What is a Graphic Tee?
Fashion is evolving in leaps and bounces. And unlike the last decade, we are no longer dependent on the labels to introduce some amazing fashion ideas. People are inventing and reinventing their own styles. DIY is one of the biggest fashion trends and people are recognizing technology to provide them with an amazing platform where they can find anything they need to design and style.
Having said that, one segment in apparel has left everything behind. And you guessed it right; it is our inexpensive and comfortable t-shirts. People love t-shirts. They are casual, and when styled right there are numerous ways to style them as formals. They are stretchy and comfortable, and there is nobody in the world who would say a t-shirt can go wrong. A graphic t-shirt is a new trend in the t-shirt industry. People are designing their own t-shirts by custom printing graphics on their favorite patterns of t-shirts. Graphics for tee shirts are appealing as people have a choice to customize the content that goes on their t-shirts. It is for this very reason that not only individuals but also businesses have recognized its potential as a marketing product and have made them an integral part of their marketing activities.
In today’s blog, we would be exploring more about graphic tees, how they can serve as a profitable segment for businesses in the print industry, and how can facilitate custom designing t-shirts for your customers.
What is a Graphic Designer T-shirt?
T-shirts have been in fashion for quite a long time now. However, people didn’t have the power or required designing skills to design their own t-shirts. It was the advent of technology that allowed customizing graphics on t-shirts and facilitated the services to individuals and businesses. It is the classic case of demand meets supply where technology has made things more accessible for people meanwhile also reducing the operational cost for businesses to take the risk and thrive.
Moreover, businesses are facilitating people with a plethora of ways to graphic design tee. There is painting, screen printing, embroidery, and so much more. People can use design tools such as Adobe, Photoshop, etc., to create graphics they want on their tee. Businesses are going a step ahead with graphic design tees – they use interactive messages, business logos, etc. to advertise their companies. Businesses are using them as casual work uniforms and you would find retail chain employees wearing t-shirts with their company logos and interactive messages while working. It gives a more unified approach to dress code at workplaces and also makes it look professional.
Also, graphic tees are a very popular choice in the souvenir segment. People are designing t-shirts to gift their friends and family members using pictures, photographs, or anything that is nostalgic and important for them to be printed on the t-shirts.
Material, design variance, and affordability
One of the biggest factors that drive the sale of t-shirts is they are usually unisex. All genders love it. Secondly, they come in various materials and sizes. People can choose whatever material they prefer and they are a good addition to any wardrobe. Quality varies, style varies, size varies and accordingly, there are price changes in the cost of a t-shirt. But they are still one of the most affordable style options in the world currently.
When it comes to graphic designing your t-shirt, apart from the cost of the t-shirt people need to pay the design cost too. Depending on the type of printing you need, the amount of design there is on the t-shirt (small graphic or a large graphic) the cost of the t-shirt varies. But there are many service providers in the segment and hence the cost of designing a t-shirt is not as high as people anticipate. The more service providers there are in the market, the more competition there is to grab new customers, and hence you would see big and small t-shirt printing businesses providing hefty discounts on first purchases and referrals.
Furthermore, if you are offering wholesale services the cost of a single t-shirt would vary. In retail, a single t-shirt cost more, but when businesses order in bulk the cost of the same t-shirt goes down. While creating your online graphic design t-shirt platform you must ensure that there are price calculators incorporated in the software that does the calculation as per your business model.
Next, you need to categorize your products well. Not only t-shirts are being designed using online tools, but hoodies, caps, shirts, etc., are a very popular segment of apparel printing. To make the browsing experience superior, make sure your products are well sorted into categories, and sub-categories, and there are filters that make the sorting even easier. So, colors, sizes, material, etc. are a good start when deciding what filters you need to add to your software product for making the browsing experience easy and capturing the lead faster.
Types of Graphic Designer T-shirts
There are various types of the graphic designer t-shirt. There are fashionable graphic tees, functional graphic tees, and a general graphic design tee. There is a t-shirt for everything in the world. One of the best ways to understand the categorization of a graphic designer t-shirt is to understand the evolving trends in the printing industry, technology, and customer preference. So, there are embroidered and painted graphic design t-shirts. But they are time intensive and also cannot be used as a practical option for a wholesale buyer. Hence, screen-printing.
If you are already in the printing business, screen printing needs no introduction. It is one of the best solutions available for printing products that are non-conventional, like apparel, cups, etc. There are screen printers available at a low cost that is fast and efficient to meet your needs. Also, you can easily accommodate a bulk order of graphic print shirts by any small or big business. Hence graphic design clothing is most often printed using screen printers.
The Demand for Graphic Design T-shirts
Now that we have already covered the part where we have understood graphic design shirts and why they are very popular among individuals and businesses – let’s start understanding where is it most demanded.
- Art Tees
There are Instagram influencers that are painters and they offer their services to their followers to paint directly on the shirts and sell them. Artists are changing the way they see the canvas. Today they are painting on cups, book covers, and also t-shirts. They are producing their work on the fabric and selling them and earning a great profit on it. People are also taking custom requests from their customers to paint things people envisage to be on their t-shirts. By collaborating with these designers you can actually buy their paintings and print them on t-shirts using screen printing. You can also use the graphics for not just t-shirts but posters, and wall hangings. Hence, not only are you providing popular designs for the customers but also providing an A-class design option on your platform. And there are thousands of art lovers out there that would love to explore your solutions.
- Tourism and travel
A fun way to get a souvenir from most places is by collecting t-shirts. T-shirts are very easy to transport and they don’t attract any duty when taken internationally. They are durable, handy, and most importantly functional – people wear them all the time.
Popularly, we have seen people using graphic tees to commemorate their trip and take a little piece of their most enjoyed moments in a city, country, culture, or region with them through a graphic design t-shirt. Also, if it is a group t-shirt, all people can find t-shirts with the same or varying designs on the group trip and this is a great option for people to add more spice to their travels.
- Military Courses
The military is one of the most prestigious places to be and it is an honor for people to finish their training course and step into one of the most prestigious jobs in the world. So, to commemorate successfully completing a very viable step in their life people can use t-shirts are a great gift. T-shirts are comfortable and they come in various graphic design clothing to match the material choice for people. With a unit’s insignia and a group photo printed on the t-shirt, it is a great way to celebrate people’s success and increase the feeling of brotherhood among the soldiers.
Concert tees
Musicians and singers hold their concerts around the world and people go there to have the best time of their lifetime. People feel a very close connection with the artists, some choose to follow them around the globe and collect souvenirs. T-shirts since are very handy and affordable are a great choice. Also, various labels that have good artists signed under their label provide merchandise with autographs, photos, and other things on various platforms. And people buy them, collect them, and keep them as a very endearing memory.
You will see many people wearing t-shirts with their band’s logos and even the members of the band on the front side or back side of the t-shirt. Guns and Roses is a great example of this. Screen printing is a good solution to accommodate these orders. It works amazingly in dark colors. Also, mostly the concerts are held at night, solutions such as fluorescent print inks look very flashy and appropriate for these occasions. Also, tie-dye is very popular.
Merchandise and Advertising
We have talked about how merchandise is a good revenue generation stream but is not only that. It also works as a great advertising tool. People use t-shirts all the time for advertising products, services, stores, and more. Businesses have a tendency to trademark their t-shirt designs to avoid them being copied by small businesses or their competitors. Also, it is a great tool for businesses to use their quirky marketing skills and bridge the communication gap between their customers and their business.
Way forward
We have talked in detail about how graphic print shirts, t-shirts, and other apparel options are a good addition to your print business. Screen printing is a good solution and facilitates printing on unconventional materials. Now it is time to talk about technology.
If you wish to start your online t-shirt printing business you need an ecommerce-like site where you can offer all the products. WordPress, Magento, and Shopify are some of the best technologies in the segment where they provide end-to-end ecommerce solutions. But you are not into product selling, you need to incorporate tools that facilitate customizing to your customers. For this, you need t-shirt print software that offers a plethora of tools to provide customers with a platform to design their own t-shirts. It has a large library with pre-designed templates, color palettes, sizing options, hemming options, clip art and so much more. This would allow your customers to either design or upload their designs to be printed on the t-shirt of their choice. To know more about how you can start your own t-shirt printing business connect with WTP Biz customer service executives.
