How to start a t-shirt printing business in India?

Changing consumer preferences from formal to casual attire drives the t-shirt market in India!

Reports from Statista reveal that by 2028 the volume of the t-shirts market in India will rise to 4.2 billion pieces units.

And customised t-shirts are dominating the t-shirt market now.

Customised t-shirts are a great way of marketing for brands, and for personal use, they send out unique vibes. Starting a t-shirt printing business that prioritises both quality and quantity can be a great idea now.

Let’s get to know about the t-shirt printing business in India and how to start one from your home.

What is the future of the t-shirt industry in India?

The future of the T-shirt industry in India is promising. Statista reveals the rise in t-shirt industry revenue to be around $7.14 billion in 2024, which will grow annually by 4.18% through 2024-2028. Though men’s t-shirts dominate the industry, female t-shirt demands are increasing as well.

A huge part of this market is occupied by custom-designed T-shirts. These are regular t-shirts with customised designs according to customers’ choice.

Sports teams and clubs wear custom-made t-shirts with their own logo and designs, and the same is true with top brands and startups.

For example, L’Oŕeal Paris uses their brand logo on every t-shirt they gift to employees for branding. Similarly, any startup can use custom T-shirts with their logo as the uniform for branding purposes. 

Here’s an example:

These t-shirts are a great way to spread social awareness without using words and expressing unity and solidarity. Customised t-shirts are a great tool for advertising compared to hoardings and television. It increases brand awareness and customer loyalty with less investment.

The graph below shows a rising trend in the t-shirt printing industry in India during the past 5 years.

What do I need to start a t-shirt printing business at home?

To start a t-shirt printing business at home, you need to have a strong business plan that considers multiple factors associated with business.

• Business plan: You must have a business plan that outlines your target niche, consumer preferences, estimated costs, and what facilities to offer.
• Find a t-shirt manufacturer: Now, you cannot manufacture bulk orders at home and store them. So, finding a manufacturer who can manage a huge volume of orders and have a warehousing facility can help you run the business.
• Create design: You can hire a designer or use free tools to design unique t-shirts. By following trends, you can identify your target audience preferences, which will help you create similar patterns.
• Buy a printing machine: While starting your business at home, you may not be able to purchase multiple printers. Therefore, try purchasing a Direct to Garment DTG t-shirt printing machine, which is costly but ensures high-quality prints. You can also collaborate with a printing service provider initially.
• Create an online store: Now, you need a place to start selling your products. Creating an online store is a cheaper option and allows you to connect with billions of consumers globally.
• Set a price: You must consider all your costs associated with manufacturing and printing t-shirts and then set a price. Make sure the charges you put on each product must include a good profit margin.
• Market your brand: Marketing is essential for any business to ensure that your consumers know you well. You can invest in online branding or social media marketing practices to reach your target audiences.
• Collaborate with shipping or logistics companies: Finally, collaborate with delivery companies who will help you ship orders to customers and handle returns.

How much is a t-shirt printing machine?

A t-shirt printing machine can cost you around ₹3,500 and go beyond ₹4.25 lakh.

The best tshirt printing machine is a Direct to Garment (DTG) digital inkjet printing and it can cost you around ₹65,000 to over ₹2.5 lakhs. It uses inkjet technology for high-quality, photographic, prints on t-shirts. These are also known as garment printing machines.

Other top printer options include DTF (Direct-to-Fabric) printing, screen printing, and sublimation printing. Each of these printing machines have lower to higher costs depending on its size, features and functionalities.

What is the best file format for t-shirt printing?

The best file format for tshirt printing is the vector file formats, including ai, eps, and pdf.

There are mainly two types of image files: vector and raster files.

Raster files are necessary for photographic images but for best results you must ensure high quality resolution of the images and lesser compression.

Vector files are usually the highest-quality image formats. Any image in vector file format can be resized without compromising its resolution. This isn’t possible with raster files, which makes them lose points when you store a design for t-shirt prints.

What are the best t-shirt printing service providers in India?

1. Qikink

Founded in: 2016

Printing options:

• Direct to Garment (DTG) t-shirt digital printing
• Screen printing
• Sublimation
• UV printing
• Eco solvent printing
• All over printing
• Digital Printing on Paper
• Tie & Dye
• Vinyl Printing
• DTF Printing
• Embroidery
• Engraving
• 3D printing

Qikink has one of the best custom printing service providers in India that brings EPSON, Brother, and Mimaki in one place for printing apparel and accessories. They are equipped with top-quality printers and OEKO-TEX-certified printing ink that can fulfil print-on-demand and bulk orders with gold-standard print quality.

2. Printify

Founded in: 2015

Printing options:

• Direct to Film
• Direct to Garment
• Dye Sublimation

Printify allows businesses to create and sell their custom products locally and globally. It ensures integration with multiple stores, including Walmart, Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, TikTok Shop, and more. Anyone can start a risk-free business with Printify and bring joy to millions of customers worldwide.

3. Blinkstore

Founded in: 2021

Printing options:

• Direct to Garment printing
• Screen printing
• Heat transfer technique
• Embroidery technique

Blinkstore is a popular platform where you can start your customised t-shirt store with zero investment and the platform assists you with print-on-demand services. Thousands of brands and creators have become a part of Blinkstore for its ease of use, bulk printing, warehousing and logistics, branding and packaging, and high-quality fabrics and printing.

4. Vistaprint

Founded in: 1995

Printing options:

• Direct to Garment printing
• Dye Sublimation
• Embroidery
• Heat transfer
• Screen printing

Vistaprint helps t-shirt business owners with expert design and manufacturing of high-quality t-shirts with unique, customisable prints. They use top printing machines to maintain design resolutions on the t-shirts and help attract consumers to your store.

How to create a T-shirt printing business plan?

To create a t-shirt printing business plan, you must first understand your target niche and consumer preferences. Then, identify the existing consumer problems and how you can solve them.

The best example of an impressive t-shirt printing business plan is Zudio.

Target audience?

Their target audience is mostly college students and middle-class Indian families.

Problem?

These people were looking for trendy clothing, but H&M or Zara were too expensive for their pockets.

Solutions?

So Zudio thought of selling these trendy clothing at an affordable price.

Plan? They set up their infrastructure in low-rented areas, used bulk printing services, and followed trendy designs to create similar ones. Zudio used word-of-mouth marketing techniques rather than endorsing highly paid celebrity models. All of these reduced the cost of t-shirt production, so they could sell them at an affordable price and attract millions of customers to their stores.

But they never compromised with the fabric and printing quality, ensuring durability and sustainability.

Is the t-shirt printing business profitable?

Yes, the t-shirt printing business is profitable in India if you have the right strategy. The profit margins can vary depending on the business expenses, production process, and marketing efforts.

• Target market: You must study your target consumers’ preferences and behaviour and determine the need for custom t-shirts in your niche.
• Quality and design: Providing high-quality fabrics and printing enhances customer satisfaction, leading to profit in the business. You must focus on creating unique and attractive designs that attract your target consumers.
• Pricing: Setting high prices for products won’t let you make good profits, but affordable and competitive prices can attract people. However, the price must cover all your costs (including labour and material costs, production costs, and overheads)  and ensure a good profit margin.
• Marketing and promotion: You can invest less in marketing by choosing the best marketing channels that directly impact your target audience. Otherwise focus on word-of-mouth marketing, and use online platforms or social media for promotions for brand awareness.
• Efficient production process: Businesses need to optimise their production process (including streamlining operations, investing in modern equipment, and maintaining a well-trained workforce) to minimise costs and maximise outputs.
• Bulk printing opportunities: To make your business profitable, you can offer customers bulk orders. This will allow you to get a huge volume of orders, increase sales, and improve your profit margin.

What is the average profit margin for a t-shirt business?

The average profit margin for a t-shirt business is around 30% to 60%. However, this depends on multiple factors, such as your pricing strategy, target niche, sales volume, and production cost.

For example, you want to sell a t-shirt for ₹199, and the production cost for that t-shirt is ₹120. So, you are making a profit of ₹79 by selling one T-shirt. Your profit margin is nearly 40%. 

The profit margin for bulk orders will always be higher than selling one item of that order.

This is mainly because suppliers can buy products for less, and producing bulk orders at one go saves on labour and material costs.

You can also use the t-shirt business profit margin calculator to estimate the cost, expense, and possible income after each tshirt sale.

Here’s the sneak peak:

Final words

If you want to start a t-shirt printing business in India, now is the time. You need to have a good business plan and target a promising niche that can help you get a good profit margin. Make sure you are focusing on three things: quality of fabric and print, cost, and uniqueness.

High-quality t-shirts with unique designs, available at affordable prices, sell more in India.

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