T-shirts aren’t just a staple of casual wear—they’re articles of clothing that often reflect our personalities, interests, and identities.

Because of this, selling t-shirts online has become a popular choice, especially for entrepreneurs and artists looking for a relatively inexpensive way to learn how to start a business. Plus, the global market for the custom t-shirt printing industry is expected to eclipse $10 billion by 2025.

With the growth in popularity of selling t-shirts, there’s no doubt you’ll face some stiff competition. But by building a brand for a specific target audience and creating t-shirt designs your customers want, you can find your own success.

We’ll now go through each step of how to start a shirt business online that brings in extra income month over month.

• Is T-shirt Printing Business Profitable?
• How do I Start my Own T-shirt Printing Business?
• 5 Considerations For Starting a T-shirt Business
• 10 Inspiring Designs to Jump Start your T-shirt Printing Business
• Is T-shirt Printing Business Profitable in India?
• How Can I Start my Own T-shirt Printing Business From Home?
• How Can I Promote my T-shirt Printing Business?
• How Much Does it Cost to Start a T-shirt Printing Business?
• What Equipment do I Need to Start my Own T-shirt Printing Business?
• How Can I Improve my T-shirt Printing Business?
• How Much Does a Shirt Printer Cost?
• What is The Best T-shirt Printing Machine For Small Business?
• Is it Hard to Sell T-shirts?
• How Much Does it Cost to Make 50 T-shirts?
• How Can I Start my Own T-shirt Business With no Money?
• How do You Avoid Copyright Infringement With T-shirts?
• What Are Some Do’s and Don’ts Before Planning Customised T-shirts?
• How Much Money Can You Make With a T-shirt Business?

Is T-shirt Printing Business Profitable?

Customization in products is very much in right now. That makes it a lucrative business to have. One of the easiest things to customize is T-shirts. T-Shirts are also a product that you can sell to multiple kinds of audiences, from comic book fans to corporates.

T-Shirts are popular items of clothing and are not phased out seasonally. Trends may come and go but t-shirts remain.

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Whether it is a plain t-shirt, oversized t-shirt, close-fitting t-shirt, or a customized t-shirt, t-shirts have always ruled the clothing market and are popular among all age groups.

According to the report by Statista, the t-shirt market is expected to grow annually by 9.6% from 2020-2025.

As we mentioned above the growing demand and popularity of a t-shirt, the t-shirt printing business can be profitable for you. To reduce the cost of the t-shirt, you can buy it in bulk, and you can make a good profit.

How do I Start my Own T-shirt Printing Business?

1. Choose a niche for your t-shirt online business

A niche will help your online shirt selling business stand out and better attract the right target audience without blowing your budget.

You hear the term “niche” tossed around a lot, but it’s important to choose one when trying to understand how to make an online t-shirt business. One of the most important parts of a successful online t-shirt business model is the ability to stand out, and one of the best ways to do that is by catering to a specific target audience or interest group.

Generally, categories like “t-shirts for people who like funny slogans” are going to be too broad to get noticed in a very developed market. You’re going to want to tighten it up a little more. An example of a more specific niche would be t-shirts with funny slogans that relate to doctors and nurses, or to dog owners, as pictured below.

There are many ways to find and evaluate a niche when you want to know how to start a t-shirt business online. Here are a few:

• Visit your prospective niche’s subreddits and evaluate the subscriber count and level of engagement.
• Use Facebook’s Audience Insights tool to gauge the size of your niche on the platform.
• Scan this list of popular hobbies on Wikipedia for inspiration.
• Consider your own interests and the communities you belong to—sometimes it’s OK to trust your gut.

Once you narrow down your niche, create a business plan for your shirt selling business that covers your goals and different opportunities to sell custom t-shirts, then figure out how you’ll execute that plan.

2. Source quality material and t-shirt printing options

The next step of how to start an online t-shirt business is to find suppliers. Not all t-shirts are the same and not all print jobs are the same. As we mentioned above, quality is paramount to your brand and its success, so it’s important to educate yourself and choose your blank shirts wisely.

It might be tempting to sacrifice quality for higher profit margins when you start a shirt business online. But you need to consider how the quality will affect a customer’s decision to share your brand and purchase from you again.

Choosing a quality t-shirt encompasses several factors, including fit, sizing, material, softness, and weight. A great starting point for determining which blank t-shirt to use is to check out T-Shirt Magazine’s review of some of the most popular blank t-shirts for printing.

Once you narrow down your choices, it’s strongly recommended to order samples so you can make an informed final decision.

3. Create your own t-shirt designs

Next up in how to start your own online t-shirt business is to come up with the designs. Here are a few ways you can get a head start on your t-shirt business designs.

Find the best selling designs and niches

If you’re stuck for t-shirt niche ideas and designs, a great start is looking at what else is popular and currently selling well.

Below is a list of pages for some of the top graphic t-shirt marketplaces. You can use them to search the “best sellers” and “most popular” sections to help you get a better idea of your next niche or t-shirt design. 

• Zazzle
• Redbubble
• SnorgTees
• Kickstarter t-shirt campaigns

You may also want to consider checking out Google Trends to get a sense of the topics people are currently interested in for inspiration for your t-shirt online business..

Hire a designer

Once you have an idea for some t-shirt designs, you’re going to have to actually design them. If you have Adobe Photoshop or a similar program, you likely can produce some great designs by yourself. However, if you’re like most people, you’ll need to enlist some help.

There are a wide variety of tools and marketplaces you can use to find a suitable graphic designer to help you.

Design communities

Dribbble: Dribbble is a designer community with lots of unique talent. Search for the style you’re looking for and message the designers you like to see if they’re available for freelance projects.

Behance: Behance is a cool platform to check out. You can see portfolios from different creators around the world who specialize in illustrations, niches, and styles and more. If you end up liking a designer, you can reach out to them and get a quote on your custom t-shirt designs.

Freelance networks 

Some other options you may want to try are the popular freelance networks like Freelancer and Upwork. You can find qualified t-shirt designers, fast, and check out their past job successes and portfolio. If you like someone, you can reach out in right in the platform and hire them on the spot. 

Buy t-shirt designs

If you’re stuck finding a designer for how to start a t-shirt business online, you can always purchase pre-made designs. Keep in mind that if you choose to go this route, there’s a high likelihood that other people are already selling whatever design you pick, making it harder for you and your online shirt selling business to stand out.

4. Mock up your t-shirts

Once you have some final designs, your next step for how to start a t-shirt business online will be to get some mockup images. Mockups are helpful so your customers can see what the final design will look like printed on a shirt.

There are a few ways you can get images of your final designs on t-shirts, including ordering samples and taking product photography yourself or, with the abundance of t-shirt mockups and templates online, opting to create a 100% digital mockup, like the one below.

Adobe Photoshop t-shirt templates are the most common types of mockup files. They allow you to quickly preview how your designs will look printed on a t-shirt. Most Photoshop templates come with multiple layers that let you change the color of the shirt and apply your own design that will blend with the shirt’s creases, folds, and contours.

Another great option for tasks like this is to enlist help from someone on Fiverr. Just search for t-shirt mockups.

5. Validate the designs for your t-shirt online business

Before you invest a lot of money on your new business idea, you should verify that there is a market for and interest in your designs. There are many ways you can go about validating the market and sell t-shirts online.

Some of the most popular and more common methods for validating your design ideas include: to start a shirt business online

Personal social networks. Post some of your designs to your Facebook profile, niche Facebook groups, Twitter, and other social networks your friends and potential customers frequent. Be careful when asking friends and family, however—their opinions are prone to kindness.

Reddit. Despite the community’s general aversion to marketing, Reddit is still one of the best places to get honest feedback on your designs (which can even translate into sales after you launch). With countless subreddits, it’s easy to find a highly targeted niche of potential customers and ask them directly for their thoughts on your designs before launching.

Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding sites have made it much easier to test, validate, and collect money upfront for your new business idea. Launching a crowdfunding campaign can be time consuming and requires a good deal of preparation. However, the benefits can be huge, including fully funding your project before you launch it. If you have a particularly novel t-shirt business idea (say, matching t-shirts for dogs and dog owners), crowdfunding might be for you.

Print on demand. Finally, with eCommerce platforms like Shopify, it’s never been easier to set up a fully functional online store (domain name included) in a matter of hours to validate your business idea. Start a 14-day free trial and integrate a print-on-demand service to validate your t-shirts by trying to sell them online.

6. Set up your online store

Now that you have your t-shirt designs in hand, have made your mockups, and validated your idea, it’s time to build your store. This is especially important if you want to know how to start a t-shirt business online. 

There are a handful of t-shirt print-on-demand services that directly integrate with your Shopify store, allowing you to start taking orders in no time. These services will print and ship your t-shirts to your customers on your behalf every time you receive an order. 

There’s no need to purchase or hold any inventory upfront, making it a great way to get started. Best of all, if you want to use your design on other printable products, such as mugs and tote bags, you have that option as well.

There are a variety of t-shirts available through the following print-on-demand companies:

• Printful
• Teelaunch
• Printify
• Gooten

Once your store is set up, you’ll be ready to start selling t-shirts online. 

5 Considerations For Starting a T-shirt Business

Although the tools and technology available for designing, printing, and shipping custom t-shirts make starting up relatively simple, the difficult part is building a brand to stand out from the competition. Combine competition with slim profit margins and building an online t-shirt company becomes a little harder than it might first appear.

If you want to design and sell t-shirts online, you have to make the right decisions from the get-go.

There are several critical elements involved in starting a successful online shirt selling business. Each of these elements needs to be considered closely before moving forward:

1. T-shirt printing techniques. There are many different ways to print designs on a t-shirt. Choosing the right one can help you save money and make smarter business decisions. 
2. Design. The majority of people purchasing graphic tees are looking for designs, graphics, and slogans that connect with them and reflect their opinions and personality.
3. Quality. The quality of the shirts you use and of the print job need to be top notch to build a sustainable business.
4. Brand, A strong, interesting brand is vital in the t-shirt industry.
5. Inventory, Will you manage your own inventory to take advantage of volume discounts or use a print-on-demand service to save time and effort.

10 Inspiring Designs to Jump Start your T-shirt Printing Business

Put on your creative hat and see how you can make these top 10 T-shirt design trends 2022 work for you and your business!

1. Mountains & Love of Nature

Mountains are often symbolic of challenges, setting goals and achieving them, or just being outside in nature. The wonder of mountains and the various ways they can be drawn or represented artistically makes them a favorite selection for t shirt designs. Add inspirational text for extra impact.

Designs that represent nature, saving the planet or going green are trends from 2019 that are sure to stick around for some time. Offer these designs on eco-friendly shirts and they are sure to be a hit!

2. Hand Drawn Floral Designs

Hand drawn floral designs are also becoming more popular. Put “flower power” to work in your t-shirt designs to symbolize growth, beauty, new beginnings or a fresh start. A flowy, organic design can be the main focus of your t-shirt or used as extra elements in a typographic design.

3. Minimalism & Bold Statements

Minimalistic, basic typography designs are very popular. Just say what needs said, boldly and clearly. Typography design allows for inspirational, motivational, or funny messages to be conveyed creatively through text. It’s always on-trend and a best seller.

Some creatives have recently decided to follow the “less is more” theory, creating designs that only feature small text, usually across the chest. It’s a stripped-down, minimalist approach to say only what needs to be said…nothing more.

4. Side-Aligned Typography

While we’re talking about typography, another emerging trend is that of aligning text to the left or right side of the shirt. This technique works well for text-only designs and keeps with the minimalistic approach to design. And we’re also seeing more use of all lowercase text.

5. Artwork on T-Shirts

Artists are starting to jump on the t-shirt bandwagon by moving their creations off printed pages and canvases and onto t-shirts. So, if you’re an artist, search through your Instagram for fan-favorites that could be easily translated into printable apparel designs. Consider the possibilities for incorporating original artwork into t shirt design trends 2020.

6. Checkered Patterns

There has been an increasing love of checkered patterns in recent years, partly due to the popularity of Vans shoes and apparel that often incorporates the checkers in their designs. Mix it up with different colors and even a contrast of textures for a look that people seem to really love. Try incorporating one of these new t shirt design trends into your work.

7. Plaid Pattern Designs

Not to be confused with checkered designs which consist of colored blocks repeated in a checkered pattern against another solid color, plaid designs are generally made up of 2-3 colors in a criss-crossing pattern of varying widths.

The areas where 2 colors cross each other usually form a gradient (dot pattern) combination of the 2 colors, creating the classic plaid fabric look. Plaid patterns are being incorporated into various shapes, images and text for some cool t shirt design trends. Plaid patterns work especially well for winter holiday and cold weather designs.

8. 90’s Vibes Inspiration

I’m not sure if credit should be given to the VSCO girl internet pop-culture craze, but in 2019 t shirt design trends headed back to the 80’s and 90’s, and those 90’s vibes are still alive and well heading into 2020.

Nostalgic designs using bright neon colors, geometric shapes, and MTV vibes are popular with Gen Z’ers and Youtubers when creating merch for their followers. Incorporate bright, primary colors, basic shapes, and zig-zaggy doodles into your 1990’s t-shirt design inspiration.

9. Color Blocks T Shirt Design Trends

The 80s and 90s also brought something else back – color blocks. Bright, contrasting blocks of color against solid colored shapes creates a bold look that’s extremely popular for t shirt design trends 2020.

10. Repeated Text Designs

Saying it once is seemingly not enough these days! Repeating your message is a great way to get your point across and result in a well-designed t-shirt at the same time. This t-shirt design trends 2022 idea is right if you aren’t super design-savvy, but still want to create an aesthetic tee on your own.

Is T-shirt Printing Business Profitable in India?

If you want to start a profitable business in India at a small level, then the idea of a T-shirt printing business will prove very beneficial. It is to be noted that the demand for printed T-shirts is increasing in the market nowadays. The interesting thing is that this business can also be started from home.

It is said that the price for a white quality T-shirt taken for printing is about Rs 120. Apart from this, printing cost starts from Rs 1 to Rs 10. In this way, you can sell it for at least 200 to 250 rupees. Thus, you can earn thousands of rupees profit every month from this profitable business.

How Can I Start my Own T-shirt Printing Business From Home?

In the T-shirt industry, where creating, producing, and selling your product is relatively straightforward, a solid idea is all you need to get started. It’s also much cheaper than it used to be. Legend has it that back in 1985, after graduating from college, Catesby Jones maxed out his credit cards to start the T-shirt company Peace Frogs.

Today, with digital printing, online marketing resources, and vast distribution networks, starting a T-shirt business is easier than ever. Print-on-demand and drop shipping eliminate the need for space for inventory. Even so, creating a T-shirt that speaks to the masses requires more than just a great idea; it requires a plan. 

Here is a roadmap for starting your own T-shirt business from home.

Create Your Concept

First and foremost, put some work into creating and refining your concept. You may be simply creating a T-shirt, but you’re also creating a business, so keep image, branding, and company identity in mind.

The Jacobs brothers may have had a road-trip epiphany, but they struggled with their T-shirts until they finally hit on a basic premise—Life is Good. Jones chose the frog as a symbol of peace and good luck. These entrepreneurs took their original ideas many steps further to develop full themes, concepts, and characters.

Spend time brainstorming and expand your idea in different directions. It can be difficult to know whether a design or slogan will resonate with the public, so you may need multiple versions.

Design, Test, and Tweak Your T-Shirts

As you refine your design, focus on the practical aspects of your T-shirts. Create a high-quality, high-resolution design that works in various sizes. Images that look great on your computer may look different on cloth, so consider hiring a designer who is familiar with these issues.

Before investing time and money, conduct market research to determine whether your T-shirts will appeal to buyers. First, identify your ideal buyer, and then seek out members of that market to get feedback on your idea. You want to know whether they’d buy your T-shirts, and also what price they’d pay.

Plan Your Business

Although selling T-shirts sounds straightforward, without a plan you’ll end up wasting time and money. Your business plan outlines your product, the ideal market, your financial projections, and sales goals.

You can create and start selling T-shirts online in a matter of minutes, but if you plan to make a living at it, you should form an official business. The important first step is to choose a name. Your name should reflect your T-shirts but not limit your ability to expand on a full line. Take similar care when choosing a domain name for your website.

Get Licensed and Trademarked

Along with a business name, you’ll need to determine your business structure (e.g., sole proprietor or LLC) and obtain any necessary licenses and permits. If you sell T-shirts through your own website or in person (e.g., at fairs or markets), then you may need to apply for a sales tax permit through your state’s comptroller’s office.

Research thoroughly to make sure you’re not infringing on another company’s copyright or trademark. You don’t want others profiting off your design either. Look into protecting your designs, logos, and/or slogans with copyrights or trademarks. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or the U.S. Copyright Office can provide more details.

Select a Printer and Materials

When it’s time to make your T-shirt tangible, there’s a wide range of production services to choose from. You’ll need to make decisions about the physical aspects of your T-shirts, including material, ink, durability, quality, and basically anything else a clothing shopper would care about.

Compare multiple local printers and online print sources to estimate how much it would cost to produce your T-shirts at various levels of quality. Keep in mind your profit margin; increased cost upfront will translate into a higher price tag for your customers.

Online T-shirt printers are numerous, but a few of the more popular sites are:

• CafePress
• Spreadshirt
• Teespring
• Teezily
• Zazzle

Price Your Shirts

After you’ve scouted printing and materials sources, review and compare different T-shirt-creation options to find the price you can afford. Your cost upfront will depend on the size and number of colors of the design, the type of printing you choose, and the quality of T-shirts you select.

Keep in mind what the market will pay. If you price your T-shirts too high, you could end up with a lot of unsold inventory.

Market Your Shirts

There are many ways to market your new T-shirts, but they all start with visibility for the target buyer. By this point, you have a good sense of the best buyers for your T-shirts (e.g., age, gender, common interests, etc.), and where you can find them.

Social media has become a major advertising tool, and services abound to help you make your product visible on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, and others. If your target buyer is a zombie-loving high-school student, market your T-shirts where zombie-loving high-school students hang out, online and off.

You can sell your T-shirts on your own business website, through online marketplaces such as Etsy, and even at face-to-face events like trade shows, craft fairs, and local bazaars.

How Can I Promote my T-shirt Printing Business?

A custom T-shirt business requires unique designs and new ways to advertise in order to be competitive. The competition in the online and retail shop custom T-shirt business is significant. To stand out from the competition, your shop needs to use original ways of advertising in order to get prospective clients’ attention.

Uniforms

When small businesses get started, they try to save on as many expenses as possible. While a small business would look professional if its employees wore uniforms, many small businesses cannot afford uniforms when they start out.

You can offer your T-shirt design and printing services to small business at significant discounts as a uniform option. The trade-off is that you get to put your custom T-shirt company name and phone number on the company uniforms. This will not only help you to gain new business clients, but it will gain you exposure with the small businesses’ clients.

Videos

Internet advertising is important to nearly every kind of business, but a custom T-shirt business could utilize the free online video hosting websites to its advantage. Create short 30- or 60-second videos that feature your custom T-shirts and testimonials from satisfied customers.

Your only cost would be the cost of printing up custom T-shirts to feature in the videos, and even then those could become profit centers if the videos are popular and the shirts start to sell. Create videos that have humor or some other element that viewers would find interesting to gain viewer’s attention. Start promoting your videos on Internet message boards to get more attention.

Get Out

Creating custom T-shirts is a visual business. Customers need to see your product in order to want to order it. Create a series of custom T-shirts that you can wear to various events, have your company name and contact information on your shirts and carry business cards to give to interested prospects.

For example, create a T-shirt that features a baseball image and then head out to a local professional or non-professional baseball game. Have a message on the back of your shirt that encourages people to ask about the shirt design and how to order it, and be prepared to give out business cards as you walk among the bleachers.

Kiosks

People see T-shirt kiosks in shopping malls and department stores on a regular basis. A unique way of using T-shirt kiosks is to go to where your customers are and set up a table or kiosk there.

For example, instead of setting up in a shopping mall to get corporate customers, you should set up at local business meetings and trade shows. Find out where your customers go, and set up a T-shirt selling kiosk there to gain more business and exposure.

How Much Does it Cost to Start a T-shirt Printing Business?

To start a legitimate business that you have control over, we recommend using heat applied transfers and a heat press, whether it’s heat transfer vinyl or screen printed transfers. You will probably want to have both options available, and decide which method will work best for each job you receive.

The main piece of equipment you will need for both methods is a heat press. Make sure you get a quality heat press to make sure that you always get a good application. A good heat press starts at about $700.

If you choose to get a vinyl cutter as well, small craft cutters start at about $200.

No matter which method you choose, you will always have costs of the blank apparel and the cost of the decoration, whether it’s screen printed transfers, heat transfer vinyl, plastisol inks, embroidery thread, etc.

Screen printed transfers and/or heat transfer vinyl give you the fastest and easiest way to print your own apparel with little investment and maximum profits. Not only are these fast and easy ways to decorate apparel, but they don’t take up a lot of space so you can do it right from your home.

In the end, it will cost you about a minimum of $1,000 to start a t-shirt business out of your home. This is a very small investment compared to other decorating methods such as direct screen printing equipment or embroidery machines, which can both cost thousands of dollars each.

Most heat presses and vinyl cutters are also available in starter packages that come with other accessories as well to help you get started.

What Equipment do I Need to Start my Own T-shirt Printing Business?

When a custom t-shirt business starts up, they need commercial screen printing equipment. There are many different types of printers and accessories that they could buy, but the basic equipment is all the same.

Below you’ll find the most important items to have on hand when starting up this type of business.

1. Printers. The printer is one of the most important items you’ll need. You can do a lot with just one printer, but the best businesses have several different kinds to choose from. The four types that printing businesses use are inkjet, laser, sublimation, and solvent printers. Solvent printers offer the best graphics, but they are very pricey and might be too much for a very small business.

2. Computers. You’ll need a PC or Mac to use with graphics and cutting programs. You’ll also need it for payment, inventory, and ordering functions. Our suite of software is ideal for helping you manage your business.

3. Graphics programs. Graphics programs are essential to creating custom images and art for the shirts and other media. CorelDraw and Photoshop are two very good programs for this.

4. Transfer paper. You need quality transfer paper for transferring the images from the printer to other materials. This requires the use of a heat press.

5. Heat press. You’ll need at least a 16’x20″ heat press for transferring graphics over onto shirts.

6. Cutter. You’ll need a cutter and the program included in it to create stencils for screen prints. The cutters cuts out what you design on the cutter program.

You can save a lot of money by purchasing used equipment.

How Can I Improve my T-shirt Printing Business?

There are many strategies that you can use to boost your T-shirt business. If you want these strategies to be effective, you must utilize them properly in order to make an impact on your target market. We are going to share five of such strategies which will help you to reach your goals.

1. Research Your Target Market

If you want to boost your T-shirt business, you must make sure that you understand what your customers need. This must be your starting point if you want other strategies to work.

When you research your target market extensively, you will know the products that are likely to attract many customers to your business. Apart from this, conducting a market research is the best way to know if you are giving your customers what they expect.

In order to get the benefit from market research, focus on finding information that will boost your business. If you can’t handle it, you can employ a researcher to do it for you.

You can get meaningful information from customer review websites online, customer feedback after sales etc. When you have gathered what you need, translate your findings into a unique product that will satisfy your customers.

2. Create An Online Presence

The Internet is the trendy marketing tool which many businesses are utilizing to boost their efforts. You can also adopt the online marketing strategy by utilizing tools like a website or a blog.

If your t-shirt business is still small, you may think that blogging is not necessary. I can confidently tell you that blogging is a tool that will increase your brand awareness and bring many clients to your website. 

If you can write quality contents and post them on your website, the search engines will make your website visible to online visitors. When you use target keywords in your fresh contents on daily basis, the search engines will push your site to the front pages. Imagine how many leads you can generate when this happens.

Also, when you write and post blogs, you can interact with many visitors. You will get the opportunity to stay connected with both the existing customers and the potential ones.

Let’s say you ask questions after every blog post and visitors answer them, you will get to know what they want in a product. If you also take time to answer their questions, you will build rapport and trust with them.

With time, they will do business with you because they trust that you can deliver what they want.

3. Use The Social Media Platforms To Market Your T-shirt

Well, we all know how important it is to use social media for any business. In order to boost your business to an unimaginable height, social media is the simplest and cost-effective way to achieve it. There are many things you will gain by using the social media marketing strategy.

• Brand visibility; many people will get to hear about your business.
• Expansion of professional network; you will be connected to millions of people from all works of life.
• Increase in sales; as you generate millions of lead, you can follow them up and convert them to actual buyers
• Brand accessibility; many people will know how to locate your business.
• Cheap advertisement; you only need to register and start promoting your business without spending a dime.
• Generating millions of leads; you will get many potential customers which can turn into actual buyers.
• Idea generation; through people’s comments and complaints, you will generate ideas on improving your t-shirt business.

Social media offer many advantages to someone who wants to boost his t-shirt business. If you create a beautiful design and post it on any social media platform where you belong, it will be liked and shared.

 Before you know what is happening, millions of likes and shares will follow that simple message you posted.

There are many platforms where you can register and promote your t-shirt business regularly. Other businesses are already utilizing it and you can also use these platforms to take your t-shirt business to a different level. 

4. Create Awareness In Your Community

The first place to start your marketing effort is in your community. There are many ways to reach thousands of people to patronize your t-shirt business in your base of operation.

You can start by customizing some t-shirts for your neighborhood football team. You can print fliers and spread in your locality. Also, learn to socialize with your target customers by finding out what they engage in so that you can be a part of them.

You can make branded t-shirts for large corporations, local schools, companies, and even your local churches. When many people notice how unique your products are, they will spread the news to many others.

5. Give Discounts To Customers

Customers love discounts on their purchases no matter how little it is. When you offer discounts, many people will be interested to do business with you.

If potential customers learn that you will give them a cut in the prices of your t-shirts, they will visit your store to do business. Discounts will improve the reputation of your t-shirt business and increase your sales.

These five strategies are simple and very effective when it comes to boosting your t-shirt business. We took our time to get this information based on our research on this industry.

We expect that you will utilize these marketing tools in order to reshape your t-shirt business.

No matter the size of your t-shirt business, you can adopt the five tools and turn it into a multinational venture within few years.

How Much Does a Shirt Printer Cost?

Your choices for garment decoration are ever-expanding. Today’s options include traditional screen prints, embroidery, applique, transfers and the increasingly popular digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printing.

Since its inception, the number of manufacturers and models in the DTG market space has been in constant flux. Many well-marketed machines, once prevalent in discussions and trade show halls, have now nearly vanished.

However, over the last several years there have consistently been a handful of manufacturers leading the pack. Below, we’ve compared the top five DTG t-shirt printing machine models:

Epson F2100

At roughly 3’ by 5’, the Epson F2100’s footprint is more rectangular than the GTX from Brother. And at just over 1.5’ high, it’s certainly smaller. This is a table or bench top design and is not free standing, so you’ll need to plan on where it will be setup.

Overall, the F2100 is a very quiet operating machine with a polished, put-together profile that works as easily in a home-based business as it does in a full production environment.

Pricing:

• MSRP: $17,995
• Est. Street Price: $15,995

Brother GTX

At 4.5’ by 4.25,’ the GTX is a little boxier and immediately conveys an industrial look with its predominately metal exterior. The GTX is a table or bench top unit, but with a custom stand available. This stand is recommended, as it allows users to take advantage of the open bottom design of the printer for humidification, which is often necessary for consistent operation.

Pricing:

• MSRP: $22,500
• Est. Street Price: $22,500

Col-Desi (DTG Digital) M2

Being the only dual platen printer of this group — meaning there are two platens to load t-shirts instead of just one — the natural thought would be that it has a much larger footprint. At about 4’ x 3,’ it occupies a similar space as the Brother, but with a much larger shadow as it’s nearly a complete rectangle.

A tabletop/bench top unit as well, the M2 will require proper arrangements. Quieter than the Brother GTX but not to the level of the Epson F2100, this unit can be an option for users that need an extra-large imaging area.

Pricing:

• MSRP: $19,995
• Est. Street Price: $19,995

Kornit Breeze

As the introductory machine from Kornit, the Breeze is the smallest in their line-up but one of the largest in this group. The 4’ x 5’ framework is the most modern looking by far. As the only machine in the group with an integrated pre-treatment system, the overall footprint may be smaller. Kornit’s inks are typically cured with a gas dryer, which can serve as the base table for this printer.

Pricing:

• MSRP: $65,000
• Est. Street Price: $62,000

M&R M-Link-X

As the only free-standing unit in this group, the M-Link-X also has the distinction of being the largest at 4.5’ x 5.5.’ With a rugged steel frame and squared-off edging, the M-Link has the most industrial look and feel. Not the best option for home-based businesses, this unit is better suited for a production environment.

Pricing:

• MSRP: $74,995
• Est. Street Price: $70,995

We’ve created the chart below for a side-by-side comparison of these leading printer models.

Manufacturer	Description	Epson	Brother	DTG Digital	Kornit	M&R
Model		F2100	GTX	M2	Breeze	M link X
MSRP	Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price.	$17,995	$22,500	$19,995	$65,000	$74,995
Est. Street Price	Actual retail price.	$16,995	$22,500	$19,995	$65,000	$70,995
Ink Configuration	Compatible ink colors.	cmykwwCl	cmykwwCl	cmykw	cmykww	cmykw
Ink Delivery	The size of the cartridges/bottles.	600ml Cart	200cc/500cc/700cc	250cc	150cc / 1500cc	1 L Bulk
Ink Cost	The price for the cartridges/bottle size listed in ink delivery.	$207	$103/$183/$218	$42	$180 / $280	W – $262; Color – $241
Ink Cost Per CC	The cost of ink per cubic centimeter.	$0.34	$0.52/$0.37/$0.32	$0.17	$0.83 / $0.19	$0.26 / $0.24
Ink Circulation System	The internal system that circulates the white ink inside the machine.	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
OEKO-TEX® 100 Certified	An independent testing and certification system for finished textile products.	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
AATCC Wash Test Rating	American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). On a scale of 1-5, this test determines wash fastness and durability of the ink.	5	4.1	Unknown	5	Unknown
Max Print Area	Dimensions of appropriate media size.	16″x20″	16″x18″ with White 16″x21″ Color Only	17.7″x24″	14″x18″	16″x20″
Production Volume on Dark	How many prints you can produce when printing with white ink.	35-45	40	20-25	25	55
Production Volume on Light	How many prints you can produce when printing with color ink.	50-60	45-55	45	32	75
Print Head	The number of and type of print head included.	1- Epson TFP	2-brother	1-Epson DXS	6-Spectra	2- Ricoh Gen 5
Max Print Head Resolution	Measured in DPI (dots per inch).	14400	1200	2880	1200	1200
Software	Image processing software included with purchase.	Garment Creator	Printer Driver	RIP	RIP	RIP
Warranty	Type and length of warranty and coverage with purchase.	1 Yr – Full	1Yr Full – 2nd Yr Limited	2 Yr Parts & Labor	1 Yr Full Warranty	1Yr
Training	Type of product training included with purchase.	On-Site	On-Site	Remote	On-Site	On-Site
Daily Maintenance	Is maintenance required?	Automated	Automated	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-Treatment	Type of pre-treatment necessary.	Offline	Offline	Offline	Integrated	Offline

What is The Best T-shirt Printing Machine For Small Business?

Over the years, there have been various ways of printing garments. Arguably, the most common process is still screen printing, which ensures excellent color and reduced cost for larger printing quantities.

However, the caveat is that if you have a small business and get small orders, screen printing can cost a lot. That is where Direct to Garment (AKA DTG) printing came into play.

Of course, these machines don’t come cheap, which is why you’ll want to make sure that you get the absolute best t-shirt printing machine for small business. And that’s what you’ll find in this review; so, let’s get started.

1. HRM DTG A4 Size Printer – Best for Low Budget

The first printer we have comes from HRM — a brand known for its affordable product lineup. As you know, the upfront cost for a high-end DTG printer may be too much for a small business. That’s where our first pick comes in.

First off, the printing speed for this product is quite decent. It uses the popular print head from Epson, which ensures the best t shirt printing performance at an affordable price point.

The printing size for this product is 210 x 300mm. And being able to print A4 size means that it should suffice for most workloads you get. Moreover, having this compact design means that you will be able to save space.

When you get a new machine like this, the manual plays a significant role. That’s where this product lacks a bit, as it can be challenging for a newbie to get everything set up with ease.

It comes with the free popular printing software called AcroRIP, which supports only Windows OS, meaning you can’t use it on Linux distros or Mac OS. Moreover, the printing speed won’t be close to things like digital sublimation.

But it does well for its size and price. You will need to heat press it, though, before (170° on the Celsius scale) and after printing. Hence, it would be best if you had a heat press with a reasonably high temperature range.

2. HRM A3 Size DTG Printer – Best for Automatic Adjustment

For some people, an A4 size printer might not suffice. Going slightly above and getting an A3 one should help you cover more real estate in those cases. Our next pick is one such product, yet another one from HRM.

It also uses water-based ink, which provides you with high quality prints. Of course, like any other DTG printer, you will need a heat press (be it a clamshell or swing away heat press) and a pre-treating machine.

But investing in a heat press with adjustable pressure can be fruitful in more ways than just heating elements, so it’s not a lost cause. And you can try using a Teflon sheet to get better results too.

There’s a unique bit about this printer too. It can adjust the printable height by itself, thereby lightening your burden. Of course, you can also change it manually if that’s what you prefer.

Regarding the software, this one also uses the free RIP software to allow you to create artworks and print them. And since you use water-based ink with these, it ensures a safer working environment and eco-friendliness.

In terms of the print size, you get a reasonably large 329 x 500 mm dimension. Moreover, when you consider its affordable price tag, this can be an excellent deal for a small business.

3. Punehod Flatbed DTG Printer – Best for Versatility

If you want versatility on your smaller requirements, the next pick should be suitable for you. This one is not only going to print your t-shirt, but also many other printing materials.

As this is a repurposed printer, it retains all of the Epson L800 print head’s basic features. The overall mechanism remains the same too. Heat press the garments on flat surfaces, pre-treat them, and let the printer do the job.

Of course, the plate size makes a huge difference. Regarding the max size, you can get 210 x 290mm prints on your t-shirts. And much like the previous pick on the list, this one also has an automatic height adjustment system.

The research team has come up with a unique circulation system too. It has a circulation function for the white ink, making it into the ink sac and preventing precipitation and nozzle blocking over time.

And unlike methods with transferring prints through a heating element, this bit is crucial for a DTG print system. It also uses a hydraulic track and square rail that ensures that the printing position is accurate.

It doesn’t come with any inbuilt pressing capabilities (no Teflon coating or Teflon coated plate either), so you will need an external heat press. Lastly, its cooling system works exceptionally well.

4. Punehod DTF L1800 DTG Printer – Best Overall

The fourth product we have for you works a bit differently than your traditional DTG printer. Here, you will first have to print your desired design on a film, and then a heating platen will press it on the t-shirt.

That’s not probably what you were expecting from it, eh? It does not have fancy things like a ceramic coated surface or adjustable pressure knobs, but it does the job exceedingly well.

Plus, you don’t even need the transfer paper for fabric; a regular PET film will do perfectly fine. And as with any other DTG printers, you’re mostly limited to cotton garments with no thick, additional layer.

The temperature range is pretty decent, too, although its temperature control could use some work. This shirt printing machine can print A3 designs in terms of size, as print size is around 297 x 420 mm.

This printer also has a reasonably granular digital control using the free AcroRIP software, which is only available for Windows OS. The product also includes 100 sheets of PET film, which is appreciated.

If you haven’t used this kind of printer before, figuring out how to get the optimal heat or how the lower plate or top plate gets things in place can be tricky. But the manufacturer’s excellent customer services make it effortless.

Is it Hard to Sell T-shirts?

People love t-shirts. They can make your entire outfit pop, help you make a statement, or be a conversation starter.

According to Statista, eCommerce sales amounted to $504.6 billion in 2018.

The idea of running your own t-shirt store is an exciting one, but before you get to see the sales coming in, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves a work a little.

There are 4 essential steps you’ll have to take in order to start a successful t-shirt business.

1. Find your target audience and niche.

While you might be the first one in your circle to design and sell t-shirts online, in the wide world of eCommerce, there are a bunch of other merchants chasing the same dream. So before you get to designing and setting up your store, you need to answer one question: who is going to buy your t-shirts?

If your answer is “everyone,” you’re entering a danger zone.

Targeting everyone under the sun is like tilting at windmills.

By making your target too broad, you’ll end up targeting no one.

Doing so will also cost you not only money but also time. And who wants that?

Since you’ve already decided to sell t-shirts, you now are part of the fashion and apparel industry.

While this is a good start, you can probably agree that it doesn’t really help you define your target audience – everyone can wear a t-shirt!

That said, you need to narrow down your audience even more to find a product niche. And here’s how you can do it.

Define your passions and interests.

Nobody else but you will have to run your t-shirt business (at least at the beginning).

So in order to be successful, you need to find a niche that you understand and can market to.

Think of what you are passionate about and what are the interests of people are around you.

Knowing the desires and pain-points of these people is your biggest advantage – you can now generate product ideas that this particular niche will love.

Do your research.

Now it’s time to research your interests and passion on a deeper level.

Find out who are your competitors, what are their strengths and weaknesses to get a better picture of how you could position yourself in the same market.

Scout the web to learn what are local (or global) trends among online shoppers to find a gap in the market for your niche product.

A couple of tools that can help you on this journey are Google Trends, Alexa, and Ahrefs.

Identify a problem you can solve with your product.

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – every product has to solve a problem no matter how big or small it is.

Think beyond beautiful t-shirt design and fast shipping.

Will your t-shirt provide psychological support, help someone express their beliefs to the world, or make them feel part of a community?

2. Set up an online store.

Once you have defined your target market and discovered a product niche, it’s time to set up the real estate of your store.

BigCommerce is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms out there that lets you launch a store in a matter of a few minutes.

Once you create your account, hit “Store setup” in your dashboard that will guide you through important steps of getting your store up. That includes going over:

• Storefront settings.
• Currencies.
• Payments.
• Tax.
• Shipping.
• Accounting.

3. Add products to your store.

BigCommerce offers a number of integrations you can use to source products for your online store, so explore your options.

Probably the easiest way to get started is partnering up with a print-on-demand drop shipper – a third-party service that fulfills and ships your products.

Since all of your products are printed only when the order comes in, you don’t need to worry about any upfront costs.

This also gives more freedom to introduce new products, or discontinue those that are not selling.

Ready to Customize Your Storefront?

BigCommerce is here to help. With Page Builder you can create and edit pages by dragging-and-dropping content, no coding required. 

4. Fail, try again, fail, and keep trying.

Let’s be real, you probably won’t have hundreds of thousand orders coming in just after the launch of your store, but don’t let it put you back.

Being an online store owner requires resilience and creative problem-solving.

While your research has suggested what design will drive sales, your predictions might not match the actual needs of your target audience at this point in time.

That’s why it’s important to give your customers a voice.

Let them decide what products and designs are most attractive to them.

If one design isn’t popular, try something entirely different. And if customers don’t react to the new design, create another one.

Listen to the feedback and keep trying! You’ll get there eventually.

How Much Does it Cost to Make 50 T-shirts?

When calculating your T-shirt printing cost, factoring in quantity is key. If you’re purchasing a small number, you can expect to pay retail prices – think $20-$30 per shirt. 

Now, this price point may be just fine if you’re looking to make a T-shirt for yourself. But if you’re planning on distributing them or selling them, it’s highly inefficient. If you’re buying 50 or more, you’ll pay between $5-10 per shirt – and if you order in bulk (100+), it’s closer to $5 each.

So it’s best to maximize your purchase – but you also need to be careful. If you buy way too many, you can come in at a loss. This is especially important if you’re selling them or if you plan on having your organization member pay for their shirts.

Extra Features Cost Extra Money

The cheapest T-shirts are going to be white shirts. Unfortunately, that might not make your T-shirt stand out very much. If you’re using these shirts for advertising, that’s definitely not a good thing. 

So consider paying more to print on colored shirts. The price difference ranges from $5 in low quantities to $1 in higher quantities. Not all businesses charge more for colored shirts, so be sure to check in with them before ordering.

Companies will also typically charge to print with several ink colors – using two or more colors can increase your T-shirt cost by $2-3. So be sure to keep things simple yet visually appealing.

If you want a design printed on the front and the back, this will also raise your custom T-shirt cost by about $5 per shirt. Of course, the benefit is that your design will be seen no matter what direction the person is facing, but the drawback is, again, the price.

Some companies will also let you add custom embroidery to your T-shirt for an extra fee. 

Don’t Forget Shipping!

Most online T-shirt design companies offer free shipping. But the catch is that they’ll usually incorporate that shipping price into the cost of the shirt.

While it may seem tempting to always choose the free shipping option, it can be better to pay for shipping if the cost of each T-shirt is cheaper. Be sure to calculate all your options before making any decisions.

How Can I Start my Own T-shirt Business With no Money?

If you would like to start a t-shirt business with little to no money, you can do so by using a t-shirt fulfillment company. What a t-shirt fulfillment company will do is, print your design and ship your item directly to your customer.

You can start off by selling shirts for free using a free website builder, such as Wix or Weebly to name a couple. You can start a Free Facebook business page to share your designs or try to sell them to family and friends directly on Facebook. You can ask your Facebook friends to share your mockups and tag you and/or your business.

Now maybe, you are a graphic design artist and you thought about buying your own equipment. Unless you absolutely love printing yourself it is best to leave it to the professionals until you grow your sales. That money for equipment can be used for marketing to make sure that your ideas are working first.

You can open up a free Paypal account and link it to your bank account. You can even request a PayPal debit card. Paypal also has a device that you hook into the aux port on your phone that you can take credit card payments on the go.

Once you finally sell a shirt you then place your order with the fulfillment company, such as us Need T-shirts Now ™ or Your Digital Creator LLC. After you place your order we will ship the shirt to you or your customers. You will want to sign up for a DTG dropship account so that an invoice is not included in the package. Or simply put in your notes, “do not include invoice”. 

You can purchase a white shirt for $7.99 each from Your Digital Creator. USPS first class Shipping is around $3 to $4. Your total cost will be around $11 to $12. You can retail a shirt for $25 or sell them at a lower price around $19.99 each and offer your customer free shipping and still profit around $7 to $8 a shirt without the need to purchase equipment or ever touching the shirt.

How do You Avoid Copyright Infringement With T-shirts?

If the famous quotes are from the public domain, you can generate designs with them. If they’re not in the public domain, you must get authorization for them.

Quotes from authors who are dead for more than 70 years along with common sayings & parodies are legally allowed to put on a t-shirt but quotes from trademark material, literary works of art, and corporate slogans are not allowed at the same time. 

Read Also: Make Money With Government Bonds

Avoid using logos, photos or artwork of a celebrity, and names of companies and brands. Don’t use images or characters from movies, television shows or web series as they all come under copyright issues.

What Are Some Do’s and Don’ts Before Planning Customised T-shirts?

Do’s

1. You can use royalty-free images for t-shirt printing and other trading business
2. If you find any image, clipart or any other things on the public domain, you can use these images as its intellectual property rights have expired
3. When it comes to t shirt printing quotes, you can use any quotes or line of an author from the public domain
4. You can use national symbols and flags as these things are not covered under any copyright or trademark laws
5. If you are creating a parody t-shirt design, you can generally use famous characters that are acknowledged by others

Don’ts 

1. Avoid using logos, trademarks, and names of companies and brands
2. Do not use any photo or artwork of a celebrity as it involves some complex copyright issues. So, avoid that as well
3. If you find an attractive graphic or image that is not registered for commercial use or free use, then neglect using it on your t-shirt design
4. Avoid quoting anything on t-shirts from an author who is alive
5. When creating a t shirt design, you are restricted to use images or characters taken from movies, games and television shows

How Much Money Can You Make With a T-shirt Business?

The answer is… as much as you want. As a business owner, you control everything. The things you can control are:

• How many hours a week you work
• What you sell products for
• Who you sell to
• How much money you want to make for your business.

Since you are in control, the sky is the limit. You can run your business from a spare bedroom or open a retail store. You can sell bulk shirts at low prices and be the lowest bidder in town. You can sell high end clothing and only deal with premium shirts. You can do some of both, its your business.

Apparel	Cost to Make	Retail Price Profit	Quanity	Total Profit
Baseball Hats	$2.40	$15.00	25	$375.00
Baseball Jersey	$11.00	$20.00	15	$300.00
T Shirts	$4.00	$18.00	20	$360.00
–	–	–	–	–
Total			60	$1,035.00

Last Words

The T-shirt printing business is really growing fast. With the new design ideas and the right marketing strategies, you can definitely take your business to the next level. Additionally, don’t just stick to a single type of printing.

Discover more options, so that you can make a mark in the industry. The diversity of the business makes it profitable and with the right printing knowledge, you can certainly make the most of it.