# Printing in China Can I trust them???



## Belinda Flanagan (May 23, 2008)

A bit scared about getting my tshirts printed in China????
Have a Trademark and all artwork is protected by copyright...
But they copy everything!!
And it would cost a bit to try and fight them in court!!!!!!!!!
Our designs are pretty amazing!!!
We have a cartoon charater (multi colored)
Chiness love cartoon charaters!!!!!!!!!!
         
Is it worth the risk???
Waiting to hear back from a few different companies in Australia But they all seem TOO pricey!!!
Where to go what to do ??????????
Not as easy as I thought 
To find a thsirt printing Company that is fair for those who are tring to get there namebrand out in the world and what to sell their designs and make a bit of 
money!!!!!


----------



## VIRIGN-PRINTER (May 21, 2008)

Hi, having watched a number of TV documentaries about child labour in China (they are bought and sold like second hand cars) I have made a point of avoiding Chinese products, the price is cheap but the "added value" won't wash out. Think to yourself why is it cheap to produce in china? slavery! 
Human rights have a price, support your local trader.
By the way I am in the UK, you are in OZ, and we all did history at school.


----------



## sonambulo (Sep 22, 2007)

probably best to print in oz than elsewhere.


----------



## Eforcer (May 9, 2008)

You live & operate in the Great USA. WHy would you send work out with everything we have top offer here. Don't complain about gas & the rising cost of anything, if you feel comfortable sending to foreign land! JMO


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Belinda Flanagan said:


> A bit scared about getting my tshirts printed in China????
> Have a Trademark and all artwork is protected by copyright...
> But they copy everything!!
> And it would cost a bit to try and fight them in court!!!!!!!!!
> ...


Most of the t-shirts you see printed in stores with the amazing artwork or t-shirts from various TV shows are produced in China.

Whether or not you can trust your particular vendor is another story (you can find some tips here in the forums by searching for china or outsourcing in the search box at the top of the page).

But to answer the broader question, yes, people outsource to China (and other countries) every day. If you are doing enough volume (1000's of pieces per design), then it can make sense to try that method of production.

Lots of high end brands are produced there.


----------



## mumzie (May 9, 2008)

I personally would not outsource to China. I have a client who lost a fortune, because the Chinese vendor made a mistake on a 10K run of product, and would not fix it.
Was it fixable?
NO.
He ordered 10K POW/MIA flags - they came back as
YOU ARE NOT ORGOTTEN

They "forgot" the F.


----------



## Bammer (Jun 4, 2008)

I would be very concerned about shipping costs. You could end up paying a whole lot a suki yaki just the get the shirts to you. 

I am trying to find a company here in the USA to get my artwork ready to transfer on t-shirts. I lwt you know how it goes. 

By the way, I don't know if the chinese have a court system as we do here in America. So I guess it would not matter if you got the chile from China, you may not be able to recover any money for damages. 

Shop American is what I say. Try to anyway...


----------



## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

Belinda, If you feel that uncomfortable about it - don't do it. Better to make a little less money and sleep at night, than to worry about having your designs bootlegged.


----------



## studog79 (Jul 13, 2006)

After talking to my sources at the ink and equipment manufacturing companies they say more screen printing is being brought back into the USA. Reasons, 1) Shipment costs. That cargo ship does not have sails. 2) Getting ships unloaded. I have a Sporting Goods Mfg that I buy from that their cargo sits offshore waiting to be unloaded, not enough dock space or labor issues on docks. 3) This is personal because I have had to wait for 1000's of hats and could talk to no one because of the 2 weeks off for Chinese New Years. 4) This I never new is ELELCTRICITY. In the 3rd would companies the steady supply of electric is not avaiable with spikes all the time. Lots of Chinese companies will have heat guns clipped onto there 16 color autos as a flash dryer. Why you might ask? A heat gun is not nearly the AMPS as a flash dryer and the electric grid can not support it. For 8 Hour work day most only get between 4 -6 hours up a day due to electricity.

So why go over seas? It can not be that much cheaper. It sure can not be a special printing technique. Plus UPS, FED EX, USPS at least can deliver your products for a decent price when you need them.


----------



## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

Good points, Stuart, but Belinda is in Australia - so she'll have to factor that into the equation if she can't find a local printer.


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Eforcer said:


> You live & operate in the Great USA. WHy would you send work out with everything we have top offer here. Don't complain about gas & the rising cost of anything, if you feel comfortable sending to foreign land! JMO


Not everyone in the forum operates from the US  

The original poster is from Australia  China actually isn't that far from there and is often used as a place for garment production


----------



## Sheepsalt (Sep 12, 2007)

Manufacturing in China can actually be very beneficial, and it doesn't always have to be a nightmare. You need a reputable broker to help you through the whole process. You need good contracts up front, samples at the beginning, visit the plant at intervals during the manufacturing and prior to shipment. Get clauses in your contract for approvals at each step so they don't cheat and jump ahead.

I actually have an American friend who owns a stained-glass plant in XiaMen. He employs 300 people, and none of them are child slaves - in fact, I've never seen plants with child slaves any of the times I've visited his area. And he has no electrical issues. His plant has several CNC machines that require clean 3-phase power, and they all run without a hitch, so... I guess maybe it depends on where you go, but I tend not to believe everything I see on special news report programs.


----------



## pitbell85 (Mar 12, 2008)

If you have a reputable import/export broker that speaks Chinese and deals w/ China it would be okay, or if you can goto China... otherwise good luck.


----------

