Category: Printing

Starting a screen printing business requires skill and planning

How to Start a Screen Printing Business

printing

Avoid wasting your skill and time working menial print jobs for others. Applying your talents and opening your own printing business will help you advance personally and professionally.

webandprintteam.com gathered the following information and pro tips on how to open your own screen printing business.

Screen Printing

Screen printing is a globally popular printing method, using a technique that presses ink through a stenciled mesh screen to create a printed design. This printing method is used in a wide range of industries to create custom clothing, memorabilia, canvasses, artwork, posters, and more.

Starting a Screen Printing Business

Starting a screen printing business requires space and significant financial investments

There is much more to starting a screen printing business than just registering it with the state. The following steps will help ensure that your new business is well planned out, correctly registered, and legally compliant:

  • Write a business plan for your screen printing business
  • Form your screen printing business into a legal entity (city and state)
  • Register your business for taxes (county, state, and federal)
  • Open a business bank account and credit card
  • Hire an accounting firm for your screen printing business
  • Secure the necessary city and state permits and licenses for your screen printing business
  • Develop your marketing and customer acquisition strategy
  • Get business insurance
  • Define your business brand
  • Print your business cards, flyers, announcements, letterhead, etc.
  • Create your screen printing business website
  • Set up your business phone system

Tip: Hire or consult an accountant to guide you through your city’s and state’s application and licensing processes (most of which can be completed online).

Costs for Opening a Screen Printing Business

Starting a screen printing business requires investing financial resources

It is relatively inexpensive to open a fully-functional screen printing business. Consider the following:

  • The specialized printer you need will typically cost around $10,000 or less
  • The supplies you need to start, including shirts and other substrates to print on, can typically be secured for less than $5,000
  • This type of business can be operated from your home, eliminating the need to lease a separate space
  • Spend $500 – $1,000 to design a professional website
  • Invest +/- $5,000 on traditional advertising, like radio ads, newspaper ads, flyers, business cards, and direct mail

Note: These opening costs do not account for any ongoing business operating and supply expenses you may incur.

Benefits of Owning a Screen Printing Business

Opening your own business has multiple benefits that include:

  • Everybody has and loves t-shirts. There is a strong and continuous market for small and medium jobs that larger companies don’t want.
  • You can print t-shirts in a small location and earn hundreds of dollars an hour in your own home.
  • As a middleman, you can order and print what the customer has actually ordered (eliminating excess stock and storage).
  • Carry little to no inventory – Local distributors can deliver blank shirts in 1 day.
  • Higher quality “brand name” shirts can add recognition to your business and what you sell.
  • Municipal, state, and federal tax benefits can help reduce your tax expenses.
  • You get to be your own boss and make your own schedule.

Note: Since you will control the tempo of your business, you can grow at whatever pace you are comfortable with and invest your resources where you deem it necessary.

Mistakes To Avoid When Starting a Screen Printing Business

Starting a screen printing business at home can be lucrative. With a relatively small startup investment, motivation, and a well-defined marketing plan, you can launch your own screen printing business and quickly turn a profit. However, you should avoid focusing solely on the screen printing process while forgetting about the business side of things. Consider avoiding the following:

Buying equipment without fully understanding the associated expenses and learning curve – The skills and knowledge required to successfully screen print cannot be learned and perfected overnight (which inks and mesh to use or efficiently operating your equipment). There are many aspects of screen printing that you have to practice and master to achieve professional results.

Not establishing relationships with school, charity, and community groups – Establish a presence in your local neighborhood and city markets. Consider the following:

  • Print sample shirts for a local high school sports team
  • Offer company or event planner shirts for a fundraising event
  • Sponsor a contest for designers to upload t-shirt designs on your website

Sponsoring events, promotions, and special occasions will drive traffic to your website and fortify your brand awareness.

Starting a Screen Printing Business

In this article, you discovered information, tips, and advice on opening your own successful screen printing business.

Knowing how to open a successful screen printing business will help you achieve your financial, personal, and professional goals.

Remaining employed by another company will leave you dependent on your employer’s processes and employment terms while keeping you from attaining a higher level of success and financial freedom.

Sources:
freefreehand.org/how-to-start-a-t-shirt-printing-business/
sbdc.uh.edu/sbdc/Start_Your_Business.asp
wgu.edu/blog/how-to-start-business-small-business-checklist1907.html

Cheap flyers and business cards printing companies

Best US Printing Companies and Their Specialty Products

printing

All print shops are not created equal. When your marketing project depends on high quality printing, superior expertise, and exceptional customer service, do you know who to turn to?

The print shop you hire to produce your business or marketing materials should deliver timely results with consistently high-quality Products that attract attention.

In an effort to connect locals with printing experts, we researched, discovered, and analyzed six of the best printing companies nationwide, and highlighted their most unique specialty printed products.

Best Print Shop in Atlanta

Clash Graphics – While headquartered in Atlanta Ga, Clash Graphics is a local printing company with national reach. Their in-house design team produces high-quality printing from concept and design to print and delivery nationwide.

Clash’s two unique specializations are the premium finish on all of their printed material and their stunning work with aquafoils finishing which can transform any project into a stunning work of art. Customers rave about their same-day business cards and cheap flyer printing

business cards atlanta cheap printing

For further information, contact them at:

Clash Graphics

2140 Peachtree Rd NW #301 Atlanta, GA 30309
(678) 235-3464

www.clashgraphics.com
info@clashgraphics.com

Best Print Shop in Dallas

East Dallas Printing – Whether it be sourcing paper from tree farms, using biodegradable inks and toners, reducing overall energy consumption, East Dallas Printing strives to be as eco-friendly as possible in all business aspects while maintaining their superior quality printing. EDP encourages customers to join the efforts by using their digital ordering system,

From business cards to brochures, and full-color posters, East Dallas Printing provides a fast turn-around and a graphic designer on site to bring their customer’s vision to fruition.

For further information, contact them at:

East Dallas Printing

The Urban Towers Bldg – 1st Floor

222 Las Colinas Blvd W #131

Irving, Texas 75039
(214) 324-2290
www.eastdallasprinting.com

Best Print Shop in Los Angeles

Printing Fly – Started by two dedicated entrepreneurs with backgrounds in marketing and graphic design, their goal was to make it easier for business professionals to get high quality sales and marketing materials at a one-stop-shop.

Printing Fly specializes in corporate and small business printing and shipping services. Their professional team, incredible workmanship, and cost-saving strategies take any project from concept and design, to ship ready efficiently, while keeping costs at their minimum.

los angeles stationery printing

For further information, contact them at:

Printing Fly

10586 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 287-9982

www.printingfly.com
info@printingfly.com

Best Print Shop in Las Vegas

Prisma Printing – The business card experts in Las Vegas, Prisma dedicates itself to the consistent production of high-quality full-color printing, always keeping customer satisfaction in mind.

Aside from their top quality business cards, Prisma specializes in and produces custom digital full-color vehicle wraps printed on the best substrates available. Their high-end printers produce incredible life-like and eye-popping imagery.

For further information, contact them at:

Prisma Printing
1620 S. Decatur Blvd. Ste B
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 922-7138
www.prismaprinting.com
support@prismaprinting.com

Best Print Shop in Miami

Miami Printing – This Miami based print shop is committed to providing its customers with the most affordable services possible. Whether publicizing the grand opening of a Miami business or ordering invitations and signs for a world-class corporate event, Miami Printing has the state-of-the-art equipment and talented technicians to make it all happen.

Miami Printing’s quality is second to none and specializes in its ability to provide the market’s fastest turnaround times without compromising the product’s quality.

For further information, contact them at:

Miami Printing
223 E Flagler St #505
Miami, FL 33131
(305) 358-0017
www.miamiprinting.com
info@miamiprinting.com

Best Print Shop in New York

Print Mor – Since 1987, this full-service print shop has been 100% dedicated to handling any of its customer’s printing needs. From large catalogs to small presentation packages, Print Mor’s staff sees that all jobs flow seamlessly from prepress through delivery.

One of Print Mor’s signature specialties is business cards. As one of the most premier online printers, the company has established a variety of printing options and high-quality paper card stocks to guarantee that your brand is well represented.

For further information, contact them at:

Print Mor
636 Broadway Suite 714

New York, NY 10012
(212) 777-7624
https://printmor.com
info@printmornyc.com

Local Printing Companies Custom Products

As you can see, the above-listed print shops all have high customer service standards while guaranteeing their lines of products. Whether you are in their city or not, their online ordering and product shipping services make their products easily accessible to order on their respective websites from anywhere in the US.

Business cards and flyers atlanta printing company

Whether you need business cards, banners, corporate invitations, full vehicle wraps, or full-color brochures, the printing company you contract to produce your marketing materials and products should deliver timely results without sacrificing quality, and provide superior customer service.

As with any other business decision, when selecting a print shop, be sure to check their online reviews, get a free quote, and compare these with samples of past work to ensure you contract the best printing company.

flyer printing

Flyer Printing – Sizes, Paper, Design

printing 1 Comment

Flyers are one of the oldest marketing tools out there, and there are quite effective due to their versatility and affordability. Before you set out to get flyers printed, it is important to know some basic information about flyer printing.

Popular Flyer Sizes

The appropriate flyer size depends on your content and intended use of the flyer. Some common flyer sizes are:

  • 3 x 4
  • 3 x 5
  • 4 x 6
  • 5 x 7
  • 6 x 9
  • 1/8 page
  • 1/4 page
  • 1/2 page
  • full page

flyer printing atlanta

Source: Flyer Printing Atlanta by Clash Graphics

The 4″ x 6″ and 5″ x 7″ are the industry standard flyer sizes and are typically the most popular sizes available. Although, if you plan on running a USPS direct mail campaign, the Post Office requires your flyers to be a specific size. It’s important to know their requirements before printing your flyers.

Flyer Paper Stock

Flyer printing also involves choosing the right paper stock. Your flyer paper stock will depend on your specific needs. Here are the common paper stocks for flyers:

12 pt card stock – They are glossy and recommended for cost effective promotions such as promotions on the streets. They are similar in thickness to the normal printing paper.

14 pt card stock – They are high quality, glossy paper recommended for cost-effective flyer printing and direct mail advertising. They are thicker and more durable than 12 pt.

16 pt card stock – Very high quality, glossy paper. They are ideal for high-end flyers used to promote luxury items, trade shows and other promotion that require tremendous first-time impression.

Typical Flyer Printing Turnaround Time

For many printing companies, turnaround time begins calculating from the time the order is placed and the printing files have been uploaded, attached and approved. The turnaround time will depend on the magnitude and urgency of the work.

However, if you need the printing completed within a shorter turnaround time, you might have to pay an extra fee. Similarly, orders with longer turnaround time are cheaper. Turnaround time varies from company to company and may be same day, next day or 2-5 days.

Uses of Flyers

Flyers are quite versatile can be used by all types of businesses; whether big or small. Here are some common uses of flyers:

  • Driving traffic to a website.
  • To promote an event like a party.
  • To promote participation in a competition.
  • To promote attendance in a conference or a trade show.
  • To let customers know about special offers.
  • Activist groups or organizations use flyers to pass a word to the public concerning a specific issue.

Flyer Design and Layout Tips

offset printing digital printing

Offset and Digital Printing Explained

printing Leave a comment

Offset Printing

Offset Printing or Lithography can print images on a variety of surfaces such as cardboard, plastic, and paper. Offset printing is typically used to print mass amounts of products including newspapers, posters, books, and stationary. Offset printing is usually used for printing promotional materials such as brochures and posters.

But how does offset printing work? The process begins as the aluminum printing plate inks a plate to be printed. Only the inked image is printed, and is then transferred from the aluminum printing plate to a rubber blanket. The image can also be offset during this step in the printing process. Lastly, the image is transferred from the rubber blanket to the surface that it is going to be printed on (either paper, cardboard, plastic, ect.)

The offset printer consists of four sheetfed printing presses each specifically used for a certain color. Normally, the printed image is printed in steps of colors. The black color contained in the printer press located at the far end of the printer is printed first, then cyan, then magenta, and lastly yellow. The printed sheets of paper are kept in front of the printer usually under the monitor and press control. Rolls of paper are used in these printers to enable them to perform printing high volumes in industrial uses such as books, magazines, and newspapers; however Digital Printing is starting to replace offset due to the declination of physical printing.

Digital Printing

In the economy the use of digital printing is beginning to look better due to the declination of printing promotional products, and the increase in digital media. The two main technologies in digital printing are inkjet and xerography.

Inkjet is simply the process of images being printed through ink drops being strategically propelled to create an image. Inkjet can print on multiple surfaces, and is mainly used for printing posters, signs, photo books, and books.

Xerography is used in laser printers which is simply strategically sending a charge to a drum that attracts toner particles that are then transferred to the printing surface. These printers are usually used in offices and in homes, and are typically used to print books, documents, and promotional products such as brochures.

Both offset and digital printers print images on the same types of products. However, an offset printer is more expensive and older. Digital printers make more economical sense due to the decreasing in physically printing products. Also, digital printers are smaller; and sometimes faster containing usually more color options than an offset printer.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Offset vs Digital Printing