[bayarealegends]

Hello everyone,

I am a newbie to the T-shirt business. I do a lot graphic design work but would like to transfer some of my work into T-shirts. I visited some of the local screen printing shops around my neighborhood to get some quotes. Most of the screen printing companies charge way too much. Unless I have a big order of 500 shirts, there is no way I can make a profit on a small order. So I did some research. I noticed a lot of start-ups start off by doing heat transfers with heat press machines. I need some advice on what is the best printers to use for heat transfers - Ricoh or Epson. I do not intend to spend more than $500 on a printer. Also, what is the best heat press machines out there and what is the best heat transfer papers to use? As for T-shirts, which brands are the best, American Apparel, Gildan etc... So my last question is how much should the total cost be for producing one t shirt. People say you should not spend more than $6.00 for the final product. You should charge at least $15.00 - $20.00 per shirt, which means you should make at least $10 - $15 on a shirt. Thanks everyone.

 

[BrianHahn]

The Ricoh and Epson are both good printers. We have not had issues with either one of them.
Specialty Materials - Thermoflex Plus is good heat transfer vinyl, so is Sizer and several others.
Heat press, Stahls' or GeoKnight are very good. If you can't afford these, consider a starter press that you can trade in for one of these in the future.

 

[royster13]

There are lots of different opinions on whether or not DIY transfers are good or bad...I am of the opinion they are bad and should not be used for a "line".....They may be fine for 1 off "Mom's My Rock" kind of stuff.....But not anything else....

I produce a line of shirts with 1 colour transfers....I typically have no more that 2.50 in each shirt and sell for 12.50 retail.....I am not in the fancy shirt and/or multi colour design business.....I do simple and cheap (mostly designs suited for tourists) and it work very well for me....

 

[bayarealegends]

The Ricoh and Epson are both good printers. We have not had issues with either one of them.
Specialty Materials - Thermoflex Plus is good heat transfer vinyl, so is Sizer and several others.
Heat press, Stahls' or GeoKnight are very good. If you can't afford these, consider a starter press that you can trade in for one of these in the future.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[bayarealegends]

There are lots of different opinions on whether or not DIY transfers are good or bad...I am of the opinion they are bad and should not be used for a "line".....They may be fine for 1 off "Mom's My Rock" kind of stuff.....But not anything else....

I produce a line of shirts with 1 colour transfers....I typically have no more that 2.50 in each shirt and sell for 12.50 retail.....I am not in the fancy shirt and/or multi colour design business.....I do simple and cheap (mostly designs suited for tourists) and it work very well for me....

Thanks.. that's a good idea. What printer do you use? Or do you have someone else print the transfers for you?

 

[royster13]

I sold my printing equipment in 1980......I did not like getting my hands dirty......Been using plastisol transfers ever since.....These days I mostly use 15 and 20 cents transfers from F&M Expressions | Custom Heat Transfers | Custom Iron-On Heat Transfers | Heat Transfer Papers | T-Shirts | Performance Moisture Fabrics | 4-Color Process | Heat Transfer Machine| Raster to Vector Services| Rhinestone Transfers