Screen Printing: The Fundamentals of Business

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster

Like I mentioned in a blog last month, “Screen Printing: A Package to Start,” beginning a screen printing company can be very stressful. The blog discusses which screen printing equipment startup package is best for your business. We here at Texsource want to make the transition as easy as possible, so here are some key factors to consider for your startup. While some may seem more important than others, please keep in mind that each is needed to create an efficient business.

Space. 

One of the most important things for a screen printing company, or any company for that matter, is to have the space to produce. Whether you decide to rent a space for your workshop or to begin out of your home, it is a decision that should be made before further purchases. Note: even if you work from home and have very limited space, Tabletop presses are available.

Startup Fund. Arguably, this could be your main concern depending on if you need to budget for a workspace. You need to make sure you have enough financially to stock up on all the supplies necessary. Whether you do this through saving the money, obtaining a business loan, or equipment financing, you should go into the business with a plan.

Research. Speaking of plans, it takes more than just wanting to create and sell and then doing so. You will want to understand your client base and the market you are entering. What customers do you want to attract? What areas do you plan to sell to and during what times? Are there annual (or more so) special events that occur in which your design/products would sell great?

Ryan Bolin, Manager at Texsource Screen Printing Supply, hard at work (or playing Warcraft).

Site Management. SEO tools are extremely useful to you when it comes to researching and improving your business as you move forward. At least basic knowledge of SEO tools such as Google Analytics or those offered via social media will really come in handy to you the more you understand your business.  These tools allow you to keep track of what is being viewed, bought, or passed over in your online store.

These four elements will help you build your screen printing business once you are knowledgeable in how to screen print and will greatly influence your growth. Also, they will help eliminate stress as you move forward and help you to focus on what you started the business for: screen printing.

Screen Printing: A Package to Start

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster

Purchasing a startup package can be very intimidating, but we want to make it easier on you. You may have inherited screen printing equipment (or an excess of ink) or have always had the desire to start your own business and finally have the means to do so. Fortunately, the packages are designed to give you a sense of what screen printing requires before you upgrade your equipment to better suit your needs.

When it comes to machinery, Texsource offers two brands of startup packages: Genesis Equipment and Vastex Equipment. In regards to your first package, it helps understanding on where you are both skill-level and knowledge-level as to which would be best.  

If you are completely new to screen printing, the Genesis beginning startup packages are the way to go. They give you a sample of everything you may need. Take for instance Package 01 which includes: (1) Genesis 1 Color / 1 Station Manual Screen Printing Press, (1) Heat Gun, (1) 500 Watt Halogen Exposure Unit, (1) Wood Frame 20 x 24 110 mesh, (1) TexMist can adhesive, (1) pint of Easiway Easi-strip, (1) pint of Easiway 701 screen wash, (1) pint of 842 press wipe, (1) pint of Tex-Blue emulsion, (1) pint of White Dream ink, (1) pint of Black Dream ink, (1) pint of red #10 ink, (1) roll of 2" blockout tape, (1) scoop 15", (1) ink spreader, (1) quart of Chem 901 blockout liquid, (1) scrub pad handle, white scrub pad, and red scrub pad, (5) stir sticks, (5) white pellons 14 x 16, and (5) black pellons 14 x 16.

Genesis Package 01

Before you get intimidated by all the products available, please note that it’s a good thing. The package is designed to give you a little taste of everything so you can decide what products you like and see where you may want to improve. Anxious about how to use some (or all) of the supplies? Texsource offers free admission to one of our Screen Printing 101 Classes (NC, GA, IN) with purchase of a Genesis package to eliminate some of the stress associated with starting a new business.

Understanding these products becomes useful for future purchases as well because you are going to need to upgrade your equipment sooner with the less expensive the package is. This is mainly aimed at you, Heat Gun. Ask any of Texsource crew which piece should be upgraded first and they agree that you will need a more secure dryer. You may be able to get away with using a flash unit to dry, but if you’ve purchased the first Genesis package you will not have that option. A dryer allows you to work on more shirts without having to stop your creative process to hand-cure (possibly unevenly) each shirt.

The higher Genesis packages come with a decent flash unit, so when it comes to upgrading further you will want to choose between a new press and exposure unit based on what works best for you (both will arguably be needed at some point). You will learn how to decide this in any classes you take along with any and all trial-and-error.

Now, if you have inherited equipment and are pretty familiar with it, Vastex with its sturdier equipment may be the perfect fit for you. These packages do not come with any of the extras that a Genesis package does, but their focus is to grant you the best equipment possible to immediately produce out of your shop. They offer entry shop choices along with Tabletop if you have the skill but not the room for your business.

If you choose to go with a Vastex but would like more options in regards to inks or chemicals, please note that Texsource offers different packaging for screen cleaning chemicals and different brands/styles of inks.

Why Pantone's Color of the Year is Important

Posted by Chelsea Chafin - webmaster on 12/14/2016

Why is the Pantone Color of the Year important? For almost two decades, Pantone has come out with a specific color each year that is, for all intents and purposes, brand new. By brand new, it is meant to be a color that has normally received little to no attention that will now branch out and be largely popular. So, as designers turned screen printers, why should this matter to you if you can already make the color? Maybe some would even go as far as to quote Shakespeare, “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” True that, Juliet. Similarly, 2016 artists may have pondered if a Rose Quartz (and Serenity) would have made it to Apple had it not been color of the year.

But that’s exactly it! Yes, you can create a unique color and leave it at that, maybe even name it yourself and hope it gets out there, but the yearly meeting at Pantone can end up turning your color into a million-dollar idea, especially in regards to the teams who have been selected to promote said color. These colors are selected based on anything from what is going on within social media to what is going on globally. This became especially true for 2017’s choice of Greenery, a color which is dedicated to climate change and nature itself.

Pantone's Color of the Year 2017: Greenery.

Pertaining to art and creation, creating new ink colors is already something that many designers are interested in doing (especially by mixing together different shades). When doing so, by simply adding the extra step of preparing ways to present them later proves to be extremely useful.

Essentially, understanding the logic behind Pantone’s color choice can have a major influence on your work. For instance, there may be one specific overall color chosen for the year, but Pantone releases a list of colors that they believe will be most popular based on region. What this means for designers is that you may use one color for your design sold in North America, but if you have stores or shipments overseas, say in Italy, you may end up choosing a different ink for that area knowing that the design will sell better with a slight change.

The colors nominated are aimed at your audience, which should not be misconstrued to be directed towards your own personal artwork. You aren’t changing colors of your work to please mass corporations, you are doing it based on research that individualized people and/or the majority have a strong opinion on the reason behind the color was chosen. Basing colors on strong opinionated issues results in consumers purchasing items based on the feelings that the colors have been found to ensue.

We all understand that color is a large part of the design process. It may seem risky to change such a significant portion of the piece based on research done by a third party, but that is also why it is important for you as the designer to be involved in how and why it is chosen. Understanding your audience should already be on your radar as a business owner, so keying in on certain colors is a small task that will earn big results.

Fortunately, when it comes to getting the correct ink, Texsource offers PMS matching, as do many of the brands carried. Please note that there are many ways to mix different shades of the main color to produce varying shades. For instance, as mentioned above, 2017’s choice is Greenery, yet Thrive, a more yellow version of the green color, is projected to do better in North America. The theme stays the same, meaning the emotions attached will as well, but in a way that targets exact areas making it seem more personalized. You as the artist will always have the choice to make decisions like this depending on where you sell and what sells best. The Pantone Color of the Year is there to be used as a marketing tool, and a well-researched one at that.