Planning Your Business 5
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Can I do my own printing and production with a laser printer and binding equipment?
Yes, there are some books, primarily manuals, workbooks, and other training materials, that can be produced with your own computer and printer-—in the beginning, at least. If volume picks up it may become more economical and more convenient to outsource the printing and binding.
I’ve got a computer. Would desktop publishing be a good business to start?
People who create successful desktop publishing businesses often work in advertising or graphic arts for many years before launching their own business. That's because desktop publishing really isn't a business. Instead, the term means using a computer and computer software as a tool to simplify some production chores in the creation of print publications, slides, and multimedia works. If you have experience doing typesetting or commercial art and want to start your own service, it is almost imperative to have desktop publishing tools available to you.
If you have no experience in typesetting, commercial art, or related fields, buying a computer and desktop publishing software is not going to put you into business overnight as a desktop publisher. Typesetting, layout, and design all require special skills and training. While these skills can be learned, it takes time to acquire the basic manual skills and hands-on experience needed to know how to create professional-looking documents. In addition, you will also need to spend time learning to use page-layout and art programs. These programs are quite sophisticated, and as a result have quite a steep learning curve.
If you think you would enjoy using a computer to do typesetting and commercial design work, you should get the training before investing in the equipment. Training is offered in night courses at two-year colleges and technical schools and, sometimes, in adult education classes at high schools.
Can I make money screen-printing T-shirts?
Screen-printing T-shirts and other garments has proven to be a lucrative business for some entrepreneurs. There are companies that started out as home businesses and within a half-dozen years were taking orders for thousands of shirts at a time and were grossing several million dollars a year. There are also businesses that start in basements or small storefronts and never do much more than break even, if they even make it that far.
Can you still get started in screen-printing at home without spending a lot of money?
Yes, you can. The cost of a start-up depends on the capabilities you want and whether you can locate used equipment to buy. You can operate out of your basement or garage (if zoning laws don't prohibit it), but what you can produce will be limited compared to larger shops doing screen printing,
Nancy Clayton, owner of Computer Design Concepts in Rowland Heights, California, bought used equipment to start her business for less than $1,000. For the money she got a four-color press, a flash dry, and an exposure lamp. "If you look around," she says, "there are some really good deals out there. You can get by with a homemade one-color press to begin with, but you definitely need a flash cure or your prints will come off the first time you wash them. In fact, you can build your own basic press for even less money with plans in the book, How to Print T-shirts for Fun and Profit by Scott and Pat Fresener." The book is available on their web site at http://secure.usscreen.com/catalog/index.cgi?pid=3 or by phone at (800) 624-6532.
Clayton started her business in her garage, but later built a free-standing barn-type building on their property to house the business. In addition to screen-printing T-shirts, she uses heat-transfer to imprint some designs and to put names and numbers on team jerseys.
How long does it take to screen-print a T-shirt?
The amount of time depends on the design of the shirt and the kind of equipment you have. "If it is a one color design on a white T-shirt, and you use a dryer to cure your ink, you can probably whip out about 10 dozen an hour on a manual press. If you only use a flash cure as I do, then you can print about 60 shirts an hour if you don't waste any time and the phone doesn't ring," says Clayton.
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