No matter how fancy people dress, they’ll always love a good T-Shirt. T-Shirts are great for lounging around and feeling relaxed. You can capitalize on this evergreen market by making and selling T-Shirts. You could make your own designs, use pictures off of the internet, or print T-Shirts with someone else’s design for them. It might sound hard, but it doesn’t require as much as you think.
The easiest way to put a graphic onto a T-Shirt is using the transfer sheet method. The first step is to buy your supplies: black T-Shirts, transfer paper, and wax paper. The next step is to find the design you’ll use. If you’re printing the shirt for someone else, have them size their design to an 8 ½ x 11 inch space. Next, put your transfer paper into your inkjet printer (you need an inkjet to make this work). You’ll then take the pdf or image design file and print it on the transfer paper. (This hustle made it into our Side Hustle Master List because it’s easier to do than many people think).
Concept | |
category | Retail Businesses |
Takeaways | Shirt design requires creativity, pre-made logos printed on shirts to businesses or sports teams would require less time but would elicit a lower return potential. |
complexity lowhigh | Capital Required lowhigh |
skill required lowhigh | time required lowhigh |
return potential lowhigh |
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Finishing steps
The paper will come out with the graphic on it. Transfer paper has two parts, and you now have to peel off the front side with the design from the more glossy backside. Lay your shirt out, put the design face up on the shirt, and lay a piece of wax paper over that. Now, make sure the iron is hot, and then iron the graphic and shirt together. Once you’ve covered the whole area, including the edges, let the transfer image cool for about 20 minutes. Repeat this process a couple of times. The transfer paper starts out black, but not as black as a T-Shirt. With repeated ironings, it turns much darker. After that, you’re done. You just made a shirt for under 5 bucks, and can now go sell it for $20. If you want to skip the manufacturing process, you can sell your own designs on shirts online. For more ideas on using T-Shirts for income, check these links out: