| While there are a bevy of websites across the | | | | equation for high start-up hurdles. The only way an |
| internet that make it easier for small T-shirt designers | | | | artist can afford to pay them is if he is sure his |
| to bring their designs to market, often times they | | | | designs will be big sellers or he has very trusting |
| can't accommodate some of the fashion trends most | | | | investors. |
| desired by contemporary designers. With the rise of | | | | Why does it make sense to screen print your |
| trends like over-sized imprints and over-the-seams | | | | designs for yourself when commercial screen printers |
| designs, t-shirt designers more and more find | | | | don't do short runs? There are two reasons: a large |
| themselves at a disconnect with crowd-source t-shirt | | | | part of the expense of paying screen printers is that |
| websites and most print-on-demand houses. | | | | you are paying for shop time in a place that is not |
| There are a few reason for the disconnect: | | | | set-up for short runs, and it is cheaper and less |
| 1. Many specialty imprints exceed the capabilities of | | | | space-intensive to set up your screen printing studio |
| most crowd-source websites. | | | | for doing prototypes. Instead of paying money for |
| 2. Even if they can do the prints, unusual prints are | | | | your market samples, you'll pay in time --your time. |
| more time-consuming and expensive to produce, | | | | What does a designer need to go from zero to |
| meaning unless the design is a big hit, it doesn't help | | | | T-shirt design prototyping? For starters, a one-car |
| the bottom line. | | | | garage, a few hundred dollars, access to a hardware |
| 3. Most small T-shirt designers only consider what | | | | store and a screen printing supply house, and some |
| they'd like to design, and don't give thought to the | | | | good learning materials with sound advice about |
| production process until long after the concept phase. | | | | guerrilla screen printing. After that, a designer simply |
| So what's a designer to do when confronted with | | | | needs time for developing a skill that most artists |
| roadblocks put up by their once accessible outlets? | | | | pick up fairly easily. Considering the alternatives, that |
| When, contemporary problems don't find comfort | | | | short list is a pretty modest hurdle. |
| with contemporary solutions, go old school. In other | | | | Even if you could find a screen printer to do short |
| words, it's time to learn how to screen print and | | | | runs of your test designs at a low cost, there still is |
| market for yourself. | | | | yet another reason for a T-shirt designer to learn |
| At this point, a designer may be asking himself, "Why | | | | screen printing. If you want to get serious about |
| don't I just hire a screen printing shop to make the | | | | designing T-shirts, the experience of printing may lend |
| shirts for me?" The answer is, that is a great | | | | you invaluable insights that most likely you couldn't |
| solution, bearing in mind one thing, you're going to | | | | get otherwise. The simple fact is, whenever you |
| need a pile of money to go that route. Screen print | | | | design anything, you really do need insight into the |
| shops are geared for mass production, so they need | | | | production process if you want to excel in that field. |
| to do either large runs, or charge sizable set-up fees | | | | How your designs will be produced should not be an |
| to cover all the make-ready. Compound that with the | | | | afterthought, but instead, an intrinsic part of the |
| massive size requirements for the equipment needed | | | | design phase. |
| to do over-sized imprints in bulk, and you have an | | | | |