Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Ninja Transfers, a leader in the custom DTF (direct-to-film) heat transfer industry, has announced the launch of a new service it’s calling, Ninja Print on Demand, a powerful new solution designed to help creators, entrepreneurs and companies of all kinds design, sell and fulfill custom apparel—all without upfront costs or inventory management.

According to Ninja Transfers, with Ninja Print on Demand, “Users can upload their designs, select from a wide range of premium apparel and hardgoods, and have orders automatically printed and blind shipped directly to their customers across the country. The entire process is handled in-house, ensuring professional-grade quality and fast turnaround times.”

Shopify App Complements POD Service’s Efficiencies

In conjunction with its new POD initiative, Ninja Transfers has also launched a free Shopify app, allowing custom apparel decorators to quickly and easily integrate their storefront, start selling and begin generating profits—all without ever touching a product.

“Ninja Print on Demand is the next evolution in our mission to support creators,” said Victor Ilisco, director of business development at Ninja Transfers. “We’ve combined our industry-leading DTF technology with a user-friendly platform that removes the barriers to launching or growing an apparel business or brand.”

To learn more or get started with Ninja Transfers’ new POD option, go to ninjaprintondemand.com. For more on Ninja Transfers and its entire line of products and services, including heat-applied patches, custom DTF transfers, Easy Peel technology, blank apparel and Ninja Printhouse, the company’s custom apparel and promotional products blind-shipping division, visit ninjatransfers.com.

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The good news is the decorated apparel market continues to grow, with an expected valuation in the United States alone of as much as $20 billion by 2033. The bad news? The custom decorated-apparel sector remains as competitive as ever as well, with creativity and innovation continuing to be the name of the game, the same as in years past. Staying stuck too long may very well result in your falling behind as well.

Equipment, Increased Efficiency

When was the last time you evaluated your equipment lineup? If you’re using outdated machinery, it might be time for an upgrade. New technology allows you to improve production speeds, expand your service offerings and reduce waste.

Depending on the kind of custom apparel decorating you specialize in, branching out/embracing other kinds of decorating technologies can also provide your company with an added edge.

Equipment Upgrades to Consider:

• Direct-to-garment (DTG) Printing: Ideal for high-detail, small-batch orders. Full-color, photo-style designs can be easily created for even the smallest batch orders, in stark contrast to screen-printing with its larger production runs.

• 

  There’s nothing like an automatic screen printing press to boost capacity-assuming it makes sense financially! Photo courtesy of Impressions Expo

  Heat Press Direct-to-transfer (DTF) Printing: Ideal for producing durable designs on multiple materials, including polyester and nylon. Commercial quality entry-level heat presses are affordable and easy to operate. Custom DTF transfers can be easily outsourced to any number of different manufacturers, making the barrier to entry to this decorating technique a minimal one.

• Automated Screen Printing Presses, Accessories: Tackle larger orders while maintaining consistency and quality. Possible upgrades can include everything from a new “auto” to automated screen reclamation systems, screen coating machines, higher-grade exposure units and laser-to-screen (LTS) screen printing systems.

Expand Your Custom Decorating Offerings

Variety is the spice of life, and in custom apparel decoration, offering diverse services can be a great way of attracting a wider customer base. Additional services you might want to consider adding to your skillset include:

1) Custom Embroidery

Great for corporate branding, especially, custom embroidery on polos or hats can generate more business clients. While the barrier to entry remains a challenging one, today’s technology is such that mastering the rudiments of the art of embroidery is much less daunting than in years past. This is an area in which outsourcing your embroidery work to a fellow decorator can also make all the sense in the world.

2) Sublimation Printing

A proven but often overlooked decorating technique among newer decorators, especially, sublimation printing allows for vibrant, full-color designs beyond the typical garment, such as mugs, phone cases and tote bags. Ideal for printing on performance polyester apparel, in particular.

3) Non-apparel Custom Merch

With today’s technology, the lines between apparel decoration and custom-decorated hardgoods is becoming increasingly blurred. It’s a simple jump for heat-press decorators, especially to branch out into mug or water bottle decorating (see “Sublimation Printing” above). Drop-ship merch providers represent viable option for those interested in “testing the waters” in this area as well.

4) Eco-Friendly Decorated Apparel

Sustainability is more than a buzzword. With eco-conscious consumers on the rise, offering organic or recycled fabric options can position your brand as socially responsible while attracting new customers.

Rethink Your Social Media/Marketing Strategy

If “marketing” at your company consists of little more than posting sporadic photos on Instagram, it’s time to think bigger. A targeted, multi-channel strategy can work wonders for engaging both existing and new customers.

Marketing Tips to Adopt:

• Invest in Quality Content

Post behind-the-scenes videos of your printing process, tutorials about garment care or how-to guides on pairing custom apparel with complementary accessories. The more you can personalize or “put a face” to your social media content, the better. You may be surprised at the results!

• Leverage Social Goodwill

Don’t underestimate the power of positive reviews. Share testimonials, case studies or photos of happy customers out and about wearing your custom apparel. Don’t be shy about asking your more regular customers for their feedback.

• Host Workshops or Giveaways

Teach the basics of T-shirt screen printing, or run a social contest with custom merch as the prize. Remote or “live” decorating events at bars, parties or local craft fairs can be another great way of generating name recognition—and bringing in additional revenue while you’re at it.

• Paid Advertising

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Google Ads offer powerful tools for targeting local businesses, schools or sports teams searching for customized apparel solutions. And don’t forget Impressions magazine!

Network with Fellow Apparel Decorators

Another great way to evolve is by learning from others in the industry. Networking and attending formal classes will not only help you stay up to date on trends, but spark collaboration opportunities and creative inspiration. Ways to network include:

• Attending Trade Shows—including (of course) Impressions Expo

Industry trade shows offer a wealth of networking and professional development opportunities, like this screen-printing class at Impressions Expo. Photo courtesy of Impressions Expo

Events like the Impressions Expo bring together thousands of professionals in custom apparel decoration. You can gain insights into new trends and tools while connecting with suppliers or fellow decorators or participating in the event’s professionally led educational conference sessions.

• Participating in Professional Forums and Communities

Join Facebook groups or Reddit threads for screen printing and embroidery professionals. Sharing challenges and solutions with peers can sharpen your skills and broaden your perspective.

• Attending Virtual Webinars and Industry Panels

Many brands and industry organizations host online events where experts share insider tips on marketing, production techniques, and business expansion. Examples include organizations like Fabric, the National Network of Embroidery Professionals and Shirt Lab.

• Working with a Professional Coach/Trainer

Newcomers to the decorated apparel industry are lucky in that there are a wealth of highly qualified consultants and coaches out there ready and willing to help you take your company to the next level. Invariably these will be decorators too (as opposed to the detached, somewhat bloodless consultants found more generally in the business world). More often than not, develop a relationship with a top-quality consultant and next thing you know you’ll have found yourself both a peer and a new friend.

Maximize ROI on Existing Decorating Equipment

Not every solution involves shiny new tools. You can also drive growth by optimizing how you use your current equipment. Look for ways to increase profit margins or extend the versatility of your machines.

Tips for Maximizing ROI:

• Measure, Measure and then Measure some More!

If you haven’t already then your company is already long overdue for an in-depth analysis of everything from the number of garments a particular machine can produce per hour to you cost of goods of sold, overhead costs, wastage, you name it. Simply “running the numbers” or taking a fresh look at whatever numbers you already have can be a great way of taking you company’s production processes to the next level. In the words of famed business management pioneer Peter Drucker: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

• Offer Seasonal Promotions

Use existing designs and equipment to create limited-edition seasonal products. Offer discounts on holiday-themed sweatshirts or custom-printed summer tank tops.

• Streamline Workflow, Eliminate Pain Points

Evaluate your production line for inefficiencies. Automating small tasks, like garment sorting or pre-treating shirts for DTG printing, can save hours. Simply talking to your production team and finding out where their pain points are can be another way of making big wins in terms of efficiency and productivity. Create a collaborative environment in which your production people feel valued and heard. Same goes for sales, shipping and receiving, you name it. People by their very nature don’t like wasting time. They want to be productive too!

Take the Next Step Toward Growing your Apparel Business

Getting your custom apparel business out of a rut doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right strategies, growth is inevitable. Whether you’re investing in better equipment, refining your marketing strategy, or expanding your offerings, every small change can lead to a big impact.

If you’re interested in more insights and tools that can help your decorated apparel business thrive, keep exploring strategies with our expert blog series. You’ve got the creative skills, now it’s time to reignite your business by putting them to work!

The post Getting Your Apparel Decoration Business out of a Rut appeared first on Impressions.

Fabric, a vetted membership community for print shop owners, is now accepting applications for its second cohort of members, launching in July.

Founded by Bruce Ackerman (Printavo), Steven Farag (Campus Ink) and Kevin Baumgart (Sales Ink), Fabric was created to fill a gap in the decorated apparel industry by providing support, coaching and guidance to help businesses grow and thrive.

In March, Fabric launched its first set of core groups for shop owners. The three groups, each consisting of seven to 10 members working in non-competing markets, meet monthly with an executive coach/facilitator. During the meetings, facilitators help drive accountability, support goal setting and foster positive conversations in general.

Grow Your Screen-printing Shop

Per the organization, “Growing a profitable print shop is challenging. The journey involves tough decisions and often leaves owners feeling isolated and drained. Participating in a core group of industry peers creates accountability and helps owners gain clarity, support and direction.”

“We are creating a space where the business owner can become financially secure and be in full control of their time,” says Printavo’s Ackerman. “This doesn’t happen in many shops today.”

Campus Ink’s Farag adds, “I’m confident that if the shops take their core group seriously, they will move into a realm of peak business ownership.”

For more information, visit Fabric.ink.

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Glimpact, a platform designed to analyze the overall systemic environmental impact of products and organizations, has launched something it calls its Global Impact Score, a publicly accessible online tool to measure and analyze the explanatory factors of environmental footprint for all fashion products in North America. Beyond measurement, the tool also helps identify the right levers for significantly reducing impact though eco-design approaches based on dynamic simulation.

Global Impact score is free to use for anyone and performs calculations according to the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodological framework—an approach that looks at 16 environmental indicators across a product’s entire life cycle with the results aggregated into a single score to be understood as a sort of environmental “price.”

Water, Land Use, Eco-toxicity All Factored In

According to Glimpact, “By considering crucial categories including water use, land use, eco-toxicity and more, this systemic vision acknowledges that the environmental crisis is about more than only carbon emissions.

The company goes on to say its method has also been adopted as the scientific framework of the European Union (EU) as part of its landmark regulation ESPR, which went into force in July 2024 and is “poised to revolutionize product design practices by placing environmental performance at the heart of product development and innovation in the fashion industry.”

Apparel Industry Under Pressure to Reduce Environmental Impact

The release of Global Impact Score comes as fashion brands face rising scrutiny over their sustainability claims and prepare for stricter regulatory requirements both in Europe and globally. By providing easy access to high-fidelity environmental data, Glimpact’s tool helps shift the focus from superficial ESG gestures, such as recyclable packaging, to the high-impact upstream processes that can truly offer impact reduction leverage.

“The environmental crisis is not just about climate, it’s systemic and must take into account all components of the ecological crisis” said Christophe Girardier, founder and CEO of Glimpact. “Our new Global Impact Score tool makes the scientific methodological framework adopted by the European Union accessible to all fashion stakeholders. This empowers brands to prepare for and comply with the requirements of the ESPR, which will make it mandatory to declare the environmental performance of each product and comply with eco-design requirements.”

For more information, go to glimpact.com.

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The dye-sublimation process has a seamless, soft feel ideal for products like baby blankets. Photo courtesy of Epson

Even as apparel trends evolve, economic conditions fluctuate and new technologies emerge, dye-sublimation continues to prove its reliability in the textile industry.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen interest in DTFilm printing grow, as compact systems offer many advantages for apparel decorators. DTFilm involves printing designs onto a designated film, applying a TPU adhesive DTFilm powder and then transferring thes image using a heat press onto virtually any fabric. Among the advantages of DTFilm over DTG, in which a design is printed directly onto the garment being decorated, is the fact it can be used to decorate a wide range of fabrics and doesn’t require the same pretreatment use with DTG.

While DTG and DTFilm are driving the businesses of smaller apparel decorators—many of which started during the pandemic—in the coming years, as these businesses grown they will undoubtedly look to expand their solution offerings. With this in mind, apparel decorators can easily weave dye-sublimation into their current workflow and reap its benefits, including impressive versatility, expansive color gamut and low maintenance requirements. For many small shops, it can significantly enhance business operations and increase ROI.

Setting Up Shop

Like DTFilm, dye-sublimation printing involves a transfer process; unlike DTFilm, dye-sublimation ink dyes the polyester fibers of the fabric, rather sitting on top. Each design is printed on a transfer paper that is then applied to the fabric through a heat transfer process; this is where the magic of

A reliable heat press, like the Hotronix ProPlace IQ, goes a long way to achieve amazing sublimation results. Photo courtesy of STAHLS’

sublimation begins. The heat and pressure placed on the transfer paper initiates a chemical reaction that turns the ink into gas that dyes the fabric. It is also here where the colors bloom and become more vibrant.

Note: because of the chemical reactions that are integral to this kind of decorating, sublimation can only be used with polyester fabrics or on polyester surfaces. Also, because sublimation dyes become a part of the fabric or surface they’re decorating, and not covering them up, as is the case with, say, DTFilm, it can only be used on white or very light-colored surfaces.

For apparel shops looking to invest in dye-sublimation, there are two critical pieces of hardware—the printer and a compatible heat press. If a business is already offering DTFilm or DTG, they most likely already have at least one compatible heat press. However, if an apparel decorator is interested in a wide-format dye-sublimation printer, a bigger calendar-style heat press is needed for larger applications and bolt fabric orders will be an essential part of the wide-format print process.

For apparel decorators using DTFilm and DTG, dye-sublimation ink follows the same regulations. For example, OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT is one testing recognition that is applied to all textile-based inks and certifies inks are not harmful to human health. This is essential when creating apparel, especially for infants and children.

Expanding Apparel Decorator Applications

Dye-sublimation is extremely versatile and can greatly expand an apparel decorator’s business. Unlike DTFilm and DTG, dye-sublimation offers an

Supercharge your business’s productivity with the high-performance SureColor® F9570. Photo courtesy of Epson

expansive realm of printer sizes, ranging from desktop to 76-inches and above. By adding sublimated polyester textile offerings, textile applications expand to include full-size athletic wear, dri-fit apparel, loungewear (such as yoga pants), swimwear and more.

Because the dye-sublimation process is one in which the ink is fused into the fabric, textile output has a seamless, soft feel and primarily maintains its original hand feel. Sublimated fabrics also have a high rub resistance, and the colors will not rub off onto you or another layer of clothing. This is ideal for applications such as dri-fit shirts, exercise towels, yoga wear and blankets that come into direct contact with the body. These applications would not be a good fit for DTFilm, where its surface texture is noticeable.

When looking to invest in a dye-sublimation printer, consider its versatility and ink technology. Dye-sublimation requires exceptional color saturation and high contrast, so it’s ideal to invest in technology that offers a high-density black to ensure output has outstanding tonal transitions and grayscale. In addition, some printers offer spot colors, including fluorescent options, which are ideal for creating on-trend athleisure, safety wear and can produce textiles for new and emerging trends, such as tie-dye and neon clothing.

Pending printer size, dye-sublimation can further expand output opportunities outside of apparel to include soft signage, home décor, personalized gifts, photography applications, promotional items and more. Note this includes items such as plates, mugs and other drinkware.

Fitting into a DTFilm and DTG Workflow

For apparel decorators, dye-sublimation is a valuable addition to their toolkit, offering vibrant, long-lasting prints on polyester and specialty products.

Epson’s new SureColor F9570H offers advanced dye-sublimation transfer printing for sports and other decorated apparel. Photos courtesy of Epson

Adding dye-sublimation to an existing DTFilm workflow allows the apparel decorator a choice of which print method to use based on the incoming order and customer request. For textile orders that require an all-over print, large graphic, soft hand feel, or polyester or dri-fit material, dye-sublimation is a better solution. For low-run, personalized cotton shirts with smaller graphics, or 3D textiles such as hats and shoes, DTFilm is the more ideal and efficient solution.

For apparel decorators currently using DTG or DTFilm, integrating dye-sublimation should be a simple transition since they already have knowledge of apparel decoration, as well as experience using a heat press. This allows them to both fill the gap and expand their product offerings with minimal time and investment. After the initial investment, as the dye-sublimation portion of the business grows, apparel decorators can determine if a larger heat press is needed to meet incoming demand.

Decorators can mix and match technologies to make unique garments. They can use dye-sublimation to create a large, seamless design on a garment and personalize it with unique features added with DTFilm.

Furthermore, adding dye-sublimation allows customers to increase orders. If an apparel decorator has a loyal customer who continuously orders team T-shirts, that customer can now add matching tumblers, sunglasses straps, headbands, lanyards, keychains, practice bags and team banners. This not only increases order size and ROI but also strengthens customer loyalty and retention.

Maximizing ROI and Futureproofing

Integrating dye-sublimation into an existing DTG or DTFilm workflow should be an easy transition with an abundance of benefits for an apparel decorator. With a minimal first investment, apparel decorators can start filling the gap within textile offerings and potentially expand outside of textiles, growing their shop and tapping into new markets from sportswear to promotional products and personalized home textiles and gifts.

Again, in addition to textiles, there are boundless opportunities to sell personalized products and gifts, including custom laptop bags, tote bags, wood décor photo panels, smartwatch bands, and award plaques. Promoting personalized gifts for occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas and Hanukkah provide even more opportunities to drive sales and maximize ROI.

Starting small still offers expansive opportunities for an apparel decorator, and as the demand grows, so do the opportunities for larger orders with higher profit margins.

Lily Hunter is a product manager at Epson overseeing the SureColor F-Series and SureColor G-Series printers, a portfolio encompassing over a dozen direct-to-garment, direct-to-film and dye-sublimation printers. With over 25 years in the industry, she is responsible for product development, go-to-market strategies and managing cross-functional teams.

The post Weaving Dye-Sublimation into Apparel Workflows for Success appeared first on Impressions.

The other, “Tomorrow belongs to people who prepare for it today,” in addition to speaking to Condusta’s article, is also the perfect corollary to Nicole Rollender’s piece “Big Decorated Apparel Orders, Big Wins, No Problem!”

As is the case with having the latest new piece of decorating tech to play with, who doesn’t dream of receiving mega-order after mega-order as a means of further elevating their business? There’s all the difference in the world, though, between landing these kinds of orders and actually fulfilling them.

Lacking the necessary staff, equipment, inventory and/or the requisite tried-and-true production and quality-assurance processes can result in catastrophe. It’s one thing to rally the troops in order to pull an all-nighter in an effort to get the job done. It’s another to rally the troops in order to pull all-nighter and come up short. Not only can the latter result in serious financial issues, but the loss of what might have otherwise been a great new customer.

You only ever get one chance to make a first impression. It’s in everyone’s best interests you make it a good one!

The post Editorial: Fools Rush in When Growing their Decorated Apparel Business appeared first on Impressions.

Upstate Merch (upstatemerch.com) got a call one day from comedian John Mullaney’s people asking if the printer could turn around a huge merch order. “They overnighted 10,000 blanks to us, and we printed and shipped the shirts to the location in a U-Haul,” says owner Dylan Gilligan.

Better still, Gilligan says, “We did them a solid, so we scored the merch orders for the rest of the tour.”

While getting an order like this is exciting, Gilligan says shop owners must understand how to handle the job before saying, yes.

“Many hungry shops jump at the chance to take a 10,000-shirt order they need in a week because the regular printer couldn’t do it,” he says. “As a small to mid-sized printer, it’s easy to get excited about big orders, but the logistics can be overwhelming. You’ve got to know your limits—10,000 hoodies means figuring out boxes, staging space and shipping capacity. If you’re unprepared, the order can quickly outgrow what you can handle.”

The Branded Merch Adrenaline Rush

Hot market printing offers both exhilarating opportunities and substantial challenges for print shops. “We love the challenge of it,” Gilligan says. “Our team is stoked when we say we’re printing for the Buffalo Bills or our favorite band. You also get to put that win on your social media…that’s credibility and reputation right there, and you get more work.”

Case in point, over the years Zome Design (zomedesign.com) has found that hot-market sports championships have boosted sales in slow seasons, like January. When the Eastern Washington Eagles won the 2010 National Football Championship, for example, the shop’s sales skyrocketed for a profitable month. “This gave our employees full-time and overtime work,” says owner Brayden Jessen. “Starting the year profitably means you don’t spend the late spring digging out of a hole.”

Having a strong production team in place is crucial for those shops looking to boost capacity. Photo by Cultura Allies – stock.adobe.com

Like Gilligan, Jessen makes a point of telling news stations and newspapers about these kinds of hot-market printing jobs, especially for local teams. “We receive tons of free publicity across media outlets during primetime and late-night spots,” he says. “Imagine having that many free commercials about your business on several local stations, letting your community know what you’re doing. People see me and say, ‘I saw you on the news! You guys are crushing it!’”

Along these same lines, Marshall Atkinson, principal at Atkinson Consulting (atkinsontshirt.com), where he is also the publisher of the Midjourney newsletter (midjourneyexperience.com), once headed up giant hot-market printing jobs for a number of Super Bowl and Stanley Cup teams while working as the creative director of a print shop.

“It’s a high-pressure situation where your entire team, including front-office staff, works all night to print 30,000 to 50,000 shirts,” Atkinson says. “But we’d have a party atmosphere with pizza and doughnuts. To make it go more smoothly, you must set everything up beforehand, like getting the art approved, burning screens, doing a test print and staging your packing area.”

Rush Decorated Apparel Orders: The Dark Side

While hot-market events are a big score, be warned you might also find yourself putting all kinds of work into an order that doesn’t go through. One time, when the Gonzaga College Bulldogs were in the National Basketball Championship, Jessen brought in 14,000 garments for an “if win,” complete with pre-booked purchase orders for local retailers, an approved design for the shirt in question and even the necessary licensing approvals—all of which would have been for naught if the team itself came up short.

“If the team doesn’t win and we have to ship all the shirts back, it’s a huge bummer,” Jessen says. “Your staff is sitting there on pins and needles, waiting until the end of the game to find out if they’re going to get to print thousands of shirts through the night, or if they’re going home.”

Make sure you’ve got the necessary blank apparel lined up in advance of actually beginning each production run. Image by BrilliantPixels – stock.adobe.com

Staffing can also be a challenge. “If you’re already fully booked, taking on something that has to be produced in a rush can make it hard to keep your current work on track while also taking advantage of the surge in orders,” Jessen says. “You have to take good care of your team, so they don’t burn out. The stress levels can be high, keeping everything on track and hitting deadlines.”

Along these same lines Atkinson emphasizes the fact you need a strong production team to handle big, fast upticks in volume. “If you have a good manager and a solid crew, they’ll make it happen,” Atkinson says. “But if your shop can’t hit targets or handle pressure, you probably shouldn’t take on those big orders.”

Another common pitfall is depending too heavily on a single high-profile client, especially one that frequently places large rush orders. “You get Nike and add four more presses and hire a bunch of people, but then you lose the client,” Gilligan says, noting how his team once had to “snap out of it” after prioritizing a big client to the point where it was starting to neglect a number of smaller accounts. “That bubble pops, and now you just lost 40 other customers,” he says.

Handling High-Volume Rush Custom Apparel Orders

If you’re thinking about taking on larger orders, what follows are some considerations as cited by shops that regularly handle these kinds of jobs.

1) The ebbs and flows of big orders

Since the decorated-apparel industry is seasonal, print shops ideally have the equipment and staffing to scale up their output when the busy season hits. “If you don’t have the added machinery, it can cause bottlenecks and delays,” warns Kyle Robinson, owner of Print My Threads (printmythreads.com). “If you don’t have the staff, it can result in costly overtime and burn out your production crew. You should always build in backups for equipment and people if things don’t go as planned.”

It also helps to know your run rates. “Do time studies over an extended length [of time] to determine an accurate run speed or rate,” Robinson says. “If you think you can run a job at 500 pieces an hour, but with press stoppage, you’re only running at 300 to 350 pieces an hour, that quickly causes bottlenecks and getting behind schedule.”

As you are doing these studies, keep in mind your run rate will typically vary depending on the type of garment you’re printing, the artwork, the person running the equipment and so on. “Whoever is doing your scheduling needs to know this and consider all those variables when scheduling your production,” Robinson says.

Finally, Gilligan suggests shops diversify their client base by handling a mix of small, medium and large orders. “When you get those larger orders, you have a whole section of your business, with equipment and staff, to handle that,” he says. “[Otherwise]. the other side will suffer.”

2) Manage inventory so you’re prepared

Robinson prints for several hospitals that require large runs for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in October. “If they want pink shirts, we start those conversations in August, so we can secure the stock they need rather than wait until mid-to-late September when everyone’s buying pink garments,” Robinson says.

Since Print My Threads doesn’t maintain any in-house inventory, when a client needs a larger or quick-turn job, he makes a point of limiting the options he offers to styles and colors he knows are going to be available. “For large jobs, when we have time to plan, we’ll ask the customer to commit to buying stock before their numbers are finalized, so we can get what they need,” he adds.

3) Maintain lines of communication

Central to the way it does business, Print My Threads employs a customer portal it requires each and every one of its customers to use. “We custom-built a shop management tool using the online database system Airtable that our team uses to enter in all of the information for each order,” Robinson says. “This system has custom views for each department…to ensure our team has all the info they need for each task, job and order. The info our customers need to see gets pulled from our system and is visible in the portal they use to review, approve, pay and track all their orders.”

In addition to Print My Thread’s primary order management system, Robinson says the team employs an email tool called Missiveapp (missiveapp.com). “Missive is basically like a Slack channel plus a CRM (customer relationship management system) that lives within each customer email correspondence,” he says. “This is super handy and allows our team to work remotely but still have access to all the information they need.”

Similarly, Chris Perry of UTees (universitytees.com) says the company has a “Large Order Playbook” that starts with internal collaboration and a Slack channel dedicated to opportunities that qualify. “The key thing is communication, and it needs to happen early and often with all parties,” Perry says. “We decide whether it makes sense to bid, at what price and what timeframe. Then, we communicate what we can do for our customers. From there, it’s an ongoing conversation about logistics, sampling and so on.”

4) Optimize scheduling and workflow

In addition to having personnel and inventory in place well in advance, a shop handling large orders needs a production management system capable of communicating the exact tasks and sequencing required of every department employee. “You also need a dedicated scheduler,” Robinson explains. “This person acts like a [restaurant] kitchen expeditor, directing what’s needed and when to ensure everything is completed in the right order. They must have in-depth knowledge of an order’s lifecycle to orchestrate and expedite jobs effectively through the shop.”

By way of an example, Robinson says, if you’re decorating thousands of hoodies, each with a front and back print, do you know where these hoodies are going to be kept once the front print has completed and they’re waiting for the back one? Do you have the space/capacity to store them on carts, or do you need to move them to pallets or another staging area so they won’t interfere with whatever else might be going on? And where do they go once the printing is done and they’re waiting to be folded?

“The more time you spend handling the goods or moving things around, the more chance for costly errors and the less profit you’ll make,” Robinson says. “We have a ‘go slow to go fast’ mentality, with a plan for each step before we execute. Everything needs to happen in the right order so there’s a consistent flow of goods in and out of the shop daily.”

5) Address space constraints in your decorating shop

Turning to the basic parameters of your shop, Gilligan emphasizes the fact lack of space can turn, say, a rush 10,000-shirt band merch order from a great business opportunity to a nightmare. “If you already do merch and have those 10,000 black shirts in inventory, it’s easy,” he says. “When you don’t keep inventory, you have to order 10,000 shirts and hope they arrive. Do you actually have room for 10 pallets in your shop when they arrive? Then, if the order is for two to three print locations per shirt, you need to move the skids around to print all the shirts multiple times.”

6) Ensure quality control in your shop

As is—or should be—the case with every order, the process for keeping quality consistent over thousands of items starts before the ink hits the first shirt. “Printing is the easy part—it’s all in prepress and proofing,” Gilligan says. For big orders, like 10,000 pieces, his team uses on-press proofing with photo and physical samples to ensure every detail is spot on. “You don’t want to be on the hook for 10,000 shirts with a mistake,” he says.

In addition, there’s the very real challenge that comes in the finishing touches in the wake of actual printing, Gilligan says. Barcoding, labeling, bagging—getting all that right takes laser focus, with many hot-market items needing even more care in the form of specific quantities of each size neatly packed and ready to go.

With this kind of precision in mind, Robinson says Print My Threads uses a color-coded sticker system so that its production team can quickly and easily communicate if something is wrong. For example, the staffer pulling uses a sticker dispenser at the front of the dryer: Pink = Damaged/Hole, Yellow = Misprint, and Blue = Stain.

“There’s a corresponding chart next to the sticker dispenser and a chart on the table for our catcher to reference, so that anything with a sticker can go in a separate stack and either be counted as spoilage or fixed at our spray-out station,” Robinson says. “We also stack or box in 10’s vs. dozens, because it’s easier for our staff and customers to count stacks of 10 vs. a dozen.”

7) Plan for production challenges

No matter how good your shop’s ordering and workflow processes, Gilligan emphasizes the fact a shop needs to be prepared for any kinds of production challenges that may arise, such as managing inks and ensuring proper staffing levels. “Do you have the right ink? I keep 10 five-gallon buckets of white ink on hand, just in case,” he says, stressing that custom colors may require constant mixing during production. “A lot of people don’t think about all of that.”

Before taking on a large order, he also recommends doing a thorough assessment of the state of your shop using a checklist: “Can we fit this? Do we have a loading dock, enough ink, screens and extra hands on-deck?”

Finally, Gilligan suggests holding a candid team discussion before committing to a big job. “Huddle with the team,” he says. “Ask, ‘Do you want to take this on?’ Sometimes, this job is not worth taking because we’ll face burnout or even a mutiny if we’re not all on the same page.”

8) Be realistic about your shop’s capabilities

When managing high-volume orders, preparation and realistic scheduling are musts. Gilligan also emphasizes the importance of balancing rush orders with any other existing commitments you might have. “Can I move current customers around, or will I hurt them?” he says, noting that accommodating rush jobs without jeopardizing existing deadlines can be a delicate balance. “If you’re decent, you’re already booked two to three weeks in advance.”

Bottom line: taking an order of 5,000 shirts can stretch a shop’s resources, even in a shop with multiple presses. “You can get it done with one or two autos, but it’ll be tight,” Gilligan says, emphasizing the importance of realistically assessing whether your shop has the space, people and capacity to handle a huge rush order without affecting the quality or deadlines for other projects.

Look Before Making that Big Leap

Shops that handle high-volume orders typically already have the necessary capacity to maintain a steady flow of large-scale production. “Some shops run two shifts, have 14 autos and crank out 1 million shirts a month,” Gilligan says. “They’re always feeding the beast with a stream of huge orders. If your current shop setup can’t handle it, it may not be worth doing if you put good customers to the side or load up overworked employees.”

At the end of the day, if you aren’t yet set up to manage a hot-market merch pace, it may be best to put this kind of business on hold until you are. It’s important to recognize your strengths and focus on what you can deliver efficiently. By knowing your limits and scaling smartly, you can gradually build the infrastructure needed to take on larger orders without compromising quality, customer relationships or your team’s well-being. 

Nicole Rollender is an award-winning writer and heads up the copywriting and content-creation firm strandwritingservices.com. For more information or to comment on this article, your can reach Nicole at strandwritingservices.com.

The post Big Decorated Apparel Orders, Big Wins, No Problem! appeared first on Impressions.

Over the last 15 years I’ve grown my shop, Axelrad Screen Printing, (axelradarmy.com) from a two-head tabletop manual press all the way up to seven autos and 45 employees. During that time the most common question I have been asked by someone trying to gauge the shop’s capability is: “How many machines do you have?” For the record, I find this to be an absurdly inaccurate metric, though I understand the point. Still, the question seems strange. I’ve never heard of anyone asking a contractor how many drills they have when getting a quote for a new deck.

I’ve always felt like the seemingly common use of this metric as a starting point for deciphering a shop’s capabilities also offers a hint as to why some shops fail. When someone says, “We’re a 10-auto shop,” I can’t help but think, OK, did you have an initial investor, or did you build the shop one auto at a time? Clearly, one of these two tracks is going to be more stable than the other.

All that spins is not gold! Simply adding more production capacity in the hopes your business will also grow is no way to plan out your company’s future. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

On that basis, I feel like many shops are willing to prematurely invest in machinery as a way of potentially attracting more clients, holding fast to the trusty “if you build it, they will come” approach. Unfortunately, while this philosophy can work, it comes with a lot more risk than building your infrastructure one step at a time. Which brings me to my main point: being financially ready to increase your production capacity by purchasing additional machinery is not a guaranteed indicator you’re ready to grow that way.

Obviously, the financial side of these decisions needs to make sense. But to me, understanding how adding machinery affects the overall workflow of your shop is just as important—and tragically overlooked in all too many cases. For my own part, I adhere to the principle that every time a shop expands the amount of machinery it puts into production, it may gain some percentage of capacity, but it loses a percentage of its overall efficiency as well. It’s unavoidable and must be accounted for when weighing the pros and cons of acquiring new equipment. Not only is this concept written into the basic workings of the natural world, but in economics as well—as the law of diminishing returns.

With this in mind, when acquiring new machinery, the game becomes less about adding capacity and more about increasing or, at the very least, maintaining efficiency. It flips the narrative from proactive to reactive. Consider this: when you finally get that second auto, you’re capable of doing double the work. But when you get a third auto, you’re doing only 50 percent more work overall, and with a fourth auto you’re gaining just 25 percent. Each additional press constitutes a diminished percentage increase to your shop’s overall capacity. So, as you grow, each additional machine inherently has less of an impact on your overall capacities, assuming your overall efficiencies remain constant—something that is by no means a given.

In light of this reality, the following are five things to consider before taking the plunge and buying that auto or that shiny new multihead embroidery machine you’ve been eyeing.

1: Shift into high gear: Consider adding a second shift with your current machinery

If your company is located in a labor market where two shifts are possible, this is always a far more effective alternative to buying more equipment, even as it shifts the problem from being a strictly financial one to one of employee structure and staffing.

That said, turning one machine into two by adding a second shift is a luxury that can only be afforded by those shops in a demographic area where it makes sense. There are shops in metro areas that are moving around the clock; however, there are also shops in small towns that are asleep by 9 p.m. If you’re a smaller shop with one or two machines, having a second crew run a job into the night that was set up at the end of the day shift is a feasible approach. Once you get into having multiple machines moving at night, though, your need for additional management becomes apparent—not to mention having to deal with the added demands on your screen and ink departments as well.

Before you know it, you are taking on the daunting task of staffing the entire shop for a second shift, which can be difficult if not impossible in a highly competitive labor market. It’s important to consider and weigh your options in order to determine whether buying another machine and/or expanding your day shift with another operator or two will, in fact, make more sense in the long run.

2: Capacity Needs:  Are you adding machinery to accommodate just your busy season?

While on the topic of employees, before making any investments into new machinery, it’s important to ask yourself: are you currently staffed for your busy season or for your slower months?  Whatever your answer, you are bound to run into a problem at some point. The inherently erratic nature of the custom decorated apparel industry is a burden we all share. Before making an investment in either equipment or staff, it’s important to make sure you’re being conscious of how this investment will play out in terms of both your busy and down seasons.

The author’s company didn’t become the size it is today overnight, but grew in stages reflecting the amount of business it’s been able to generate over the years. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

Aa a general rule of thumb, the minimum amount of machinery you need on the slowest month of the year is the actual size of your shop. If you base your growth on your busy seasons, you’ll have machines sitting idle the rest of the year. It’s certainly better to run your machines harder in the busy times. Working on proper scheduling and maximum efficiency with the least amount of equipment you can get away with is imperative. If you’re running two machines now at 50 percent of your capability, adding a third will only exacerbate whatever issues you may already be facing.

Identifying and solving any and all of the issues that may be preventing your current machines from running with full efficiency is the key to having confidence in expanding. If buying more equipment feels more like a risk than a no brainer, it’s probably because of efficiency issues, in which case you don’t really need it. You might find it surprising how much you can increase your capacity with the equipment you already have simply by adjusting the processes around them. Think things like kitting, better and faster screen prep, press setups or any other bottlenecks your shop may be experiencing. If the press ain’t running, it ain’t makin’ money! In my experience, a lot of shops bypass this kind of analysis, probably because in many cases it’s harder to do than taking out a loan for a new piece of equipment.

3: Words talk, numbers scream: Measure your output, control your metrics and use numbers to inform your decisions

Having the processes in place to measure your current output and machine efficiency is of paramount importance before growing your infrastructure. If you cannot yet look at an accurate data sheet of what your machine, or machines are currently producing then maybe it’s not yet the time to buy another one. Sure, you can buy another, but you won’t have any way to judge its effectiveness or return on investment. For anyone planning on growing their business in a healthy manner, you’re going to want to make sure you’re doing this accurately at every step from the very beginning. It’s not hard keeping track of these kinds of things when working at lower production capacities. But as you start to expand it 1) gets harder and harder to doing so and 2) become exponentially harder trying to go back and retroactively get a clear idea of your original baseline.

4: Rule your mind or it will rule you:  Don’t grow just to say you did

Oftentimes, the allure of appearing successful can cloud one’s judgment. Be careful you aren’t expanding just to say you did, or to create the illusion of growth for the sake of impressing either your competitors, or your family and friends. Sometimes just having the necessary tools on hand will make you feel like you can do the job. However, there’s a lot more to running a successful business than just investing in a bunch of new gear. It’s important to be conscious of the natural influence our egos can have on us as we make business decisions. Growing too fast is a sure way of growing yourself out of business. Exercising restraint and patience is key when it comes to expansion. Be honest with yourself. Is this really the right time, or do you just want it to be?

5: To thine own self be true, navigating industry trends:  Define who you are and only invest in the trends that suit your needs and goals

In the decorated apparel industry, it seems like every three to five years there is a tectonic shift in the industry due to the emergence of some kind of new technology; however, investing into industry trends is always going to be a risk. When new technologies emerge, it’s important to be able to decide whether or not you should be investing or let it pass and try and weather the storm. There are areas in life where the natural world rewards impulsivity, but in my experience, the decorated apparel business is not one of them.

As your business grows, it is important to identify and develop the niche it occupies in the industry. No one can specialize in everything, and if you don’t know what your specialty is you’ll fall for anything. It’s important to know who you are as a business and where you’re going at all times. That way, as new industry trends emerge, you can make informed decisions as so whether or not a particular new technology is pertinent to your overall goal.

One of the thrills of our profession is the pressure to constantly evolve, not just technologically but creatively. That said, because our ever-evolving industry can be overwhelming as well, it’s crucial to be mindful of those foundational aspects of the business that never change no matter what the equipment you may be using: quality work, excellent customer service and an honest work environment. These are things that remain the same irrespective of whatever else may be going on in the world. Getting the basics right will make deciding whether or not to expand a lot less scary.

Dennis Condusta currently serves as the production manager at Axelrad Screen Printing in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (axelradarmy.com). In addition to screen-printing, Axelrad provides a host of other services, including embroidery and design. Condusta is also a regular Impressions Expo conference series presenter.

The post What to Know Before Growing Your Custom Decorated-Apparel Business appeared first on Impressions.

Impressions Magazine: What do you see as the overall outlook for DTF decorating in the coming years? Do you expect to see continued growth? If so, why?

Ninja Mike: One hundred percent! DTF and UV-DTF transfers have exploded in popularity over the last few years, and they’re only gaining steam. What used to be, “Can I even do this?” is now, “How fast can I get it done?” It’s changed the game for decorators, brands and entrepreneurs alike.

DTF gives you superpowers. You can print on nearly any product, material or color with any design without any headaches. Ten designs on 10 different garment types and colors in various locations? No problem. You’re not wasting time figuring out what’s possible anymore—you’re just saying, yes, and that means faster growth, happier customers and more profit. No longer do you need to run the job and costing by an expert. Anyone can do it, because the answer is basically always, yes. It’s a complete mindset shift for the industry.

Advantages to DTF Custom Decorating

IM: Can you provide us with an overview of some of the advantages of DTF decorating over, say, screen printing? How would you compare the costs of screen-printing apparel to DTF?

NM: What’s exciting is that DTF has come so far most customers can’t tell it apart from screen printing—and often it feels even better, especially on performance fabrics, like nylon or polyester.

Screen printing still makes sense for high-volume shops that are optimized for it, but DTF steps in wherever screen printing slows you down. It also requires a far smaller footprint. No giant auto press. No screen reclaiming. Just a heat press, a table, and you’re in business.

The no-minimums part of the equation is also huge. With DTF, you can gang a ton of designs on one sheet and order exactly what you need. That means no wasted money or inventory. Also—and this is big—full color doesn’t cost more. Whether it’s a five-color logo, single color or a photorealistic design, you’re only paying for space, not complexity.

Decorating hard-to-print items like hats, bags or jackets? DTF crushes screen printing. Why spend time with your most talented printer trying to accomplish a single-color screen print on a tricky item when a brand-new employee trained for 30 minutes in DTF can press a full-color DTF transfer for you flawlessly? The answer is: you shouldn’t. If you are still doing it the hard way, I challenge you to give DTF a try on your hardest-to-print product. You’ll be a believer, instantly. I’ll even guarantee it or your money back on your DTF transfers for that order.

Today’s DTF transfers are good enough they can work just as well or even better than screen printing. Photo courtesy of Ninja Transfers

Sleeve and leg prints are also so easy with DTF. Screen printing on them can be a pain. I know this for a fact having run a screen-printing shop for over 20 years. But with DTF, even multi-color sleeve prints are simple. The more complex the print, the better, because DTF can handle the color and detail with ease without any registration issues.

In terms of cost, if you factor in all the costs, time, risk and space required to run a screen-printing shop—including training printers, prepping orders, ensuring everything is perfect in advance of each print run, then breaking down the screens, and cleaning and reclaiming them—then compare it to DTF, you’d be amazed at the accessibility and ease the latter provides. It is hard to quantify the exact cost difference, but with DTF your costs are well known ahead of time, because you know your cost per transfer. By contrast, with screen printing, your costs can vary greatly as a result of printing problems, having your printers not show up, running low on ink, you name it. Machines can also go down and your shipping costs increase due to production runs taking longer than expected and having to expedite deliveries. This simply won’t happen when DTF decorating, because your timing and the outcomes are so predictable.

When you really break it down—including all the labor, training, screens, risk, rescreens and setup costs that come with screen printing—DTF just makes more sense. It’s faster, easy to learn, more consistent and incredibly scalable. You can quadruple production capacity within the confines of the same space simply by adding more heat presses and tables. It’s that flexible.

Get good at DTF, and your costs will drop fast. Once your team and processes become efficient and you are as confident as we are with DTF, you’ll scale up, and your cost per press will plummet at the same time margins skyrocket.

DTF Custom Apparel and Larger Production Runs

IM: Some say DTF struggles with large production runs. What’s your experience been?

NM: That used to be true, but not anymore. With today’s hot-peel transfers, you don’t have to wait for them to cool—you just press and peel, instantly. A simple heat press gets the job done. As you scale up you can also start investing in dual-platen heat presses, which make it possible to load the next item while the current one is still being pressed. Add a few extra heat presses, and you’ll be cranking out high-volume jobs in no time.

When we started, we saw a lot of one- to 100-piece orders. Now, 500-plus-piece runs are normal. Again, once you dial in your workflow, DTF scales beautifully, way more easily than having to manage an additional screen-printing setup with inks, screens, dryers, reclaim, power washers and so on. Ten heat presses can handle what used to take an entire print shop.

IM: On the custom DTF supplier side of the equation, the industry continues to make great strides in the areas of “feel” and special effects. Can you comment on some of the recent advances being made by both your own company and the industry as a whole?

NM: DTF has gotten way softer, stretchier and more durable. At Ninja Transfers, we’ve tested over 100 combinations of film, ink and TPU powder to get our transfers just right. The result is transfers with a soft matte finish, 60-wash durability when machine drying and over 100 washes line-dried.

The entire industry, Ninja Transfer included, has also begun rolling out a wide range of specialty films, including glitter, glow-in-the-dark, metallic gold and metallic silver. We’ve also added puff transfers to our lineup. These days DTF doesn’t just compete with screen printing, it opens up all kinds of new creative options.

That said it’s important to be aware that not all transfers are created equal. Same goes for custom DTF transfer providers. There are a number of quality custom transfer providers here in the United States—including, of course, Ninja Transfers. However, there are also plenty of no-name outfits out there, whose quality is shoddy to say the least. Bottom line, you get what you pay for. That goes for customer support, quick turnaround times and expedited shipping as well.

Here at Ninja Transfers, we’ve invested over $3 million in building a state-of-the-art facility with precise climate control, top-tier consumables, proprietary software, AI tools and constant testing. Why? Because quality needs consistency. We also test our transfers over 20,000 times a day on real garments across all order types. That kind of real-time feedback gives us a huge edge catching issues before they reach our customers, which in turn ensures your transfers will not have pressing problems. In the event a customer does ever encounter problems or have any questions, we provide 24/7/365 customer service.

In terms of judging the quality of a DTF transfer, the first question you need to ask yourself is, “After it’s washed, does it still look great?” It should. Beyond that, do the transfers peel easily and cleanly every time? You shouldn’t be holding your breath or pulling it at the speed of sound in order to get the design to successfully separate from the transfer. The process should be smooth, satisfying and predictable—hot or cold, fast or slow.

On side note, as with any business, a DTF company’s values and overall business philosophy can also tell you a lot about the products and services it provides, and at Ninja Transfers we always strive to do and be the best we can. As of this summer, for example, our production facility will be 100-percent powered by solar energy. Ninja Transfers’ consumables are also all OEKO Tex Certified, a globally recognized safety standard; the company donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to over 35 not-for-profits, including youth educational programs, the ASPCA and St. Jude Hospital. Ninja Transfers also makes a donation with every order to facilitate carbon-neutral shipping.

IM: Any final thoughts for shops still on the fence about DTF?

NM: If you haven’t tried DTF, now’s the time. I can’t stress enough what a difference it can make. It’s the one solution that works on nearly everything. Once you start, you’ll wish you had sooner. 

For more on Ninja Transfers and its complete line of products and services, including DTF transfers, patches, blank apparel and its Ninja Printhouse blind-shipping subsidiary, go to ninjatransfers.com. To see Impressions’ earlier conversation with Ninja Transfers’ “Ninja Mike,” click here.

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Between the threat of rising inflation, uncertain economic forecasts and the increasing effects of the on-again-off-again Trump tariffs, businesses across the decorated-apparel industry find themselves in an uncomfortable position. If you’re a screen printer, embroiderer, heat-press specialist or all of the above, you may already be feeling the pinch of higher costs for blank apparel, embroidery thread, inks and other consumables.

But here’s the good news, though—the custom decorated-apparel industry has proven its resilience in tough times before, and it’s in many ways perfectly positioned for whatever else may come along, in both the near or long-term future. During the pandemic, T-shirt screen printers, direct-to-film (DTF) and direct-to-garment (DTG) decorators pivoted creatively to serve shifting demands. Many businesses not only survived but came out stronger. While the future may posed any number of different challenges, it will also present opportunities for those prepared to adapt, innovate and rethink their operations.

The Impact of Tariffs and Inflation on Custom Decorated Apparel

The Trump-era tariffs on imports, including those impacting everything from textiles to raw materials and some of the industry’s most high-tech decorating equipment (think digital decorating and embroidery, especially), stand to significantly increase costs across the board. Add to this the broader pressures of inflation, and it becomes clear why many businesses are grappling with, or at the very least anticipating rising production expenses.

On top of these challenges, the business community as a whole is contending with the threat of a potential recession—the decorated apparel industry included. Bottom line: no one can predict the exact trajectory of the economy, causing many apparel decorators to feel increasingly uncertain as they face with the prospect of clients large and small possibly reducing spending. Large corporations, for example, a significant revenue stream for many custom T-shirt screen printers and embroiderers, may very well shrink as the business community looks to adapt to difficult times.

Despite these hurdles, though, all is not doom and gloom—because challenges often inspire innovation.

Decorated Apparel and Lessons from Years Past  

The decorated-apparel industry has already proven its ability to adapt. During the pandemic, businesses pivoted to meet changing demands, producing everything from branded face masks to bulk custom Zoom-call-friendly hoodies. The underlying takeaway? Agility is key to survival.

Whether dealing with a pandemic or tariff-related economic uncertainty, innovators in the custom-apparel field have consistently demonstrated resilience. Overcoming challenges has built a more flexible and creative industry primed for navigating this current storm. You can draw inspiration from this success as you strategize for the future.

The Path Forward for Apparel Decorators 

To offset rising costs and prepare for economic uncertainty, here are some concrete steps your business can take:

1) Audit Your Garment Customization Operations

Take a deep, granular look at your current processes and expenses. From energy use to the types of consumables you order, there may be areas ripe for cost optimization:

• Look into energy-efficient equipment upgrades that reduce long-term electricity bills.
• Evaluate your supply chain—could you source blank apparel or consumables in bulk at a discount?
• For example, transitioning to eco-friendly inks not only aligns with sustainability trends but could also cut expenses if sourced strategically.

2) Focus on Innovation, Decorating Tech

When times get tough, bold innovation often leads to breakthroughs. Consider adding new services or enhancing existing ones. For example:

• DTF transfers are fast gaining popularity for their versatility and efficiency in producing smaller-run orders. If your business primarily focuses on screen-printing or embroidery, branching into DTF could expand your service offerings.
• Similarly, specialty embroidery services, like puff embroidery or metallic threads, can help you stand out and command premium pricing.

Investing in innovation not only diversifies your income streams but also positions your business as a leader in the industry.

3) Build Strong Relationships with Suppliers

With costs on the rise, strengthening your relationship with your suppliers could pay dividends. Reach out to negotiate bulk discounts, extended payment terms, or exclusive deals for your business. Many suppliers value long-term partnerships and may offer better terms to help you weather the tough times.

4) Invest in Employee Training and Retention

In good times and bad, your team is the backbone of your business. Investing in training ensures your employees are equipped to handle new technologies or workflows that may boost productivity. Retention is equally important—happy, skilled employees are far more valuable than the costs of hiring and training new staff.

Consider hosting regular skill-development workshops or incentivizing employees with benefits like flexible hours.

5) Use Data to Drive Decisions

Track everything—costs, sales trends, customer preferences—then use this data to make smarter decisions. For example, evaluating sales data might show that custom hoodies are outperforming T-shirts in your region. With that insight, you could pivot to highlight hoodies in your marketing campaigns.

6) Double Down on Community Engagement

Leverage your loyal customer base to drive growth. Whether through social media contests, local partnerships, or special offers for repeat customers, your community can be one of your greatest assets. Highlight their success stories using your services—celebrating their wins is also a soft pitch for your business.

Thriving Through Uncertainty

While economic uncertainty is undeniably challenging, it’s worth remembering that the decorated-apparel industry has always been built on creativity and resilience. Whether you’re a custom embroiderer, heat-press decorator or DTG printer, opportunities abound for those willing to innovate and adapt.

The post Navigating Economic Uncertainty: An Apparel Decorator’s Guide appeared first on Impressions.