thread's not dead - doITlab

Common Screen Size options
Beerhat Skull Placket tee by Paint the Stars
Flock Transfer (or Direct Flock)
A soft fuzzy surface application, similar to velvet or felt,
available in a variety of colors. Goes on in two different
processes (Direct & Transfer) Direct is a more labor and
equipment intensive custom approach.
Rhinestones & Nail heads
Stones or studs that are heat-fixed to a garment in a
specific pattern or for accenting a design giving it a
higher quality look.
• Regular - Varies but average is 14” wide by 16” tall
• Oversize - Varies but average is 21” wide by 30” tall
• Jumbo Winged: 25” wide (shoulder) x 21” wide (body) x 31” (tall)
• Belt - 42” x 44” Few printers have these.
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley
What’s it Gonna Cost Me?
If you’re starting your line, you can’t really avoid some of the typical startup
costs involved. But try not to let these get in your way. You can do a lot for free
these days or for no up-front cost. I am going to outline the approximate costs
of what you might expect when starting a line.
But first, ask yourself how serious you intend to get with your line? Most designers
start a line on a whim or as another way to promote their own work.
Some of those designers find they enjoy the business of building a brand and
growing the t-shirt line beyond just a kickin’ side project. And a small number
of those end up taking it to the next level – like getting into retail or setting up
their own brick and mortar storefront.
You could call those three stages the side project, indie brand, and professional
brand. The thought process is much different behind starting a side project
with little to no up-front costs vs. starting a professional brand with retail expectations
right off the bat.
No matter which way you think, you have to start somewhere. And most people
have no money and no resources to do so. But thankfully, it is pretty easy to
start a line these days. Here are some of the most common expenses you’ll
incur as you start out.
Side Project Startup Costs: $0 - $300
You could potentially start a clothing line for free. You design a few tees yourself
and mockup product shots using shirtmockup.com, upload them to Spreadshirt,
Zazzle, Café Press, or other on demand sites, and tell your friends on
Facebook. Bam, you’ve done it, you now have a line of tees! Perhaps you know a
friend who screen prints or you want to spray paint your own tees with stencils
and other DIY methods. If you just want to please your friends and family, this
is totally cool!
Indie Brand Startup Costs: $500 - $10,000
You are in this realm if you’re looking at ordering at least 50 t-shirts of a single
design from a printer like Jakprints or Storenvy. You could probably get some
good quality shirts on American Apparel for about $6-10 per tee.
Printing & Production 52