T-Shirt Making Question....Noob question

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

ok friends, im trying to help a buddy who wants to make shirts, the problem is, i dont know anything about it... i have a old plotter i am giving him, and he is buying a heat press. now my question is, will this be good to start out with?

What kind of vinyl does he need?

Will the washer and drier tear it up?

Would he be better of buying a dye sup printer?

any advice would be great guys!!! thanx

[michaelphay87 11]

heat transfer work s fine with out heat press as long as 2 things happen the shirt or whatever it is is completly flat i normally pin it down. and you use a pretty hot iron no steam pressing it i use a temp gun to get mine hot enough

use easyweed vinyl it works best this is how i started...........

only downside is heat transfer is expensive compared to screen print

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

heat transfer work s fine with out heat press as long as 2 things happen the shirt or whatever it is is completly flat i normally pin it down. and you use a pretty hot iron no steam pressing it i use a temp gun to get mine hot enough

use easyweed vinyl it works best this is how i started...........

only downside is heat transfer is expensive compared to screen print

when you say expensive, what do you mean? also can anyone point me in the right direction of a good press? also, will a washer machine tear up the vinyl?

[michaelphay87 11]

no washer machine wont tear it up once it is on its on. expensive meaning hard to make money at t shirts unless it is going on something that screen print cant be used ie motocross jeresy any jersey a quart of screen sprint is 12 bucks or so an can do a bunch of shirts heat transfer at 40 something for 10 yards gets you aprx 30 shirts and you still have to weed them and heat press them

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

ah i see well i dont think we wana take on screen print rite now.. what is a good heat press to star out with?

[mopar691 281]

no washer machine wont tear it up once it is on its on. expensive meaning hard to make money at t shirts unless it is going on something that screen print cant be used ie motocross jeresy any jersey a quart of screen sprint is 12 bucks or so an can do a bunch of shirts heat transfer at 40 something for 10 yards gets you aprx 30 shirts and you still have to weed them and heat press them

There is alot more cost in screening than just the "12 bucks or so in ink"

If your making small quantities transfers are the way to go, way less hassle, time and investment per piece.

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

yea, about 60 shirts is his first order

[AbsoluteAirbrush 33]

I have the 15 x 15" press from pro world and if you buy some transfers, they're even less expensive.

[OWJones 1,981]

Anybody know the price point where it becomes cheaper to do screen printing rather than heat press? It's less than 60 shirts, isn't it?

How many colors is the design your friend is wanting to do on 60 shirts? That probably impacts the price point, too.

[mopar691 281]

its about 15 according to my accounting with single color, add about 5 more for each color.

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

2 colors

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

and i understand screen printing mite be cheaper, but he wil already have a plotter, and all we will need is a heat press, if he wants to scrren print, he will have to buy all new equipment, and it will be more expensive correct?

[mopar691 281]

and i understand screen printing mite be cheaper, but he wil already have a plotter, and all we will need is a heat press, if he wants to scrren print, he will have to buy all new equipment, and it will be more expensive correct?

Correct. 60 is not to bad to do with vinyl as long as the design is not to intricate.

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

not bad at all. i told him $20 a shirt would be a good starting point for the people ordering the shirt. thats not outragous is it? very simple logo, mite be 4"x8" or 6"x12" on the front

[SeeJaysPlace 476]

I just did a 48 Shirt order with Vinyl.. and it sucked...

I just bought me a screen press Good luck

[CADILLAC MAC 5]

what seems to last longer?

[Dr12volt1338 116]

I just did a run of 75 shirts very intricate front design large design on the back... All 1 color and weeding them was an absolute NIGHTMARE!!!! I was very cheap per shirt $8.75. I told the customer they would need more then 75 and I was right they sold 60 of them the first 10 days... I informed her the next order would be a little more per shirt due to how much more intricate the vinyl design was then we originally discussed. The original design was pretty simple I came up with but the final design was a lot more.... In the end I came out ahead because now she is ordering hats, soft coolers, can koozies, bandanas, and I replaced all the logos inside the building on the mirror behind the bar.... I have been busy the last 2 weeks on just orders for her...... Long story short if she keeps ordering stuff in these amounts I will be going to a screen print set up.

[knucklehead 530]

Anything over 25, or a very intricate design, outsource to a screen printer, or have transfers made.