Hoodies are one of the most practical clothes that just scream youth and practicality. With the right material, it can feel like wrapping a comfy blanket around your body! The best thing about the hoodie is its versatility that makes it a fashionable apparel and also the perfect clothing item for just staying indoors and being in bed! Planning on printing one for the team? You do not want to repeat these mistakes made by the person before you!
Mistake #1: Use the first printing service you find
Look around more! The thing is, it can be tempting to settle on the very first international printing company that offers the lowest price based on what you find through your online research. However, there can be better offers and great deals from other local and online stores. Plus, you can also pay a visit to the printing company or the factory itself to discuss your order thoroughly.
By knowing your needs and roughly how much do you expect for the printing to cost you, you can share that information with your supplier. Best case scenario, they can agree to your price. Worst case scenario? You just have to change one or two things from your design! There is no downside, really. Compare the best options you’ve got and the decision can be made easily!
Mistake #2: Printing basic hoodie without exploring other available materials
Make the hoodie unique by making it represent your brand well in all aspects, including its fabric material. This is not to say that you should use jersey or faux fur materials, both of which are already unsuited to be made into hoodies, especially if you live in Singapore. Instead, what you can do is to customize accordingly. Generally, hoodies are either made up of cotton or a blend of cotton and polyester material. Of course, this heavily depends on the climate and uses of the hoodies.
A material with a higher percentage of polyester does not crease as much as cotton does, holds the shape of the hoodie and brings more durability to the fabric. Polyester also brings warmth to the hoodie along with the breath-ability of cotton. For a warmer climate, a higher percentage of cotton would be highly recommended to absorb sweat easily. One example is fleece hoodies that make excellent choice in providing comfort for the wearer. For a detailed and personal one-to-one explanation, you may visit stores around you. While you’re at it, look around the hoodies in the mall and check their tag to see what the material or the blend feels to touch. This will give you a much accurate feel on how would you like your hoodies to feel like on the skin.
Mistake #3: Printing your hoodie with your first design
If you are making hoodies for your team, listen to the team. This does not literally mean you should go around asking one by one on how would they like the hoodie team to be. There are several options here. You could create several design drafts and let them vote or you could design it to suit everyone’s preference as best as possible. There is a high possibility that you will not end up with your first draft. Explore others’ ideas so you can know not only what they expect the hoodies to be, but also what they expect the hoodies to NOT be.
Follow the best practice when discussing the printing aspects. Decide on the image, fonts, and colors accordingly. Even better, place an inspiration board where everyone can chip their ideas in. Be sure to create a design format that the factory can accept to print. You might need assistance from a printing company for this matter if no one around is really in the know.
Mistake #4: Not knowing how much will printing cost you
An amateur mistake, but one that happens over and over again. A very common scenario; someone would create a design, pick a material and colors, and submit the draft and information to the factory. When the price quote comes back, they wonder how could it all cost that much. First of all, there has to be a budget that you can work with. If there isn’t any, ask your accounting department for an estimation.
Next, you need to know full details regarding the quantity, design, size, printing method, and shipping cost. Among all of these, the hoodie design and printing method are two that you can modify to lower the cost, so do that. Go with minimalist design instead of complicated ones with various colors. Certain printing companies offer free shipping if you order in a large batch and also their price breakdown! Getting a quotation from your supplier is a crucial part of this and you still have the right to reject the offer or change something in your order.
Now that you know all you need to get started, are you ready to survey your options and get the best out of the best deals? Exploring hoodies printing services around you can be enjoyable and educational so just have fun with it! Need personal, one-to-one assistance on it? Custom Prints provides free consultation on ALL our printing services! Just reach out to us to get useful information about any apparel printing!
