It’s probably pretty safe to say that you are in the same boat as most folks right now, needing a little bit more of cash. Whether you’re in need of some extra help to make your rent, pay off some credit card bills, or just building some savings, the reality is that you’re in need of adding another source of income. A single job might help pay some of the essentials, but a side hustle from home is the kind of endeavor that will make a profound impact, but are you ready to put in the work?
If you are ready, and believe screen printing will fulfill your creative passions while bringing in some revenue, you have come to the right place. Have you heard about the new Riley Hopkins 150 Press? It's the perfect press for someone looking to startup a screen printing side gig because it's incredibly economical and high-quality.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RILEY 150 PRESS
While the press is inexpensive, you want to earn and keep as much as cash as you can get. Let's focus on looking at the Return-On-Investment (ROI) on the 150 1 Color 1 Station Press.
The 1x1 press costs $200. How many shirts do you need to sell in order to have that press pays for itself? Time to do some math.
First off, shirt costs. The average shirt costs $5-$7 dollars (we recommend going to Shirtspace to purchase wholesale shirts). How much you sell a printed shirt depends on who you are selling the shirts to. If you're selling to local businesses, you'd probably price the shirts around $10-$12 each; therefore, you're making $5 a shirt (keeping the math simple here). Strictly selling to local businesses or performing contract work means you'd need to sell around 40 shirts for the press to pay itself.
If you're developing your own brand and are selling shirts directly to customers, you'd probably price the shirts at $20 each, making $10 off each shirt. That means you'd only need to sell 20 shirts for the press to have paid itself. That's not much at all!
If you decide you want to provide premium merchandise, you'll have to spend more, but you can also set the shirt price higher. Say you decide to print on eco-friendly Allmade tees, their shirt prices ranging from $6-$25. You could sell your shirts at $35-$40 dollars, which means you'd need to sell 10-13 shirts for the press to be paid for.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALLMADE
How quickly you earn enough revenue to pay off the money spent on the press will depend on the shirt you're using and your audience. Are you a musician or artist? How many fans do you have? 20? Awesome, your press has already paid for itself. Do you have 50 fans? Amazing! You're already bringing in profit. How many local businesses in your community need a screen printer? If you're developing your own brand, what's your niche? Do you have a passion that has a strong community? Analyze and reflect on who your audience is and decide which route is best for you.
NEW TO SCREEN PRINTING?
Welcome to the industry! One of the coolest things about screen printing is how involved each step of the process is, requiring creativity and problem-solving. You clearly have those skills and are ready for this challenge.
First, you're going to need a few more supplies like ink, squeegee, emulsion, etc. We got you covered with the essential kits. You can pick from either the plastisol ink kit or water-based ink kit. Both kits come with all the ink, emulsion, and cleaning chemicals you need to kick off your printing journey.
Next, you may want to watch a few tutorials to ensure you make the best prints you possibly can. Our YouTube channel has an innumerable amount of videos that'll get you started on the right foot. Here are a few videos that will establish a great foundation of printing knowledge for you:
- Quick and Easy DIY Film Alignment
- How to Prep a Screen
- How to Make a Screen
- 5 Common Mistakes Beginner Screen Printers Make When Coating a Screen with Emulsion
- How to Cure Your Shirt
- How to Tell if the Screen is Over-Exposed
- How to Tell if the Screen is Under-Exposed
- How to Properly Dry Screens
- How to Register on Press
- Screen Printing Techniques
- How to Clean Up
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help you. Ryonet has helped thousands of screen printers start their career, and we're happy to continue educating and providing support. You can reach us at 1-800-314-6390.
