# Online Tshirt Design Tool - ShirtTools vs DecoNetwork



## xballicon

I've been reviewing online t-shirt design solutions for months now and have narrowed the selection process down to two options, Shirt Tools (ShirtTools online garment designer software) and DecoNetwork/Piki (Wilcom DecoNetwork). 

The basic difference between the two tools is one is a stand-alone one-time purchase (Shirt Tools) and the other is a recurring software as a service with affiliate stores option (DecoNetwork).

Outside of those key differences, I'm wondering if anyone has recent as in 2009 comments regarding the pros and cons of the two systems. Specifically how the systems are working for your business and are they meeting your customers needs for online design and fulfillment.

Any other feedback you have regarding backend functionality and designing the site with your own look and feel would be appreciated. 

Like I said, I've been researching for quite a while and would like to get some real user feedback prior to making a final decision.

Thanks for your help.


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## swannn32

Umm - I don't have either of those, but just looking at the shirt tools one brings up some questions. . . 
Since you only pay once, do you ever get an update of their software. Also, if you are doing screenprinting, then the shirt tools one is lacking in design capabilities - like, you can't change the color of the clip art and the clip art on the administration side is not in the proper format (vector) for screenprinting. If you are just printing on a direct to garment machine, then that part won't matter so much.
Wilcom is a company that has been around for awhile (doing other things too - not just this). I've never heard of Shirt Tools till just now. 
So that is my opinion. Maybe it'll help?


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## MissEden

I've been researching this for a while as well and hadn't heard of shirt tools before your post.
I love the idea of not paying a comission but the shirt tools site is lacking in... well in just about everything important!
there's no information there at all other than the price, a video isn't enough- where are the terms and conditions? What are you actually buying? I would need to see this kind of information in writing before I would make such an expensive purchse.
It's very quick to take you to a payment site without offering any real information.
Why is the price in dollars?? The people in the video are British and the site is based in the UK, can't really understand why it's in dollars...
In fact, the more I think about it and the more I look at the site the more I wonder about Shirt tools, it looks a little dodgy to me.


On top of that the guy in the video is a bit shifty looking for my liking...


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## TPrintDesigner

Swann32- 

*ShirtTools* is for DTG, sublimation in fact any sort of digital printing. You get free bugfixes for as long as you use the product. Version upgrades are chargable.

The files ARE in vector .swf format. We export to .png with transparent backgrounds.


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## TPrintDesigner

MissEden-

Agreed, the main site is missing a lot of content. This will be addressed shortly after we have finished upgrading existing customers from V.1

ShirtTools started out life three years ago as a very basic online designer named "TPrintDesigner". The latest version 2.0 is a total rewrite of that early software consisting of a new UI and lots more features. The reason it is priced in $USD is because it is a worldwide product. You will find that Wilcom DecoNetwork do exactly the same. As for being dodgy? We are a registered U.K business with a clearly displayed address and contact telephone number.


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## epichouse

Found something really weird.

When I clicked on BUY NOW in shirttools site, why is there a header DecoNetwork Solutions in the Paypal site?

Kinda' makes me thing that DecoNetwork and shirttools is under the same company.

Please clarify.


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## TPrintDesigner

Hi epichouse

ShirtTools and DecoNetwork are not the same company.

DecoNetwork Solutions is the name of my company and I am lucky enough to be able to sell both systems. They appeal to opposite ends of the market so there is no conflict of interest.

You can read about my link to ShirtTools here: DecoNetwork and Wilcom. About us

Also here: Wilcom DecoNetwork.com | Wilcom Offers Support & Training For Successful DecoNetwork Stores

Regards
Dean






epichouse said:


> Found something really weird.
> 
> When I clicked on BUY NOW in shirttools site, why is there a header DecoNetwork Solutions in the Paypal site?
> 
> Kinda' makes me thing that DecoNetwork and shirttools is under the same company.
> 
> Please clarify.


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## Riderz Ready

There are a lot of factors that go into the which on-line designer is best and the issue is there really is no good way to truly understand them in detail until you literally install and put them to use. We installed and used OSS Designer, RSK and Pikiware (Deco). All really different and all had plus and minuses. Piki was the best and most flexible product on the market from a feature/function standpoint and development tools standpoint especially if you are a digital printer or dye sub printer. If one was a screen printer then OSS might be a better choice. Piki was bought by Wilcom and the whole emphasis went from digital printing to embroidery. Not sure if all the features were we hoping for years back are implemented today. More important then all of this is your target market. Most of us our cumputer and design savvy thus a lot of the on-line design stuff makes sense but how many people out there can go on line and really put together a decent shirt? I can tell you not many.


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## spiderx1

I went to the demo site, One problem I had was contraining the size when I made larger or smaller. Something simple I am sure.


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## TPrintDesigner

Hi spiderx1

This is something that I have been told more than once. For this reason I have just changed the code to make ShirtTools constrain the X and Y coordinates to keep selections to scale.




spiderx1 said:


> I went to the demo site, One problem I had was contraining the size when I made larger or smaller. Something simple I am sure.


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## edua

I have been so interested in getting this program, the only thing that is holding me back is I have been told it can't be integrated with the shopping cart I"m using currently.
I really don't feel like changing carts again I really like INTERSPIRE E-COMERCE as a platform for selling online.

Can you let me know id this actually true? that ShirtTools can not be integrated with INTERSPIRE Ecomerce cart.


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## TPrintDesigner

Hi

If we integrated ShirtTools into different carts then we would have to support those carts and keep ontop of all the updates and bugfixes that they release. That would be a huge undertaking.

Pinnacle Cart does everything we need and more, they just released version 3.7.4 which is PA-DSS compliant and has loads of new features that suit the garment business such as managing stock by attribute (size/color relationship) and web2 candy like comments and voting. I still haven't found a better cart for SEO and 3.7.4 takes it to another level. PHP Shopping Cart Software | eCommerce Website Solution | Storefront Design | Hosted Shopping Cart | Online Store Builder

ShirtTools V.3 is nearly ready for release. Follow me on twitter for updates.

Regards
Dean









edua said:


> Can you let me know id this actually true? that ShirtTools can not be integrated with INTERSPIRE Ecomerce cart.


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## edua

yep its totally understandable. I shall be making a decision by next month.


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## ricksgan

Shirttools is now available in Canada, here is an ad from Kijiji: ** ++ SCREENPRINTERS... Online TShirt Design - City of Toronto Computer Services - Kijiji City of Toronto


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## Daniel Slatkin

After 2 years of trying to run a piki/deco network powered affiliate system, we found support to be lacking, promised updates never came, software changed direction every time you turned around, and their pricing structure went through the roof! eventually we were forced to cancel and seek a different direction for our business.


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## Daniel Slatkin

On-line Jerseys said:


> There are a lot of factors that go into the which on-line designer is best and the issue is there really is no good way to truly understand them in detail until you literally install and put them to use. We installed and used OSS Designer, RSK and Pikiware (Deco). All really different and all had plus and minuses. Piki was the best and most flexible product on the market from a feature/function standpoint and development tools standpoint especially if you are a digital printer or dye sub printer. If one was a screen printer then OSS might be a better choice. Piki was bought by Wilcom and the whole emphasis went from digital printing to embroidery. Not sure if all the features were we hoping for years back are implemented today. More important then all of this is your target market. Most of us our cumputer and design savvy thus a lot of the on-line design stuff makes sense but how many people out there can go on line and really put together a decent shirt? I can tell you not many.


 
I agree from experience not many average customers can use an online designer.


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## TPrintDesigner

Amen. 

If a user becomes frustrated they close the browser and find somewhere else. The "techies and design savvy" people create art in a graphics program and upload to the designer as a finished piece.

In the early days of Shirttools I was always being asked to add more features like outline text, shadows and the like. Now we win business because of our simplicity.




Daniel Slatkin said:


> I agree from experience not many average customers can use an online designer.


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## vallians

I'm very interested in buying shirttools .com for my online store, but I still don't have enough money for $1500 . It's a good software. Maybe someday the price will decrease until $150 and I can buy it 
Now I still design it manually using photoshop


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## nolantmc

I like ossdesigner. It has been very well for us. You can see my site at www.xgtees.com
There are a couple things i would like to see upgraded but for the most part it has been very good for the buisness. 
thanks


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## awajuknod

Just purchased shirttools a little while back, still implementing into our site now... I will keep you updated once we are live and able to give and honest opinion....


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## huwJ

Im based in the UK,as far as i can see its all ok as a Company,looks a simple tool and not that expensive.I think its priced in US Dollars due to fact they think a Worldwide market is out there and everbody understands Dollars !


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## huwJ

awajuknod said:


> Just purchased shirttools a little while back, still implementing into our site now... I will keep you updated once we are live and able to give and honest opinion....


Im just asking how shirtools is going,Im looking to change from RSK tech,the guys from Wilcom have been on the telephone and it seems very good but a big price to pay on sales % to them etc


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## kevinjh

I bought Shirttools about two months when I opened my new business. I did not get much of an opportunity to work on it before the past couple weeks but now that I have invested the time into trying to go live with it I am very disappointed in my purchase.

First, it takes forever to get the images of the shirts (or whatever) loaded so they can be used in the designer area.

Second, it only includes 5 fonts....yes, that's correct, 5 fonts! I accept some responsibility for this because I guess I did not ask the right questions upfront, but seriously, how can you have an online designer that only has 5 fonts to choose from. Then when I sent them an email I was told it was an additional $200 to get 10 more fonts.

Third, if you want to offer 10 colors of a particular style (i.e. Hanes 5280), then you need to upload each color as a separate item. I have two styles online right now, one Hanes and one Anvil, and I have had to upload 78 images. Even better yet, it appears that I have now maxed out my available space and cannot upload anything else for use in the designer. Where do I go from here? Do I only upload one color shirt and then have people guess what it will look like on a different color when they go to design their shirt?

At this point I have no idea what to do. Do I consider this purchase a total waste of $1300 since it certainly is not going to give me what I wanted? I am very tempted to just use a free Bodek & Rhodes site since at least their designer works properly.

I had really hoped that Shirttools would be a great tool for my business and would give me an avenue by which I could offer customers the ability to have a wide variety of choices and the ability to design their own shirt but at this point I have nothing but a $1300 charge on my credit card and a barely functional website.

I would advise anyone considering the purchase of this software to think twice....the low cost may be enticing but the results are far from acceptable.


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## Riderz Ready

Sad to hear. The trouble with on-line design tools is you really never know until you have the time to install and test to determine how well they function. We know from experience as in the last three years we have bought and installed OSS, RSK, Piki/Deco and now Inksoft. The whole key to this is how easy it is for an average Joe to create a design. Without this it is pointless. We purchased Inksoft just a couple weeks ago and literally only a few days of taking it live. I would suggest taking a look at it as for us it is finally the system we have been waiting for all this time. They are very open to customer suggestions and working with people to assist them in becoming successful. They are also very tuned into the whole social media craze. Users can save and auto post their designs straight to Facebook. I


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## foot print

The bodeck and Rhodes on-line designer tool is actually very cool.. And the price is right FREE..!!!! And they set it up for you and make it user friendly.. As soon as I get my website back up I will have a link to my B.R. Site they provided


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## huwJ

kevinjh said:


> I bought Shirttools about two months when I opened my new business. I did not get much of an opportunity to work on it before the past couple weeks but now that I have invested the time into trying to go live with it I am very disappointed in my purchase.
> 
> First, it takes forever to get the images of the shirts (or whatever) loaded so they can be used in the designer area.
> 
> Second, it only includes 5 fonts....yes, that's correct, 5 fonts! I accept some responsibility for this because I guess I did not ask the right questions upfront, but seriously, how can you have an online designer that only has 5 fonts to choose from. Then when I sent them an email I was told it was an additional $200 to get 10 more fonts.
> 
> Third, if you want to offer 10 colors of a particular style (i.e. Hanes 5280), then you need to upload each color as a separate item. I have two styles online right now, one Hanes and one Anvil, and I have had to upload 78 images. Even better yet, it appears that I have now maxed out my available space and cannot upload anything else for use in the designer. Where do I go from here? Do I only upload one color shirt and then have people guess what it will look like on a different color when they go to design their shirt?
> 
> At this point I have no idea what to do. Do I consider this purchase a total waste of $1300 since it certainly is not going to give me what I wanted? I am very tempted to just use a free Bodek & Rhodes site since at least their designer works properly.
> 
> I had really hoped that Shirttools would be a great tool for my business and would give me an avenue by which I could offer customers the ability to have a wide variety of choices and the ability to design their own shirt but at this point I have nothing but a $1300 charge on my credit card and a barely functional website.
> 
> I would advise anyone considering the purchase of this software to think twice....the low cost may be enticing but the results are far from acceptable.


Hi Kevin,
I sent an enquiry to shirtools and got a short and abrubt reply,and after reading youre experience I dont think I will bother again.The Company seems to be part of Contact Paramount Embroidery
If you look both sites have the same style.
Is DecoNetwork worth the 5% on sales they areasking me for ....?


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## swannn32

So how much does Inksoft cost? Is it a monthly fee? Does it have a large upfront setup cost?


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## Riderz Ready

swannn32 said:


> So how much does Inksoft cost? Is it a monthly fee? Does it have a large upfront setup cost?


Inksoft is $149 per month with only a 1% surcharge on sales. The initial investment is $700 and we received a 30 day money back gaurantee which is plenty of time for one to determine if the system is right for them. The real key to this for us is not how much it cost. I could care less if it $500 per month or cost absolutely nothing. The key is how much can you make per month regardless of the cost. Something that is free and does not generate sales is useless. It all comes down to one thing - the actual design tool a customer will use. Can they easily complete the design and buy it? For us the other pluses were being able to embed the designer directly into out current website so the customer never leaves and all the social media connections to Facebook, etc.


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## wmckillop

I have tried the Deco deal and I was not happy as I mainly do screen printing and the DNA of the company is in embroidery. Deco wants a % of the sale and that would be ok if the fuctionality was there but for me its not. 
I have switched to another company with the hopes of getting a tool customers can use to design his or her artwork and I am probably going to cancel that also. I do screen printing and I don't think these tools were designed for the screen printer. 

are you doing screen printing? dtg? sublimation?
The online design maybe awesome for DTG but for my needs its not there yet. At the end of the day you are going to pay for graphic design or web/internet support. 

Until I am ready to have a full time web designer / Intergrator I am going to table the online design idea.


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## babyid

Shirttools have a poor support service. If you have 1 issue expect another issue to come from it when they fix your 1st issue. Was so fed up of the issues and spoke to somebody who was probably the director (but put the phone down on me when I asked for his name). When I was explaining my frustrations to him he told me that the way it works when you fix a issue another will occur. I told him I am not happy with that and his response is what do you want me to do? I explained i wanted to put this in writing but he did not care and said if it makes you feel better. That is poor, so he was probably the director. Think twice before you buy!!


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## TPrintDesigner

Well, as always there are two sides to a story.

First off, I did not put the phone down on you. Today is a UK national holiday so your call got diverted from the office to my mobile phone. Regardless of the holiday, I picked up an said that I would answer your question but you would have to be quick. Reason for that was my battery was about to die, and it did.

At no time during the conversation did I say "what do you want me to do about it?". During the call you also accused me of laughing at you? Where did that come from? Quite bizarre....

Now onto your statement about poor service. This contradicts the message you sent on March 13th. Here's the URL for anyone that's interested: https://www.screencast.com/t/ouTbfPM8Q12k

We have received a total of 5 tickets since you purchased in December and each time we fixed your problems straight away. Your most recent ticket was placed on Sun, 16 Apr at 3:43 PM. A developer started coding the fix within hours and deployed on Mon, 17 Apr at 1:03 PM

This fix caused an error elsewhere (which is commonplace with coding) so more time was needed to resolve. I tried to explain this on over the phone but you wouldn't accept it as reality and got aggressive.

Coding is complex, problems occur and when they do we fix them. Sometimes they can be resolved within hours and other times we need a bit more time, *but we always fix them*. A developer has been working on the bugs since they were reported and if they're not fixed by tonight then they will be squashed when we get back to the office tomorrow.


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