[Ray almusbahi]

starting a t-shirt business

hey guys ... I'm new to this forum and also I'm new to t-shirts thingey ...
i think it would be a really good idea if i start a t-shirts making shop .. a small one as a start ... i think it will work good since in my area there isn't any ...
im confused about buying a printer ..
i dont wanna waste money on a bad printer just because i didn't know ...
i want advices .. a high quality printer and good for a small shop
what brand should i buy ?? how much would it cost ?
what else is should i be considering ??
any advices about anything will be really appreciated

thanks in advance

 

[lben]

It all depends on what kind of printing you want to do. There are several methods for printing t-shirts and each method requires it's own specific equipment, inks, supplies, skills, etc. Some take up a lot of room and others just a small amount of space.

You can look up each kind to get an idea of what is involved with each. You can also go on youtube and watch videos of each kind. Screen printing, sublimation, foil transfers, vinyl transfers, inkjet heat transfers, laser heat transfers, heat transfers for dark material, plastisol transfers, direct to garment, rhinestone, flock...

 

[Ray almusbahi]

thanks for the info ... but i wanna ask which one in your opinion is HQ and I'm willing to learn about it ... i like DTG at the moment .. but since i don't have a very good idea i shouldn't decide so fast ... and about the place i can work with one that takes a lot of room ... cause i have a big house and i can work there then show t-shirts on the store
so any advice ?
also plz if you know inform me about the proximate price and quality

 

[lben]

Each has it's own good and bad qualities. Screen printing and DTG will probably be the best, but are the most expensive to get into. Screen printing takes up a lot of room.

 

[Ray almusbahi]

okay thanks a lot loretta ... this was really useful

 

[lben]

It all depends on what kind of market you are going to pursue. I suggest going to youtube and looking at videos showing each kind of printing from my earlier post and see which one you think you might like to learn more about or want to invest in. What you will need is a computer with CorelDraw Graphics Suite x3, x4, x5 or x6 or Adobe Illustrator, an Epson printer (workforce 1100 with bulk pigment ink for heat transfers), maybe a cutter plotter (Graphtec CE5000-60 for vinyl and contour cutting), and a heat press (suggest minimum size of 15" x 15" with digital heat and timer controls).

For DTG you will need one of those (read through the threads about these though because some of them break down a lot so you want to get a good one). For screen printing you will need a UV exposure unit, screen printing press, flash dryer, and all of the chemicals, supplies, and ink (and a lot of room at least 9 feet x 9 feet), an area where you can block out all incoming light and a sink where you can get high pressure water.

 

[Fazackerberry]

I'm currently in the same place as you. I am personally looking to outsource the printing of tees in small batches before then selling onto consumers. At least this way you can see if people will buy your designs and ideas - without ending up sitting on lots of expensive equipment you can't really use.

Then, you can slowly move up to taking more personal responsibility for production when you have some pentration into the market.