Adding a personal touch to your clothing can make it more meaningful and unique. Embroidery and decorating t-shirts are popular ways to achieve this, with several options to choose from. In this guide, we will explore the various techniques for embellishing t-shirts and help you select the right one for your needs.

Stitching Designs

One method of decorating t-shirts involves using a needle and thread to stitch a design directly onto the fabric. This method, commonly known as embroidery, is best for simple designs with a limited number of colors, such as logos or text. Embroidery provides a durable and long-lasting finish, with the stitching unlikely to fade or crack over time.

Pros:

Durable and long-lasting
Good for simple designs

Cons:

Limited to simple designs
More expensive than other options
Not ideal for detailed or multi-colored images

Direct Printing

Another method of t-shirt decoration involves using specialized printers to apply the design directly onto the shirt. This process, known as direct-to-film(DTF) printing, is best for high-quality, detailed designs with a large number of colors. DTF printing is a good choice for small orders or multi-color images.

Pros:

Can produce detailed and multi-colored designs
Good for small orders or complex orders

Cons:

Can be expensive
Not as durable as embroidery

Transfer Printing

Transfer printing is another option for embellishing t-shirts. This method involves printing the design onto transfer paper, which is then heat-pressed onto the shirt. Transfer printing is a cost-effective choice for small orders and designs with a limited number of colors.

Pros:

Good for small orders and simple designs
Cost-effective

Cons:

Not as durable as embroidery
Limited to light-colored shirts
Design may peel or crack over time

Choosing the Right Technique

When selecting the right technique for decorating your t-shirt, consider the following factors:

Design: The complexity of your design and the number of colors involved will determine the best technique to use. Simple designs with a limited number of colors are best suited for embroidery, while detailed designs with a large number of colors are better suited for DTG printing.

Order size: If you are ordering a large number of shirts, embroidery may be the most cost-effective option. For small orders, DTF printing or transfer printing is a good choice.

Shirt color: If you want to decorate a dark-colored shirt, embroidery or transfer printing may not be the best choice, as the design may not show up well. In these cases, DTF printing is a better option.

No matter which technique you choose, the result will be a one-of-a-kind t-shirt that showcases your personal style. Whether you opt for embroidery, DTF printing, or transfer printing, the final product will be a unique and meaningful addition to your wardrobe.

If you are looking for a quality printer and embroiderer, please give us a call in Columbus, OH.

The evolution of screen printing on custom t-shirts has been impressive. Since the 18^th century, it has gone through several transformations to emerge as one of the most versatile clothing garments. It’s a long tradition that began as casual apparel to its recent role as an optimal style statement. With time it has modified from a means of cover to individualism and an essential asset in anyone’s clothing regime wow also allowing one to express themselves and their own unique way.

It’s quite gauche to take some thing that has nothing more than a foundation for your outfit and transform it into something very special. They can also be conveniently customized for occasions or jobs for a chic look. It is the perfect outfit to be worn on evenings to the bar or the Columbus OH Comedy festival without causing you much of a hasslle.

Below we’ve mentioned the most popular ideas to style a tee as a modern twist without losing its aesthetics.

1. Opt for Jeans:

Pairing a basic top with dark denim jeans, a wide black belt, and ankle boots utterly provides a trendy and classy look that dresses up your tee for a night out without compromising on comfort. Another comfy option is to go for mom’s jeans with your favourite sneakers and a basic shirt. For a formal look, leave the belt off.

2. Slay your top with a ladylike skirt:

The quickest way to get a glam look in a t-shirt is to dress it up with a skirt. An exquisite, vibrant floral design using an embroidery or screen printing pattern over a t-shirt paired with a nude skirt can help create a flawlessly chic look.

3. Spice it up with a fancy blazer or a wrap:

A structured layer that you can drape across your arms will make you look infinitely more elegant; opt for a silk wrap that instantly provides a chic look. Experiment with different lengths and styles of a blazer. Match a chunky shiny necklace that fits more snugly.

4. Stand out with the right shoes:

No matter what kind of garment you opt for, shoes never disappoint you when transforming the basic appearance. The shoes are the representatives of your outfit; heels are always a good bet for a glam look because they offset the formal vibe of a custom t-shirt and add an immediate tender finality to your look.

5. Add Statement Jewelry:

Oftentimes, a top appears too boring or too casual for a glam look. However, the accurate choice of accessory can make a big difference. For a scooped neck, try a mini, floral coloured necklace that rests above your neckline.

6. Go with embroidery on pants:

Graphic tees with printed pants look ravishing. It’s even better to go to a Columbus, OH digital t-shirt printing company and tell them you want to get fancy to create something really unusual yet fashionable that you could easily pair witha nice pair of pants. Formalize your graphic top, and pair it up with trousers and tuck it in. You can wear it to the workplace on weekdays and still feel ready for the evening brunch. Pair it up with stilettos and a statement bag with a prominent colour that pops.

Let’s pick up where we left off. Last time I believe we were talking about being proud of what you’re representing. I believe that there is nothing to be proud of claiming to be the cheapest St Louis screen printing company around. Any one can give it away, but it takes a real salesman to actually sell it and create a perceived value in the customer’s eyes. In fact, if I was the least expensive custom t-shirt printing company out there, I’d be embarrassed. That would in my opinion convey that you’re not very proud of what you do so you have to refer to being the least expensive embroidery business around.

The lesson here is this. Do not sell yourself short. You’re in business to make a fair profit margin just like anyone else who’s an entrepreneur. If you can’t do that, then why are you even in business in the first place? I actually have turned a lot of business away simply because I felt it was not profitable. I can’t tell you how many times when a potential customer would reach out for an estimate and I would reply with what I felt was a fair price. One where I felt that I was competitive and would create a scenario where I was as excited to actually do the job as the buyer was having me do it for them. This is an excellent way to do business. I would then receive a reply saying one of my competitors was willing to do it for less. I would politely tell them that if they’re willing to do the work for that ridiculous price, then you should jump on it right away before they change their mind. Then I would tell them, there’s more to dealing with a Columbus digital t-shirt printing company then just getting the lowest price available. We are not the only company that is great at what we do. There are some others that I would recommend, but in my opinion, what we do far better than anybody else is simply communication. In my business, you’re lucky if anybody happens to even answer the phone when you reach out to call them. Most everything is done via text or email and the human element has been all but eliminated.

It seems that in this digital age, nobody actually wants to audibly talk to anybody. Normally if you do happen to reach out to them by phone, you’re probably going to get some type of voicemail that directs you to an email address and tells you to use that to convey whatever it is you’re requiring. It then takes a while for them to even get back with  you, if they happen to reply at all. The reason I choose this approach of wanting to talk to people is that I grew up in a day before technology changed our lives. Most business was conducted either over a phone call or in person.

There’s an old saying that a candle burns brighter in a cave than it does anywhere else. By this example, I mean that when everybody else in my industry is doing things where they don’t actually have to talk to anybody, people are taking back when I actually receive their call and talk to him specifically regarding what their job entails and what needs to be done in order for us to make it a good fit for us to work together. That’s a huge advantage and his proven itself time and time again to be highly effective.

So we’ve been talking about the advantages of having automation in your shop in order to try and reduce some of the human component often required for processing your orders. We mentioned that unlike people, superior digital t-shirt printing equipment not only out works the folks that would normally be standing behind it, but it never gets injured. It never complains and it never gets sick. When you add up all these factors of what you’re paying your employees and all the other criteria mentioned, the right tools to do the job is by far, the least expensive part of the equation and typically will give you less aggravation as well.

We also touched on the fact that you can typically acquire a used piece of machinery for a fraction of what it would cost to go out and buy brand new. This strategy is one that I would highly encourage that you consider, especially if you’re brand new to the industry and trying to start up a Columbus t-shirt printing company.

We also spoke about not getting the cart before the horse. By this I mean, I recommend strongly that you don’t go and take out a huge business loan until you know what you’re doing and realize what you’re getting into. So many people make this mistake. The fact that I believe marketing and sales are the most significant part of the equation in any business endeavor, make sure you’re going to be able to have enough customers to sustain your monthly overhead before you proceed. This approach is so much less stressful and could potentially save you a lot of sleepless nights and aggravation. By taking the step by step approach I mentioned, it will allow you to grow at your own pace instead of forcing something that’s not actually established yet.

I’m talking about the American dream here. This is the ability to work for yourself and be your own boss. The key here to achieving this is just going about it the correct way and arm yourself with the necessary knowledge required before you get over your head. I don’t want to mislead you and make you think that it’s easy. It’s normally far from easy and there’s a learning curve to it. It often has to be tweaked over time. Just like most things that are good, there’s also a potential downside. Although there are no limits to how much income you can acquire but with that being said, there’s also no guaranteed paychecks at the end of the week like you have on a typical nine to five job. Here’s an example of what I’m referring to. When most people leave their day job, they go home to their families and don’t give it a second thought. Friday comes, and they look forward to a nice relaxing weekend where the last thing they’re going to think about is job related.

I’ve been self-employed the majority of my entire adult life and I often thought to myself, how nice it would be to just shut it down and not think about business at the end of the day or on the weekends. My reality as a successful custom embroidery and digital t-shirt printing company owner was probably just the opposite of that. I never knew when my phone was going to ring and had to make myself available pretty much 24 hours a day. I was always thinking about how I was going about doing things and if I could potentially improve and if so, how that was going to happen. I also started out with financial overhead responsibilities that I knew I had to meet. That’s a heck of a lot of pressure for a young guy who didn’t have any financial backing or help to incur on his own.

So once again, I don’t want to mislead anybody and say that it’s as simple as following a recipe. Do this and do that and you should end up with this result. It might all make sense on paper but that’s not real life reality as again, if it was easy everybody would be doing it and everybody would be successful.

So we’ve been talking about the advantages of having automation in your shop in order to try and reduce some of the human component often required for processing your orders. We mentioned that unlike people, superior digital t-shirt printing equipment not only out works the folks that would normally be standing behind it, but it never gets injured. It never complains and it never gets sick. When you add up all these factors of what you’re paying your employees and all the other criteria mentioned, the right tools to do the job is by far, the least expensive part of the equation and typically will give you less aggravation as well.

We also touched on the fact that you can typically acquire a used piece of machinery for a fraction of what it would cost to go out and buy brand new. This strategy is one that I would highly encourage that you consider, especially if you’re brand new to the industry and trying to start up a Columbus t-shirt printing company. We also spoke about not getting the cart before the horse. By this I mean that I recommend strongly that you don’t go and take out a huge business loan until you know what you’re doing and realize what you’re getting into. So many people make this mistake.

The fact that I believe marketing and sales are the most significant part of the equation in any business endeavor, make sure you’re going to be able to have enough customers to sustain your monthly overhead before you incorrect. This approach is so much less stressful and could potentially save you a lot of sleepless nights and aggravation. By taking the step by step approach I mentioned, it will allow you to grow at your own pace instead of forcing something that’s not actually established yet. I’m talking about the American dream here. The ability to work for yourself and be your own boss.

The key here to achieving this is by just going about it the correct way and arming yourself with the necessary knowledge required before you get over your head. I don’t want to mislead you and make you think that it’s easy. It’s normally far from easy and there’s a learning curve to it. It often has to be tweaked over time. Just like most things that are good, this also a potential downside. Although there are no limits to how much income you can acquire, there’s also no guaranteed paychecks at the end of the week like you have on a typical nine to five job. Here’s an example of what I’m referring to. When most people leave their day job they go home to their families and don’t give it a second thought. Friday comes, and they look forward to a nice relaxing weekend where the last thing they’re going to think about is job related.

I’ve been self-employed the majority of my entire adult life and I often think to myself how nice it would be to just shut it down and not think about business at the end of the day or on the weekends. My reality as a successful custom embroidery and digital t-shirt printing company owner was probably just the opposite of that. I never knew when my phone was going to ring and I had to make myself available pretty much 24 hours a day. I was always thinking about how I was going about doing things and if I could potentially improve and if so how that was going to happen. I also started out with financial overhead responsibilities that I knew I had to meet. That’s a heck of a lot of pressure for a young guy who didn’t have any financial backing or help to incur on his own. So once again, I don’t want to mislead anybody and say that it’s as simple as following a recipe. Do this and do that and you should end up with this result. It might all make sense on paper, but that’s not real life reality.

If it was easy, everybody would be doing it and everybody would be successful.

We last touched on the fact that although state of the art screen printing equipment can be a very large investment, it’s considerably less expensive when you weigh the benefits that it offers compared to the alternative. This type of press can not only out work a manual machine but it removes much of the human element. In other words, and experienced operator can put out three to four times the amount of custom t-shirts then a conventional press. It also gives you consistency, that a manual machine is not capable of. Why not? Because every stroke of the squeegee going across the apparel is going to be consistent regarding the same speed and the same exact trajectory and squeegee angle. This is something that even the most trained operators cannot offer.

By doing the work of two or three individuals, it greatly removes much of the human element out of the process. We also mentioned that unlike the operators, the Machinery shows up every day for work and never gets hurt. It’s never late, and it never requires a bonus or a financial compensation for doing a superior job. We’re all familiar with carpal tunnel syndrome. This is a real potential problem for an operator who has to be doing that repeated movement constantly throughout the work day all year long. Eventually, this can really wear your wrists out and resulted employee downtime and a workman’s compensation insurance claim. In addition to that, when you take into account the hourly wage that you’re paying your personnel, and then add in the fact that you’re matching the Social Security on that individual along with insurance, the machinery normally is a fraction of that cost.

When it comes to acquiring the right screen printing or custom embroidery equipment, I recommend that you do your research before you go out and incur such an expensive investment. I also suggest that you consider the possibility of acquiring used opposed to new. More than not, you can typically acquire a used embroidery machine for a small fraction of what it might have cost brand new. A lot of people who want to be entrepreneurs in the Columbus Ohio area want to break in to the digital t-shirt printing industry, and they proceed to take out a huge loan before they are even certain that they’re going to be able to make a go of it. This is a huge mistake in my opinion. Why not shop for used? As long as it’s been well maintained, it’s not uncommon for a used dryer or digital printing press to perform just as well as a new one, but you can often acquire it for a fraction of the cost.

Once you develop the necessary clientele base large enough to be able to meet your overhead and pay your monthly bills along with developing the confidence needed to be assured that you can actually make it in this competitive industry, then you can go out and potentially make a more sizable investment in order to try and automate in an attempt to speed up your production.

I’m sharing this information because I feel that knowledge is of paramount importance when launching such an endeavor. Someone once mentioned that experience is the best teacher but that person was probably never a business owner. I would much rather avoid the mistakes than make my own. I say this in order to try and help you to avoid making the same mistakes that I made when I first started out. Looking back in hindsight, I wish I would have had a mentor like myself – someone with decades of experience that’s willing to share it. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for those who share an entrepreneurial spirit. I certainly hope much of what I said will be helpful to them.

To pick up where we left off, last time we started talking about equipment. I can’t emphasize the importance of having the right tools. If you’re considering the possibility of starting up your own Columbus digital t-shirt printing company, then a good place to start would be to count the cost. Lesson one, in creating a strategy is keeping in mind that it’s not how much money you take in as much as it is how much you spend. For example, let’s say you took in a total of $1 million dollars per month. If you’re overhead is $1 million every 30 days, then all you really did was make nothing in a very big way. You might as well have just stayed home and watched TV because it’s a lot easier and a lot less risky.

So how can you lessen that overhead? Well that’s where having the right tools come in. In most cases, the most expensive overhead of any company is generated from the employees. When you take into consideration that you pay your workers a fair wage of let’s just say $20 an hour for example, you also have to figure in that you need to match their social security and also consider carrying workman’s  compensation insurance and the list goes on and on. That’s where having the right tools comes in to try and offset that.

When it comes to modern day screen printing equipment there’s  a couple different options. You have what’s referred to as a manual press and an automatic press. With the automatic option, it can potentially do the work of up to three employees with just one experienced operator. This will not only drastically reduce your overhead but most likely you’re aggravation as well. Here’s what I mean by that. The equipment shows up every day and doesn’t call in sick. There’s nothing more frustrating than let’s say coming into your busy season and you’re just swamped. Things are tough enough as they are trying to meet the deadlines and then you get a text from one of your employees saying he’s not feeling well so he’s opting not to come in. Then you also have the scenario of the individual who always seems to call in sick on Mondays. To be perfectly honest, I have nothing against great employees, but the more you can remove the human element out of the equation, typically the better you’re going to be when it comes to running a small business of any kind. Another fact to consider is that machinery doesn’t require a raise because of the cost of living and it doesn’t require overtime pay. It never complains and it never gets hurt on the job. When it comes to cutting your monthly cost, I feel that automation is the answer.

Don’t forget the fact that after every job , you have to break down the Press and reclaim these screens. I’ve always considered that to be the toughest job in the shop. It’s loud and tedious and there’s also chemicals involved that shouldn’t be inhaled. Nowadays they have automated reclaimers that not only removes all the ink out of the screen but it also blasts out the emulsion where the whole process might only take 5 minutes or less. This type of machinery is not cheap, but when you weigh in all the other factors that I had mentioned earlier, it’s normally a lot less expensive and a lot less aggravation than the individual who runs it. This doesn’t just apply to screen printing equipment, but also custom embroidery as well as digital t-shirt printing applications.

Let’s pick up where we left off. We touched base, regardless of how talented you happen to be or even how inept, there’s only so many hours in the work day and so much energy to go around. We also spoke about the importance of having balance in your life. This is especially relevant, if you happen to have a family. Don’t forget that the most precious resource is not necessarily going to be your money. It’s your time. You need to learn how to prioritize and allocate your resources.

This also is relevant to figuring out what takes precedence over your life. Here’s an example. Let’s say you are launching a Columbus digital t-shirt printing company and it happens to become extremely successful. After 20 years of looking back, assuming you even have time to reflect, you will not be thinking, if only I would have made a little more money. Then I would have been happy. On the contrary, you will probably be thinking if only I would have been a better husband or father and been there more for them when they were growing up.

We touched on the fact that you don’t necessarily have to do everything yourself and be a one man operation. The key here is to surround yourself with the right people who are excellent at what they do and talented in the areas that you are deficient. It sounds very simple and in theory it is. That being said, in reality it can be challenging. The reason I say this is because it’s not necessarily only one’s abilities to do their job that makes them a huge asset to your Columbus screen Printing and embroidery company but integrity is paramount. In other words, you have to be able to trust the ones your networking with. You don’t necessarily have to be the brightest guy in the room. You just have to know the smartest guy and have him or her on your team. This will potentially allow you to do things that are way above your own abilities.

Now let’s talk a little bit about having the right equipment. Let’s start with digital t-shirt printing. Technology has made a tremendous impact in the screen printing industry. No longer is it necessary to do things the way we did 20 years ago. I can remember, when the amount of colors involved made a tremendous difference and how complicated or simple the job was going to be. Nowadays, custom t-shirts can be printed digitally and this significantly simplifies the process. What used to take as much as 3 hours to set up a particular order, can now be ready to go to press within minutes. Let’s also not leave out how long it would take to clean up the job after it was completed. If the job happened to be a lot of different colors, it could potentially take more time to break it all down and clean up all your screens then it did to initially set the job up in the first place.

We will elaborate more on this in the near future. In the meantime, continue to work hard at your endeavors but more importantly than anything else, arm yourself with knowledge.

Top 4 Brands Heavily Dependent on Logo Apparel

Iconic, plain, and traditional fashion logos tend to be the most successful. Since they can adjust to suit any trend while staying true to their constructed design base. In fact, apparel company owners are well aware that they would be unable to print their brand image without a logo.

There’s nothing more significant about a brand than its logo. A lot many brands particularly brands related to handbags, sunglasses and statement jewelry are recognized for the use of their logo up front on products. A famous example is the widely popular Louis Vuitton tote bag or the Levi’s T-shirt.

While usually logo apparel is used for marketing purposes, a lot of brands capitalize on the dire needs of the t-shirt particularly in hot and humid states like Columbus, and turn their customers into walking brand ambassadors by printing huge logos on their clothes.

Here’s a list of some well-known brand identities in the apparel industry. This can be a way to see how essential it is to create a corporate identity that speaks for your business.

Louis Vuitton:

Launched in 1896, Louis Vuitton is a world-renowned French clothing brand. The primary design feature of the official logo is the LV monogram. It is a serif, italicized and capitalized L that sets slightly to the left and bottom of the capitalized V, indicating the acronym of its founders. The LV brand is utterly dependent on its logo as it got huge popularity because of it. The brand offers handbags, sun shades, jewelry, silk bandanas, and cozy Tees all flaunting off the famous LV logo in screen printing upfront

Gucci:

The House of Gucci is a familiar Italian fashion house for its high-end leather goods. Along with almost all kinds of clothing styles, the brand is popular for cashing on its logo on the apparel, which is often found in embroidery patterns over bags, or in screen printing over luxury silk stoles and even as metal buckles on belts, brooches and clutches.

The logo is an abstract representation of two interlocking “G”s. It has become synonymous with style and luxury. Gucci uses this letter mark in a variety of ways. The Gucci monogram is symmetrical. It also means you can get the right part by reversing the left one.

Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss has one of the most recognizable and revered fashion logos in the world. The formal serif typeface gives this logo its dominant personality. The black and white personalized logotype conveys honesty, beauty, and style. Hugo boss is quite famous for its t-shirts with its logo printed through digital t-shirt printing,

Levi’s Strauss & Co.

Synonymous with denim and a real legend, Levi’s Strauss & Co. is one of the most popular fashion labels globally. Its logo with a brash mood is abruptly recognizable worldwide, being a quality mark for custom t-shirts and Jeanswear. The company’s batwing logo is bright red in colour to improve exposure and inspire enthusiasm, and it is reputed for its quality, durability, and cultural significance. If you haven’t owned the significant white t-shirt with a big red Levi’s logo printed up front, you are not from any generation in the last 50 years.

There’s normally a whole lot of moving parts to trying to establish any new
business of any kind. Let me also mention that there’s only 24 hours in a
day and only so much energy to go around and get you through it. I think
it’s also worth mentioning that money, although important, is not
necessarily going to be your most valuable commodity. The most valuable
asset you have is going to be time. This is especially relevant to someone
who is married or even in a relationship. It’s even more complicated if you
have kids as they’re going to want your attention after the end of the work
day. Therefore it’s important that you prioritize. You need to have balance
in your life and although hard work is typically necessary when trying to
launch a successful Columbus Screen Printing and embroidery company, you
don’t want all the other aspects of your life too suffer.

To put it in perspective, when it comes to the end of your life, assuming you have time
to reflect and think back, you will probably not be thinking, if only I
didn’t work a little harder and not been a better husband or father. The
lesson learned here is, there’s a big difference between running your
business and your business running you. Here’s the potential solution to
avoiding this. Learn to identify the gifts that God has blessed you with,
while at the same time, realize your shortcomings and your limitations.

You need to surround yourself with folks who are very strong and accomplished
in the areas that you are weak. In other words, don’t try to be a one man
band. Even if you were gifted and all these different areas necessary,
you’ll probably not be able to have the time or energy to manage it all on
your own.  I’m a big believer in surrounding myself with
excellence! That being said, the right people can really make you look good
and allow you to do things that are far beyond your own abilities. That
being said, the wrong people, can really create problems.

Therefore, I don’t recommend that you choose to network with just anybody.
Even if they’re great at what they do, that in no way means they have any
decent integrity. That is something that is invaluable. You have to be able
to trust the people you work with. Here’s a good example, we use a company
in Thailand to do all our graphic work. When it comes to artwork, and color
separations, these guys are phenomenal. They always turn our projects
around quickly and are great about editing it if there are any adjustments
that are necessary. They actually charge us a fraction of what an American
Artist would charge us and we pass that on to our customers as a courtesy.
This is a great example, of being able to do things that we simply couldn’t
do on our own. Stay tuned for further recommendations. We’re going to be
talking about digital t-shirt printing on custom apparel and the next few
weeks or so.

There are so many different aspects to running a business and realize what
you’re strong at and at the same time where you need help and then put the
right individual in a place where they can use their expertise and take you
places that you could never get to on your own.