Adding DTG to Your Shop: Spotlight on Big Fish Co.

When considering purchasing any new technology, it is prudent to get a first-hand user's view. Today, I had the privilege of sitting down with Carrie Renner, owner of Big Fish Co. T's, Signs, and Designs in Saint Petersburg, Florida. With two decades of experience, Carrie has used all various types of printing methods, which means she understands the benefits and challenges of the printing industry, and that she has had an opportunity to grasp what customers are looking for. Carrie started her business at a time when direct-to-garment printing was not even available. Looking for a way to print 6 shirts she needed for a spear fishing tournament, Carrie went to a screen printer who told her that she would have to print a minimum of 24 shirts. Being the entrepreneur she is, Carrie found a way to sell the rest of those shirts, plus some. Carrie notes that this "would have been the perfect DTG situation". Digital direct to garment is perfect for printing in low quantity, without sacrificing quality, allowing a customer to get one shirt, or even a few samples without the costs associated with screen printing set up.

As things would turn out, this small run of tournament T-shirts would become the start of Carrie's new printing business, which just celebrated it's 20th anniversary. Below, Carrie is pictured to the far right:

Carrie recalls that as soon as she began seeing direct-to-garment several years back, she loved it. But it wasn't until she was able to track down a used machine that she decided to take the plunge and start using it at Big Fish. Four years later, Carrie utilizes the direct to garment printer any time she has  short run T-shirts prints. Occasionally, Carrie will also use DTG for larger runs that require digital rendering, such as in a recent job she did which ended up being around a 200 shirt order. Carrie also states that for T-shirts, "DTG is far superior to transfer", although she still utilizes her color laser printer for printing on mouse-pads.

Among Big Fish's offerings, embroidery, signs, sublimation, and screen printing are also offered, and Carrie states that as of right now, direct-to-garment printing accounts for approximately 8-10% of her business. With an aging direct-to-garment machine, Carrie is contemplating the purchase of a new printer. She currently only prints with CMYK ink, and like some others, has heard that printing with white ink can be more difficult. Carrie conveys that until she has someone in her shop printing full time with DTG, she is going to wait to start using it  to print with white ink. "I have to know that I can step in and do it", she remarks. That's a philosophy that any small business owner can respect.

Big Time Oops When Slandering the T-shirt Industry

The irony, the irony

I have been posting regarding an article I read last week in The Guardian. The article demands that people stop wearing T-shirts with slogans on them. This gave me the idea to start a new line of ironic T-shirts which would have slogans and other rubbish that oppose slogans on T-shirts. It is yet to be seen whether or not the general public will get on board with such a venture. The more hilarious news that I have not yet shared is that right next to said article is a link for The Guardian's very own line of... yep... T-shirts... and many of them have slogans on them. Please feel free to peruse their online store: Guardian T-Shirt Online Store

For more proof, here is the screen shot I took where you can see both the Freeman article and the ad:

Of course, you may still be able to go to the article itself and see the ad. 

The Facebook page I created (People Fighting Against Words on T-Shirts) has not taken off yet, but I'm still holding out hope. Here is my latest anti slogan T-Shirt slogan T-Shirt; I think it has a ring to it:

Like the P.F.A.W.T. Facebook Page

The Anti-Slogan T-shirt Campaign

Official Emblem (the "P" is silent)

Yesterday, I posted a response to a Hadley Freeman article in the The Guardian regarding Hadley's demand to end slogan T-shirts. Hadley's bullying could be a result of her ignorance of how important slogans on T-shirts have been to our society. Aside from the many small companies that would be put out of business without the purchase of slogan bearing T-shirts, there have been many good charitable organizations that have spread their message on T-shirts. Similarly, some people may believe that a joke on a T-shirt is, "like walking around all day and telling the same gag over and over," but to the individual who sees the joke on the shirt, it may be the first time he has heard it. It might be the one laugh he gets that day. I don't know about you, but I don't want to trample other people's happiness. That being said, I want people who hate slogan T-shirts to be happy as well, so in the spirit of compromise, I have decided to help Hadley Freeman and others who share her sentiment spread their message. And what better way to campaign for this cause than to have people everywhere showing their support by wearing it on T-shirts? Because when a person decides to become a walking billboard, it shows true belief, and others take notice.

"...but to the individual who sees the joke on the shirt, it may be the first time he has heard it. It might be the one laugh he gets that day."

In an effort to spread the word, I have started a new Facebook page called People Fighting Against Words on T-shirts (P.F.A.W.T.). You and all your friends can go there and see the T-shirt designs as they come out. I also plan to let you design your own anti-slogan T-shirt slogan T-shirts on the new website I will be putting up. Help me start spreading the word by liking the page! Join the anti-slogan T-shirt slogan T-shirt revolution!

Some People Want to Take Away Your Right to Tee Speech!

Hadley Freeman, a fashion columnist with The Guardian, wants you to stop wearing T-shirts with slogans and jokes on them. Quoting some of the more controversial T-shirt slogans, Freeman attempts to build a case against... well, words. Apparently, she finds the entire idea of people having a little fun by saying stupid things with their shirts deplorable. She ends her column with the demand, "So a bit less of the slogans, people, and a bit more of the shhhh."

Freeman has a lot of gall. She works for a large internet publication and her words enjoy wide circulation. What is a guy who works in a factory for 40 hours a week to do when he wants to tell the world of the glories of beer? I know, how about a T-shirt that says, "Save water, drink beer!" The   freedom crushing article is not a complete waste, as it gave me an idea for a T-shirt. It's a good thing I have a direct to garment printer with which to express myself.

Do you understand now, Hadley?

Top 20 Creative and Clever T-Shirt Designs on Google+

Is Your Design Here?

Here is a list of some of the best t-shirt designs on Google+. Some are beautiful, some are cool, and some have a certain "Je ne sais quoi". Each one is numbered, but only to identify it. I want you to rate your favorite in the comment section below using it's number. If enough people respond, I'll post the top ten next week!

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EPSON Teases DTG Printer

Apparently, Epson took notice of my July 26th post "Google Trends: Public Interest in Digitally Printed Shirts Shows Growth"(hehe). This little image was dropped onto a forum yesterday:

See original post here.

You might be asking...

Credit: tshirtgroove.com

As I, Amator Vestamenta, the herald of Direct to Garment Awareness have been saying, DTG printing is going mainstream. A Direct to Garment, A.K.A t-shirt printer made by Epson is the proof. I rest my case.

Designs that Make Money: A Tale of Two Shirts

The Rihanna

An article in The Guardian reports that Rihanna has successfully stopped Topshop from selling a shirt with her image. The article, by Paula Cocozza, does a terrific job of explaining the circumstances which led to Rihanna having been able to accomplish what many other celebrities have not. Here is an excerpt,

Credit: theguardian.com

"But what makes Topshop's sale of this T-shirt wrong? The world is full of unofficial merchandise, and Rihanna – as for all of us – does not own the copyright to her face. (Though she could try to trademark it, as Damon Hill once did with the image of his eyes staring out of his helmet.) The rights will have been owned by the photographer, who must have licensed or sold his image to Topshop. So what is the difference between straightforwardly reproducing an image on a T-shirt and "passing off"? "The question is simply this," says Mike Brookes, a lawyer who specialises in entertainment dispute resolution at Lee & Thompson. "If you walk into Topshop and see that T-shirt, do you think that it is an official, Rihanna-endorsed T-shirt, or do you think that it is a piece of merchandise that someone else is selling without her approval?" In this case, the judge decided that the former is true. Brookes says that there are three elements to proving passing off. The claimant needs to have established a reputation. The defendant needs to have misled the public. And third, there needs to have been damage. "I suspect that the argument will be that for every person who buys a Topshop Rihanna T-shirt it does them out of a sale of an official one," says Brookes."

Cocozza continues,

"Rachel Cook, an associate at Fox Williams, read the 16-page Rihanna judgment and says that this "was very much a case of specifics". The Topshop tank shows Rihanna wearing a dungaree-strap bra top – the same outfit that she wore on the video for We Found Love, albeit one of about 47 outfits, each of which you get to see for a few seconds. (See it here at 2:57 seconds.) The photograph was taken unofficially during the shoot in Northern Ireland. "The judge was talking about the way they [Topshop] were using it, the time they were using it. It almost looked like the marketing campaign for that record." Plus, Rihanna has an active endorsement programme, having designed a clothes line for River Island."

Capitalizing on a State Capitol 

Credit: Fouryou Designs

Contrast the Rihanna story with recent news from newsobserver.com about the achievements of a small Raleigh, North Carolina based company called Fouryou Designs. In the article, Joe Fitzpatrick, owner of Fouryou Designs says that before he started his company, he created what he calls the "Raltree" shirt because he "wanted an original design not found in the Raleigh area." After many compliments, Fitzpatrick decided to see if the shirt would sell; soon after this, Fouryou Designs was born, and the report is, "business is booming". 

Both the Rihanna and Raltree shirts have garnered publicity. But, while a picture of a celebrity will attract attention, using it can be a gamble. An original design has the upside that it will not make your company susceptible to law suits. The difficulty for any designer is creating an original design that will possess the gravitas needed to sell. Using a celebrity image is a shortcut to mass appeal, and may lead to quick sales. But creating an original design that catches the eye can lead to long term branding. The key to success in any business is finding a niche, and building a business model that allows the exploitation the of upside potential of that niche with maximum efficiency and minimal risk. One could say that
designers who are looking to make the most of their designs would do well to incorporate the most lean rendition of their business model into their design. Creativity and practicality both have a part to play in t-shirt design. One key pertinent attribute that is shared by both the Raltree, and the Rihanna is that they each transcend the t-shirt, appealing to an idea that is bigger than the design itself. If Rihanna weren't who she is, and if Raleigh were not a beloved city to so many, then the shirts would most assuredly not have seen the sales numbers that they did. Bottom line, profitable designs are smart; they take into consideration the business they represent, and the culture they attempt to charm.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/31/3070583/raleigh-t-shirt-designer-displays.html#storylink=cpy