# how to make money with DTG??



## bjparker (Apr 14, 2010)

Hello all, i have a Fast Tjet 2 and im just curious how are any of you actually making money with DTG vs Screen printing? 

i am set up to get shirts wholesale for under 3 or 4 bucks a shirt usually, and still, unless they only want white or light colored Ts (which nobody does) it seems impossible to make any money printing blacks unless you are charging well over 10 or 15 dollars a shirt! Which people laugh me right off the phone at those prices! 

Hell if the image is large enough, the underbase can set you at 4 or 5 bucks in white ink alone, not to mention the price of your shirt, time editing artwork if needed(hopefully not) ,power to run heat press and machine, pretreat and most importantly the time it takes... how is any of this worth it? 

in my town even 10bucks a shirt seems steep to the common folk...how am i supposed to compete with screen printers who can do a black t with white ink (huge design) for 6 or 7 bucks? 

any pricing tips or suggestions anybody can offer me would be very helpful. i know the pros and cons of dtg vs screenprint , i can print hd millions of colors etc, but people dont seem to care about that, especially if its just a one color font they need...please help 

thx
bj


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## designsonyou (Nov 10, 2010)

talk your customers into light colored garments if they are only doing 1 color. we get $25 a shirt if the order is less than a dozen for mutlty colors. we dont charge a "screen charge".. if you are only doing words 1 color then use vinyl for the shirt runs. 
we use the dtg for mutl color shirts all the time, small runs.


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## bjparker (Apr 14, 2010)

thanks for your help, so if somebody came in and said i need 5 black shirts with a 12x12 full color image you would charge them 125$? and they pay that?


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## bjparker (Apr 14, 2010)

designsonyou said:


> talk your customers into light colored garments if they are only doing 1 color. we get $25 a shirt if the order is less than a dozen for mutlty colors. we dont charge a "screen charge".. if you are only doing words 1 color then use vinyl for the shirt runs.
> we use the dtg for mutl color shirts all the time, small runs.


 do you by chance have a price list i could look at?


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## gjwinston (Jun 8, 2007)

Check out bigfrog(dot)com. They are only a dtg printer and I think prices are on their site. Q


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## Cerabus (Nov 3, 2011)

The way my shop makes its money off DTG is by orienting itself by doing lots of smaller orders in many colors. I would emphasize full customization and full effects as you seem to be aware of before talking about pricing at all. If someone really wants lots of design detail, tell them that they're not going to get that from screen printing, especially with small orders under a screen printer's minimum. If your customer decides they can live with a few-color design with little to no customization from shirt to shirt, then you probably won't be able to compete at the prices you're charging.

Also, my store does not charge for doing artwork. You'd be amazed at the value you can create for a customer by making something special and unique just for them. If you're good enough with design to do artwork relatively fast, the time you spend on that is well worth what you'll end up selling as a result. I'm not sure if you handle design at all but at least 75% of our customers don't bring in anything prior to ordering shirts. We do that for them and they love it!

Since DTG, especially a white ink printer, has virtually no limits as to what you can do, emphasize the customization of your product. You should be able to easily sell a custom t-shirt for at least $15.00 or more. That's not guaranteeing every customer is going to like that, but you can't walk into a department store like JC Penney or The Gap and demand a custom printed shirt for that price, if at all. 

While my advice is nowhere near comprehensive to explain why your business model isn't working, what I can tell you is that anyone worth your time that's looking for customized apparel to this level should expect to pay a premium over regular shirts from the department store.

You might also try expanding your market; perhaps creating a brand name with some designs you can sell wholesale to a retail outlet. You can also try selling your products online if you can figure out a way to factor in shipping costs.


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## Cerabus (Nov 3, 2011)

gjwinston said:


> Check out bigfrog(dot)com. They are only a dtg printer and I think prices are on their site. Q


They also do vinyl printing as well, although it tends not be advertised as much.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

bjparker said:


> do you by chance have a price list i could look at?


You can find info on pricing DTG jobs in this section of the forum: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/pricing-dtg-printing-services/


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## Stitch-Up (May 26, 2007)

bjparker said:


> thanks for your help, so if somebody came in and said i need 5 black shirts with a 12x12 full color image you would charge them 125$? and they pay that?


Have you ever asked a screen printer to do you 5 black shirts with a 12x12 full color image?

If not;

1. Do you think he'd take your job on?
2. Do you think he could do them?
3. How much do you think he'd charge per shirt for 5?

If I priced my DTG shirt printing service very low, I would become a busy fool! Print all day and make no money.

Some people will always gasp when you tell them the price, they're 'programmed' that way! Don't waste your time, move on and find the next prospect.

There is plenty of business out there but you have to find it. Do a good job at a fair price and you'll get repeat orders.

But DON'T become a busy fool.


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## bjparker (Apr 14, 2010)

Have you ever asked a screen printer to do you 5 black shirts with a 12x12 full color image?

If not;

1. Do you think he'd take your job on?
2. Do you think he could do them?
3. How much do you think he'd charge per shirt for 5?

If I priced my DTG shirt printing service very low, I would become a busy fool! Print all day and make no money.

Some people will always gasp when you tell them the price, they're 'programmed' that way! Don't waste your time, move on and find the next prospect.

There is plenty of business out there but you have to find it. Do a good job at a fair price and you'll get repeat orders.



Stitch-Up said:


> But DON'T become a busy fool.


thx for the help, thats exactly what ive become, a busy fool, taking orders so as not to lose a customer, but running all day for close to nothing


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## Dante2004 (Aug 23, 2010)

bjparker said:


> Hello all, i have a Fast Tjet 2 and im just curious how are any of you actually making money with DTG vs Screen printing?
> 
> i am set up to get shirts wholesale for under 3 or 4 bucks a shirt usually, and still, unless they only want white or light colored Ts (which nobody does) it seems impossible to make any money printing blacks unless you are charging well over 10 or 15 dollars a shirt! Which people laugh me right off the phone at those prices!
> 
> ...


#1 - No screen printer is going to print small runs for this cost. At least not a TOTAL cost. If they charge a separate screen fee and press setup fee, plus an art fee, they might offer a per piece price that low. But lets say you want 10 shirts. You aren't walking out of the store for $60-70.

#2 - The DTG wasn't designed to compete with a screen printer on an order of 200 black shirts with two colors. Contract that order to a local screen printing shop.

#3 - Focus on what you CAN do that the screen printer can't. Someone brings you a graphic with 4 colors ask them if they would like the same shirt printed with unlimited colors. Sell them on your capabilities. Sell them on the fact that you have zero setup fees, zero minimums and of course no screen fees...if that is in fact the case.


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

bjparker said:


> i am set up to get shirts wholesale for under 3 or 4 bucks a shirt usually, and still, unless they only want white or light colored Ts (which nobody does) it seems impossible to make any money printing blacks unless you are charging well over 10 or 15 dollars a shirt!


DTG isn't cheap, unless you consider all the prepress and time to set up for short runs... then it is cheap. Look at zazzle, Cafepress and the like. There are people who want what they want- on a single tee or just a few, and will pay the price. True, you will not do this for athletic teams and people that expect one color X 2 locations, but you can take a 20 color design that they created, no seps no film no screens and put it on a shirt... they will pay 15-20 for a white shirt no problem.


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## wearstheink (Oct 10, 2008)

Hi --

I am wondering how you are doing, a couple of years later?? I've had a dtg printer for several years that has finally died.... trying to decide whether to invest in another, or just move on. I have had difficulties finding a steady customer base that isn't a sports team wanting 50 of something.

Thanks!


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## Ripcord (Sep 2, 2006)

I've always wondered about this as well. Inkjet transfers are fine for small orders of white shirts, but DTG is definitely the way to go for small orders of dark shirts with multicolor prints. 

The problem as I've seen it, is how many small orders of multicolor shirts can you get? If you can make a profit of $15 per shirt (which seems high...) you would need to print more than 1,300 shirts to pay for the $20,000 machine. That's probably 400-500 individual orders, each needing artwork and setup and heat pressing.

I know a lot of members make good money with DTG...but I've never been able to crunch the numbers.


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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

This year:

1. We will have good quality printers for less than 10K $.
2. We have ink that is only 150$ with execelent specs.

And remember short runs will be the majority of orders if they are not yet. 

Same as with offset printing and large format printing some time ago.


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## Ripcord (Sep 2, 2006)

Smalzstein said:


> And remember short runs will be the majority of orders if they are not yet.
> 
> Same as with offset printing and large format printing some time ago.


I guess we will wait and see. 

I made my living in the offset printing industry for many years, and I agree that electronic formats have largely replaced printing on paper. I don't know if it will be the same for T-shirts. A T-shirt requires physical printing of some kind. You can't view it on a monitor (well you can, but you can't wear it...)

My most profitable work is in the 50-100 range, 1 or 2 spot colors. It's not glamorous, but it pays the bills...and there's no way I could sell it on a DTG at $15 per shirt.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

We sold our DTG K2 because even though we could make money with it we could make more with other products we sell. For dark shirts we could do 4 an hour with a full size print. Lights we could do 20 an hour.


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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

With two a3 machines you can easly do 25 - 30 shirts an hour. 

That's a lot more promising than the speeds of earlier printers


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## nickodeemas (Feb 5, 2011)

We have been printing DTG for 2 years and the best way to make money is go for the end user who will pay $18-25 per shirt for a product that makes them feel good, trade printing is for mugs. we did over 25,000 orders in November, all ones and 2's and made in excess of $70,000 profit, we just ordered five more DTG's for this year, plus 2 tunnel dryers


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## aimagedesign (Sep 2, 2009)

I'm with nickodeemas,
I've been a contract embroider for years. Nickel and dime business. All the headaches and stress. Little reward and no ROI on very expensive machines. 
And more competition from the suppliers who give the embroidery away substituted by their profits in the apparel.
Slowly but surely we are moving into direct sales. And with DTG and vinyl.
Yes... I've been a mug. Hahaha.


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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

Well I personally almost stopped doing retail only contract work. Pay is a lot less but the machines are busy 12 hours a day so it's evens out.


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## Iron Jaw (Jul 1, 2013)

How to make money with DTG?

Sell Epson and Brother consumables for DTG...you'll make money...no problem!


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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

Iron Jaw said:


> How to make money with DTG?
> 
> Sell Epson and Brother consumables for DTG...you'll make money...no problem!


Hahahahahahaha


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## limey (Apr 6, 2006)

Case Point - Guy comes round my house to pressure wash deck. He wants $300 dollars to do it , probably cash in hand ($400 equivlent for us honest tax payers) and he does it in 5 hours.(Just a scenario)
No real skill involved just the ability to get wet and get all the grime off.Pretty good pay eh.
Now what you are undertaking takes skill and cash.
I would rather spend my time with my kids then mess around with people who want to pay me less then minimum wage for cranking up an expensive machine and getting more bags under my eyes from trying to fix their pitiful artwork.
When you quote add a price comparison for the customer comparing the job to conventional Silk Screen printing based on numbers colors etc based around your local silk screeners costs.
Also, if you are lucky enough to own a DTG then create your own brands and go door to door to all the bars and shops around your area and show them your ability , lots of small companies want only a few shirts at a time.
Don't be put off by cheap skates, spend time on your stuff and marketing or kids and family rather then dealing with these people.
Just my opinion , I need to lie down.


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## clippernate34 (Dec 24, 2013)

This is a great topic as I am just about to dive into DTG I am lucky to be sub leasing a spot at a screen printing place. So if I do get big orders will farm them to them. But my idea was mainly to focus on sports add ons and small business and clubs.

Example youth football make shirts for the parents with team name and kids # on the back.
Small business karate studios etc.. small restaurants tons of places in that area.
Clubs all the way from dodgeball clubs to college clubs like a debate team to College fraternities and sororities. I also think high school clubs can be a great area to get sales because like it has been stated no real screen printer will touch a job of less than 50 units and most wont touch a job under 72 to 100 just the time to get the machines setup and so forth its just not worth it. 

I would love to hear of any other places where you guys have had success getting orders.


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## clippernate34 (Dec 24, 2013)

I also have a question to the people that have been doing this for a little bit. 

Say you get a business that runs 10 shirts you charge them say 12 to 15 per shirt. Then say in a month he wants to order like 5 shirts as he has added new staff since all the artwork and setup work has been done do you give him any deal or charge him the 5 shirt price? Wanted to know how you really keep your clients. Cause I do not want to lose anyone and it would be a simple reprint but in my area not too many people doing what I will be doing so I feel like I could be letting $$$ go out the door.

Lastly do you charge to deliver to them? If so for like a 20 min drive.


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## limey (Apr 6, 2006)

If you thought there was a possibility of a repeat order then at front end i would offer a screen retention service for a fee say $30 per screen to cover it just sitting there (or being used 
Then yoU can print almost on demand.Just demand what you are comfortable farting around with min numbers , single screen print ok multi color job more of a pain.
If you want to spend your money on gas for delivery then pick out a few cold call places on the way to make your trip worth while, show them the job you are dropping off.
Always look at your time and what it is worth to you.
Best of luck and don't let anyone put you off your goals.

Sean


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## aimagedesign (Sep 2, 2009)

Typically I would charge the 5 shirt price. Or, if this the first time he's come back, charge him the same cost as 10 shirts but 'warn' him future orders will be priced accordingly. If you let this go... He'll be showing up next with one or two shirts.
We have to set the customers expectations.


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## Inspired Buffalo (Nov 10, 2013)

I hate to give away any of my tips but maybe you can think on this.
We have tried to develop somewhat of a co-opp if you will here in our city.

What I mean by that is that we have actually partnered with a couple of screen printers in our area do take there short runs. We will even do 1 shirt if required.
We seem to get the best of both worlds without investing in screen printing ourselves. One thing we all hated was turning down any job. No matter how small or seemily a waste of time.

In turn we give any run we get over 200 hundred to a screen printer. Any shirt that people want that is of the under armour type we give to the screen printer also.
We split the profits. Yes you might not make as much but I have always thought volume instead of larger propfit for one shirt.

We have many other things we do. That is just one. We have thought outside the box right from the beginning on this. We have only been in business a year but have never borrowed a penny. It has self sustained. 

We are also looking into expanding from T Shirts to other products. Keep your overhead low. We work right from our house. Basemant is set up as a mini print shop. Get on the internet also.


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