If you are setting up or running a business, you could do well to heed the advice of Colin Powell. As a statesman, four-star general, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War, he has learned a few things about how to be successful. He says success “is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
When you are starting a screen-printing business, it can be tempting to cut costs wherever you can. To be a success, you need to prepare right, and that means starting with high-quality screen-printing supplies.
High-Quality Screen-Printing Supplies
When you start a screen printing business, you are on a learning curve. It is steep, to begin with, and over time, it gets easier. You get better at running your business as you learn from experience.
Along the way, the most important lessons come from your customers. If they do not buy your screen-printed products, then you learn that you have to offer a product that people want and sell it to them. Business rarely comes to you.
If customers buy your screen-printed products and return with complaints, you learn from that too. You learn that to satisfy customers and to get them to return to buy more from you rather than to complain, then you need quality supplies.
No matter how expert you become, no amount of skill can cover up for poor supplies. Of course, your skills are important. You should develop them but give yourself the best chance of success with quality supplies.
T-Shirts
If you are screen-printing T-shirts, then the T-shirt is the basic raw material of your screen-printing business. This t-shirt is one of the supplies that your customer will be able to assess before they buy. They may know little about screen-printing equipment or chemicals, but they know about T-shirts.
You will need to source a high quality 100% cotton T-shirt. White is the standard for most screen printing businesses. Both you and your customers will appreciate the feel of the T-shirt with a heavyweight material, which indicates the best quality.
Signs
If you are screen-printing signs, then you need suitable materials to print upon. You may be printing onto paper, poster board, or corrugated plastic sheet. The key thing is to ensure the material you print on to is fit for the purpose intended.
Customers may specify a particular material, but if it does not perform well, then you may have an angry customer. It is worth checking how durable the board needs to be before taking on the printing job. A poster board sign will generally not be suitable for an outdoor application, and you may be able to upsell to a high-quality corrugated plastic sheet.
Ink and Chemical Supplies
Other supplies you will need include ink, cleaner, solvents, emulsion, and haze remover.
Always check that the ink is suitable for the material you will be printing upon. Also, check whether the ink is suitable for the job. Will it perform well if washed or used outdoors?
Buy chemical supplies designed for screen-printing. It is not possible to use household detergents rather than industry standard chemicals.
Other Equipment
You might be tempted to adapt or improvise tools. If you are serious about making a success of your screen-printing business, get the right tools for the job.
Purchase several sizes of squeegees, drying racks, and scrub brushes. These professional tools are designed to work well, time after time.
Prepare for Success
The success of your business should depend on your effort and talent and not fail because you did not have the right supplies. Give yourself every chance of success. Start with high-quality screen-printing supplies.
Talk to people who know about sign making here.
Simple Solutions International offers a full selection of plotter blades and plotter pens as well as a variety of useful tools for use in plotting and sign making such as plotter adapters, masking film, spray mask, and other sign making tools and accessories.