Starting Your Own Custom Shirt Business
December 5, 2009 | Nathaniel
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Want to start your own business early and take advantage of the down economy? Your head’s in the right place. But how can you do it?
As it so happens, lots of people (especially you college kids) want to start customizing and creating your own silk screened t-shirts. Aspirations of marketing revolutions and wit unlike the world has ever seen printed on your client’s chests as they walk their respective ways to class to and fro. If you read an older piece I wrote involving Johnny Cupcakes you’ll see that it’s totally possible. The experience can be a good learning one when trying your hand at the business side of the market.
Here’s a few sites that can help you do just that. Cafepress.com is a good site when you’ve already created a graphic on your computer or have some sort of image already set up. You just need to figure out which shirt to set it up on and throw it on the “rack” to sell it. Loading images is tricky and you’ll need to save it just so if you want certain colors to show through. PNG’s work best when “saving for web” from Photoshop. All your designs can be set up for sale online right away. The drawback here is that you’ll never see an actual shirt unless you buy one yourself or someone gives one to you as a gift. And by way of example.
Customink.com is a decent site. Really simple to use and even comes with a graphic creator that let’s you set up an image on the site itself. No pre-drawing or writing necessary. Its even got a cool font selection and clever writing space for printing your witty and ironic phrase on the front of a T-shirt. Then you can market it to all of your hipster friends. Drawback to this site? You’ve got to order a large quantity (at least 6) and can’t sell online (from the site).
Smosh.com is supposedly a site that lets you customize t-shirts but I can’t seem to find their page that does so. I could be totally wrong but I’ll just blame Google.
Last but certainly not least of these heavy hitters is the heaviest and the hittiest: Threadless.com. They require that you set up a profile and complete your designs before you send them in. Seem like work? It is. But it totally pays off. Not in the idea they you sell your shirts but in the idea that THEY will sell your shirts for you. And make them. And do all the manufacturing after you design.
They’ve even got a rating system that you can put your design through to be critiqued by other happy, hapless and aspiring designers on the same site. Once you’ve refined the image, submit it to the site itself to be voted on by, who else, the site’s community of designers. If your design receives enough fanfare, guess who lucks out with their shirt going into production? And hey, a nice commission fee and even better, money for the site itself. All this awarded to you by Threadless.
It’s no easy feat even getting to SUBMIT on Threadless though but if the work is strong then you’ll have a good shot and the best way to get it there is through the rating stage. Best of luck in your screenprinting and marketing endeavors. Now, get to class!
STUDY HARD!
