Let Semo Imprints partner with your new company in helping you be successful. Since we have been in the screen printing business since 1984, we know a thing or two about this industry. Lets get started in some basic things you will need to know to jump start your business.
Why Transfers over Direct Garment printing you may ask? Let us be your screen printer while you focus on marketing efforts and selling. Do you have the capital to invest in all the equipment needed and space to become a screen printer? For .75 cents you can purchase a one color 7×12 print. Now that’s a pretty good profit margin. All of our transfers are screen printed using plastisol ink. A lot of our customers actually prefer the soft feel of our transfers over direct garment printing.
What are Transfers? Basically there are two types, Cold Peel and Hot Split. Cold peel is just like its name. When applying the Cold Peel transfer you have to wait until the paper has totally cooled before peeling. This is a total release transfer. The other is Hot Split. These transfers have a softer feel and are peeled immediately after printed.
Next thing you need is to establish an account with a garment wholesaler. Two of the most popular are Alphabroder and S&S Activewear. We also use Nissin for some peripheral products.
Our successful partners become very good at branding their company. Take your time and use your creativity in branding your prints. When I say branding here is what I mean. I was in Gatlinburg TN on vacation and was browsing T-Shirt shops when I came across prints I immediately recognized as one of our customers. How did I know? They always use a particular font with a certain distress pattern that gives all their prints a very unique look. If you are not a graphic artist, I do suggest in eventually finding one. If you don’t have one, feel free to lean on our staff of graphic artists. Semo Imprints can provide turnkey solutions for your new company.
Lean on the professionals. I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Register with the t-shirt forum and you will find all the resources from screen printing professionals across the globe. http://www.t-shirtforums.com. Have questions, believe me when I say they will have the answers and the members are very enthusiastic about helping newbies.
The only piece of equipment you need to get started is a Heat Press. Most of our customers use manual heat presses. While you can get some pretty cheap ones, please spend the extra dollars to buy a heat press that will last you years to come. A lot of our customers use Geo Knights and Hix. Geo Knights have a unique heat distribution in the head of their press that gives a uniform heat distribution. You can find them at www.geoknight.com When selecting your press make sure the pressure has actual settings. While pressure knobs work, it is a guessing game to acquire the correct pressure when testing your new prints. Is it worth loosing a customer simply due to incorrect pressure settings? We have tested the cheap Chinese presses and they work for about a year and start loosing heat. I could give you a laundry list of issues we encountered when testing these presses. Just please heed my advice and invest in a good press.
Well, you now have a your Heat Press, a garment wholesaler, Graphic artist and Semo Imprints as your screen printer. Now it’s time to roll.
