| While there are a bevy of websites across the | | | | requirements for the equipment needed to do |
| internet that make it easier for small T-shirt designers | | | | over-sized imprints in bulk, and you have an equation |
| to bring their designs to market, often times they can't | | | | for high start-up hurdles. The only way an artist can |
| accommodate some of the fashion trends most | | | | afford to pay them is if he is sure his designs will be |
| desired by contemporary designers. With the rise of | | | | big sellers or he has very trusting investors. |
| trends like over-sized imprints and over-the-seams | | | | Why does it make sense to screen print your designs |
| designs, t-shirt designers more and more find | | | | for yourself when commercial screen printers don't do |
| themselves at a disconnect with crowd-source t-shirt | | | | short runs? There are two reasons: a large part of the |
| websites and most print-on-demand houses. | | | | expense of paying screen printers is that you are |
| There are a few reason for the disconnect: | | | | paying for shop time in a place that is not set-up for |
| 1.Many specialty imprints exceed the capabilities of | | | | short runs. It is cheaper and less space-intensive to set |
| most crowd-source websites. Many T-shirt websites | | | | up your screen printing studio from the get-go for |
| use a print-on-demand model that utilizes digital printers | | | | doing prototypes. Instead of paying money for your |
| or plot cutters and heat presses that don't modify | | | | market samples, you'll pay in time --your time. |
| easily. | | | | What does a designer need to go from zero to T-shirt |
| 2. Even if they can do the prints, unusual prints are | | | | design prototyping? Not as much as one might think. |
| more time-consuming and expensive to produce, | | | | For starters, a one-car garage, a few hundred dollars, |
| meaning unless the design is a big hit, it doesn't help the | | | | access to a hardware store and a screen printing |
| bottom line. | | | | supply house, and some good learning materials with |
| 3. Most small T-shirt designers only consider what | | | | sound advice about guerrilla screen printing, can take |
| they'd like to design, and don't give much thought to the | | | | the designer quite far. After that, a designer simply |
| production process until long after the concept phase. | | | | needs time for developing a skill that most artists pick |
| So what's a designer to do when confronted with | | | | up fairly easily. Considering the alternatives, that short |
| roadblocks put up by their once accessible outlets? | | | | list is a pretty modest hurdle. |
| When, contemporary problems don't find comfort with | | | | Even if you could find a screen printer to do short runs |
| contemporary solutions, go old school. In other words, | | | | of your test designs at a low cost, there still is yet |
| it's time to learn how to screen print and market for | | | | another reason for a T-shirt designer to learn screen |
| yourself. | | | | printing. If you want to get serious about designing |
| At this point, a designer may be asking himself, "Why | | | | T-shirts, the experience of printing may lend you |
| don't I just hire a screen printing shop to make the | | | | invaluable insights that most likely you couldn't get |
| shirts for me?" The answer is, that is a great solution, | | | | otherwise. The simple fact is, whenever you design |
| bearing in mind one thing, you're going to need a pile of | | | | anything, you really do need insight into the production |
| money to go that route. Screen print shops are geared | | | | process if you want to excel in that field. How your |
| for mass production, so they need to do either large | | | | designs will be produced should not be an afterthought, |
| runs, or charge sizable set-up fees to cover all the | | | | but instead, an intrinsic part of the design phase. |
| make-ready. Compound that with the massive size | | | | |
