I want to start a printing mug and t-shirt business. What kind of equipment do it need?
You didn't give details about which type of t-shirt printing machine you want , so I am going to explain all three types of machine that you can buy.DTG (direct to garment): DTG is the new technology in the t-shirt printing business. Basically dtg printers are like a normal paper printing machine. You place a t-shirt and printer will print it. That's it. But their are some cons of using dtg machine. I will try to explain both pros and cons.PROS you can print whatever design you like. The print quality will be too good. It is fast.ConsThis types of Printers are costly. They normally start with a price tag of 8 lacs. (I am not including Chinese machine, coz they are not reliable)The inks are costly. A normal cartidge of 220 ml will cost you around 4500.The machine requires a high maintenance. And you need someone trained to handle this machines. 2. Screen printer: This is the traditional and probably the oldest technique used in t-shirt printing.PROS:One of the cheapest form of printing. Bigger the quantity cheaper the printing price. You can use different types of inks, like glossy or glow in dark ink.Inks are also cheap. CONS:It is preferable for one or two color type of printing. You need a skill full person to handle the machine Can not print complex design. 3.) Sublimation printing: Sublimation printing is used for polyster garment only. So if you want to print on polyester then this type of printing would be suitable for you.Sublimation printers are cheap, their inks are also cheap. Any one can use this type of machine. Sublimation printers cannot be used to print on cotton fabric that is his only disadvantage. For mug printing, sublimation printer are widely use. You just need a heat press machine for mug which will cost you around 8k. Apart from heat press machine you should have a sublimation printer. You can find their suppliers on Indiamart.
How much fabric is needed for making a custom shirt for medium build person?
Depends on your size, the width of the fabric and the tendency of the fabric to shrink.Most sewers will wash and dry the fabric at least once and sometimes twice to make sure the maximum shrinkage has occurred before you cut and sew the shirt. Nothing worse than sewing a nice shirt and then discovering that shrinkage has made the shirt too small. It is also advisable to wash the fabric prior to cutting to remove all of the manufacturing chemicals which are used to make the fibers move through the machines easier.When I make a shirt I usually get 2.5 yards for a size medium using 48" fabric. An extra half yard for a larger person. But do experiment with fabric layout. You will find that some pattern companies just use a generic layout and not necessarily a layout that will account for using the fabric efficiently.I do tend to be generous in buying fabric. I save all the scraps and at some point will make a simple quilt which I can donate to various shelters or causes, (Like college students!).
How can I make fabric stick to a cotton t shirt, or put a design on a t shirt?
Steam a Seam 2 Lite is an iron on product but it is NOT like Wonder Under. It does not need anything to keep the edges down. (I.e. fabric paint.) It is a permanent iron on adhesive all the way to the edges. I have used it for years. It washes and dries and does not come off. It is transparent so it will not show when you are done. I would suggest using Steam a Seam 2 Lite as opposed to Steam a Seam 1 Lite because it doesn't have adhesive on both sides. Also, use Lite because it is not as thick as regular (original) Steam a Seam. It doesn't shrink or crinkle. It is lightweight so it doesn't add a lot of thickness to fabric. Here is the company website: http://www.warmcompany.com/lsaspage.html I am a sewing educator/lecturer and try to keep my eyes and ears open for new or improved products, I have never come across anything that works better...and I'm always on the look out!
Excess fabric bunching in upper back of shirt neck..?
Uhh, pfft, I dunno what method I'm using, kind of a mishmash from a book (Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong) and what works (book gets me started but then I screw it up or something). However it's definitely not a "too wide" neckline, because that, I believe, would be if it was an open neckline, whereas this has a collar that.. goes up to the neck. And it's pretty narrow. I didn't draft the back from the front of the shirt, either, it was separate. I'm making the pattern from complete scratch from my measurements (which, I believe, are at least 90% accurate, I just don't seem to know what I did to the shirt pattern, and/or I have screwy anatomy). The whole reason I'm drafting my own pattern (I originally intended to modify a commercial) is because.. they have nothing that fits me. I'm small, but slightly.. larger than the largest kid size I could find (which is what I tried to modify and it was a disaster oh god don't bring it up, not worth it with the amount
What does unlined mean in button up shirts?
On modcloth there is a shirt and it says unlined. This is what it says : 100% Polyester. Loose fit at waist. Fabric does not provide stretch. Length measurement taken from shoulder to shortest point of hem. Hand wash. Unlined. Front button closure. Button closure at sleeve cuff. Imported
How much fabric (cotton) does it take to make a men's shirt?
It depends on the width of the fabric. Some shirtings are 45 inches wide, some are 54 inches wide and some are 60 inches wide. Stay away from any fabric under 45 inches, It won't be wide enough for the sleeves and it won't be wide enough if the button stands are folded over self facings. Don't go for square inches or square anything, that's not how fabric is measured or bought due to the fact that the pieces that make a garment aren't square. You buy by linear yards. For a long sleeve shirt I usually buy a minimum of three and a quarter yards of 45 inch wide and two and a half for 60 inch wide fabric (you are about the same dimensions as my hubby) this gives me enough to make mistakes and enough to test sew any details that might be difficult. Here's the page with a free for download PDF pattern for a classic yoked shoulder men's shirt from Burdastyle: http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/... You'll need to lengthen the sleeves and the torso, there are lengthening instructions on the burdastyel site in the sewpedia area. Vogue patterns has some very nice men's wear patterns, and their patterns produce very professional results. Here's their shirt pattern, yardages are on the webpage: http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V8096.... For sewing techniques I highly recommend David Page Coffin's excellent book Shirtmaking. It has tips and tricks that will make shirtmaking a breeze and includes instructions on draping a custom fit shirt pattern. The technique for making the sleeve placket is the best anywhere, even though it seems complex it makes the sleekest placket I've ever seen. Here's the book listing on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shirtmaking-Develo... The best part of men's shirts is that the basic yoked dress shirt never goes out of style and it can be adapted from dress to casual depending on the fabric choices, pocket details, colour, etc. They aren't difficult to sew, once the basic techniques are mastered you can have as many shirts as you want, and you can make them fit you perfectly.
Why do stores charge the same price for large shirts and small shirts?
Good answers here, but they miss the essential mark of why things costs what they do. When you buy a shirt, what you're paying for is not fabric but all of the accumulated costs that have piled up before you got the product. The fabric that goes into your 1 year old's onsie and your XXL moomoo is is the least contributor to the expense of what you're getting. I've been retelling this fact for years to frustrated people who think -- operating a bit on Dunning-Kruger -- that they know enough to say, "HEY, I should be paying less because this has less fabric!" when, in fact, the fabric really is inconsequential.What you're paying for is:The cost of the physical building you're shopping in including the construction costs, electricity, HVAC, etc. The cost of the staff within that building including the costs of owning regional depots, regional management offices and corporate HQ. Local taxes. Federal import taxes. Damned government!!!The cost of the poor third or second world laborer who sewed that piece of clothing together with a healthy profit margin for the manufacturer tacked on top with all of their accumulated costs (hiring, electricity, fuel, taxes, hookers, etc.). [this is, in fact, the second largest cost]The shipping cost of transporting that article from China to the port of Los Angeles, including fuel, staffing, and other operating costs. The additional shipping and labor costs, including storage, fuel, licensing fees, etc, of shiping that from the port of LA to your store in Scarsdale NY. [shipping and receiving is the first largest cost]The manufacturer in China is only the manufacturer. The OshKosh company also adds its licensing fee to the top of it for all negotiations and creative design.Disney tags on its licensing fee for OshKosh using its Lilo & Stitch characters. Oh, and I forgot about the 20¢ that the fabric actually cost.Wanna scramble your brain? The true indicator of what a product costs -- within a class level [meaning, within a middle class product range, not crossing between class levels] is the labor that went into it & how much shipping space it takes up on a container. Since toddler clothing is smaller but generally takes a greater amount of skilled labor, you can almost always expect to pay more than you think you should considering how much fabric goes into childrens' clothing compared to adult clothing.
Why do expensive cotton dress shirts wrinkle more than cheap cotton dress shirts?
All great answers.I did notice though that you are comparing cotton to cotton, not cotton to cotton/poly blend, or cotton blended with some other material.Not all cotton is the same. Your more expensive shirts are made with a more lightweight cotton. Heavier cotton does wrinkle as well, but not to the same degree as lighter weight.For a while, early 2000s, or aughts, as some like to say, lightweight cotton was all the rage everywhere, denim, t shirts, dress shirts, etc.Some prefer a heavier cotton and feel like the lightweight cotton is lacking in quality. So it started to fall out of favor. But I prefer lightweight cotton in general, particularly during the summer. Lightweight cotton is about luxury. It is not about an article of clothing lasting forever. It is a different taste. If you need for your clothing to last a long time you might want to avoid it because it does not last longer than cheaper cotton, or cotton/poly blends. I’ve known people to have extremely lightweight all cotton shirts ruined by a dry cleaner that did not care properly for the garment. They would have been better off washing the shirt in cold water and allowing it to air dry. That isn’t the designers fault that is the fault of someone not knowing how to care for their garment.So while those expensive cotton shirts wrinkle more, they breathe better. That is the trade off. Personally I don’t mind polyester so much. It is not the polyester that I have an issue with; the polyester repels wrinkles and does not latch onto moisture like cotton will, the issue I have is with cheap cotton. Not all cotton/poly shirts are the same. Burberry has a button down shirt for $275 that is a cotton/nylon/poly blend. It is a useful synthetic, but it is not for everyone.
Is my dress shirt too big? How to look my best?
a tip to hide a baggy or too big shirt - wear a vest/waistcoat with it - keep the vest fastened over the shirt and it will hide most of the excess fabric - also add a tie, it will keep the neck line tighter and the collar. Finally if the sleeves are long or baggy too, you can add a sleeve garter- not so common these days, but it will do the job of tightening up the sleeves or making them shorter.
What would be the best glue for cardboard on fabric?
@lisa Thanks! I'm going to see Janet Jackson in March and I made a fake Rhythm Nation badge out of a shoe box and aluminum foil. So only the front part has aluminum foil. The back part is the glossy side of the shoe box. I'm not too concerned about messing up the shirt, since they're a dime a dozen. A lot of people I have asked have mentioned sewing, and one person mentioned gluing one of those shirt button pin thingies to the back and then pinning the whole thing to my shirt.