Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

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MrsRoxy
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Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by MrsRoxy »

Hi Everyone. Let me apologize in advance for being a newbie and any newbie questions I may ask. I've been lurking and researching for a while, but need some help that I am having trouble finding.

A little background. I work for an offroad promoter. We have gotten big and constantly need merchandise restocked and new designs for each race and event. My owner wants to take things in house. I'm the one with (very) limited experience and even more limited knowledge, as well as being the one that handles all of our merchandise, so its all been tasked to me. We host many races and events all year long, as well as have many racers that need shirts/merchandise. We would be purchasing an auto press, as well as a manual. Our merchandise order for just one race will be well over 10,000 pieces and I don't want to be the one doing that manually. LOL I've read many of the down falls and issues I will have. There will a lot of trial and even more errors. LOL It won't happen over night. My boss is an all or nothing guy and this is what he wants to do. Its my job to research it all and organize it as easily as possible.

With that said, I need to get a guesstimate of cost of printing a shirt. Everything I have found online is a bit outdated and I know costs have increased, especially shirts. I realize there are many variables, so I understand it will be a guesstimate or an average. I know it depends on how much coverage, the thickness of the ink layer and screen mesh. I've found a bunch of online calculators, but a lot of them need the cost of utilities, rent, etc and I don't have those totals to use yet. I can tell you that we always use dark merchandise, usually black and dark gray. We usually will have a brighter colored women's shirt. There is no white. White and offroad racing doesn't work well. Our racers and customers like to hide dirt and grease on their shirts. LOL There is usually a one color small print on the front and a large print on the back that is usually 3 to 4 colors. Most of our previous designs that I measured seemed to be larger than a 10x12, closer to a 12x14. I can get the wholesale cost of the merchandise. Its the cost of supplies per shirt that I'm struggling with. I'm sure I'm leaving out some info, hopefully I didn't come across as too uninformed.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.
Roxy
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Catspit Productions
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by Catspit Productions »

This is the best I can offer currently thanks to a forum member. I never calculated costs like this and it is nearly impossible to be accurate as ink volumes and other consumables can be a per job variable. Number of colors and stencil size affects ink usage. So do other factors on any press.

http://www.catspitproductionsllc.com/fo ... =47&t=2173

There is a decent learning curve to screen printing and it will require a great amount of determination and discipline to start with an automatic. Some people say it’s easier to learn screen printing with an auto. I disagree. Automatic presses work much differently than a manual press and the results can be very different on the same job. Knowing the fundamentals and basics of manual printing will better enable you to do automatic jobs in my opinion.

Let me know if you need any help with equipment. Manual and automatic. I can help out with both.

Thanks for signing up to the forum ;) Good luck and feel free to ask questions anytime.
Jonathan Monaco
Catspit Productions, LLC
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http://catspitscreenprintsupply.com/
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MrsRoxy
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by MrsRoxy »

Thank you for the welcome. I'm always nervous asking questions like this. I've asked for help on other forums and got a lot of lectures and attitude. I understand that can be expected. I've also got some great offers of help and advice. I'll do my best to read and search before asking. :)

This may be a dumb question, but in the link you gave me the estimated cost is .39 per shirt for ink. I'm assuming that is one color? If you are using multiple colors is it that .39 cents times the amount of colors you will be using? I realize that there is a big variable there because one screen may not use much ink depending on the artwork.

Our original plan was a manual press, until I sat down and figured out the size of some of our own runs. In talking with some experienced screen printers they told me I would be printing for a long time using a manual. LOL We've had some really bad experiences with printers and its cost us a lot of money. Our orders are usually delivered directly to our event and if its wrong, there isn't much that can done at that point. Last years main event was the worst...partial quantities of items delivered, the printing on the event shirts was wrong and on and on. At that time my boss decided we needed to take matters into our own hands. When he decides to pull the trigger, I will talk to you about equipment and supplies. I believe in giving back to those that have helped me.

Thanks again for your help!
Casams
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by Casams »

Just thought I would present to you another way to accomplish your end goal. After you have the artwork utilizing the services of TransferExpress.com you can have screen printed or digital transfers made. These transfer prints can be applied utilizing a heat press that controls pressure, heat and time. The average Fusion press will produce 100 completed copies per hour. An order of 10000 would require 100 hours of labor. Multiple presses should be utilized. The learning curve utilizing this technology requires minimal training. Utilizing the methodology you can print on a wide variety of products. Products such as koozies, ipad cases, bags, as well as t-shirts and hoodies.

This type of application method will produce the same results if using the screen printed transfers. If digital transfers are utilized metallic colors can be printed that far exceed the ability that can be attained from screen printing techniques. Overall the end costs per 10,000 units would be about the same as that of printing 10,000 units on an automatic press. Digital print costs are charged by the square inch not the number of colors. Digital prints are photo quality prints.
ApeShirt
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by ApeShirt »

The first 2 things I would like to address are these: 1- you don't have ever have to be nervous asking questions on this forum. All of the regular contributors here are classy people. If anyone gets out of hand or disrespectful here they will be banned by myself, Jonathon or another moderator. 2 - That is by no means a dumb question. I am a firm believer that a sincere question is never a dumb one. $.39 is per color. On average, I find it to be lower than that actually. Most will charge a customer around $.50 for each additional color, plus additional screen fees for each color. I've estimated it costs me around $1.75 - $2 in material/supplies to burn and reclaim each screen. That includes transparency, printer ink, emulsion, water, emulsion remover, etc.. The screen fees pay for those things along with the time/labor to make them.
And, welcome to the forum! Hope you stick around.
Greg
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ApeShirt Apparel Printing, LLC
MrsRoxy
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by MrsRoxy »

Casams wrote:Just thought I would present to you another way to accomplish your end goal. After you have the artwork utilizing the services of TransferExpress.com you can have screen printed or digital transfers made. These transfer prints can be applied utilizing a heat press that controls pressure, heat and time. The average Fusion press will produce 100 completed copies per hour. An order of 10000 would require 100 hours of labor. Multiple presses should be utilized. The learning curve utilizing this technology requires minimal training. Utilizing the methodology you can print on a wide variety of products. Products such as koozies, ipad cases, bags, as well as t-shirts and hoodies.

This type of application method will produce the same results if using the screen printed transfers. If digital transfers are utilized metallic colors can be printed that far exceed the ability that can be attained from screen printing techniques. Overall the end costs per 10,000 units would be about the same as that of printing 10,000 units on an automatic press. Digital print costs are charged by the square inch not the number of colors. Digital prints are photo quality prints.
Thanks for the response. I actually already have a press and have worked a good bit with F & M Expressions and their plastisol transfers. I've only ever used a one color and a transfer with adhesive for foil. I talked to my boss about doing transfers but in his head they look like the transfers you would get on the boardwalk at the Jersey shore. LOL I have been trying to figure out exactly what process the vendor we used for shirts last year did to make these. Actually he didn't make them, he contracted them out and then bounced the check, but that's another story for another time. Can you all take a look at this and see how you think it was made. It feels thick(obviously because of all the colors) and rubbery. The plastisol transfers I've used have only been one color so I don't have a lot to compare them to. This is the shirt: (no pimping of my merchandise is intended. Most of you probably aren't familar with the race anyway. If you want to check it out, let me know and I'll send you a DVD :D )
http://www.kohthemovie.com/product.php? ... featured=Y

Does that look like a transfer?

This is my other concern. My boss has no idea how any of this works. He sends me off to *make it happen*, which is awesome but sometimes is stressful. Our main race is Feb 7th. He wants to make our own merchandise for that race. Even in my limited knowledge I know that I am setting myself up for disaster. He doesn't understand that the equipment we are talking about purchasing isn't plug and play. I know it takes more than a couple days to set up a shop(after I find the shop space) and the press. And then I have to learn it all and that won't happen until all the equipment and supplies are there. The order is large and not something I want to learn on. If I can sell him on the idea of using transfers and just investing in a nicer automatic heat press, it would allow me to set up shop with a manual press after our main race in Feb(when things die down a bit), learn how to use that on smaller orders and then step into the auto press for our large orders that are later in the year. I'm thinking out loud here. Opinions are welcomed!
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Catspit Productions
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by Catspit Productions »

The design you linked to is very complicated and will require a substantial understanding of creating vector artwork and color separating it for screen making. I can't tell how it is printed form a digital thubnail. I don’t think buying an automatic press, setting up shop and learning to do a complex job like this in 3 months is wise. Especially on 10,000 pieces. An automatic press can print a lot of misprinted rags very quickly if you let it. Maybe if you hired experienced people to work the shop for you but for you to learn everything alone is a big challenge.

I would strongly recommend subbing this out and continue doing so until you know your shop is up to speed technically and with experienced people in the art department. I know you have had major difficulties but there are experienced and capable contract printers out there.

I can help you get this job printed but it would be done in Phoenix and shipping would add to the cost. I don’t think your boss understands the magnitude of what you propose. You may want him to review some screen printing videos on YouTube especially automatic jobs and get a better understanding of what he is getting into.
Jonathan Monaco
Catspit Productions, LLC
Learn how to screen print tee shirts!

http://catspitscreenprintsupply.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/CatspitProductions
MrsRoxy
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Joined: Wed Nov 13, 2013 8:14 pm

Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by MrsRoxy »

Catspit Productions wrote:The design you linked to is very complicated and will require a substantial understanding of creating vector artwork and color separating it for screen making. I can't tell how it is printed form a digital thubnail. I don’t think buying an automatic press, setting up shop and learning to do a complex job like this in 3 months is wise. Especially on 10,000 pieces. An automatic press can print a lot of misprinted rags very quickly if you let it. Maybe if you hired experienced people to work the shop for you but for you to learn everything alone is a big challenge.

I would strongly recommend subbing this out and continue doing so until you know your shop is up to speed technically and with experienced people in the art department. I know you have had major difficulties but there are experienced and capable contract printers out there.

I can help you get this job printed but it would be done in Phoenix and shipping would add to the cost. I don’t think your boss understands the magnitude of what you propose. You may want him to review some screen printing videos on YouTube especially automatic jobs and get a better understanding of what he is getting into.
I'm no artist. We have someone that will do the artwork and also do the color separation on it.

I agree that trying to set everything up, learn and mass produce our order is smart. I do have experienced help locally that can run the equipment and help train me, but I still don't think getting it all set up for production in my timeline is realistic.

My boss is a black and white kind of guy. This is what I want. Make it happen. It doesn't help that he is in CA and I am in CO. I would like to talk to you and maybe get a quote on subbing it out to you, if that's possible. I have to drive to CA for the event from CO and could pick up the order on the way if it were more cost effective. I'll be seeing him over Thanksgiving and will get to have a face to face discussion about all of this. I'd like to have a quote for subbing it out, as well as showing him exactly what all is entailed in doing it ourselves. Hopefully I'm not coming across as some scatterbrain that thinks I can just walk in and start printing. I know that is not possible and really do appreciate all of your info and advice.
drew
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by drew »

That looks like a four color process or simulated process job. I've been screen printing 9 months and I wouldn't attempt that job yet. If it were me, I would sub it out and explain to your boss that it takes a long time to learn something like that. If you had help training from experienced printers, it could be done if everything worked out perfect and the shop was set up already. Lol. It seems like a huge risk and large investment. I would sub it out but continue with the shop plans and take your time to learn the basics before jumping into something like that. Just my opinion:-) good luck!
Casams
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Re: Help with cost of supplies and printing per shirt

Post by Casams »

Your example appears to be an eco-solvent transfer. The type that is created by a Roland printer/cutter. Suggest you contact a Roland rep.
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