Bunbury Music Festival Doing Customized Tees

Credit: bunbury.wearcast.com

Cincinnati, Ohio will play host to some of the biggest names in music this summer during the Bunbury Music Festival. Headliners will include FUN., MGMT, The National, and customized concert tees. Bunbury is breaking the mold and giving the people what they want, literally. Concert goers can log on to http://bunbury.wearcast.com, and select one of four t-shirt designs that they can then customize with the names of their favorite bands that will be at the show. What a cool way to meet other people who like the same music! With 80 plus bands playing, I wonder if there will be any two people with the exact same shirt.

Credit: bunburyfestival.com

Helpful How To: Fold a Shirt Origami Style (Includes Long Sleeve Demo)

For those who have not seen this before, it can seem pretty tricky at first. But once you have done it a few times, you will realize that folding a shirt origami style is actually quite easy, and time saving. Here is a video from Screeners Choice by Jerid Hill (now of BelQuette, Inc., a Direct-to-Garment printer manufacturer). Check it out!                         Video Credit: YouTube

The Right to Tee Speech

Credit: RollingStone.com

Say What You Mean

Recently, new DTG Awareness reader, Dustin Devos commented,

"Not only are consumers becoming design-savvy but they also are realizing that the Tee-Shirt is more than a fashion statement or a cheap piece of apparel. In this new age of social media and technological communication the founding right and principle of free speech is now in full swing when it comes to custom designed tees. Now you can convey a message without even speaking to a person and they know your serious because you are willing to wear it on your body. Yep, I'd say DTG aware is the tip of the ice burg!"

Dustin, I'd say you nailed it. In my previous post, "T-Shirts: 100 Years of Awesomeness" I made a similar point.

"The t-shirt, like a billboard you wear, can be an advertisement for what you think. In an age where everywhere we go, there is an ad telling us what to believe about this or that, the t-shirt is a way of expressing our personal view. It allows a way of communicating without opening your mouth."

DTG differentiates itself from other forms of t-shirt printing in that it is easily customizable down to a single article of clothing, and it allows for high quality design and feel. The wearer is not relegated to the words and ideas of another thinker, nor inferior or amateur looking style.

The fact that a t-shirt can have an impact has been the topic of many news stories. The recent case of an eighth grader in West Virginia is a poignant example of this. ABC News reports, "The shirt included the logo of the National Rifle Association, an image of a rifle, and words 'protect your right.'” Police were called to the boys school when he refused to turn his shirt inside out.

The effect of wearing a t-shirt with an idea on it can be profound. In a sense, the wearer becomes the message. To reiterate Dustin's point, if you are willing to wear it, people get the sense that you can back it up too.

Making Use of a Billboard

Hollywoodlife.com picked up on what Taylor Swift was going for when she wore a t-shirt with a message at the most recent Billboard Music Awards.

"The star was cool and confident at the show, where she sent a very strong message to all of the haters who were trying to bring her down, sporting a shirt that sent a very powerful saying.... While her tee seemed so playful it was actually quite bold — it read, ‘Haters Gonna Hate.’ If Taylor’s haters were, in fact, hating the singer could care less!"

Being that Ms. Swift took home eight Billboard awards, the casual observer could note that whoever these "haters" are, they likely got her point. Of course, it's long been a hallmark of the famous that they speak their mind. Agree with them or not, you pay attention to them.

So, can DTG make you a rock star? Wrong question.
Are you a rock star? You can prove it by wearing what you believe. DTG makes that easy.

Credit: https://www.facebook.com/junkfoodclothing

Breaking news.... Taylor Swift is now dating her famous t-shirt. Sources say the songstress is scheduled to record the breakup song at the end of June.

"The Right to Tee Speech" is a trademark of the DTG Awareness blog and it's writer.

Digital Passion

Credit: Tumblr

Good advice from the blog of Lara Warmwinter, at Digital Art: 

  "If the T-shirt design related to your colors and photorealistic images, then digital printing should be your primary choice [sic]."

Digital direct to garment printing is the best way to get high quality images, and a high quality feel with gradients. Not to mention the fact that digital DTG is fast. People that have tried DTG are passionate about it. I remember when I was younger and I wanted to get a couple of custom t-shirts made. I had the ideas, but when I went to my friend who owned a t-shirt printing shop to ask about getting them done, I was disappointed. He told me that in order to be affordable on a per shirt basis, I would have to order a large quantity of shirts. The time he would have to invest in making screens, just to do four colors, would be cost prohibitive for only two or three shirts. That was 16 years ago. Today, I can walk in to many shops, and walk out that same day with a custom printed, high quality shirt with gradients, and thousands of colors. And, all for around $20. There are also many online custom DTG printing shops. I can design a shirt from the comfort of my living room, and have it sent to me. When people finally realize the awesome power they have with DTG, the clothing industry is going to be radically changed. Big name corporate clothing designers, meet the Indy artists of the world.

A Digital Artist Finds DTG

A reader recently posted:

"bless my stars I found your blog in the sources section on the Wikipedia page for DTG printing, if you'd be so kind as to answer a question that's really troubling me I would be grateful.

I'm an illustrator I create high resolution digital paintings on photoshop and someone recently told me I should look into printing and selling some of these designs on t-shirts so I've been looking into t-shirt printing and what is the best method for me to get my paintings onto t-shirts with high quality prints, I'm planning to have low quantities and high pricing, so a high printing cost for a high quality print on 100% cotton can be absorbed. so could you please help me out with this? Thank You Sir"

People are becoming aware of DTG! This is great. Now we must educate. Here is the response I gave:

"Great question. There are several options for getting your images on to clothing. Heat transfers will get your print on to the shirt, but this method does not attain the high quality you are going for. Based on your comments, you will want to go with a process that can attain not just high quality look, but also a high quality feel. The best way to do this is digital direct-to-garment. Another consideration is whether the company you purchase your machine from is able to ship their product to your country, and give the support needed to help you get up and running. If you are based in the United States, you will have many companies to choose from. Pricing can vary greatly from company to company. Things you will want to consider are machine cost, ink cost, maintenance cost, and head replacement cost. Some companies also offer financing options, and this can be very helpful if you need to keep your cash flow free. Be very careful about used or homemade printers, as they probably won't come with a warranty, and you need to make sure that you can get support for your product. I recommend checking out the forums too. Here are a couple of addresses:

https://plus.google.com/b/117973706207801271116/communities/101204742741581995959

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/

DTG printing is a great way to profit from your art! I hope it goes well for you!"

Another one comes to the light of DTG, and a dream has been born. When will you make your Mona Lisa?