[Chuck G]

I have been going to a silk screening company that has been going deep into my pockets to complete my production. I am always coming up with new ideas but it is costing me in the front end. I want to introduce new lines but I don't want to have to keep going back and forth to the Screen Printer. I would like to start my oun in house operation. Where should I start? Should I start with a screen printing, heat press, or printer operation.

Please let me know.

Thank you

 

[SBEMedia]

Well if you're doing screen printing a good place to start would be vinyl transfers and a heat press or you could always start a store on Cafe Press, Zazzle, Spreadshirt and a bunch of other fulfillment companies

 

[moffett8]

your better off doing some kind of transfers for small quantity. Silk screens are more cost effective on bigger runs. There probably charging you setup etc and your not making any money. At least with transfers you will make something. Or maybe even consider making your on DTG printer. If you buy one you will be shocked at the price.

Philip

 

[picklejar]

I strongly recommend finding someone to consult you on this. With the information you have provided, every Tom, Dick and Harry is going to give you a different answer. If you are producing apparel for a private label or producing designs for resale you need good quality and finish. To start-up from scratch with a full fledge shop operation you will need to have a sales volume to justify the start-up. Get someone to advise you on the capitol, talent, and type of equipment needed. There are professional advisors that can help you with this. It would be money well spent.

 

[sunnydayz]

I think the best advice I can give is do your research and figure out your budget, your space and what is closest to what you are satisfied with as a product. Now the closest thing you are going to get to screen print is buying a heat press and ordering plastitol transfers, if you dont want to screen print yourself. Plasitol transfers are basically the same thing as screen printing, as they are transfers that are screen printed. The nice thing with them, is you can apply them as ordered.

Depending on how complex your designs are and how many colors, you might be able to do vinly. If they are only one or two colors and have fairly clean lines, you could cut and apply vinyl.

But you really didnt give many details as far as your space and budget requirements so its hard to say. The two ways I listed above would probably be the lowest in budget to start.

There is dtg and it is awesome for high detail designs with alot of colors. It is a much larger investement too. But its also great for limited space. I myself built my business for a good year, making sure I had a good customer base, and then invested in mine to make sure I could support the cost and make a profit. Its really important to do what fits your particular business plan. There are many ways to go about it from fairly cheap, to a higher budget. Its really what fits your particular situation. Hope this helps