Planning Your Business 6
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Who buys printed T-shirts?
Printed T-shirts are purchased by a wide variety of businesses and individuals. Businesses often purchase screen-printed T-shirts for their employees to wear on the job. Churches, schools, civic groups, sports teams, restaurants, and even radio stations or banks are all potential customers, too. The screen printers who make it big, however, are those who go after and get orders from large businesses, universities, and national catalog companies, and those who become licensed to print major sport team logos.
T-shirts aren't the only items you can screen print. Most owners see themselves as being in the screen-printing business rather than the T-shirt business. T-shirts, because of stiff competition, may make up only 20 to 40 percent of their business. The bulk of the business often comes from screen printing other types of items, such as baseball caps, sweatshirts, jackets, and other apparel, as well as mouse pads, bumper stickers, and other advertising specialties. In fact, one screen printer shifted his emphasis from screen-printing T-shirts to screen printing with inks that contain silver—and conduct electricity—onto electronic membranes used in the touch panels of photocopiers and other electronic goods.
Can I make money just selling T-shirts or other screen printing without doing the printing myself?
Yes, many people who sell promotional products do that. They work with customers to find the right promotional products to achieve their goals and make a commission on each sale. This is another field in which there is considerable competition, however, so to succeed you have to be a good salesperson and be willing to put in many hours searching out new products for your customers.
What's the difference between companies that make a lot of money and those that don't?
"The main difference is quality of the printing and the ability to meet deadlines," Nancy Clayton says, "You might get a lot of first orders, but to really build your business you need to develop repeat business. I have customers who have been giving me work for five years or more. A customer needs to know that if the job is needed on a specific day, it will be there. What good does it do to print T-shirts for a company picnic and have them delivered the day after the event? It can be tricky at certain times of the year, but in nine years I have only missed one crucial deadline and that was due to a major storm and power failure. You also need to stand behind your work and replace anything that is defective."
Where can I find information on the Internet about screen printing?
Here are several good places to start gathering information:
http://www.usscreen.com
Screen Printing Professional Forum on America Online (keyword, screen printers)
http://www.t-shirtshopper.com/websites/wholesale (an extensive list of T-shirt wholesalers)
http://www.hanes2u.com (general information from Hanes Corp., as well as a source of supplies)
http://www.proworldinc.com (information about transfer paper and printing transfers from your computer as well as transfer machines and other supplies for people who want to start this business.
http://www.geoknight.com/intro.html (general information and supplies for heat transfer)
Magazines
http://www.screenweb.com
http://www.impressionsmag.com
http://www.promomart.com/pmindex.asp
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