You've got a great new client, but they want to supply their own t-shirts and garments for screen printing. This is actually risky – but it's a common occurrence since
customers believe they're saving money by supplying their own t-shirts. So, what should you do? Mike Chong from Merch Monster talks through the expensive lessons he's learned from printing on customer-supplied t-shirts and garments:
- Physically inspect the garments. If you can't do this, at least get the specific manufacturer and style number so you can inspect the garments.
- Get a complete account of what your client will supply. Whether this is an invoice from a wholesaler or a simple list, be sure the customer supplies you with a written and documented count of everything they'll provide.
- Watch out for polyblend garments. Some expensive (Adidas, Nike, etc.) brands use aggressive dyes. Even if you use a bleed blocker, you may still encounter dye migration. Be sure you're familiar with the garment or have experience with it.
- Have the customer make intake easier – or pay for the time it takes to intake garments. Unfolding, unpacking, organizing the garments into separate jobs...either make the customer pay for this service or have them do it.
- Don't print on t-shirts and garments that have already been worn. "Even if they've been washed, it's just gross. No one wants that."
- Mitigate your risk. There are a lot of unknowns and variables to control in screen printing. When you don't control the garments, you need to mitigate the risk by doing your own due diligence.
- Turn away jobs that aren't a slam dunk. If you're on the fence about a job or think customer supplied garments might cause a problem, don't hesitate to do what's best. A misprinted job on customer supplied garments leaves you liable for a lot of damage!
Watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=130mwgRJtV0
