Today, creating your own individualized t-shirts is easier than ever before thanks to screen printing. But though many people do screen print t-shirts in order to perhaps coordinate matching outfits for an event or simply enjoy themselves, others see screen printing as a business opportunity, and with good reason. It’s estimated that the custom t-shirt printing market will hit a $6.9 billion valuation by 2027. People like the idea of having t-shirts specifically made for them, or perhaps buying special shirts that appeal to them as fans of specific sports teams or TV shows.

But if you’re not overly familiar with screen printing, you may not understand exactly how the process works, or what types of issues you could potentially run into. Printing on t-shirts isn’t necessarily difficult, as it is in many ways an extension of laminating with lamination rolls. But if you ruin one shirt, you could easily be facing issues with the entire batch later on. With that being said, let’s explore what you should know before beginning a t-shirt printing business.

1. Find A Good Supplier

When you decide to begin screen printing t-shirts, you’ll need to make sure that you find a good equipment supplier. At the end of the day, screen printing is another form of lamination, which means that many companies that sell equipment for laminating report covers and other items also sell t-shirt printing supplies.

If you plan on making a large number of t-shirts over time, it’s imperative that you work with an equipment supplier who can offer deals for repeat customers and customers that make large purchases. Although this can sometimes be easier said than done, the demand in the t-shirt printing industry means that many suppliers are adjusting their numbers and allowing aspiring t-shirt printing business owners access to great deals. You’ll obviously want to keep costs as reasonable as possible. Therefore, be open about your budget and see what you can potentially get with it.

2. Know Your Clientele

It’s impossible to know exactly how your business will fare before you launch it. But in general, you should be able to do some market research. This will inform how much money you invest into your business and what parts of the business you’ll invest in the most.

Some t-shirt printing businesses will be able to thrive off of repeat clients, especially if they come in the form of subscription services. Others specialize in gag gifts, which will typically be bought only once, which means that they may need to be more expensive in order to provide favorable margins. At the same time, a lot of people don’t want to spend too much on screen printed t-shirts, believing that they’ll be low quality. This is why it’s important to work with high quality t-shirt printing supplies companies.

3. Get Creative

There are so many different types of shirts that you can create when you work with a good equipment supplier. Don’t limit yourself to one or two types of shirts. Try to expand your merchandise as you grow your business, devoting some of your revenue to providing new products.

There is a lot more that you can potentially offer your clientele over time. Ask for feedback from them, perhaps in return for discount codes for future orders. The more you offer, the more you’ll potentially sell.

4. Advertise Online

Even if you’d someday like to set up a brick and mortar business, there are so many benefits to having a good website if you’re running a t-shirt printing business. You can easily showcase your designs, and for that matter offer people the ability to order in bulk, with you printing shirts on demand.

Printing t-shirts is a great way for you to own a business that you have real control over. But it’s difficult to be successful unless you dedicate yourself to growing your business, in part through getting in touch with a reliable supplier. Prioritize your business and make sure that you’re making decisions with a focus on profits, not just making fun shirts.