# Versatranz, has anyone used them



## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

Does anyone have experience with Versatranz's custom transfers? 

I have a customer that is VERY picky and I have to provide them with a sample before I place an order. 
Because it would be a gang sheet with a front and back design, it would cost me $20 a shirt for the first 10 shirts just to provide them an in hand sample, that they may not approve if I buy them thru transfer express. I made a mistake with this customer and ordered the entire order and after 10 samples, they don't like it. So now I'm out the $$ for the rest of the 150 designs that I purchased. Needless to say, I've learned my lesson!!

I'd like to learn from your lesson's and experiences please. 

TIA
Trixie


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Are you thinking Versatranz will be much different than Transfer Express?....Most transfer makers are very similar so maybe the problem is your client versus the supplier....

As far as "Pre-Production" samples......I charge huge money for them and they have a huge cost....


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

royster13 said:


> Are you thinking Versatranz will be much different than Transfer Express?....Most transfer makers are very similar so maybe the problem is your client versus the supplier....
> 
> As far as "Pre-Production" samples......I charge huge money for them and they have a huge cost....


I just wanted to make sure the quality is the same. 

it would be cheaper for me to do a sample thru Versatranz, than thru Transfer express. 

Yes, I know it's my customer that is the problem. This is a different design, but same customer. I finally told my customer that his expectations are unrealistic and good luck trying to find someone to provide what he is looking for. ( it's a church ) Now I'm quoting their vacation bible shirts, completely different logo, but still I know how picky they are!


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

What is the customer's problem with the work? Was it too heavy? Be sure to order an extra one to keep in your shop as a prop so when someone has questions they can feel the product. Our church is pretty much lowest price wins so they can't really be judgmental about the quality as long as it looks ok. I would check out F&M also. Their cheap custom one color (sport formula) does have a medium hand to it. The fashion formula is lighter. It just depends on what they're being picky on though. Don't try and eat the samples though, they're going to be very expensive compared. In fact, I'd just ask versatrans and TE for samples of their work and press and call it good enough. Give the transfer co's a call and explain to them your problem and ask if they can send you the closest sample to what you will be doing. Press it out and then draw up a contract stating that the shirts will feel like the sample and be comparable. Make them pay for the transfers up front and then when they get there press one shirt and let them come and inspect it. Be sure to cover yourself on the transfers. Just because they're from a church doesn't mean they aren't a snake in the grass looking for free shirts. If it all comes in and they don't like it then give them the stack of transfers that they already paid for and sever your relationship and future business. Some people give asprin a headache.


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

drdoct said:


> What is the customer's problem with the work? Was it too heavy? Be sure to order an extra one to keep in your shop as a prop so when someone has questions they can feel the product. Our church is pretty much lowest price wins so they can't really be judgmental about the quality as long as it looks ok. I would check out F&M also. Their cheap custom one color (sport formula) does have a medium hand to it. The fashion formula is lighter. It just depends on what they're being picky on though. Don't try and eat the samples though, they're going to be very expensive compared. In fact, I'd just ask versatrans and TE for samples of their work and press and call it good enough. Give the transfer co's a call and explain to them your problem and ask if they can send you the closest sample to what you will be doing. Press it out and then draw up a contract stating that the shirts will feel like the sample and be comparable. Make them pay for the transfers up front and then when they get there press one shirt and let them come and inspect it. Be sure to cover yourself on the transfers. Just because they're from a church doesn't mean they aren't a snake in the grass looking for free shirts. If it all comes in and they don't like it then give them the stack of transfers that they already paid for and sever your relationship and future business. Some people give asprin a headache.


Thanks! It wasn't the transfers, the weight or the ink. My problem isn't with TE, it was the logo that the church has. It has alot of shading and it's difficult to reproduce onto a shirt without dtg. And of course they want cheapest possible. So dtg is out. They want the same image on several different media and as much as I've tried to explain that different media have different processes, he's just not being realistic with what he wants. I have learned my lesson big time. I did about 10 samples, trying to get the image exactly like he wanted, adjusting the original transfer because I had already purchased 150. Then figured we try the digital route, so I purchased the minimum and he didn't like that one either. Yes, I have samples of the weight, feel, and how they look, but it was how his logo looks that he didn't like. 

I have read some other posts and I just have to come up with a set up fee and leave it at that. 

Thanks so much for your post


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

There is a price to getting an education and you just paid some tuition......It is an investment that you have learned from and will use again in the future.....So not all is lost....Just keep plugging away....


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

royster13 said:


> There is a price to getting an education and you just paid some tuition......It is an investment that you have learned from and will use again in the future.....So not all is lost....Just keep plugging away....


 
I like how you think! In the voice of Dori from Finding Nemo....just keep swimming, swimming.....LOL


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

Ahhhh, like the customer that demands gradients in their embroidery designs but then doesn't understand why 2 different thread colors can't duplicate what 16.5 million colors can. Another thing you COULD do is cad printz from Stahls. I've got to warn you though, if you do a whole sheet on a shirt it's cumbersome to wear. But you can have it cad cut out and it looks just like inkjet. They say it lasts more than 50 washes. I think you'll just have to have the come to Jesus talk with the guy and explain to him that it's not that he's unreasonable, it's just that he's expecting something that is either impossible or very specialized (expensive). Our church pays like $3 for their shirts so there's no way I can touch them.


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

drdoct said:


> Ahhhh, like the customer that demands gradients in their embroidery designs but then doesn't understand why 2 different thread colors can't duplicate what 16.5 million colors can. Another thing you COULD do is cad printz from Stahls. I've got to warn you though, if you do a whole sheet on a shirt it's cumbersome to wear. But you can have it cad cut out and it looks just like inkjet. They say it lasts more than 50 washes. I think you'll just have to have the come to Jesus talk with the guy and explain to him that it's not that he's unreasonable, it's just that he's expecting something that is either impossible or very specialized (expensive). Our church pays like $3 for their shirts so there's no way I can touch them.


 
Exactly!!! I did do the cad prints, he didn't like those either  It gave it a glare look. The image is a sun rising behind a mountain...on black shirts, black moutain....white letters of the church name. 

And the shirts looked awesome btw...have had several people see them and comment on how awesome they look. These same people are ordering because of his shirts that he doesn't like LOL. Same with a coffee mug I did. So I now have custom samples ( very expensive samples ) LOL. 

I "think" the church will be back with the original order once they realize they can't get what they want anywhere else. 

Thanks for the support and opinions. I don't feel so bad now for telling them I can't give them a sample, but a computer sample will have to do. And I feel confident in telling them so, Thanks to everyone here. So THANK YOU!!!


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

I think you "graduated" to the next grade.....So as in Finding Nemo "Keep swimming".....I like that line....


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## Jbanuelos85 (Jan 1, 2012)

Versatranz transfers have the same look and feel as most screen priinted heat transfers. Try requesting a sample kit, i got mine 2-3 days after i requested so the customer can feel the softhand and a sample of what it could look like.


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## Fenrir (Mar 13, 2012)

At this point I would simply refuse to work for them. If they drive everyone else in the area as crazy as they're driving you, nobody will take the job. If he's high up (or the pastor!) they're up a creek. If he's just middle management, they'll have to get rid of him. You are not "hurting the kids" (or whomever these shirts are benefiting), he is. If I wasn't worried about slander I'd be discreetly calling any competitors I have a good relationship with and warning them.

There's a lot of jokes about bad customers out there but it's rare that you actually get one that's not worth the air it takes to talk to him. This sounds like one of them.


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

Fenrir said:


> At this point I would simply refuse to work for them. If they drive everyone else in the area as crazy as they're driving you, nobody will take the job. If he's high up (or the pastor!) they're up a creek. If he's just middle management, they'll have to get rid of him. You are not "hurting the kids" (or whomever these shirts are benefiting), he is. If I wasn't worried about slander I'd be discreetly calling any competitors I have a good relationship with and warning them.
> 
> There's a lot of jokes about bad customers out there but it's rare that you actually get one that's not worth the air it takes to talk to him. This sounds like one of them.


Yes, it's their "new" pastor and agreed! 

here's their logo...beautiful logo on a sign and magnet  And here is the logo in CAD by TE


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## hbapparel (Jan 16, 2012)

I use versatrans all the time since they are only about an hour away. I really like them. Really very little to no difference in feel compared to regular screen print. Only had one issue and hoping to get that resolved. I ordered a hundred transfers that had the grey so thin it comes right off the shirt. 

I would either contract it out to a printer that can do halftones or look at F&M's 4 color process transfers. Most companies, including Versatranz can do 4 color process, but F&M has the best price and I really like the feel. I did this for a job that had lots of half tones and they came out great.


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

So now I've got to wonder because I looked them up. How many shirts are they planning on buying? The only reason I'm asking is that it doesn't look like it's that big of a church at all. Especially that big of a potential customer to deal with this. I think both of the pictures look great that you posted. Of course a magnet or sign is going to look perfect because it's printed flat and on stable material. I'd just let them go.


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

drdoct said:


> So now I've got to wonder because I looked them up. How many shirts are they planning on buying? The only reason I'm asking is that it doesn't look like it's that big of a church at all. Especially that big of a potential customer to deal with this. I think both of the pictures look great that you posted. Of course a magnet or sign is going to look perfect because it's printed flat and on
> stable material. I'd just let them go.


They were going to order quite a few ( to me it was a lot ) Good News is I did get the approval on the VBS shirts, so that one is a go  Thanks for letting me vent


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