Over the summer, my husband and I had an adventure-filled day tubing down the Chattahoochee River. We chose the company Cool River Tubing, located in Helen, Georgia, an Alpine town in Southern Appalachia, to help us “Shoot the ‘Hooch” and enjoy the quaint sights of the German-inspired storybook village. While waiting to secure our passes for our river run, I browsed Cool River’s gift shop checking out the apparel and merch all emblazoned with different variations of the company’s logo. As I was eyeing one T-shirt, it occurred to me: how beneficial would it be for small gift shops, like Cool River’s, to decorate their own products onsite as opposed to outsourcing to a third-party company? Now, there is nothing wrong with outsourcing inventory, given how this option can save time and energy. However, with outsourcing, one must relinquish quality control—which can encompass design work, costs, etc.—all necessary for keeping a business’s budget from ballooning and crucial for the brand’s reputation.
In the vigorous world of retail, it’s no secret small gift shops are constantly seeking ways to stand out and create memorable experiences for their customers. And what better way to do just that than by doing their own decorating? One such innovation is the adoption of heat press machines for on-demand printing. This technique, which involves using heat and pressure to transfer designs onto various items, offers numerous advantages for small businesses. I spoke with a few of the big players in the heat-pressing sector to get their take on why small gift shops should consider investing in their own heat press machines.
Boosting Apparel-Decorating Sales and Saving Space
Amplifying the product lineup for any business can be challenging. For small retail and gift shop proprietors the challenge is even greater when factoring in a company’s limited space, while doing your best to stay on trend and determine the right quantities to minimize financial risk. By using a heat press and heat transfers, businesses can provide a wider range of products and finishes with high-end decoration, all without the need for stockpiles of pre-printed inventory.
“How do you quickly scale your business up and down with the seasonality of tourists and events, without impacting your bottom line?” asks Cat Cosentino, 613 Originals VP of marketing. “How do you manage through a particular busy season, when you can’t scale your working/storage space just as quickly? Enter the heat transfer—by adding heat transfers and a heat press to your existing business, you can save on manufacturing costs and delivery time. Heat transfers allow you to adopt an in-house ‘print on demand’ model. You can stock up on as many different designs as you want, and then press the design upon order. This allows you to control garment inventory and not be left with any extra sizes or designs that didn’t sell as originally forecasted at the end of the season.”
Transfers are versatile for many products in your inventory. Photo courtesy of STAHLS’
Dave Conner, STAHLS’ and Transfer Express content director, agrees, noting that it’s all possible with a heat press, whether its bulk runs, printing on demand only after an order is received and even personalization. The benefits of a print-on-demand model can include:
Space Efficiency: Heat presses not only minimize inventory needs but occupy minimal space in your shop, allowing you to utilize more of your retail area for showcasing a variety of products without requiring extra storage or a warehouse filled with bulky equipment, supplies and more.
Flexible Inventory Management: With print-on-demand capabilities, there’s no need to pre-decorate your entire inventory. Keep blank items in stock and customize them as required, reducing the risk of unsold goods. This flexibility enables you to quickly respond to the ebb and flow of customer preferences. Display design options or customization choices on a wall and print orders as they come in.
Ease of Use & Training: Heat presses are user-friendly and have a minimal learning curve compared to other decoration methods, making it easy to quickly integrate them into your business operations.
Personalization: Customization stations and interactive activations are becoming increasingly popular. Letting customers choose different patches to create unique, personalized items such as hats not only adds value but enhances the customer experience. Personalization using HTV for names and numbers is achievable without significant investments.
Diverse Products: With a single heat press, you can customize T-shirts, hats, fleece, bags, accessories and more. You can meet a broad range of customer needs and preferences. Offering different heat transfer types enables you to provide premium decorations like embroidery, leather, or PVC, as well as traditional screen-printed looks or full-color decorations with direct-to-film (DTF).
Embrace DTF
DTF transfers are tailor-made for on-demand printing as they cling to all types of fabrics, enabling use on endless apparel options and accessories. The quality of
DTF transfer application is as simple as place, press and peel. Photo courtesy of Ninja Transfers
today’s transfers can produce outstanding designs even while being applied at low temperatures. They often have no minimum order requirements, as well. This type of functionality is the greatest asset for gift-shop owners, who can create their own product samples and assess the customer demand before committing to larger orders or outsourcing.
“DTF offers a significant advantage,” says Ninja Mike, CEO and founder of Ninja Transfers. “You can buy transfers cheaply, for just a dollar or two each, and keep a variety of blanks in 50 different colors without needing to customize them in advance. These blanks can be in different colors, materials, shapes and sizes. The transfers can be stored separately, allowing businesses to have a wide range of inventory ready for sale. Production, or heat pressing, can be done on demand, which eliminates the risk of wasted inventory.”
This approach ensures that inventory is not accounted for until the moment of sale, minimizing the risk of unsold stock. Essentially, shops are only displaying potential unsold items, reducing the risk from 20, 50 or even 100 pieces to just one.
“DTF is a groundbreaking innovation for the industry,” Ninja Mike says. “To outsiders, it might seem like something that has been around for a long time, but that’s not the case. It has only recently started to mature. However, at Ninja Transfers, we’ve been hard at work perfecting the process for over two and a half years.”
Choose the Right Heat-Printing Equipment
An absolute necessity, investing in top-notch equipment is essential for sustainable success. Premium heat presses provide the dependable, professional results shop owners are looking for, while minimizing downtime due to maintenance or repairs. High-quality equipment can streamline your entire business model.
Pressing in person brings a whole new experience to your shop. Photo courtesy of 613 Originals
“All you need are heat transfers and a heat press. If you’re aiming for high-volume production, we recommend an industrial heat press for consistent pressure and heat.” says Cosentino. “Transfers can last for years when stored in climate-controlled environments, so you can order for the entire season before the rush hits.”
Ordering transfers online is a breeze. You can be checked out in under two minutes says Ninja Mike. Transfers can be ordered by size, or you can “gang up” designs on a gang sheet. These days, orders usually ship within 24 hours or can even be delivered the next day if it is placed before 3:00 PM. Also, don’t forget when choosing the right equipment, ensure your equipment supplier provides dependable customer service. This is vital for troubleshooting and support when doing your own decorating.
To secure the return on your investment, Conner suggests avoiding cheap import presses that may not withstand high-volume use. Look for equipment with interchangeable platens, which will open the door for endless decorating possibilities; this will keep your inventory current and on trend. Overall, investing in high-quality equipment can increase profit margins by reducing idle time and safeguarding reliable performance, allowing your team to seamlessly work in a stress-free setting.
Flow with Market Adaptability
The retail market is ever-changing, and small gift shops need to be adaptable to stay relevant. Heat presses allow shops to quickly pivot and adapt to new trends, seasonal changes or special events. This adaptability ensures that the shop can always deliver fresh, trendy products that meet current consumer demands.
“Heat printing offers a practical, efficient, and flexible solution for small gift shop owners looking to expand their product range without the risk and space requirements of traditional inventory methods,” says Conner. “By adopting heat printing you can stay on trend, meet customer demands and increase your sales while maximizing profit.”
