JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 5, 2014 To be honest I know very little about tshirt making. Ive been doing decals with the sc cutter for 6 months and now Im wanting to kinda get an idea of what I need for shirts. I have some questions if you guys can answer for me. 1. What hardware should I get to start out on? Space isnt big And im not expecting to making hundreds a week. Maybe start out selling 2-5 a week online. I have $1000 to invest. 2. Can I still use Adobe Illustrator to design? 3. Where do you guys buy blank shirts/supplies? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mb20music 760 Posted May 5, 2014 All you would really need is a heat press. A lot of people use Siser Easyweed heat transfer vinyl. Just have to cut everything in reverse or mirror. USCutter sells it by the foot or roll. I recommend 15" x 15" size minimum for the heat press.. A lot of people get their shirts from jiffyshirts.com, prices are pretty good plus very fast shipping. Shipping is free if you spend over $69 on the order. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 5, 2014 Thanks. How long do vinyl tshirts last? Like how many washes? And which heat press would be good to start with? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted May 5, 2014 you could get a 15x15 Clam Shell press on amazon for like $250 http://www.amazon.com/PowerPress-Industrial-Quality-Digital--15-Inch-Sublimation/dp/B009CCVS4E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399262370&sr=8-2&keywords=heat+press is the one is started with and still use it for HTV.. Get some white and black HTV like 15 inch by 5 yards for like $40 each And your cutter will cut the vinyl just fine!.. Or, if you want to go with screen printing you can buy a nice starter kit for $250 http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/product/DIYPOSTERKIT that is only one color shirts! and you could cure the shirts with your press i think I have never done that or for $1000 you could get the one i have .. is http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/product/silk-screening-kit-4-color 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted May 5, 2014 I agree with the others. Since you are already used to cutting adhesive vinyl you are a shoe-in for the HTV. Piece of cake. Everything is the same as regular vinyl except the mirrored image because you cut on the heat activated adhesive side if the HTV. I wouldn't recommend going out and buying a whole inventory of shirts. Hard to guess the size and colors you will want but you can safely get white and black vinyl and probably red (I prefer Bright Red). The Siser Easyweed brand sold here at USCutter is great stuff and my preferred brand but I still experiment now and then with other stuff. (Always come back though) I order the other colors as I get work that needs them. You can order a foot at a time but I usually don't because the cost is much higher. I like to build up odd colors as I get jobs and then for repeat work I'm ready or future stuff I have more colors available. You can get by with a budget clam shell for cheap. I went with a swing away and have been glad I did. I ended up horse trading for an old Hix clam press that is a decent back up but it's a lot less fun to work under the platen, especially when trying to align complicated color combos on shirts. (you might consider a decent infrared thermometer to verify your press heat, Mine was off on the swing away and temperature is a big part of the equation). The HTV will usually outlast the shirt and stays vibrant the whole time so it's a step up from screen print. That's a good way to sell it too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted May 5, 2014 Oh I forgot to mention that a press pillow is worth it's weight in gold and I also have a perfect press pad for working around buttons and zippers but I have heard that a mouse pad works pretty good for that as well and are readily available. When pressing shirts, if there are sewn hems or even the collars etc. they can get in there and hold the press up a little on that side of things and you can end up with uneven pressure which can cause failures. Press pillows and pads help avoid these things. I use my big pad the most, about any time I have a seam or collar that falls on the press area I just go ahead and insert the pillow and adjust the pressure a little and I have had better success. Nothing worse than having your HTV fall off in the first wash cycle. Lucky for me my first mess up was for my cousin and I was able to just re-press it and fix the shirt. It was a tiny kids shirt for her son and there were enough seams here and there to cause a problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 5, 2014 Thanks guys. I may get started sooner than I thought! How are tshirt sales compred to decals for you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djque 246 Posted May 5, 2014 Shirt sales are pretty good if you have the clientele.Price range from $15 to $20+ what size is your cutter. Someone posted getting vinyl 1 5x5 but if your using a circuit then you have to cut down the 15"roll. Most of us have 24"cutters and bigger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 5, 2014 I have the 34" model. whats the profit on the $15-$20.shirts after supplies? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybyrd 3,770 Posted May 5, 2014 Shirts are now my primary income at the store. I do hundreds of shirts to every sign job and probably dozens of shirt to each decal job lately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcextreme 475 Posted May 5, 2014 Shirt blanks can range alot but im gonna say the average is $3. Then for htv material it varies on how many colors and if its a one sided shirt or double. HTV averages about $3 a foot. For a one sided shirt thats about 12-13". So u will have an average of $5-6 invested in the shirt.. But again prices vary alot per project..so selling at $15 u can expect at least close to $5 profit. The way i see it....u can make more money off just decals alot faster. A 24"x30' roll of Oracal 651 about $25..i can sell one 12"x12" decal for $15. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted May 6, 2014 GCExtreme is correct on the cost per ea. but from a sales standpoint the more you offer the more likely you will have sales in one or the other and probably both. Just think of the customer who wants a cool decal and then realizes he can have a shirt to match or vise versa. If you can make $5-$6 per shirt you will achieve ROI in 50-100 shirts since you already have the cutter, design tools etc. Easy math dude. In my experience so far there are 10 times the amount of people who want multiple shirt orders vs multiple decal orders. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 10, 2014 The vinyl being about $40 plus shirts and shipping supplies. I dont see how you can make money at $15 online after free shipping and fees. Id have to charge at least $25 I would think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcextreme 475 Posted May 10, 2014 No that $40 roll can do lots of shirts specially if the shirts are one sided. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 10, 2014 Whats a normal size design for a one sided shirt? Those rolls are like only 15 feet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcextreme 475 Posted May 10, 2014 Most of mine are about 11-12". So u can almost get 14-15 shirts out of it..if they are one sided. So 15 shirts selling at $15 each is $225. Shirts cost u maybe $3 each so thats $45 So now u have $45 in shirts and $40 in htv..so $85.. $225 -85= $140. Not a bad profit margin before shipping and your labor costs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 10, 2014 $35 in shipping lables and supplies. 35ish in fees. 140- $70. $70 profit in the end. Do you guys charge for shipping your shirts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
knucklehead 530 Posted May 10, 2014 Gotta have a Hotronix dual station heat press. Go BIG, or go home. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcextreme 475 Posted May 10, 2014 $35 in shipping lables and supplies. 35ish in fees. 140- $70. $70 profit in the end. Do you guys charge for shipping your shirts? Lol ur going overkill.Free box...black magic marker to write the address onto the box and maybe $5-8 to ship...lol Yes i normally charge shipping too. If you're counting the cost of tape then ur just silly. And if u are paying for boxes cuz u dont know where to get free boxes then ur retarded. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
knucklehead 530 Posted May 10, 2014 Does the place you get your materials, charge you for shipping? There's NO such thing, as free shipping. If, you're comparing the t-shirt places on TV that advertise 'FREE" shipping, check out the final price of the shirts. If you charge that much for a shirt, then yeah, you can offer free shipping. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 10, 2014 Sorry for the crazy quote site doednt do well on Android. What kind of postage are you using where you can just write a address? I only printed lables from usps with tracking. Its like $2 to ship a 4 ounce package. 15 shirts at $2.00 is $30 in postage. Are you using stamps? <blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="gcextreme" data-cid="358033" data-time="1399723788"><p> Lol ur going overkill.<br /> <br /> Free box...black magic marker to write the address onto the box and maybe $5-8 to ship...lol<br /> <br /> Yes i normally charge shipping too.<br /> <br /> <br /> If you're counting the cost of tape then ur just silly.<br /> And if u are paying for boxes cuz u dont know where to get free boxes then ur retarded.</p></blockquote> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcextreme 475 Posted May 10, 2014 Wow...no wonder your charging so much..you're paying out the butt for shipping! I just shipped 6 shirts, a hat, and some decals in one box, cost about $14. I go right to my postoffice two blocks away and my postmaster knows me well. He puts the stamps and the priority mail label right onto my box.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 10, 2014 How much do you pay to ship 1 shirt with tracking? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gcextreme 475 Posted May 10, 2014 i dont know the smallest order i have shipped was 3 shirts, cost about $5. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JessXEmoji 46 Posted May 11, 2014 you could get a 15x15 Clam Shell press on amazon for like $250http://www.amazon.com/PowerPress-Industrial-Quality-Digital--15-Inch-Sublimation/dp/B009CCVS4E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399262370&sr=8-2&keywords=heat+press is the one is started with and still use it for HTV.. Get some white and black HTV like 15 inch by 5 yards for like $40 each And your cutter will cut the vinyl just fine!.. Or, if you want to go with screen printing you can buy a nice starter kit for $250 http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/product/DIYPOSTERKIT that is only one color shirts! and you could cure the shirts with your press i think I have never done that or for $1000 you could get the one i have .. is http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/product/silk-screening-kit-4-color Thanks. I think i'm going to buy the Clam Shell press from Amazon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
