Kicking off to a t-shirt business is no walk in the park but it does have an unlimited barrier of entry. People tend to come into the t-shirt business as a hobby, others see it as a side hustle to earn more income.

As long as you have the best t shirt business equipment, you can make an awesome t-shirt for customers’ complete satisfaction. For starters, it becomes a pinpoint in promoting your business. By this, you can market one of your cooler designs quicker and easier.

In this article, we shall discuss first what you need to check before deciding on what equipment would be the best t-shirt business equipment for you, and how to transfer an image onto a t-shirt using the best-chosen machine. Why not make your t-shirt business more attractive and profitable? Why not make the right decision on the equipment for a starter kit? There is a need to focus on specific features.

Key Features to Consider

The Technology used to transfer the image

For a starter, you need to choose what technology to employ. Will it yield the best quality t-shirts designs for customer satisfaction? Although it is about the customers ultimately, you still have to think about what you can afford. Some the most affordable options are Sublimation, heat transfer vinyl, printable heat transfer vinyl, and digital heat transfers. I’ll explain each technology just so you can get a feel for what you would like to start with.

First up is sublimation, many people choose this option because this can give you full color you can also decorate a wide variety of polymer-coated hard substrates including, metal,ceranic, glass FRP plastic, poly-performance fabrics, hardboard and more.

The sublimation process is a little different from pressing vinyl or digital prints. When you press your design onto a garment the print turns into a gas and dyes the garment so that the print becomes the shirt and lasts as long as the shirt does. You will not be needing any weeding tools for this either.

The more amount of polyester is in your shirt, the better looking your image will be. Also, to get the best-looking image you have to use white shirts. This could be kind of a joy kill if you’re the type that wants to sell several t-shirt colors.

It’s not like it won’t totally work, it just looks really washed out and it may or may not look vintage enough to get away with it. Most likely it will turn out looking like you wash a great looking shirt on top of the shirt you made. That is the only cons, now the upsides on the other hand are great.

You can do this two ways, buy a sublimation printer or buy a regular inkjet printer and convert it yourself. Before you ask, of course there is a slight difference. The difference is that you may or may not be coming out better, it depends on what size paper you want to print on.

If you want to just print on a 8.5”x14” page and don’t want to go through the hassle of converting anything then I would direct you to the Sawgrass virtuoso SG500. If you really want to sublimate on cotton there is a model for that, its the Sawgrass Chroma blast virtuoso SG500. This is the same deal as the first, the only difference is that you have to use 100% cotton. These two are the base models.

 The unit comes with ready to use inks cyan, magenta, yellow and black, setup software and a creative studio for sublimation. The cost of the unit that sublimates on polyester is $574 and some change. The unit that sublimates on 100% cotton starts at $524.00 and prints on a media size from 8.5”x14” up to 8.5”x51”.

You can very well go the DIY route and buy an inkjet printer and convert it into a sublimation printer very easily. Now some people really like to go in this direction because in the long run you can really save a lot of money. The draw back is that you have to convert it yourself. Don’t shy away so fast though, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that will show you how to do it. Actually some websites sell both the inkjet printer and the sublimation ink together as a kit.

The upside to that is the type of inkjet printer that most people use have large tanks that can be refilled. Not only does the ink last a lot longer but you can also buy large refill bottles that are much cheaper than buying cartridges for the sawgrass. Here are some options below.

The second option is a vinyl cutter. There are many great choices currently on the market. The Cricut is a very popular choice that is considered to be a craft cutter. This is because it’s not only desktop and portable but, you can do a whole lot with one of these cutters for the money. Not only do these machines cut vinyl but they can also perform what is called a contour cut or print and cut function. Which in most cases is a feature only available to high-end vinyl cutters. they also can cut fabric, paper, and some can etch glass. The main three cutters most beginners use is the Brother Scan-n-cut, the Cricut Maker, and the Cameo Silhouette.

Are They Compatible with Mac?

Well yes, and no! Cricut’s software is a bit clunky but it does get the job done for starters. The Brother cut -n-Scan will just frustrate you but it is nothing you can’t get past. Among the three of them my personal choice would be the Silhouette Cameo. Only because the software is much easier to both learn and navigate.

When it comes to the Cameo There are certain things going on with the software. You do get free software with the unit that works fine and anyone can start instantly creating things. There are certain things like being able to import SVG or png files or even nesting designs that will not be accessible.

Its only after you purchase the extra upgraded software which has three tiers to choose from. Which are $50, $75, $100US. Each tier does just a little bit more from each other. Most owners are good with either the Basic edition that is free or the Designer Edition which is the cheapest tier. These vinyl cutter are great for small business owners.

Best T-Shirt Printing Machines for small businesses

 Printable heat transfer vinyl is another option to get full color on a garment. You can do this with a sheet of printable vinyl and a regular inkjet printer but its not recommended. They designs don’t last to long. They probably might survive about 3 washes before they start to come apart. So what you want to go with is a print and cut vinyl cutter.

This type of vinyl cutter can both print and cut out your design on the same unit. The vinyl that is used for this type of machine is very soft, it almost feels like a soft sticker. The only cutters that does this is the Roland BN-20 or BN-20A. Both units come with software designed specifically for the Roland cutters called Versaworks. The BN-20 comes with one of 2 options of your choice in eco solvent ink types. CMYK + White or CMYK + Metallic.

You have to stay with whatever setup you choose so choose wisely. Rolands BN-20A only comes with CMYK eco solvent 2 ink but it’s about a thousand dollars cheaper. The Roland is extremely versitle, it can print out full and rich color wall graphics, vehicle graphics, graphics for apparel, signs, displays, decals, posters and more. There will be some links on where you can purchase the BN-20 below.

Digital Heat transfers are also another great way to incorporate color into your designs. Digital heat transfers feel very smooth to the touch and feel very light on a garment. After being pressed to the t-shirt they can barely be felt. There are a couple of ways you might want to go when using digital heat transfers.

You can take your design, upload it to a website and have them send you some digital transfers. There is a machine that you can print your own tranfers with, they start at about $3,700 and up. When you first start out you may not know anyone who wants an exact design so you’re going to be in a trial-and-error phase.

One of these units will be the best thing for you. They print full color tranfers fast, they come with their own rip software. Other than garments you can print on stationary, labels, banners, hard surfaces and more. The asking price could be met with financing if you need it. I’ve listed a couple of units below for you to choose from. Also a small but very good mention and up side to owning just a digital heat transfer machine and heat press. Some people that have this machine may know this or may not realize this…..

Quick Tip

What you can also do is just sell heat transfers. Who knows at that point you may not want or need to sell garments, you may be making a great profit doing that. You just have to think (outside the box). I’ll give you a very real example of what you can achieve, look at this breakdown below.

The paper used for these units comes in packs of 25 and 50, they have an A & B side that you have to marry together before you press it to a garment. Let me show you some real easy numbers.

25 sheets for $48 / sell for $5 a transfer = $125

$48 – $125 = $77 profit

50 for $119 / sell for $5 a transfer = $250

$119 – $250 = $131 profit

Now that’s just making transfers for designers, if they bring their own design. If they need you to design and print them a design of course that’s even more money for your pockets. You should be seeing dollar signs by now, if not then this business may not be for you. I’ve listed a couple machines below that will quickly and easily get the job done.

Best Heat Press Machine For Small Business

when it comes to heat presses for your garments you do not want to be cheap. A good quality starter 15×15 heat press will cost you between $450 – $700, there are bigger automated sizes available as well they start at $600 on the low end. I recommend one with a slide-out drawer or swing away, it makes it easier to access your garments without burning your knuckles by accident. One other consideration for a small business is an automatic release mechanism, which will help reduce the chances of getting burned during operation. Before getting started in this business, you should check applicable local laws regarding selling custom clothing in your region.

The heat press involves two elements: heat and time. There are two types of heat presses: manual and digital. A digital heat press has an electronic controller that allows you to set the temperature and time, while a manual press relies on you to keep track of the time and apply even pressure. Whichever type you choose, make sure that it is large enough to accommodate the size of your t-shirts. I have listed some heat presses below that are well worth the buy.

Okay now you will need a few small items, aside from a cover sheet for the heat press if you go the vinyl cutter route, you need weeding tools and transfer paper since you will be able to do both heat press garments and permanent vinyl designs for signs and other things.

 Going the digital transfer route won’t require you to need a weeding tool which is a big plus for most people. Owning your own machine gives you a faster turnover rate and you make out cheaper. When it comes to sublimation you will need something more disposable when it comes to a cover sheet. Most people use butcher paper which works well.

 A cutting mat and scissors

 If you’re looking for an easy way to start your own t-shirt business, a cutting mat and scissors are a great place to start. A cutting mat is a protective surface that helps keep your work area clean while you’re cutting. Scissors are sharp, precise blades that can help you make quick, accurate cuts.

 A cutting mat and scissors make a great starter kit for anyone looking to start their own t-shirt business. They’re affordable and easy to use, making them the perfect option for beginners. If you’re looking for a way to get started in the world of t-shirt printing, a cutting mat and scissors are a great place to start.

 Graphic design software

 Graphic design software includes the Adobe Creative Suite, which comprises Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator programs.

These are all rich in features. Each has a core competency, with layers, gradients, and vector path editing being three strong points, but they’re really powerful when used together. Photoshop provides pixel-based image editing, Illustrator handles vector drawings, and InDesign organizes page layouts like business cards and brochures.

The Adobe Creative Suite is your best choice to target people who design or produce printed graphics (like for companies). These are paid options you can go here for both free and more paid options that may be cheaper.

T shirt Business Opportunities

 There are several ways to make money with a t-shirt business. Here are the most common:

Sell your own designs

The easiest way to get started is by selling your own designs as t-shirts. You could also give away free downloads of the print files and encourage people to share them online or order them from you. Just be sure that you have the copyright to all of your designs.

 Sell other people’s designs

 Another option is to sell t-shirts with other people’s designs on them. This can be a great way to get started since you don’t have to create any of your own designs. There are several online marketplaces where you can find thousands of designs to choose from.

Sell custom t-shirts

 This is another option that doesn’t involve any original designs. You can create an online storefront or business to sell custom t-shirts forgive people the opportunity to order their own design. This is a great way to make money if you’re not artistically inclined since it allows customers to choose their own designs.

 T-shirt Business Structure

 When you’re starting your own t-shirt business, it’s important to consider which structure is best for you. Here are some of the most common structures for small businesses:

 Sole proprietorship

 If you’re planning to operate your business by yourself, a sole proprietorship might be the right choice. This is the simplest business structure and doesn’t require any paperwork or fees. However, you are personally liable for all of the debts and obligations of your business.

 Partnership

 A partnership is similar to a sole proprietorship, but it involves more than one person. This can be a great option if you want to share the responsibilities and risks of owning a business. Partnerships also have to file paperwork with the state and may be subject to taxes.

 Limited liability company (LLC)

 An LLC provides some of the benefits of a corporation, like limited personal liability, without all of the formalities. This can be a great option if you want the benefits of incorporation but don’t want to deal with managing employees or filing regular reports with the state.

 Corporation

 A corporation is a completely separate legal entity that’s treated as its own person under the law. This structure comes with some tax benefits, but it also requires more complicated paperwork and fees than other business structures.

 Deciding on a Business Name

One of the first decisions you’ll make when starting a new business is choosing a name. A great way to get started is by using a domain name generator. This website will give you a list of available domains for your particular keyword or phrase, and it’s easy to use.

Once you’ve chosen a name, you’ll need to check the availability with the top-level domain (TLD) registry. If you’re working with a name that ends in .com, it’s not necessary to check beyond the TLD. However, if you’re considering one of the more creative domains, like .org or .co, you’ll want to make sure those options are available as well.

 Creating Your Own Website

 Once you’ve chosen a name and registered it, you’ll need to create a website. This is the first impression potential customers will have of your business, so it’s important to make sure it looks professional. You can use a template or hire a web designer to help you create a website that reflects your brand and personality.

 In order to create a website, you’ll need to purchase a domain name and hosting. A domain name is simply the web address of your site, like www.yourbusinessname.com. Hosting is the service that stores your website’s files on a server so that people can access them online.

 You can purchase both of these services from a variety of providers, like GoDaddy, Bluehost or shopify. Be sure to research different providers to find the one that offers the best deal for your needs.

Once you have your website set up, you’ll need to create content and add products. You can use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress to make this process easier.

 A CMS allows you to create and manage different types of content on your website, including blog posts, products, pages, images, videos, etc.

 Marketing Your Business Online

 Now that you have a business name and website set up, it’s time to start marketing! There are plenty of ways to promote your brand online using social media. For example, if you’re in the fashion industry, you might share exclusive photos using Instagram hashtags.

 You can use Twitter to connect with other brands in your industry or send out tweets when you have new products available.

If Facebook is more your style, this platform is a great way to connect with current and potential customers. And Snapchat gives businesses an opportunity to share an inside look at the company.

 Getting Customers to Find You Online

 In order to generate sales, you’ll need people to visit your website and social media pages. One of the most effective ways to do this is through search engine optimization (SEO). SEO refers to techniques that help websites rank higher in search engines like Google and Bing.

 This can be done by optimizing your website’s content, title tags, and meta descriptions.

You can also promote your business through paid ads. Paid ads are the sponsored results that appear at the top and bottom of search engine results pages.

 They allow businesses to target specific customers based on their interests and demographics.

Starting a t-shirt business can be a great way to get started in the fashion industry. By choosing a domain name, creating a website, and marketing your business online, you’ll be well on your way to success.