When Adding Direct to Garment (DTG) Printing Services Are Good For Your Business:
Expanding into DTG Printing for Existing and New Decorators
Adding direct to garment (DTG) printing can be good for your business in a variety of situations. There are different factors to consider depending on whether you are a new start up business or if you already decorate garments through screen printing, vinyl, or embroidery. Generally, you will need to consider what kind of orders you get, the type of printing you do, and what is important to you and your customers. Equally important to consider are business factors. Here is a business planning guide for different situations to help you decide whether adding DTG services make sense for you.
DTG is right for you if you are:
A new startup company Investing capital into a DTG outfit from the beginning sets you up to offer high quality prints of individualized designs without requiring a minimum and without many color or design restrictions. You can print new designs quickly and will need very little storage space to save designs for future use. The initial learning curve is relatively small, so you can start making money from your DTG equipment very quickly.
Getting orders you cannot fill through traditional screen printing methods With screen printing, it is not practical to take on small quantities, one-time orders, or orders that require more set-up, preparations, and supplies. With a DTG machine in your shop, you will no longer have to turn away these orders. You can print realistic images with no limit on colors and no minimum number required.
Expanding your existing offerings If it is time to add more t-shirt printing equipment to your shop, a DTG printer could be the perfect addition. The addition of equipment is an opportunity to both increase productivity and increase diversity in the services you offer. Many people get their start in garment decoration with the use of heat transfers. It is an affordable, but limiting method of printing. Others have built their brand with screen printing, but are looking to add something new and different. When you are ready to take your business to the next step, a direct to garment printer is a natural solution. As you establish a loyal customer base and start bringing in more revenue, printing DTG will allow you to print quicker and print more.
Looking to increase production capabilities Adding another printer to your operation will increase your production capabilities. If you currently screen print, your high production demands may make you feel like screen printing is the only option. You should know that DTG printing is also an option for you. These printers are quicker and more cost effective than they used to be. It has become common for high production shops to use a combination of different types of equipment. The addition of a DTG printer could allow you to run two different print jobs at once, or you could combine the abilities of both printers to take advantage of digital hybrid printing.
Sending print work out Have you been subcontracting your t-shirt printing jobs? If you have, you know that the profit margin in doing so is pretty narrow. Adding DTG to your shop could make a lot of sense. The footprint is small, maintenance needs are minimal, the ink is affordable, and printing can be done quickly and without much training. All this means printing DTG in-house can be profitable.
Deciding whether one of these five business plan and service extension ideas make sense for you is the first step towards adding a DTG printer. You might find your current customer base already fits nicely into one or more. Alternatively, you might think you can easily find the customer base for services a DTG machine might provide beyond what you currently offer.
