels made for you, or you can pad print, screen print, or sew a new tag in. HTV would be a pain in the butt to weed all the small stuff. There are requirements that have to be on the labels, like country of origin, fabric info, sizing, etc.

Perhaps somebody more proficient with DTG could chime in on the limitations, but I would think that if a platen is available or can be fabricated, you should be able to print anywhere as long as the surface is flat and the assembly can move freely without getting jammed in the machine?

 

[Nikar]

The style of shirt would factor into the cost as well. You could do a basic tee or you could go to a fashion tee. The style will change the pricing since fashion tees are higher priced than the basics. If you were to print a different image in each of the 3 locations with 1 color in each location, you would have 3 screens. Each screen has a setup cost, plus each location would be priced at 1 color x 1 location. You could easily be $75 and up depending on where you go and how that shop's pricing structure is set. Screen printing is more practically priced for long runs/larger orders because with every shirt to be printed allows one more piece for the costs to spread out.

Let's create a hypothetical example and say that:

1 color (black ink) = $5.00 per location for 1-11 pieces
Screens are $20/ea x 3 screens
The white shirt is $7.00 for an XL

In this case, 1 XL shirt with 3 locations, printed with 1 color in each location would be $82.00

Now, if we did 11 shirts the exact same way:

1 color (black ink) = $5.00 per location for 1-11 pieces
Screens are $20/ea x 3 screens
The white shirt is $7.00 for an XL x 11

The total for the 11 tees would be $152.00.
Each tee would drop significantly to $13.82/ea

12-23 pieces would see another drop.

The costs are the same, but more pieces allow distribution across the entire order. We as screen printers also see it as a slight time increase to print the extra shirts since the screens are already done and the press is already registered for printing. The increased time to print is nowhere near the time to get it all setup and ready, so we are always more than happy to print more rather than less. The pricing structure allows profitability for the job, with true justification for the breakdown. There are times, such as your situation, that it actually DOES make sense to pay a high price for 1 shirt. Comparing a DTG or HTV print against screen printing can sometimes get you into trouble. Each process has it's advantages and disadvantages. Colors may be off, texture is different, and even wearability is different when a sample is sold and then printed with a different process. The reason is because it's a different process all together.

You can get heat seal labels made for you, or you can pad print, screen print, or sew a new tag in. HTV would be a pain in the butt to weed all the small stuff. There are requirements that have to be on the labels, like country of origin, fabric info, sizing, etc.

Perhaps somebody more proficient with DTG could chime in on the limitations, but I would think that if a platen is available or can be fabricated, you should be able to print anywhere as long as the surface is flat and the assembly can move freely without getting jammed in the machine?

Thanks for the insight! I think I'll try heat press. I don't intend to sell these prototypes though. Just to get the various designs printed, then ship to the photographer/model for phototaking, that's all.

 

[ElToro]

you don't really need "sample t-shirts" to test the market. Use digital proofs or mock ups.

 

[NoXid]

Thanks for the insight! I think I'll try heat press. I don't intend to sell these prototypes though. Just to get the various designs printed, then ship to the photographer/model for phototaking, that's all.

Save yourself a whole poop-ton of bother and $ and just do photo mockups. Almost every shirt you see for sale online is a mockup.

I started off printing samples and putting them on a mannequin and taking photos ... S T U P I D

Plenty of videos online about how to make mockups in PhotoShop or CorelDraw, though the principles would apply to any program.


A huge part of getting the right answer is asking the right question!

 

[Twisted Grafix]

Save yourself a whole poop-ton of bother and $ and just do photo mockups.

Completely agree! Save the time & money...

 

[sublial]

I use to print transfers for the apparel industry with laser copiers. My advantage over screen printers was that I could print full color transfers instantly for sample runs and small orders.
The salesmen use to take a new line to the buyers to get orders from and then decide which designs they would keep in the new line based upon sales.
You should look into laser transfers for making samples.
_______________
AL atttransfer.com

 

[ElToro]

Your time and money...After 33 years in business, we learned the hard way too. Seldom has printing a sample made a difference. We have such great digital technology that printing samples to photograph is just going back to the '70's

 

[TABOB]

Digital mock-ups are only good for personalized and cheapo shirts, OR for the pre-mockup stage.



You will never see Superdry or even smaller brands publishing digital mockups.


Laser printed transfers is the way to go for high quality mock-ups.



Perception of makes a huge difference.

 

[NoXid]

Digital mock-ups are only good for personalized and cheapo shirts, OR for the pre-mockup stage.



You will never see Superdry or even smaller brands publishing digital mockups.


Laser printed transfers is the way to go for high quality mock-ups.



Perception of makes a huge difference.

BS

...........

 

[TABOB]

Well, try selling wholesale with a Photoshoped photo, and see what happens
People want to see a real sample or at least a real photos of the sample.



I do photoshop the colors of the shirts, but one set of photographs is always real.

 

[NoXid]

Well, try selling wholesale with a Photoshoped photo, and see what happens
People want to see a real sample or at least a real photos of the sample.



I do photoshop the colors of the shirts, but one set of photographs is always real.

To sell wholesale, yes, one should have actual physical product samples produced the exact same way as the product will be produced. They are going to want to see and touch product if you are an unknown to them. Though one can likely get away with having samples of only a few of the design/garment variations.

Regardless, mockups can be used for photos. Just don't be a dumba$$ and use the same base photo for every design. I shoot my own base photos for mockups using the same blanks on which I print.

 

[TABOB]

To sell wholesale, yes, one should have actual physical product samples produced the exact same way as the product will be produced. They are going to want to see and touch product if you are an unknown to them. Though one can likely get away with having samples of only a few of the design/garment variations.

Regardless, mockups can be used for photos. Just don't be a dumba$$ and use the same base photo for every design. I shoot my own base photos for mockups using the same blanks on which I print.

Good quality, high resolution photos, come very close to touching the product, and the laser transfer mockups work really well for me. I don't sell retail, because it requires more time of admin work, than the time it takes to make the product. Wholesale is much easier.





Now, if you are using a different photo for each design, and you can produce a realistic mockup in Photoshop, then I guess the results could be acceptable.

 

[DrivingZiggy]

I've run across videos of some folks using vinyl instead of emulsion. Wouldn't this be a less expensive, less labor-intensive way to make a one-off?

 

[TABOB]

I've run across videos of some folks using vinyl instead of emulsion. Wouldn't this be a less expensive, less labor-intensive way to make a one-off?

Where is the logic in this?

1. How would you do halftones with vinyl?
2. How would you reclaim the screen?
3. Vinyl would cost the same as the emulsion, possibly more.

 

[DrivingZiggy]

Where is the logic in this?

1. How would you do halftones with vinyl?
2. How would you reclaim the screen?
3. Vinyl would cost the same as the emulsion, possibly more.

Logic? Well, you just cut the piece out on your vinyl cutter and stick it onto the screen and tape around the edges. Voila! Done.

1. Of course it would only work with simpler things than halftones. But for single colors or for knockouts I don't see a problem.

2. Just peel the vinyl off.

3. But it would be much less labor-intensive. Stick it on, tape it off, print your ONE item, peel off the vinyl.