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What You Need to Start a Custom T-Shirt Business at Home
Custom decorated apparel is a great way to turn a side hustle into a serious money-making endeavor. It’s a great option for a business startup because it can be done all from the comfort of your home.
Which means much lower overhead costs because you’re not renting or buying a storefront or production space.
And with today’s t-shirt decorating technology, you can easily get set up with just a few pieces of equipment.
But before you get started, let’s go through the essentials you will need to start a t-shirt business from home. .
Essential Equipment to Start a Custom T-Shirt Business at Home
As you grow you will find that there are tons of gadgets and supplies out there that will make your t-shirt business run more efficiently.
But we are going to scale it back and just talk about the basic necessities that you must have to get started as an apparel decorator..
T-Shirt Business – Printer Options
If you plan to decorate T-shirts you are going to need a t-shirt printer of some sort.
The big question is – what will that COST?
The YES Group has tons of t-shirt decorating solutions that you can read about here. A typical home-based start up though, will require something affordable. And that brings us to a white toner transfer printer from the Ricoma line. White Toner Printers are a great way to get started because they’re practically built for the home based user. All you need is:- White Toner Printer (these are basically full color laser printers, but that ALSO has white toner)
- Heat Press – for applying the transfers onto custom t-shirts
- Computer and Software
Ricoma Luminaris White Toner Printer
Ricoma Luminaris printers are also super versatile, giving you the chance to expand your business into custom signs and promotional goods.
That’s right, you can use the same printer, and in many cases the same heat press, to create gifts and promotional items as well as custom t-shirts.
Here are just a few things you can make in ADDITION to custom tees:
- Photo prints on wood
- Small signs
- Clothing/gift tags
- *Custom Hats
- *Plates
- *Coffee Mugs
*requires a special heat press
Transfer printers also allow you to sell just the transfers to customers with their own heat press.
More about What you Need to Start a T-Shirt Business
Transfer Paper
With the Ricoma white toner printing system you will need white toner transfer paper.
This is a specialty transfer paper that uses a polymer coating to make your transfer adhere to almost anything. Your design will print directly on this paper and only the toner will stick to the polymer coating.
The result is that when you transfer your design, there will be no background or annoying border.
If you are familiar with Heat Transfer Vinyl and the tedious process of weeding, the Ricoma Luminaris printer cuts out this step completely.
There are also specialty transfer papers for a variety of applications.
Computer with Printing Software
To start a custom t-shirt business from home, you will, of course, need a computer.
This can be a standard laptop or desktop but preferably one with a Microsoft Windows operating system. And lots of memory and hard drive space.
Remember, you’ll be working with BIG files for graphics, and those take up a lot of space. And they use a lot of ram to help you work your design magic.
When you purchase a Ricoma Luminaris Printer, it comes with its own software called: LuminRIP Software.
This is a “RIP” Software. That stands for Raster Image Processor. It’s software that’s designed to help you take an existing image and produce the best possible result as efficiently as possible.
Design Software or Art Files
The other crucial aspect of digital t-shirt printing are the designs and art you are looking to decorate with. There are two options for this part of the decorating process – design the art yourself OR buy pre-made design files.
You can purchase design file bundles from sites like Etsy, but if you want to have more control over your designs you will need software for art creation.
Adobe InDesign or Corel Draw are two popular options. But if you are looking to make your own art, this will take additional training.
Heat Press
A high-quality heat press is essential for the efficiency of your business.
Every transfer will need to be heat pressed to the garment and if you pt for a cheap heat press you can have inconsistent results.
Important: Hobby heat presses tend to have uneven pressure and heat – don’t use one.
When it comes to transfer applications, consistency is key. The Hotronix Heat Press line features programable time and temperature settings. This is great for a heat transfer business because you can program the setting that works best for your production.
If you are looking to do larger applications, the Ricoma HP1620 might be the best press for you. Its heating plate measures 40 x 60 cm which is perfect for jacket backs, plus sized apparel, blankets and other big items.
Blank Apparel
Choosing the right blank apparel for your custom t-shirt business is crucial, and the quality of materials can significantly impact the final product.
High-quality blank garments ensure that your designs retain their vibrancy and last after multiple washes. Cheaper options often compromise fabric quality, which can lead to fading prints, uncomfortable wear, and quicker deterioration.
Next Steps | Talk to a Pro
Ready to become your own boss as a custom t-shit decorator? It’s time to talk to a pro.
Before jumping into purchasing equipment, chat with one of our representatives at YES Group. They are industry experts with experience in t-shirt printing. And most importantly, they can help you find a bundle that includes all the supplies you need to get started.
keep learning!
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