# do I need a graphic design course to start a screen printing business?



## fiveb.c (Jun 17, 2008)

Hi there,I am at the grassroots of starting up a small screeprinting buisness.My wife is currently sitting a buisness course to learn the admin side and i was going to sit a graphic design course which is 1 year duration.I have since had second thoughts about this.My question , if someone can help me isO I NEED TO SIT A GRAPHIC DESIGN COURSE TO START UP MY BUISNESS? Or should i learn to use the software as i go?I have been printing shirts for about 3 years now and we want to do it full time as opposed to a hobby and the money for the cost of the course would be handy to start the buisness also. HELP!


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

*Re: Starting up t shirt buisness*

I'm not sure I'd take a year-long graphic design course. You'd probably do just as well spending the money on a vector art program like CorelDRAW or Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop as a raster program, buy a tutorial book and learn how to use those tools. A graphic design course won't teach you anything about the technical aspects of the software as it applies to screenprinting (I'm assuming here that you are screenprinting, not doing DTG or transfers). As far as becoming a designer, ultimately you learn by looking at other people's stuff and creating your own. You can probably pick up a book or two on design that might help you get a grasp of some of the principles that make for good design. You don't actually have to be an artist to design, but if you have any art skills, it helps a lot.


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## fiveb.c (Jun 17, 2008)

Hey thanks for the advice Tom(Tpitman)That has helped me make my decision.But there belies a factor here!Because we are receiving a benefit from social welfare while we are starting our buisness up,their criteria is that i must sit some kind of training course to upskill myself.Hence the reason i was gonna do the graphics course.But if i don't do the course (and save $3000 also) i still have to do something in order to keep them off my back!Could you recommend anything that would pertain to the screenprinting buisness in the way of a training course or something similar? Perhaps i should do buisness studies also aye?
Your wisdom would be much appreciated!


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

I actually got into the screen printing industry as a graphic design student. I started working one summer as a designer, and continued for 3 years. I then learned the production end of the business, which seems to be opposite of what most people do. I found the design end more difficult than the production end to learn. I'm sure that I will continue to get better at both with time, but design skills have to evolve with the times, and it is all subjective. There is nothing more difficult than extracting a design concept from a customer, and putting on paper what they have envisioned in their head. I think that taking a course would be a worthwhile investment. If nothing else, it will train you to use the programs that are required for the business.


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## jlee199 (Mar 21, 2006)

There are a couple of sources for DVDs that can help. Advance Artist (advanceartist.com) has some great DVDs as well as some onsite free tutorials. Scott Fresner has some DVDs that are a big help.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

There are also online training resources such as advanced artist, Maybe you can do something like that? I wonder if it would qualify?


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

Jinx John you owe me a coke haha


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## John1566 (Mar 12, 2008)

Check out Inkscape. There are quite a few videos out there. And its free.


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

fiveb.c said:


> Hey thanks for the advice Tom(Tpitman)That has helped me make my decision.But there belies a factor here!Because we are receiving a benefit from social welfare while we are starting our buisness up,their criteria is that i must sit some kind of training course to upskill myself.Hence the reason i was gonna do the graphics course.But if i don't do the course (and save $3000 also) i still have to do something in order to keep them off my back!Could you recommend anything that would pertain to the screenprinting buisness in the way of a training course or something similar? Perhaps i should do buisness studies also aye?
> Your wisdom would be much appreciated!


I came into the screenprinting biz as a graphic designer of 30+ years. Decided I could design better t-shirts than some of the stuff I saw, and was (is?) gonna start up a site selling some of my own stuff (how many times have you heard that?). Plus I like doing things by hand. With everything going digital, I like the process of screenprinting. Anyway, from many comments I've read on forums (you should also check out screenprinters.net forums) many people in the know say the biggest obstacle to a successful screenprinting business is that people don't know anything about BUSINESS. I think that's the toughest part. Everyone gets jazzed on doing the art, buying the equipment, and so on, but often struggle actually running things so that they make any real money. As others have mentioned, there are many resources out there to learn the programs, and truthfully, designing is a neverending process. Your time might be best spent on the business course. In the long haul, it might do you the most good, and meanwhile, get the graphics programs you need, get some tutorials, and practice. Good tutorials are available from Lynda.com. I've bought a couple from there (book and CD) and they're very well done. Adobe has "Classroom in a Book" series for their programs that are good also. Look at t-shirts when you're out. Try not to stare at women's chests too long, though ;-). Go to Emptees - Tees and look at some of the stuff people are doing. This is all stuff geared towards the youth market, and generally meant for preprint if it eventually gets printed at all, but there is some talent there and shows shirt design trends. You can also go to the Industry Links (at the top of the page) at screenprinters.net, and look at the sites of the artist who list their business there. These are people who ARE designing for t-shirts, and tend to be more practical as far as the type of shirts they design . . . in other words they're shirts for businesses or events, which is the bulk of t-shirt printing for most small scale screenprinters.
One other thing, if you're attending a real school, like a community college, for whatever classes you end up taking, take advantage of the extremely discounted software in the bookstore. I personally use Adobe Illustrator (since Illustrator 88) as a vector program, because that's what's used in graphic design for the commercial printing industry and advertising. Most screenprinters use Corel, I think mainly because of the price, and while it comes bundled with PhotoPAINT (which is a raster program) I think almost everyone uses Photoshop as the preferred raster program.


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## fiveb.c (Jun 17, 2008)

Hey thanks a million guys.I don't think i'm gonna do the course but i'm gonna try and do some sort of work experience with a screenprint company if i can find one who'll let me?(even if i work for free)I will keep learning the graphics part as much as i can(can't get around it anyway)Nevertheless, Screen printing world here we come!


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## fiveb.c (Jun 17, 2008)

ImageIt said:


> If you owned a successful business, would you want to train people intent on being your competition???
> 
> Screen printing is a profession, not get rich quick scheme.
> 
> ...


Hey thanks Fred? Or not? I'm not really sure what you are saying to me? Are you encouraging me or discouraging me?


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## Catbox (Oct 3, 2007)

If you have been printing for 3 years than you should be pretty knowledgable... Learning graphics takes time and desire... if you wan't it you will figure out a way... There will be plenty of people who tell you can't... prove them wrong... 

even though the school didn't work out that well for the guys wife above even with his help... he says she is only qualified for entry level... go for it and also check out the zillions of graphics tutorials online and in books...


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## fiveb.c (Jun 17, 2008)

Ok y'all, i think i need to clear the air here and lay all my cards on the table!Frstly my apologies to you Fred for my comment to your thread (no offence intended!)Secondly,this is where i'm at. Although iv'e been printing for 3 years iv'e only printed shirts and hoodies for family and friends.I am not a registered screenprinter but i do have some knowledge of the buisness.I use old versions of photoshop(7) and illustrator(10) which still do the job for me(i do intend to update my software) . But i haven't come across a design i couldn't print(although i hope to get faster in time)and i have certainly made my fair share of mistakes.But now we are wanting to turn our passion for screenprinting into a full time buisness and make a living from it at the same time.I'm just trying to find out everything i need to know about this unique buisness and everything i need to do through this wonderful forum and from those whov'e walked the walk and are now in buisness themselves so that i might be better prepared and be aware of the hidden pitfalls!


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

If you've been printing with anything more sophisticated than a Speedball kit, and can get around in Illustrator and Photoshop (and the versions you're using now will certainly do the job for now), I'd take the business course. If there's one your wife isn't taking, take that one. You're not likely to become a great graphic designer by taking a class. If you insist on taking a graphics class, try to find one that teaches you something about art for screenprinting, specifically how to set jobs up in preparation for screenprinting, but there again, there are books or DVDs available that help you with that, along with the help people on these forums will give you.
Most graphic design courses don't teach you anything practical as far as creating art that is usable. In the commercial offset printing environment I come from, I can tell you that the bulk of stuff you get from customers is crap that you can't use. Half the time it's easier to recreate the whole job than to try to get the customer to fix their own. Even now with the computer-to-plate systems printers have gone to where you don't have to manually set traps for spot color work, the art comes in all f#^ked up. We used to get stuff from Disney Design Group that looked great but was a ***** to prep for outputting to film. They didn't give a damn how hard it was to separate, and the thing is, if they'd known what they were doing, they could have built all that into the job as they were creating it, but I'll guarantee you that the schools those guys attended never addressed making a job press-friendly.


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## SketchBox (Jan 4, 2008)

short answer no. Long answer, you cant teach true artistic skill, the only thing you would be learning is how to use the programs involved and usefull techniques I would guess. I havent had any formal training and after figuring out how to use corel and other programs as I go on my own I dont feel hindered at all, in fact I think I may be more comfortable with everything as I have deveoped my own way of working. If you want to work for someone else that course on you resume would be excellent if you dont care about that, I personal didnt see the point in spending the money and time to learn things someone elses way.


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## SketchBox (Jan 4, 2008)

lessons are best learned first hand. what is going here?


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## KirstWhite (May 31, 2008)

I would have to agree that you don't need a graphic design "course" to be good at what you love to do. If you've had any degree of success in this business, even at a family & friends level, have a creative mind and a reasonable business sense, you can do it! I started my business just a year ago with absolutely no experience and now am expanding and growing at a rate I never would have expected. Don't be afraid to tell everyone you know that you're in this business -- you might be surprised at all the people you know who needs shirts for some event, club or group. Have fun & good luck!!


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## fiveb.c (Jun 17, 2008)

Hey thanks again tpitman.Iv'e got lots to mull on.Off the cuff,when you were talking about colour traps do you mean seperating the colours for multicolour print jobs?


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## 2011scottc73 (Aug 3, 2011)

Hi mate im at a similar stage to you as reguards to starting printing. How have you gone about things reguarding dhss? Are you on enterprise scheme? I keep asking if there is any funding i can get but they keep sending me down a blind alley!


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