Printing Your Work
If you want to go the print route, there are a lot of options you can pick from. I first recommend finding a local print shop. Talking to someone in person to figure out exactly what you need can be SO helpful. Also, actually touching the paper and seeing it with your own eyes before you mass produce something can be crazy helpful. I made my prints and calendars for a long time using a local printer.
Some other good resources to check out:
- WHCC – This is actually a photography studio but their work is INSANE. Like all their colors were always spot-on to what they were on my computer. This is an especially good option if you're doing things like adding doodles and lettering on top of existing photos and you really need colors to be vibrant and beautiful. They also have other products you can put your work on.
- Costco – Ok, out of all the budget-friendly options out there, Costco actually does a surprisingly good job! They also can print on a poster board that has great color and is super sturdy and high quality for bigger prints. They tend to print on the green side coloring-wise so keep that in mind when you're editing. I usually make my colors a little warmer than I normally would so they print how I want them. It might take some tweaking based on your local Costco, but do some testers to figure it out.
- T-Shirts – I used Goodfellas Merch for years. They have a lot of great options and are good to work with. There are a lot of other screen printers out there though so I would check locally first and see if you can get a sweet set-up going that way so you don’t have to worry about shipping charges. You can check out their ordering information and for reference, their print area guide.
Ok, honest opinion time. You might not see a HUGE profit when just starting out with t-shirts. There are a LOT of t-shirts people have to choose from out there. And the profit margins are pretty high. That just means you have to sell a lot of t-shirts to make a lot of money. (Sounds obvious when you type it out like that huh? hah) But just keep this in mind while designing. Make t-shirts that people see and just HAVE to have—even though they are more expensive than a shirt from Target.
Also, I've had a lot of luck with the Bella Canvas brand. Their unisex t-shirts are my fave—super soft, slim fit, and they last. Feel free to email them here info@goodfellasmerch.com with the email subject Rad & Happy Referral and they'll let you know all their options, printing, etc. (or 623-915-0000).
ASSIGNMENT: Do some research and find the best printing options for you.
