SHOULD YOU USE A SCREEN PRINTER OR SCREEN PRINT YOUR OWN DEMAND T-SHIRTS
A couple of people have asked me two questions lately, and they are “should I use a screen printing to start my business?” and the other one is “should I screen print my T-shirt?” My sincere answer to both is HELL NO! With two exceptions. This is an opinion. Let me highlight the reasons I said NO!
Screen printing is an old, funny, dirty, crusty, horrible, expensive and time-consuming system especially for guys just coming out. I suggest you a design cutter, which can be used for simple designs. You could also use a print on demand services like Zazzle, café press, Merch By Amazon & Printful. They print your shirts and post it for you. You should not be doing heat transfers except you have great equipment for it. Heat transfers are great when you get lots of clothing at the same time.
There are a couple of new machines that can be used for printing on T-shirts; Roland Verse studio BN20 makes your transfer for you, and you can lease it to make your printing. A DTG Machine is expensive, a few of you guys can come together to get because they make great jobs.
Printing on your T-Shirts is nasty, time-consuming, messy, lots of harsh chemicals that could affect you. It takes a long time, firstly, the color separation which takes time, you must print, then you must coat the screen with some chemicals, then you must let that dry, then you must shoot it, then spray and put in the dryer again, That’s like an hour! It’s a long learning curve, and you are going to mess uploads of T-Shirts before you finally get it, I do not suggest it.
In business you could run a business or own your job; I prefer to run a business; you work the business with your mind, and other people do the job, holding a position mean you were working business with your account and you must do it physically. So, let somebody else do that.
The exception
1. If you are already a screen printer and you have all the equipment to do this stuff. For me when I first started I got a place and purchased all the equipment, I had some partners. Still, I hated it!. I do not suggest using a screen printer at all. Well, maybe see number 2.
2. If you already have the equipment and can use it! There is a big learning curve in screen printing.
Don’t do it, use one of the new awesome ways to print on T-shirts, We’re in the new millennium and we have cooler methods of printing on T-Shirts.
3. The only exception is for large orders. For large orders, screen printing can’t be beaten. It’s cost-effective and your best option. However, only for large orders!!!
