Designing a T-Shirt on a Budget
Tips From Your Experts in Screen Printing in Austin
If you’re looking to upgrade your marketing strategy, promotional T-shirts are a great way to increase brand visibility and get your name out to a wide audience. But sometimes you’re working on a tight budget, and you need to make sure that you get the most for your money. How can you get the most product possible without straining your budget? If you’re working with limited options, here’s some advice to help you shave off the extra fees and stretch your budget as much as possible.
Use a Minimalist Logo
If this is your first time printing, you might be tempted to choose an elaborate design that best represents your brand. This design might be great for a single print advertisement, but when working with a bulk order of printed T-shirts, more colors means a higher price tag. To keep the cost as low as possible, try offering a single logo with two or three colors–or even one color, if you can manage it. A minimalist logo is much cheaper and easier to print than a full-color photograph or an elaborate design with lots of details and subtle hues.
Create your Own Designs
If you want to save money on a graphic designer, try whipping up a logo yourself and see what you come up with. If you’re using a minimalist logo, especially one that’s largely text-based, you might find that it’s not difficult at all to design your own logo with image editing software. And if you use the right product, you don’t even have to pay for the software–there are several free programs online that are completely legal and safe to use. If you have the skills to create a basic logo, why pay for something that you could get for free?
Build a Library of Free Resources
When you’re trying to design a T-shirt, the Internet is full of free resources. Download all the free fonts, stock images, graphics, and vectors you can find–after all, that’s one less resource you’ll have to pay for. And with this wealth of material, you might find it easier to design your own logos or print advertisements. Some websites are full of free content, while online marketplaces occasionally offer free goods. Just check the rules and make sure you have the right to use the resources commercially.
Check the Features Before Purchasing
As you browse the selection of T-shirts available, try to choose something simple with no frills. This doesn’t mean that you should opt for low-quality products, but if you’re not a budget, there’s no reason to invest in expensive hooded sweatshirts when you could get a stock of cheap T-shirts for half the price. Review the features carefully and decide if you really need this product, or the cheaper item would fit your needs just as well.
Review Every Option
To make sure that you get the best deal, don’t just stop at one website. Review multiple printing companies and evaluate their prices, products, features, and benefits. Many businesses have lost money by going with the first option that they saw, rather than doing research and choosing the right company for your budget. No two printing companies are alike, so make sure you know exactly what you’re paying for before you make a decision.