ArtBistro

I've been designing graphics and creating color separations for screenprinting t-shirts for a lot of years. Just wondering if anybody else has had experiences with this and how did it turn out.

I worked in the garment industry for 25 years. For one of my last jobs, I had a commission based outside sales job with a local screen printer. It turns out I was lousy in sales, thus the job lasted only 3 months. Instead I found that I had an interest in learning the graphic arts. If you have already been doing this a number of years, I am curious to know what exactly you are asking and why. Are you asking about the health of the garment industry in general? In my case, I have experience in sewing, pattern making, design, coordinator leading up to my last job as production manager. My last job required overseas travel. The last company went out of business owing me back wages and business expenses. This is the forth time I've lost wages. All but one of the companies I've worked for are long gone. I suspect the reason for your inquiry has to do with job security.

i studied graphic communications in high school...

offset printing, screen printing, 4 color process...all that jazz...

not my thing....i'm more into designing it

workerbee said:

I've always been interested to specialize in screen printing, but with what I've experienced and seen overseas I no longer have the confidence. It is good to see that your brothers business is doing well. Does he serve the retail trade with customized orders? Does he serve the marketing agencies with the goal of brand recognition? I know that the USA garment industry used to give bulk orders to local screen printers. It appears that the USA garment industry has shifted from the Caribean/Central America basin to the Pacific coast. The large manufacturers seem to be getting larger, the small companies to disappear. ( Same situation with the retailers). So my recent job experiences have been with fashion design "want to be's" with no industry experience (or formal training in the trade). That may explain why they have had trouble with payroll and remaining in business over the long haul. When I was in Chittagong Bangladesh, we were having screen printing done for ridiculous low cost. The large retailers set the prices for the manufacturers these days. While there, I discovered Bangladesh has over 3000 registered garment manufacturers within the two major cities. Prior to 1994, with Central America and the Caribbean, we cut the garments and shipped them to be sewn. With the change in laws and quotas, country of origin shifted to the Pacific In other words, the fabric is made overseas now. They can offer a complete package.

Cycoboy said:

chall said:

workerbee said:

I've always been interested to specialize in screen printing, but with what I've experienced and seen overseas I no longer have the confidence. It is good to see that your brothers business is doing well. Does he serve the retail trade with customized orders? Does he serve the marketing agencies with the goal of brand recognition? I know that the USA garment industry used to give bulk orders to local screen printers. It appears that the USA garment industry has shifted from the Caribean/Central America basin to the Pacific coast. The large manufacturers seem to be getting larger, the small companies to disappear. ( Same situation with the retailers). So my recent job experiences have been with fashion design "want to be's" with no industry experience (or formal training in the trade). That may explain why they have had trouble with payroll and remaining in business over the long haul. When I was in Chittagong Bangladesh, we were having screen printing done for ridiculous low cost. The large retailers set the prices for the manufacturers these days. While there, I discovered Bangladesh has over 3000 registered garment manufacturers within the two major cities. Prior to 1994, with Central America and the Caribbean, we cut the garments and shipped them to be sewn. With the change in laws and quotas, country of origin shifted to the Pacific In other words, the fabric is made overseas now. They can offer a complete package.

Our shop is more localized. We serve the local (and national through direct mail pieces) markets which include small businesses, corporate, schools, churches, etc. We have a retail showroom plus we do a lot of contract printing for brokers. Our orders range from 1 piece up to 10,000. We are not a huge printer for national clothing brands ( at least not yet). Some of those huge printers with their eggs in one basket have been hurt by the low cost overseas competition. By focusing on our regional customers, and continually expanding our base, we have done OK.

How small a job do you cats n kitties do? T-shirt wise?

my friend and i are t-shirt and jeans guys. he the idea to design some shirts for himself and i jump on and it's been cool. i've been looking for something that works well and on the cheaper side. i wanted to ask how much would it be to set up and start screenprinting for a small group of people or would you suggest any methods for someone just starting out/doing it for fun?