Printwear & Promotion The Total Promotional Package
The relatively new industry of direct to garment printing has undergone many changes over the last 12-15 years. Many of the machinery manufacturers have come and gone, some replaced by new upstarts, while other major players have entered the expanding marketplace.
The challenges that the early adoptees of the technology were faced with have largely been sorted by the better manufacturers.
In no particular order, white ink mixing/circulation, printheads clogging, cost of maintenance, pre-treatment application were all areas that caused problems.
With white ink circulation how done by most of the latest machines, wet capping stations (as recently introduced on the Brother GTX) preventing clogging and reducing maintenance costs, and great pre-treat machines like the Schulze Pretreatmaker IV removing the mystery of pre-treating, there has never been a better time to get into this fast expanding industry.
The most important part of any business is selling the goods you produce and the direct to garment printing business is no different. If you do not sell the T shirts you produce, you will make no money.
To sell the shirts you need great designs, thereby creating desirability, and great marketing to ensure potential customers can find you. Price is not the be all and end all, and a race to the bottom by constantly reducing the price is the sure way to go out of business.
One of the best benefits of direct to garment printing is the ability to offer a great choice of shirts, in any colour, any size, and any style, with an image from a vast library, yet with a minimal inventory. A further benefit is if a particular design does not sell, then you will not be left with hundreds of printed shirts that you cannot sell. This is particularly true of sporting events where a team may be knocked out in the first round.
It is extremely important when getting into the direct to garment printing industry that your supplier of choice has great knowledge of the products they are selling and also an aftersales department that can look after you should you have problems. As with any machinery, it will never go wrong except at the busiest of times and if you are trying to meet deadlines you need to know that your supplier is there to support you, whether with a technician on-site, or simple telephone advice in a moment of crisis. Make sure before purchase by asking for the names of customers that you can quiz regarding the aftersales service on offer, and also do not be afraid to search the many internet blogs, (bad news travels very quickly)!
J & B Sewing Machine Company has been at the heart of the direct to garment printer industry for over 12 years (pretty much since its inception), and have a wealth of knowledge and information that they are happy to share and discuss with prospective investors in this fast growing technology.
