look for a silk screener in you area. it's better quality and they last longer. a lot of places will charge very little if you provide the shirts. also a lot of colleges havee the equipment all you have to do is find an art student to do it for you...
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Eric Jones
http://www.quixtar.com
IBO# 1121278
E-mail me for a 1-1 talk about setting up your dream business.
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Most silk screeners will only charge you about a $1.00 per tee and some kind of setup charge, as long as you only ask them to print in one color ink. If they supplie the shirts you may be paying anywhere from $6.00-$9.00 per tee depending on shirt quality and color.
Iron on leaves the background color of your paper on the shirt. Even if you use a white paper with a white shirt you can still see that it's been ironed on. I think it looks cheesy, but is cheaper than silk screening.
You have to cut out perfectly around the picture so that the background does not stick out. If you just leave about 1/14 of an inch space around it you should be fine.
well, i did my 1st one and it looked good until i washed it. i even washed it inside out and in cold water. maybe i need to press down harder next time while ironing.
i've done a lot of iron-ons and i've had the best luck with the epson iron-on transfer paper for inkjet printers. you do have to keep your artwork pretty small and cut as closely to the edge as possible. try leaving a little pull tab that you can trim after you do the transfer. you can use it to peel the paper off. and finally if you put it in the dryer on low/med inside out for like 5 minutes after its cooled you should have better luck when you wash it. there's also sprays you can buy at sewing shops that help the whole proccess
thx for the tips, i used the avery transfer paper. the image was small, pocket size image where a pocket would go. i also used an older t-shirt that may have had fabric softner on it. the dryer idea is a good one for helping to dry out the print even more. also, i didn't let it dry for 72 hours like the instructions said, only 24 before i washed it.
For $11 a t/shirt CafePress will custom SILK-SCREEN t-shirts with any graphic you wish letting you charge whatever you want. They then send you a check for however much you earned.
I just ordered 4 t-shirts for myself. They haven't come yet... They are in the mail now. See: http://www.cafepress.com/pbbt/ Personally, I think it is cheaper and easier (the final product certainly should look better) then using transfers.
Owen
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[This message has been edited by Owen (edited January 20, 2000).]
I give out t-shirts on my website as prizes to my newsletter subscribers. I do them myself with the Epson iron-on transfer paper. All the hints mentioned above do work. Make sure your image is small and you cut it very close to the edge. Iron it per instructions on pack and LET IT DRY. My mum plays international squash and wears my t-shirts for advertising purposes. She washes them a lot and still uses the one I gave her in June!
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That CaféPress site is awesome. Is 10.99 expensive for a t-shirt, mousepad or mug? I am really curious if any of my visitors would be interested in merchandising at this price.
This is kind of "off topic," but I also heard of a few websites where you can have custom pens engraved and actual coins minted with whatever you want. I saw the ads in a magazine on one of continental airlines, but I lost the URLs. :-( If anyone sees anything, I'd be happy to know.
All the info you got on silk screening is accurate. As far as iron-ons, I finally went out and bought a professional press.
Home irons just can't get hot enough.
I created a site with cafepress too. I was not aware that the shirts would be screened printed. They might be, but I doubt it.
Screen printing is superior to iron-ons, but you need a dozen at a time. If anyone wants any info on merchandizing, I have been in the promotional printing industry for over five years, just ask. Shirts, pens, whatever.
Actually, you are right. It is not quite silkscreened. It is sort-of a iron on transfer, however is higher resolution then what I can do at home and the stiff part washes right out. I've washed mine a few times and so far no kind of deteriation. Look at the graphics I use - they have all kinds of sharp edges and details. It looks great and the resolution on the t is great. It is definately professional quality (though not QUITE as good as silk screen - if you are making 500 t-shirts go with silk screen. ).
Owen
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