Do I need professional t shirt printing, or can I do it myself?
Whether you’re designing your own t-shirt, website, or house, you’ll find hundreds of tools to help you do it. But does that mean you should do it yourself?
Did you know that the custom screen printing industry has grown over the last five years and now produces over $9 billion annually?
That’s right, the industry is actually growing. If DIYers were taking over the industry, we’d see those numbers shrinking rather than growing.
Why then are people hiring out professionals rather than doing it themselves? The reasons are straightforward, as you’ll learn in the sections below. Read on.
1. Loss of Focus
You have the ability, but does that mean you should pursue it? Take a moment and think about the people you see working each day. Estheticians, web designers, landscape architects, and novelists.
These are all jobs with relatively low entry points. They look simple enough that most people believe they could do. One survey showed that 81% of Americans feel they could (and should) write a book.
For the moment, stop asking yourself about whether you’re capable of writing a book. Stop asking yourself about the differences of expert web design vs. DIY web design.
In fact, stop asking yourself is it possible and could I do it? Instead, start asking yourself should I do it?
All the jobs listed above require time and dedication to master. That’s time and focus you must steal from some other aspect of your life, be it your business, hobbies, or relationships.
And we’ll let you in on a little secret. It’ll take you more effort than you envision. That’ll leave less energy for you to use on other critical aspects of your business or your life.
2. Steep Learning Curve
Yes, believe it not, there’s a steep learning curve to screen printing. It takes months, working side by side with an expert designer before you can design a shirt that meets professional standards.
It takes years before you can create anything that could beat your expert competition. If you think hobbies like oil painting translate to graphics design, you’re incorrect. Pencil drawing, interior design, and art appreciation don’t apply either.
The art of printing shirts comes with its own set of problems. And you must understand all of them which will take you months.
3. Loss of Money
This is not a forgiving business. Every time a mistake is made it costs money, and we’re not just talking about labor expenses. Whether your graphics are flawed, or you choose the wrong fabric, you have to eat the costs of printing.
If, on the other hand, you hire an expert and they make a mistake, they’re responsible. They eat the costs, not you.
4. Assurances
The best part about hiring a pro is the assurance. Your screen print shirts will always come out the way you want them, or you can simply tell your printer to redo them.
5. Quality
Quality is another big issue for the DIYer. It takes time before you have the ability to produce professional-level designs. DIYers typically struggle with design composition, color choice, and material choice.
Things that look great on a monitor don’t always look good on a hoodie or t-shirt. Print experts learn those exceptions during their right of passage. It’s worth investing in someone who knows their stuff and ensuring you receive quality apparel.
Professional T Shirt Printing Vs. DIY: What’s Next?
Now that you know why professional t shirt printing is your best option, what should you do? Well, sit down and brainstorm. Write out a list of what you need. Include how many t-shirts you need, their sizes, fabrics, and general design.
Then, jump online and look for a printer. You can use the list you made to define your search criteria. If you want to learn more about similar projects, take five minutes to browse our library of other DIY do’s and don’ts.
So long and good luck!