What equipment do you need to start a T-shirt Business?
Everything you need to start a tshirt business
If you've been misled into thinking that starting your own business is a million step process and an enormous investment?
We're here to tell you, YOU'RE WRONG.
To start a tshirt printing business, all you need is 3 things.
First of all, you need a heat press.
There is no avoiding this.
Why can't I use my iron, we hear you ask?
An iron can only offer as much pressure as the arm wielding it. There is also no way to accurately measure the pressure or the temperature the iron is giving out to see if it is distributing a reliable recipe for your heat transfers to adhere to the garment and last the 75+ washes that your customers will expect from you and your business.
So, back to heat presses.
Hotronix is the leading Heat Press manufacturer in the world, supplying the most innovative and advanced machines to heat printers.
With Hotronix Heat Presses, pressure is fully controlled by the heat press itself. The digital readout tells you exactly what pressure being applied is and the dial on the top can be adjusted if needed. All of Hotronix Heat Presses feature Over the Centre Pressure Adjustment which allows the pressure to be distributed evenly throughout the platen (edge-to-edge). Giving you the most consistent press available and ensuring that your transfers are being fused as accurately as possible.
Check out the full range of Hotronix heat presses here.
Secondly, it's time to choose your custom heat transfer type.
What type of designs are you going to be offering on your shirts?
If you're working with a limited colour palette of 1 or 2 colours, our 1-5 Colour Screen Print heat transfers might be the best option for you. We also offer speciality finishes such as neon, metallic and shimmer inks free of charge with our Screen Print heat transfers too, for those looking to turn heads with special effects.
If you're planning a more diverse route for your t-shirt designs and have planned full-colour artwork with photorealistic qualities, UltraColour and UltraColour Max heat transfers are for you.
While getting started with your business, you may find that the most cost-effective method for you is to order 1x 55x55cm UltraColour Max gang sheet to test your transfers with your garments and then order more transfers on demand as and when you get your orders in. Because UltraColour Max offers a minimum order of just 1, you only need to spend money on stock once someone has paid for their order. UltraColour Max offers a 24 hour dispatch period meaning you can place your order before midnight and it will be shipped the next day for you.
If you'd prefer to either print a stock of garments or have your transfers ready to fuse as the orders are placed, UltraColour heat transfers are more profitable option for your business. They offer all the full colour capabilities of UltraColour Max but with a minimum order of 10 with the price per sheet decreasing as the quantity increases.
Shop all custom heat transfers here.
Finally, it's time to source your garments.
Ralawise are a global supplier and distributor of blank tshirts, hoodies, polos, and other apparel to the heat printing industry for custom garment decoration. Not only do they sell a variation of anything you could ever possibly want to heat print onto, but they also operate on a minimum order of 1 policy. Which means you only need to order 1 garment to test your transfer designs on, and you can order your stock as and when your orders come in.
