June 24, 2004
'Communique' Merchandise Redesign
Still More Self-Promotion
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In addition to our previously-announced relaunch of PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE Press, we've also redesigned the various pieces of PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE merchandise sold via CafePress, and updated the store to include new clothing items -- including, bizarrely, dog t-shirts.
At our store, you'll find t-shirts, shirts, and sweatshirts for adults and kids, mugs of various kinds, hats, stickers, posters, and other random products. We're sure you're all desperate to own your very own PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE lunchbox.
To keep things simple for ourselves and avoid any complicated calculations of percentages, each product is priced to provide a $5.00 commission on each sale. So we make $5.00 per item, plus we get "paid" in the advertising provided when you wear that swank PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE "baby doll" t-shirt while cruising around town, or flash that shiny PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE travel mug at your favorite neighborhood coffeeshop.
Comments (6)
Stacy on 24 Jun 2004
Have you ever actually purchased anything from CafePress? I think their stuff is crappy and cheap.
The One True b!X on 24 Jun 2004
I have lots of stuff from them. When's the last time you saw something of theirs?
doretta on 24 Jun 2004
I bought a couple of shirts and a coffee mug from them about six months ago and they were all good quality.
Bob R. on 24 Jun 2004
One thing that CafePress and it's competitors lack is the ability to print on black T-Shirts.
If someone could come up with a process for one-off, customized black (and other dark fabric color) T-Shirts, they could make a killing in the band T-shirt and alternative political T-Shirt scene.
Another angle for growth could be for instant customization. I have one web client who, in addition to needing black T-Shirts, wants to allow users to personalize them with their name or their own slogan. (Processes can be implemented to prevent obscene or inapprorpriate T-Shirts being printed with my client's brand image).
After extensive calling around and google-searching, I've given up.
Any digital-aware, enterprising screen printers with a bold idea out there?
- Bob R.
pdxkona on 24 Jun 2004
What is the drawing of? Mt Tabor? It looks like a circular body of water with trees in the backround....hhmm.
Gabe O'Brien on 24 Jun 2004
I can't really say how CafePress runs their shop, but with traditional screen printing it is 100% possible to print on dark garments. The really problem is it isn't as easy (read cheap) to do. With a black/dark design on a white shirt you can do it in one quick pass of the squeegee. With dark garments you have to print the lite parts of the design twice to get a nice opaque print (which means you have to dry the print and then reprint the design). This is one more step and takes more time and skill. Also the shirts cost more if there are not white. It is 100% easier to just print everything on white shirts (less to keep in stock) than trying to have on hand a ton of colors and sizes (at least from the on demand style work that cafe press does).
I have been a printer for years now both as a hobby and professionally, these days I spend my time building web pages for full time work. But I have a nice little home setup where I can print on dark/light garments with multi color or single color prints for small to medium sized jobs. I have been slowly working toward setting up a small business to print custom limited run t-shirts (I like to keep my hands in the ink buckets).
If Bob would like to contact me I have some ideas on how to make the printing of a custom slogan with one logo possible (and still keep it cheap with fast turn around).
Gabe O'Brien
printer@gobrien.com
Part time Artist full time Geek