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
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
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