[$fresh$]

if i where to create my own designs i.e pictures and phrases would it be better to print them on to t-shirts myself or pay some one to do the printing on for me

[Bscivolette]

At first it would likely be best to have them done by people with printing equipment. Be careful with licensing issues...(i.e movie phrases, etc)

[Jerimi]

If you use a local printer, use one who will print on your shirts. When I did this business for a while, I found out that the printer marks up the shirts (yeah -- i say "duh" now). If you find somewhere online and buy them wholesale, even after shipping - it ends up bringing your cost down as compared to using their in-stock shirts. You could probably get one on a net-30 account bringing down you initial costs even more.

[bbalfour]

Going along with buying your shirts and then having someone print on them:

A couple resources you can use to find manufacturers of t-shirts are www.alibaba.com and www.globalsources.com. Most of the manufacturers are over seas but you will get amazing prices. Only problem is you will need to find one with a low minimum order quantity.

good luck.

[clegg]

I am curious but what kind of market are you going for?
The market of witty phrases on t-shirts seem to be flooded.
I am assuming this is for an online enterprise.
-clegg

[$fresh$]

i am not sure i what market i do agree that those witty phrase tees are very flooded i was thinking of coming up with a character and building things around it or focusing on the market of women for example preganant women, etc.

[clegg]

Ah, one of the more interesting sites I have seen recently is one with ties. The visiters/designers uploaded their tie designs, there was a vote, the top 5 designs won and then the site produced them. High quality silk ties, 100 pieces each design, individually numbered. Then you can purchase them online. $100+ per tie. It seemed interesting and they were selling but I don't know their margins or how long they have been in business.
Can't find the link right now either.
My point being, you might consider something other than tee's too.
-clegg

[gambit]

The better question is, which one is less expensive?

Originally Posted by $fresh$

if i where to create my own designs i.e pictures and phrases would it be better to print them on to t-shirts myself or pay some one to do the printing on for me

[nado]

What are the markups like in the T-shirt business?

What sort of prices do manufacturers and printers charge?

cheers
nathan

[mgxsolutions]

I own a shirt printing business, but we do all licensed materials from bands, movies, artists, etc. We outsource all printing and we supply the tees. Printing varies in price depending on how many you print at a time. You would be surprised to see the difference in price from getting 1 dozen printed to 12 dozen printed. You are talking about the difference of (perhaps) $3 per shirt against $.75 per shirt. These numbers are just an example. The more you print, the cheaper (much cheaper) they are.

[MfG]

there's a website selling custom-made t-shirts by Andrea Lake, one of the contestants for the Apprentice Season 5. She made millions selling those T-shirts. Look it up on google.

[$fresh$]

Originally Posted by MfG

there's a website selling custom-made t-shirts by Andrea Lake, one of the contestants for the Apprentice Season 5. She made millions selling those T-shirts. Look it up on google.

does anyone know how you would go about doing this. It sounds like a good idea but, does she make her own or she sends to make them ?