[txgirl]

Ok guys....could use a little advice. My husband and I are starting a T-Shirt Co. I can not say enough about how informative and helpful this forum has been!! However, with soo much information, I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed. Anyway...we've got ideas for doing our own designs but also want to branch off into doing company shirts for businesses, schools, etc...as well as coozies, hats, mugs...well, ya'll get the idea. We're not expecting to get rich (although it would be nice, haha) ANYWAY...we've been kinda going back and forth. I've read the pros and cons of screen vs heat and right now the heat press is more in our budget. I've seen that plastisol is pretty comparable to screen so I'd like to use that. I'm thinking we should out source to get up and going..he thinks we should go ahead and get a heat press so we can do it ourselves. Any thoughts on that? Where we live there is very little competition so we've got plenty of ideas of how to go about marketing. I guess what I'm saying (albeit a VERY long winded version is...) any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Rodney]

Hi Wendy, without a more specific question it's really hard to give you specific advice.

You mentioned that you've read the other threads. Those really contain all the detailed advice, opinions and recommendations you would need.

Now it's up to you to use that information and decide how to move forward

 

[VinSanity]

Helloe there

I chose screen printing for my buisness venture just for the fact you have more options on the kind of prints you want to do. The initial burden is the (was) the investment in equipment and the learning curve on how to make a proper screen. There are a lot of variables that arise, but for me, that is the fun part. Also, I really really enjoy the process.

As I continue down the path, I will eventually move into heat transfers and possibly one day buy a DTG printer. But that is down the road. For me, honing my screen making and printing skills is what I'm focused on now.

 

[queerrep]

Ok guys....could use a little advice. My husband and I are starting a T-Shirt Co. I can not say enough about how informative and helpful this forum has been!! However, with soo much information, I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed. Anyway...we've got ideas for doing our own designs but also want to branch off into doing company shirts for businesses, schools, etc...as well as coozies, hats, mugs...well, ya'll get the idea. We're not expecting to get rich (although it would be nice, haha) ANYWAY...we've been kinda going back and forth. I've read the pros and cons of screen vs heat and right now the heat press is more in our budget. I've seen that plastisol is pretty comparable to screen so I'd like to use that. I'm thinking we should out source to get up and going..he thinks we should go ahead and get a heat press so we can do it ourselves. Any thoughts on that? Where we live there is very little competition so we've got plenty of ideas of how to go about marketing. I guess what I'm saying (albeit a VERY long winded version is...) any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

If you have the time to do it yourself (with a heat press and plastisol transfers) then that would save you money. Plus I like doing everything myself for quality control reasons and I also don't like depending on other people to get things done when it affects my reputation. But that's just me.

I went the heat press route because I have zero space and work out of a very small condo. Also I know nothing about screenprinting and don't have time right now to learn it.

You may already know this, but if you intend to heat press hats you'll need a hat press ... and for mugs I think you will have to do sublimation – which is totally different from plastisol (not to confuse matters!).

 

[pflamb]

Wendy,
I am in the same boat as you in just starting out. I am looking at going the heat press route, currently I am out-sourcing my orders to a screen printer, but I want the control doing the work myself offers.
Lou Robin, heatpressessentials.com and Jack Franklin and Roy Hinkle of AlphaSupply.com have a wealth of advice and information on their websites.

 

[AmericanBandit]

I would screen print everything overall quality is much much better and lasts wayyy longer. and once you get quotes you will find that the time (a lot) you will save from not heat pressing everything yourself (besides not going insane) will pay off. Also google heat press vs screen printing and read other sites reviews and then i think you will pick screen printing.