{"id":1360,"date":"2018-02-09T09:05:41","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T08:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4967f73ca45390335.temporary.link\/?p=1360"},"modified":"2024-05-23T22:08:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T21:08:57","slug":"online-custom-t-shirts-woocommerce-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/online-custom-t-shirts-woocommerce-store\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things about starting an Online Custom T-shirts business with WooCommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have you been thinking about starting an online custom T-shirt business and aren\u2019t sure where to begin? Maybe you are in the printing business and you want to diversify your product offering, or perhaps you are an entrepreneur looking for a lucrative new online business opportunity. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An online custom T-shirt printing business requires minimal investment and is relatively easy to start up and run. The trick is to make an effort during the planning stage and acquire the best software to support your business plan. If you make good decisions in the early stages, you will reap the benefits down the line.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this article, we\u2019ve outlined the ten most important considerations for starting an online T-shirt business using WooCommerce.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#1 Make good decisions early<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As mentioned you need to make good decisions from the beginning.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abraham Lincoln once said; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It will prove worthwhile to spend some time planning your online custom T-shirt business. It\u2019s always a good idea to draw up a business plan, define your goals and objectives and attach timeframes to them. This will help you to stay focused and pursue those initiatives which can lead you to success. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some useful business plan templates can be found on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.score.org\/resource\/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Score<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, while business plans specific to online businesses are available on <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bplans.com\/retail_and_online_store_business_plan_templates.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bplans.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#2 Choose a Niche<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Competition in the online custom T-shirt business can be stiff. Choosing a custom T-shirt niche helps you to narrow your target market to a very specific group of clients to whom your products will be particularly appealing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, let\u2019s say you decided to target college students who wear T-shirts. That would be a rather broad category. It would be more effective to narrow your niche to college students who appreciate ironic T-shirt designs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It would be even better to subdivide your niche into market segments based on a major i.e. Psychology, Economics or Computer Science, then offer fantastic custom T-shirt graphics containing some kind of ironic subject-specific message.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are a few examples of successful custom T-shirt niches:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teepublic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Music Lovers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.almamaterstore.in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">College T-shirts<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/gotfanstuff.com\/usaprint-t-shirts-men-design-games-of-thrones-t-shirts-wolf-blood-house-stark-print-cotton-tee-shirt-homme-movie-camisatas-hot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Funny memes T-shirts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bonfire.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Couples T-shirts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#3 Design \u2013 Getting great graphics and slogans<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Design is an integral part of setting up a successful online custom T-shirt store. T-shirts, on their own, are a generic item. T-shirts are an essential part of almost everyone\u2019s wardrobe but what makes one T-shirt different from the next is the printed slogan and\/or graphic it contains. This takes a T-shirt from a simple apparel to a form of self-expression apparel. If you are able to develop a unique and customizable T-shirt printing concept, this may prove to be the most valuable aspect of your T-shirt business. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can hire a graphic designer to create your unique concept for your online custom T-shirt store, you can also purchase graphic packs, vectors and more&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tshirt-factory.com\/about-us.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">T-shirt Factory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for t-shirt designs, vector packs, custom art, banner ads, branding and corporate identity.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mintees.com\/tees\/selected\/artwork-for-sale\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mintees<\/a> is an online T-shirt and apparel design community.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creativefabrica.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">T-shirt Artworks <\/a>for original T-shirt artwork from artists around the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#4 Develop a Brand<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having chosen a niche and taken care of your concept you need to put some thought into your brand. Everything from your store&#8217;s name to the domain you choose, to your color scheme and font choice all affect your brand. Your brand is the thing that sets you apart from your competitors in the online custom T-shirt market. Having a strong and consistent brand ensures that your product will be recognized and preferred.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#5 Source for quality T-shirts<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s going to be tempting to use the cheapest T-shirt you can get your hands on to maximise your per-unit profit but this may not be the best option especially if you want your brand to be associated with a quality product. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Providing your customers with a soft and long-lasting T-shirt will ensure repeat purchases and referrals. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#6 Choose a print method and printing partner<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following T-shirt printing methods are relatively easy to learn and master, however, if you\u2019re not already in the printing business, and not interested in going into the printing business, it will be better to outsource the T-shirt printing operation to a partner, while you focus on your brand, concept and target market. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;Nevertheless, you will need to know a few basics about T-shirt printing as it pertains to design complexity, use of colour, printing costs and volume discounts to effectively develop your market offering.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Screen printing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a simple and versatile method which works best for bulk orders in one or two colours. It involves applying colour through a screen and has been widely used as a T-shirt printing method for many years. Unfortunately, color and print resolutions are limited with screen printing making it more suitable for simple designs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/screen-printing.png\" alt=\"custom t-shirts online\" class=\"wp-image-1297\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><b>Simple design, limited colour<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Transfer printing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is one of the best techniques for colour printing and involves transferring a print from a screen using heat. This method is a bit slower than some of the other methods but if done properly it can produce quality prints of rich designs. As long as the fabric being used can withstand high temperatures, this could be an effective T-shirt printing method.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1242\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt.png\" alt=\"custom t-shirts online\" class=\"wp-image-1298\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt.png 1242w, https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt-600x371.png 600w, https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt-1024x633.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt-150x93.png 150w, https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-t-shirt-768x475.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1242px) 100vw, 1242px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><b>Introducing more colours but keeping the design simple<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Digital Printing <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">involves printing in colour directly onto a T-shirt. The ink is immediately absorbed into the fabric and cannot be felt on the shirt. While digital printing allows for customization and greater detail in design, unfortunately, it is not always the most cost-effective method for large batches. It does, however, work very well for custom T-shirts with complex graphic intense designs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/online-custom-tshirts-Woocommerce.png\" alt=\"custom t-shirts online\" class=\"wp-image-1299\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><b>Complex design with lots of detail<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some large and established printing companies specialize in online custom T-shirt printing and order fulfilment, many of whom cater to huge markets and can fulfil orders globally. When you make a sale, an order is automatically sent to your print partner with the customer information. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The printer produces<\/span> the items required and ships the order to the customer on your behalf. We\u2019ve provided a list of companies that specialize in online custom T-shirt printing and order fulfillment. It will be worthwhile to search for<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> printers who specialize in order fulfillment for your target market. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/printaura.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PrintAura<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> integrates with your WooCommerce site to take care of the T-shirt printing and drop shipment aspects of the business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similarly, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.printful.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Printful<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> integrates with your WooCommerce site to handle the actual T-shirt printing and order fulfilment. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tshirtgang.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tshirtgang<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides T-shirt printing and customer fulfillment (drop shipment) for its members.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For a company that understands the importance of branding, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printedmint.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Printed Mint<\/a> specializes in one-off printing and branded drop shipment solutions. They offer a variety of print methods including; dye sublimation, latex print technology, direct-to-garment, and decal transfer, to name a few, and place great emphasis on quality. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jakprints.com\/goto\/shop\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jakprints<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> offers clients the ability to safely and cost-effectively ship their orders anywhere in the Continental US in 1-5 business days. They also do international deliveries using USPS. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gooten.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gooten<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> works with several international print vendors who are thoroughly vetted for quality, responsiveness and reliable delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Companies offering similar services in the UK and other markets include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inkthreadable.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inkthreadable<\/a>, &amp; <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/qikink.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">QikInk<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#7 Hiring a designer vs buying designs <\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even if you have the best online custom T-shirt slogans and images it wouldn\u2019t be as aesthetically pleasing to have a graphic designer produce a professional print layout for your custom T-shirt concept. It would be well worth your time and effort to either buy unique graphics online or employ a designer to produce a range of customizable graphics for your T-shirt line. If you design your T-shirt graphics and they prove to be a success in the market you may want to consider copywriting your work. Also, be careful not to use material that is licensed to someone else.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To find a great designer to partner with, freelance sites such as <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.behance.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Behance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/dribbble.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dribble<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> could be useful. You can also have your artwork custom-designed using <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designcrowd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DesignCrowd<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where you launch a T-shirt design competition on their platform, set a budget and describe what you would like the T-shirt to look like. The designers at DesignCrowd will submit designs for your feedback and you can choose the design that best suits your needs. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#8 Producing samples<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before launching your product on the market, you will want to ensure that your online custom T-shirt platform works the way it should and that your final T-shirt product stands up to the quality you envisioned. It will be a good idea to print a few samples. Doing so can avoid embarrassing order failures and resolve any issues during testing. These custom T-shirt samples can also be used to demonstrate your product offers in any marketing efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><b>#9 Testing designs \u2013 market research <\/b><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before you finalise your concept and graphic line-up you may want to test a few designs by posting your concept on social media and other platforms to see which ones generate the most interest.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>#10 Setting up your online custom T-shirt store<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The platform you choose to run your business on will be a major contributing factor in determining your online T-shirt business\u2019 success. Setting up an online T-shirt store is fairly straightforward and there are some fantastic off-the-shelf e-commerce templates with custom T-Shirt plugins available.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once you\u2019ve developed and tested your concept, given some thought to your brand, and have some graphics available you can start setting up your actual store. For more information on how to set up a custom T-shirt store using WooCommerce&nbsp;<\/span><b><i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/woocommerce-custom-t-shirt-designer\/\">click here<\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you been thinking about starting an online custom T-shirt business and aren\u2019t sure where to begin? Maybe you are in the printing business and you want to diversify your product offering, or perhaps you are an entrepreneur looking for a lucrative new online business opportunity. An online custom T-shirt printing business requires minimal investment [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[418],"tags":[270,81,17],"class_list":["post-1360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-t-shirt-designer","tag-customizer","tag-woocommerce-product-designer","tag-wordpress"],"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1360"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164017,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360\/revisions\/164017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/media\/149657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orionorigin.com\/service\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}