Home-Based t-shirt printing for clubs and local firms

Sports clubs, schools and community groups, event organisers, stag and hen groups, and small local businesses needing branded tees.

You charge per shirt, with price breaks for larger orders and a setup fee for new artwork. Repeat orders from clubs and firms build steady work.

• Design and artwork preparation
• Using a heat press or printer
• Quoting and customer service

• Check whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council needs to agree to business use at home
• Copyright and trade marks: do not print logos or designs you do not have permission to use
• Public liability insurance and home contents cover may need to reflect business equipment, so check with your insurer
• Ventilation, storage of inks and chemicals, and safe use of hot equipment
• Late artwork changes and mistakes can eat into margins, so agree proofs before printing

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around £800 to £5,000, depending on whether you use a heat press with transfers or a direct-to-garment printer, and on the blank garments and supplies you buy to begin with.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £500 to £3,500, depending on the size of your orders, how many clubs and local businesses you win and your pricing. Revenue is not profit, so allow for blanks, transfers and ink.

Things to check: whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council must agree to business use at home, copyright and trade marks on designs, insurance cover for equipment, ventilation, safe storage of inks and chemicals, and safe use of hot equipment.