Thomas Edison. Alexander Graham Bell. Michael Vasilantone. Yes, in our industry, that name is as iconic as the other famous inventors. Vasilantone began to develop, use, and sell a rotary multicolor garment screen printing machine in 1960. You may not believe it, but like you with trying to come up with the perfect design-he was stressed. Being an inventor, an innovator, or simply someone in charge of something at work can jangle the nerves. We get it.
T-Shirt Design Inspiration:
You’re about to order 47 custom designed t-shirts for your company’s 10th anniversary of being in business. Do you create something classy? Something light and fun? Wondering which color combinations will work? Being the person in charge of something that could make you shine…or way worse, look like an abject failure, can riddle you with anxiety. We understand. Responsibility is a huge thing. While we might feel proud with taking on the role, it can create massive amounts of stress. Innately, nobody wants to fail or to be ridiculed. We, at Good Guys Signs, have received thousands of phone calls from people placed in charge of ordering products. We have felt the angst in their voices, the trepidation in their questions. We call these “pain points.” Because we grasp what they, and you are feeling, we’ve created three ways with which you can nail that perfect gear. We have a design studio that includes design templates, a tool, and supremely talented designers at your fingertips. Best of all, each is free of charge. So let’s really dig deep into all that goes into printing shirts so you’ll feel more knowledgeable, empowered to do the thing that will have you receiving compliments instead of criticism. Alright. Ready to roll up your sleeves and learn about the industry that we excel in? Let’s move forward to illustrate how this whole thing works.
Printing Techniques:
What better place to start than with the oldest form of it? Screen printing takes us way back to around 960 A.D. in China, where the genesis of the first versions of the mode began.
While this process has been around longer than any of the newcomers, it’s by no means antiquated at all. This approach continues strong today. A couple prominent factors weigh into this technique still holding onto the title belt as the premier way to go. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of printing, how to create the look you want, marketing with the apparel you create, options, and sizing. But first, let’s start with how it works.
How it Works- The screen print process is much like photography prior to the age of digital cameras. A screen gets coated with emulsion and set in a dark room, where it sits to dry. The dark room stops emulsion from being exposed to light, preventing the emulsion from hardening before the desired time. The image that will end up on the apparel is securely placed onto the emulsified screen. Under a highly intensified, heat-driven light, the emulsion’s chemicals harden on the entirety of the surface area other than where the image is. The hardened emulsion will prevent any ink from passing through. Where it needs to be applied for the image, the emulsion has been removed, which will allow it to pass through.
The custom t shirt is placed into the garment printing machine, and the screen printing ink is distributed directly where it needs to go. It then gets cured, which is industry terminology for dried. The process to get to the screen printing machine is time-consuming. But once in there, the mode is more efficient than any other printing tactic.
Traditional screen printing is a versatile and effective way to produce clothes with hard-to-match quality, rich-colored imagery, and unparalleled durability. This tried-and-true printing method will continue strong for years to come. Let’s go through the other options now.
Discharge Printing- This is a process where the same techniques and equipment are generally used. The big difference is that discharge inks, which are atypical in standard printing, actually remove dye from the clothing.
Discharge inks are water-based and require activation with a chemical agent. They, along with an activator and pigment(s) are mixed together, then applied onto the clothing. From there, the ink is cured, and after a short period of time, the pigment has now made its way into the body of the fabric.
Because discharge inks essentially bleach out the fabric’s color, they should only be used on darker clothes. Additionally, and importantly, they only work with a cotton shirt because cotton is a natural fabric. However, if you like the exceptional feel of a tri-blend tee, which is synthetic, the ink will maintain its place within the fabric because of the cotton involved. A tri-blend will simply produce a more vintage, worn look. Let’s move on to another method.
Dye Sublimation Printing- Like with other heat press scenarios, dye sublimation goes through a pre-pressing step. This helps the garment avoid moisture during the transfer of the ink to the fabric. It also provides the smoothest possible surface with which to transfer the image.
Said image will be put on what’s known as dye sublimation transfer paper, based upon the graphic desired. In layman’s terms, think of transfer paper like old-school stickers that we used to iron onto our clothes. After we ironed the image on, we just pulled back the “transfer paper,” and the image or graphic would remain.
So, once the transfer paper is specifically placed on the desired position of the apparel, both go into a heat press for less than a single minute. The image goes from a solid to a gas, then back to solid again in that short time span. The result is an image that looks amazing on polyester. You get a t-shirt that feels light, because the garment itself has been dyed. Ink has not been applied on top of the fabric. You get clothing with an unrivaled super soft feel, and an image that is as high-resolution as there is on the market. And you own a t shirt with an image that will never fade or crack; an image that’s good for the lifespan of your garment.
Direct to Garment (DTG) Printing- This is a technique used for clothes that produces an exceptional quality image. Using what’s known as specialized aqueous ink, DTG is a method that works phenomenally well for smaller orders. This format requires pre-treating the garment with a specialized, specific DTG machine. The garment is sprayed with a chemical prior to being placed in the machine. This is to ensure three things. 1) a stronger bond with the image 2) laying down loose fibers on the fabric for a smoother substrate 3) a chemical reaction with the inks for a superior curing process.
Then, it’s into the DTG printer to duplicate the image from a computer. It’s basically like transferring a picture from your computer onto paper via your printer. Only in this case, it’s fabric that will have an image on it.
The entire process of DTG printing takes several minutes to complete. This technique is ideal for smaller orders. Because it’s a digital process, the image of the print is pristine, delivering a higher resolution than traditional print methods.
For your information as a potential customer, we don’t currently do heat transfer printing, but we plan to in the future.
Creating a Design:
There is quite a bit to mull over when deciding on creating a look you are trying to achieve. We discussed the pain and anxiety at the outset of this article. We understand your fear of feeling like the buffoon who might end up botching or bungling an important decision. We implore you to take a deep breath, get through the nervousness, and concentrate on other questions that you will need to address. Among the questions to ask yourself are:
- How many shirts will I need?
- What level of quality do I want? Economy? Mid-level? Luxury? Stated plainly, the level of quality translates into differing costs.
- How many colors do I want printed on each one? Each color added equates to more cost.
Once you’re able to answer these questions, you’ll easily be able to come up with a design that emulates your company’s logo, it’s slogan, and color scheme. But, before all that creation takes place, those questions above should be dealt with and answered first. Budget is crucial when figuring out what to do with the purchasing process.
Moving from budget to timeline, and how quickly you will need your garments. Certain factors will play a role as to how soon you may be able to receive your order. If you hire a designer to prepare your shirt, there is a good chance you will go back and forth with amendments and/or changes. You may send the designer your sketch or talk through your idea. The designer may think they have it right, and create something, then send you a proof. Said designer could be way off, or just minimally be different from what you had in mind. You’ll let them know it’s not right. They take another shot and still don’t give you what you want. You get a bit frustrated, but you keep going. There could conceivably be five passes at it before they get it right. This most definitely adds time, obviously, and if you are in a hurry, we suggest taking an alternate path. As previously alluded to, we, at Good Guys Signs, have design software, which is quite user-friendly. With a couple clicks of your mouse, the process is extremely expedited. And should you happen to need a little assistance in using it, you are welcome to reach out to us, and we’ll give you the help you need.
Out of Stock- Specialty colors, sizes, and large bulk orders will take more time. Let’s play out a scenario. Think about when you’ve gone online and added any item to your cart for purchase. You might live in Cincinnati. You walk away from your computer to get your credit card. You come back in a week, a day, or even just 10 minutes. In that short amount of time, someone in Houston might have added the same item to their cart and paid immediately. Now, that item is out of stock, and you are left out in the cold. Not good. Given situations like that, it’s best for you to have a few extra days available in your timeline. Or at the very least, have that credit card in your hand before you go online to place that order.
Also note that even if there is a guaranteed timeline (for example, 10 days), holidays are not counted, so there will be a delay, or delays, depending on when you place an order. You’ll definitely want to check your calendar and plan accordingly.
T-Shirts & Your Marketing Campaign:
Custom tees are an extremely effective, low-cost tool to market to your target audience. All you need is a shirt, a logo or graphic, and any other information you feel is pertinent to deliver your promotional message. Whether you buy shirts for staff or volunteers, or you dole them out to supporters of your cause, a custom tee is mobile advertising with whoever is donning it. It is not a promotional item like a pen that has been thrown in a drawer never to be seen again.
A research exercise performed in Salt Lake City had three variables to it. One was a sign (messaging) standing alone. The second mutation of the experiment had people holding the same sign. In the third go-round, those conducting the study held the sign, but they waved it back and forth. The second variation of the experiment yielded an increase of over 150% greater engagement by viewers. And the third part of the study earned 168% more engagement. The point is, adding a human element for your marketing campaign will fundamentally drive up the results you seek. That’s why t-shirts on people will work better for marketing than stagnant signage. If you think advertising on a billboard is a good idea, know this. A billboard ad can cost you as much as $4,000 a month, depending on where you live. Yes, per month. Tees are quite obviously much, much less, and they are generally a one-time buy. Also, billboards, stagnant, attract mainly the same audience every day. It’s the same people commuting to work on the same rout daily. With clothing advertising, who’s wearing your in-motion promotion can go anywhere…in your geographic target area or beyond. And if you happen to be an e-commerce company, the clothes can be worn virtually anywhere. If your e-commerce biz is in New Jersey, it doesn’t matter if the gear is worn in Wyoming or Arizona. It all helps.
Depending on your budget, you can put promotional tees into play to drive brand awareness in a number of ways. Among them, you can:
- Give them out to supporters of your cause
- Grant as a gift to a first-time customer
- Present to regular patrons when a milestone purchase has been reached
- Hand out as a promotional giveaway
- Deliver when visiting potential clientele
Research shows that 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family members more than any other form of advertising. If you promote your brand via t-shirt marketing giveaways, the word of mouth becomes free, organic advertising.
When it comes to the actual messaging on your promotional tee, the salient point to think about is the brevity of the information you put on your shirt. As mentioned, those who will end up wearing your branded tee will be in motion. They’ll be mobile. Even a simple walk down a grocery store aisle does not accommodate someone walking in the opposite direction with much time to peruse your marketing campaign message. A logo, the name of your company or cause, and maybe a phone number or website. Those are the compelling and vital bits of information needed. On the back, there is room to play a bit more. You can add a different or bigger graphic or logo with an informative or entertaining message.
Options for Custom T-Shirts:
Going back to earlier in this article, we discussed how budget, quantity, and quality of shirts you want to purchase are factors to weigh. Your timeline is of the utmost importance when looking to order tees to offer as part of a marketing campaign. Bulk orders and specialty colors extend the amount of time it takes to get your garment delivered.
Now we tackle the somewhat difficult subject of size and cut. You might be re-selling shirts to a massive office of 167 employees as part of a holiday promotional marketing strategy. Well, Employee #39 is a young, diminutive lady. She wants to wear a small one with a lean cut that drapes her frame nicely. Employee #82 is a 46-year-old woman who leads a sedentary life. As such, she has not kept in shape very well. She might desire a large box-cut that will mask her flaws. Employee #141 is an adult male. He might have a wife and a couple children at home. He isn’t too concerned about making an impression. He doesn’t really care if the tee runs a tad small or a touch too big.
This article provided you with been plenty to absorb. There are a myriad of factors to think through. We want you to be prepared. We aim to lead you down a path of success. We have a talented staff of salespeople, designers, and production specialists who will guide you through the entire process of custom T-shirt printing. We’ve been in the T-shirt business for over a decade. We are here and ready to help you pursue all that you want to accomplish. For more information, contact us at 800-614-8040 or by email at goodguyssigns@gmail.com.