# Quickest turnaround for customers?



## mpywc (Nov 10, 2007)

I'm working on a new start-up idea for a custom t-shirt shop, where customers can pick from my art or provide their own art (photos, scanned art, etc.). My question is on the amount of time it takes to put a finished product in the customers hands. My plan is to use a combination of DTG, heat press, simple embroidery.... 

From the time the customer comes in and choices the shirt and design he wants, how long should it take to get the finish product in their hands? I know by process it depends on complexity and size of the design, but lets try to generalize. 

Say a 12x12 full color print on Black t-shirt through DTG printer.

Simple 2 color heat transfer design.

Or a 1 color light coverage 5x5 embroidery design.....

For each of these is it possible to the production time down to 10 minutes?

I'm only in the research stage so any info you could provide would be very helpful.


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## sherlockhomer (Jul 20, 2007)

Well I don't do dtg or embroidery, but a heat press takes 15 minutes to warm up (at least) and if you're doing any kind of design work you'll have to figure that in. While I do like your idea, I personally wouldn't put that much pressure on myself. BUT if you leave your press on and they pick a transfer and a shirt you could do it in a few minutes.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

you could definately print a dark shirt with dtg in less than 10 minutes as long as you do not have to change anything in the artwork. That is something you will have to take into consideration, that you make sure the customer understands what type of file to give you and to make sure it is enough dpi to print a good sharp print.


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## fdsales (Jul 1, 2007)

As far as embroidery, assuming 1 person doing all tasks, by the time you setup a simple lettering design, or add letters to a stock design (5-10 minutes) , hoop the garment (2-5 minutes), run the garment (5-15 minutes), unhoop & cleanup (3-5 minutes) I would say 15-30 minutes. Of course, 2 people would speed things up, but 10 minutes would be a real stretch. Don't have any experience with the other 2 methods.


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

As Bobbie said, it's generally 10 minutes per dark shirt with a DTG machine. That includes, pre-treating, ripping, printing, and curing. But, be sure to fully research your DTGs ... comparing reliablity, consistancy and print speeds can cut that time down.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Hey Matt...

Very interesting post. My wife and I have been discussing this exact possibility with our store. Something along the lines of T-Shirt Express...or something like that. However, we were thinking more like a 24 hour turnaround for 6 or less shirts. But, I agree that the faster you can do it the better folks would like it.

I have a DTG & heat presses but no embroidary machine yet. However, we've discussed the possibility of adding that if we do this. We also have a vinyl cutter that can be used for this as well.

I think the key is limiting the amount of artwork time you have to do...which is what we are trying to figure out. We have a full time Graphic Designer (my brother-in-law) and another part time intern but can see how this could bog down quickly if people were allowed to do too much customization.

I think the key might be, as you suggest, to have them bring in a design / photo (in acceptable format) or have them select from a standard set of designs (which may be the tricky part). We are tryng to figure out where to draw that line.

It's possible to product a t-shirt with any of these methods, once you have the artwork completed in about 15 minutes but I think the problem comes in if you have a backlog of jobs...each being 10 to 15 minutes long. That is why we are thinking about the 24 turnaround idea. If we could do it quicker...all the better.

Something else to consider is what selection (color / type) of shirt are you going to offer them? Whatever it is, you will need to carry in stock. With the vinyl cutter, this would also apply to the color of material being offered.

John


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## fdsales (Jul 1, 2007)

I've been into embroidery for over 20 years, and have always been interested in the "cap" outlets; retail stores or carts that offer just caps w/ embroidery. Nice thing about caps is that "one size fits most" and there's lots of profit to be made. Also, you can display a lot more caps in the same space it takes to display shirts, and there're easy to transport w/ a single head embroidery machine to a show. In addition to our multi-heads, we also have a single head Toyota 15 needle machine. We've done local shows & school fairs where we bring lots of blank caps (especially camos at hunting time), a laptop computer, and our Toyota (bear in mind it's fairly heavy & takes 2 people to move). It's pretty easy to get $20 for a cap we only have $2-$3 wholesale cost doing just lettering only, or a simple stock design w/ lettering added. We also bring some pink ladies caps & visors for the women, and they love it. Our shows are local, so we also hand out lots of cards & promo items (ink pens are great & cheap), and its a fantastic way to meet lots of people & advertise your store.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Has anybody else entertained or implemented a "quick turnaround" concept in their store?


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

John ... are you talking about an express 24 hour job without charging a rush fee? I've done quite a few rush jobs, even needed to get a half dozen out in two hours (including artwork). But we charge for the service. Or are you thinking of a strictly dedicated 24 hour service shop?


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Gunslinger said:


> John ... are you talking about an express 24 hour job without charging a rush fee? I've done quite a few rush jobs, even needed to get a half dozen out in two hours (including artwork). But we charge for the service. Or are you thinking of a strictly dedicated 24 hour service shop?


Hey Michael..

My thoughts were to offer the concept within the existing framework of what we offer. 

Perhaps letting the customer choose from within a limited selection of shirt colors, vinyl colors (when applicable), and "standardized" design layouts. I would limit the quantity to 6 shirts or less and charge a premium for the service. Perhaps a 25% premium. So, if one shirt currently costs $15 then it would be $18.75 if they wanted it within 24 hours (maybe too much...not sure yet).

Now, the reason I'm thinking about a limited selection of "standardized" design layouts (not yet sure how I would do this) is that it seems to me that this whole concept could get bogged down if the customer were allowed too much freedom in customizing the design.

Any thoughts you might have are welcomed and appreciated...

John


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

treadhead said:


> Hey Michael..
> 
> My thoughts were to offer the concept within the existing framework of what we offer.
> 
> ...


I totally agree about not giving the customer to much freedom, I have this happen quite often that customers really try to get as much work from you for free as possible. With dtg it seems it is worse hehe, they think because you can put anything on a shirt, they also think alot of times this includes you coming up with the design for them  I find my self often setting people straight on this issue.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

sunnydayz said:


> With dtg it seems it is worse hehe, they think because you can put anything on a shirt, they also think alot of times this includes you coming up with the design for them  I find my self often setting people straight on this issue.


Agreed! We don't charge for design work so that is something we have to deal with alot. But, we knew that going into it.


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

LOL ... that is one of the things I have had to stress to my wife about ... to explain that having us do the artwork, as well as, multiple proofs, needs to be charged a fee. Simple one color text, ready-made art is fine, but it must be very specific: placement, size, etc.

John ... I am still trying to get my head around this. I am trying to come up with standardized images beyond a variety of "picture frames" on a tee. I think it's a good marketing idea, but still trying to wrap my head around it. By having ready-made art that a customer can come in with a personal photo/image, and get a finished product within 24 hours ... and charging a bit of a premium, but not charging as much as (I charge 50% more) for an overnight rush job. Am I getting this right? If so, it does sound interesting.


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## mpywc (Nov 10, 2007)

After a little research, it appears Zazzle is doing exactly this, 24 hr turnaround through use of some form of DTG printing on all kinds of products. It sounds like they have their own proprietary process/software. You can do any artwork on any shirt, mug, stamp, etc. and get shipping in 24 hrs. So it is possible....


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Gunslinger said:


> John ... I am still trying to get my head around this. I am trying to come up with standardized images beyond a variety of "picture frames" on a tee. I think it's a good marketing idea, but still trying to wrap my head around it. By having ready-made art that a customer can come in with a personal photo/image, and get a finished product within 24 hours ... and charging a bit of a premium, but not charging as much as (I charge 50% more) for an overnight rush job. Am I getting this right? If so, it does sound interesting.


Yep...that's the basic idea in a nutshell. I would also limit the quantity. Maybe up to 6 items...24 hours. From 7 to 12 items....48 hours...etc.

The challenge is where to draw the line on the artwork....as you said. I don't want to spend a bunch of art time drawing up a bunch of "standardized" designs to select from. Hoping to find a "standard" software package to use. I am looking at Hanes T-Shirt Maker Deluke but hoping to find others to review as well.

I thought about the possibility of perhaps not restricting the artwork but "starting the clock"....so to speak...after artwork is approved. And also stating that qualification for the Express Service is subject to our discretion with regards to artwork.

Later, when we are pushing capacity on our graphic design resources we can start limiting the free designs to maybe 2 hours or less...or something along those lines.


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## deChez (Nov 10, 2007)

"Starting the Clock" at the point when the artwork is approved will save lots of headaches. I do embroidery & custom shirts (no DTG though, so I can't comment on that process) -- one thing I do know from experience is that 99 out of 100 customers think their art work is ready for print, and it almost NEVER is. Posting artwork requirements (and even having a handout) could save time. 

Also, be prepared to refuse artwork that is licensed, a photograph that is not the work of the person requesting the print, or a photograph that might require a signed relase of people in it.

I don't charge a set-up fee for artwork that truly is ready. But, I do charge artwork fees for getting files ready for print, as well as creating custom art. The charge depends on the time it will take to get it ready for print. I also charge for scanning.

People who aren't willing to pay for your skills don't want a custom shirt that badly. Don't sell yourself short -- position yourself as the professional.


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

treadhead said:


> Yep...that's the basic idea in a nutshell. I would also limit the quantity. Maybe up to 6 items...24 hours. From 7 to 12 items....48 hours...etc.
> 
> The challenge is where to draw the line on the artwork....as you said. I don't want to spend a bunch of art time drawing up a bunch of "standardized" designs to select from. Hoping to find a "standard" software package to use. I am looking at Hanes T-Shirt Maker Deluke but hoping to find others to review as well.
> 
> ...


Great Points, deChez ... my wife tuned down a small job last week that had part of the artwork that was copywritten, licensed or trademarked (I don't recall the actual product). But, to me, for a small local private party (not for resell) job, I feel this is a grey area. Wouldn't the responsibility fall on the client for the supplied artwork? After all, as a printer, we are simply providing the service. Maybe some of the old timers can chip in and shed some light on this.

That makes sense, John. I believe this would be a great local marketing boost, for any DTG or Dye-Sub printer. We do a lot of local radio and tv ads, and could run ads targeting the 24 service. At the moment, I print with one T-Jet 3 in our rather large basement. I am getting close to capacity, and will likely grab a Blazer and another heat press (which I recommend anyone starting with TWO presses ... standing around for a minute or two waiting for one shirt printing while another is in the press slows down production for a one man band, when I could be pressing shirts or curing pretreaed shirts). But, after that, I would grab a shop in town, hire some help, and begin offering one or two hour service. A question, however ... when you are at the point of adding same day service, would you raise the price?


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Gunslinger said:


> ... when you are at the point of adding same day service, would you raise the price?


Yes...I'm thinking about adding a 25% premium for the Express Service. This is different than a rush fee...which I've also considered on "normal" jobs to reduce the "normal" lead time from 2 weeks to 1 week (from approval of artwork).

They can still get the same job down without the Express Fee but it would then be at least a week perhaps to get the job done...depending on work load at the time.

By the way, you mentioned you were getting close to capacity on your T Jet 3. Do you do custom work or do you have a line of shirts you print and resell? Trying to boost my T Jet workload...which is part of the reason for considering the Express Service.

John


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

John,

We do local custom jobs and design, print, and sell for retail (they are hanging all over our resteraunt), and recently opened our online store and Ebay stuff. We got into this biz, simply because a local screenprinter of 16 years retired (we attempted to buy her shop, and go traditional screenprinting ... but she flaked out and decided not to sell to anyone, leaving her regular customer base swingin' in the wind) and basically left a void in the market here. There are at least two vinyl cutters, and one embroidery shop here ... who can screenprint, but are too busy with doing banners or threadwork, so we are basically the only game in town (though, it is rumored that two small screenprinters are due to land here, by the end of the year). There is some local guy (a landlord of one of my employees) who grabbed a T-Jet 3, and trying to do some jobs (out of his home)for local contacts he has with some of the mines here, but he is having a hard time with the machine (snicker), and has begged my employee to have me help him out ... in this VERY rare instance, I absolutely refuse.

My wife also picked up a Dye Sub package (great results for mugs), and we recently got a small vinyl plotter/cutter/engraver (haven't had time to play with it, yet). But, due to the new TV and radio ads and some marketing Debz recently did with local chamber of commerce members, we are getting hit with new t-shirt orders daily. The T-jet 3 occasional errors tends to slow my production, and during large runs wants to poop out after 2-3 hours (which I have to shut down, clean the head, do minor maintenance and walk away from it for an hour or more). I really need a more robust machine.

I can't really say about expanding to online sales, since it's only been 2-3 weeks since we launched (it's too early, but traffic is building steady). But Debz Ebay launch last week, had instant sales with auctions. We have had a lot of success with various projects online, over the last dozen years (which I tried to retire 4 years ago), but it takes time to build traffic and tweak marketing and product line to get the numbers where you want em. So, while I can't give you any real world numbers selling t-shirts (still a babe in the woods in the apparel biz) online, I would strongly encourage you to expand to a store online, followed by a Ebay shop and try out some auctions. From past e-commerce experience, it can take 2-3 months before you start rockin' with sales ... but if you keep working it, you can do very well. And, if you have a brick and mortar (doesn't have to be a retail outlet, per say, to start), start printing your own designs and buy other artwork, get them on your tees and plaster your shop with em. We don't sell a lot of tees, that way, but it's extra $$$ and will give you an idea of what designs are selling (even if it's just what the locals wanna wear). One hint: Our best sellers locally, were two designs we made poking a little fun at our local Nevada community ... one was "Been in Elko Too Long" with a skull cowboy that I designed, the other is "What Stays in Elko ... Stays and Stays and Stays" with a couple of gossiping gals that my wife designed, a little twist to our Vegas cousins south of us.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Michael...

Thanks for the great response! I really appreciate the time and detail you were willing to share!

John


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

Most welcome, John ... here's something new from one of the places I buy graphic templates from (been so busy I haven't been keeping up with some of my art suppliers, so I decided to make rounds this afternoon), I think this would be perfect for what we have been discussing:

Clip Art and Design Templates: Photo Templates


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Gunslinger said:


> Most welcome, John ... here's something new from one of the places I buy graphic templates from (been so busy I haven't been keeping up with some of my art suppliers, so I decided to make rounds this afternoon), I think this would be perfect for what we have been discussing:
> 
> Clip Art and Design Templates: Photo Templates


Michael...thanks a bunch!

This is the type of software I was trying to find! Have you used this software? I'm very curioius and have sent for more information. 

Is there a catalog that the customer can use to pick the varioius layouts they might be interested in that can bve customized to fit their need? 

You have been extremely helpful!!

John


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## Gunslinger (Aug 3, 2007)

treadhead said:


> Michael...thanks a bunch!
> 
> This is the type of software I was trying to find! Have you used this software? I'm very curioius and have sent for more information.
> 
> ...


Happy Turkey Day, John!

Yes, it includes a presentation binder. We bought Corel X3 and the Smart Designer add-on, really amazing features (so many that I have barely scratched the surface of it all) and Mike Frazer at DAS was willing to go so far as to walk us through software (he is really great, always following up with us). I, also, have 3 volumes of Digital Art Solutions Mega Packs, and the Ornaments Pack (all great vector stuff from numerous artists). Several of the designs I have done on our retail tees, are from the mega packs, including our best sellers - the floral peacock and been in elko too long. They aren't cheap, but what is sweet about how they package stuff, is it includes a nice presentation folder that your clients (or yourself, if you like to design your own prints, like me) can quickly look through to find what they need.

Be sure to grab the free vector packs to get an idea of the work.

But, the Photo Templates pack looks exactly like what we are looking for ... ask for a sample, because I am wondering if this pack can be used with any vector software, or if you have to have the Smart Designer add-on (you shouldn't, but be sure to ask, and grab a sample template to play with).

Let me know what you find out. There are 2 or 3 other packages I wanna get from these guys, after the holidays, and I like to buy in bulk to get a tasty discount.

This idea we have been talking about could be a nice marketing push, especially after the holidays, when things start to slow down. Particularly, if you have to compete with local traditional screenprinters ... they just won't be able to offer this type of service.


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