For new entrants, however, a major issue is deciding whether they should or shouldn’t do more than one technology in-house and with what outcome. Here are some recommendations about this issue:
Start-up embroiderers also should purchase-at some point and sooner rather than later -a heat transfer machine. They’ll quickly learn how to supplement their embroidery sales by decorating T-shirts — the single, largest category of garments sold i n the trade in terms of units– as well by doing them in-house (except for large-volume orders, where using the services of a contractor might offer economies and faster turnaround).
Start-up screen printers should learn how to sell embroidery immediately. ln doing so, they’ll be able to offer the higher-ticket products and significantly add to their profitability, boost their competitiveness in the marketplace, and protect themselves from losing important business to other sellers and producers. Start-up screen printers should buy a heat transfer machine upon entry to avail themselves of the opportunity to offer team wear, sell upscale rhinestone designs, apply heat sealed patches to caps and garments, and be able to handle orders for small quantities of multicolor designs faster and more competitively.
Start-up heat transfer enterprises should quickly establish relationships with contract screen printing and embroidery firms. For orders calling for larger quantities and more sophisticated decorating, doing jobs solely with heat transfers alone will restrict competitiveness and opportunities to sell larger quantity orders.
Start-up direct-to-garment businesses should quickly establish relationships with contract screen printing and embroidery firms as well as purchase a heat transfer machine for all the reasons cited above. The idea that D2G technology gives a company the ability to do and sell everything a screen printer can is folly and, moreover, virtually guarantees the firm will be utterly unable to compete for larger orders, teamwear sales, and jobs calling for specialty inks. The equipment simply is not able to provide competitive advantages on larger orders and more sophisticated work compared to the efficiencies and attributes of screen printing.
