CustomGraphicTshirts.com Blog

New Spring Items!

2011-03-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Check out our new spring items including a women's scoop neck sweatshirt, American Apparel Fleece Hoodie, and Men's Big and Tall tees! Remember, you can design ANYTHING to your liking from our shopping using our Custom T-shirt, Apparel and Gift Designer.

Watch the video below to see some of our new items!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Spreadshirt & Zazzle - Making Money with Little Investment

2011-03-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

So like a lot of people I was looking for a way to make some extra cash without getting a third job... yes, a third job. The economy is bad, banks are paying out very little, and for some it is even hard to find one job. With that, gas prices are expected to rise even higher this summer.

I had started a website called http://clipartforeducation.com and it still exists, although I haven't added anything new to it in forever. To make new "clipart" I had decided to purchase a pen tablet or graphics pad for my computer. With the tab, like with most accessories, came a little flier for a print on demand company, as they explained you could start a shop and make commission off of your artwork that would be printed on a number of items... So the match was struck and the fire hasn't gone out since.

I started to research print on demand companies with similar offers. There are quite a few and for me it came down to Spreadshirt and Zazzle. There are pros and cons for both, and of course it also depends on the type of artwork you create. Spreadshirt, although they cater to digital like Zazzle, also offers flex and flock shirt printing (the stuff you typically see on kids' sport jerseys - rubbery feel, pressed onto the shirt) which is extremely durable, however you have to be able to create vector graphics and stay within their guidelines as they are cut from a solid piece material using a plot cutter. However this isn't the main reason (although I think it is a great print method) why I prefer Spreadshirt over Zazzle, and yes, I do have shops with both companies.

Spreadshirt Pros:

You can create your own website around their platform with little branding
You can choose either a free or premium account with a designer (will get to that later)
They will send you income tax forms to file at the end of the year if necessary
Flock and flex printing, durable, offers glitter colors and glow in the dark
You can choose for your designs to be in the Marketplace or just your shop
In the Marketplace, other shop owners can promote your designs
You set your commission in dollars, it is not percentage based
They have awesome customer service and a great support forum

Spreadshirt Cons (for the average person):

You need to have a program like Corel Draw ($300-$400) or Adobe Illustrator ($600 to $1300) to make vector graphics for flex and flock printing - there are other programs out there, these seem to be the most popular
Digital printing is limited to certain items if you aren't able to make vector graphics
If you don't know HTML or CSS it may be hard to "customize" your shop and make it stand out among the rest although there is a lot of help in the forum for this
You have to make your products one at a time... this can be grueling

Zazzle Pros:

It is free, there is no "premium account" option, all you need is a graphics editor like Adobe Photoshop (a home version will cost around $75-$100) again, other programs are available
You can make a ton of items all at once
They offer products like mugs, skateboards, bumper stickers, shoes, posters, postcards, business cards, greeting cards and so on...
It is great for artists and photographers with the ability to print on posters and canvases
With an account, you can also make an associates commission by posting ads on your website or blog on top of your product commission - Don't want to make commission by designing item? Just create an account and post some banner ads! You don't have to go through associate programs to do this.

Zazzle Cons:

Their marketplace is OVER SATURATED with products, you really have to promote your shop and write good descriptions for your items to get noticed and make sales. They also sell "branded" items like for Disney and other companies which makes it hard for your items to get noticed.
You can't 100% customize your shop to your liking, it will always look like a Zazzle shop. EDIT: I was able to integrate my products into my website, however when you go to check out, the url will change to Zazzle's site layout unlike Spreadshirt which maintains the look of your shop.
Commission is percentage based, which means you have to play with it until you get the commission you want and to a price that makes sense and ending in ".95"
Their prices start out higher which makes it hard to keep products priced low and still make a commission

Although these are just some of the pros and cons I have noticed, don't get me wrong there are people who make good money using one or the other. I didn't compare any other companies because my initial research found that these two had the best quality and service.

Although neither is a "get rich quick" scheme, if you have some extra time and are artistic or graphically capable, after a few months or so you can start to see a profit after you consider your monthly internet fees (which most of us pay regardless) and cost for an editing program. Although you may not make $1,000's (however some people do), if done correctly you will be sure to make more than what the banks are paying out in interest.

But the nicest thing about Spreadshirt is their designer.... with a premium account for about $10.00 a month, they will allow you to add a custom design platform to your shop or website where customers can make and upload their own designs. With this, you get a percentage commission with each sale on top of any of your graphics they may have used on the items. If you promote this correctly, this will pay itself off plus a profit for you every month.

This article could be a lot longer, but I will stop there. So check out http://spreadshirt.com or http://zazzle.com when you have some time.

Gluten Free Cold Veggie Pizza Made Easy

2011-02-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, I design graphic t-shirts but I am also allergic to gluten and it can really stink sometimes and I want to share some recipes as I develop them so they are written in a place I won't lose them, and to share with everyone else out there!

Cold Veggie Pizza (Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza)

Crust:

1 Box Hodgsen Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust (all the ingredients listed on box)
2-3 TBS of Butter / Margarine Melted
1/3 Cup of Sugar (I would think Splenda or artificial sweetner would work as well)

Topping:

1 8oz. Packet of Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise OR Sour Cream (I use Hellmans Mayo)
2 TBS Minced Onions (optional - for extra flavor)
1 Dry Packet of Ranch or Vegetable Dip (Make Sure it is Gluten Free)

Diced vegetables of your choice (broccoli, carrots, peppers, mushrooms...)
Shredded Cheese of your choice

13" x 9" Cookie Sheet or Two Round Pizza Pans - Generously Greased
Saran Wrap

First, pre-heat the oven as directed on the Hodgsen Mill GF Pizza Crust box and set the yeast in the hot water (if you are allergic to yeast, you can omit it - I don't think it will make much of a difference from my experience). Beat the eggs, water, melted butter, oil, as directed on box. Add sugar to dry mixture and mix it together, slowly add wet ingredients as directed - the dough should be "bouncy" but sticky.

GENEROUSLY grease a 13" x 9" pan (or equivalent) and plop the blob of dough right in the middle. Cover the whole thing with saran wrap and slowly push the dough ball into the pan until it reaches all of the edges. (If you have the yeast added, once you have it spread out leave it covered with saran wrap as directed on box to rise). Bake as directed on box - NOTE: I did this two ways, the first time I left the dough light colored, but cooked through and it came out fine, the second time I let it bake golden brown and I may not have greased the pan enough (it stuck a little) and it was dryer, but had more flavor - the crust will become slightly dry once you cool it either way.

Fully cool the crust once you have baked it to the desired amount. Mix the cream cheese & mayo (or sour cream) and add the dry ranch or vegetable dip mix to taste (not all packets are the same size - be careful not to add it all if it is a big packet it will come out too strong). I blended it with a mixer so it was smooth. Spread evenly over crust. Dice your veggies and sprinkle them on top along with shredded cheese, use as much or as little as you would like, if you aren't sure, just dice a little and you need more you can always dice up some more (this isn't rocket science at this point). You can immediately serve or chill.

I use Hodgsen Mill GF Pizza Crust because the base flavor is very mild and it was not too dry, crumbly or greasy. Other mixes I have used were too starchy, bitter, or would not hold well. This is great for kids, and honestly the flavor wasn't too different than using the crescent roll crust. ENJOY!

Valentine's Day Design Contest Winners - Love Machine & Element of Love

2011-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

We just won two spots in a recent t-shirt design contest with our "Love Machine" design placing in one of three first place spots, and "The Element of Love" getting an honorable mention:

Purchase them here with our other Valentine's Day Designs!

Valentine's Day Tees & Contest Winners

Viracocha, Incan God - Lake Titicaca

2011-01-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Besides being interested in mythology and other beliefs in general, I recently came across gold pendant that seemed to tell a story... After doing a little research, I found that the story and emblems on the piece represented an Inca Deity, most commonly known as "Viracocha". They believed that Viracocha created the earth, sun, stars, and moon. He even embarked on a journey over the land of Peru to observe the people and how they live. He left them by walking on water over the ocean never to be seen again. He is tied frequently to Lake Titicaca. Although our rendition of him isn't as detailed as most of the ancient artwork created by the Inca, we have tried our best to create a representation of Viracocha that could also be printed in gold on a t-shirt. We hope that it is satisfactory!

Purchase this shirt here: CustomGraphicTshirts.com - Viracocha

Skateboard Shop Back Online - CustomGraphicTshirts.com

2010-12-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Well, after re-designing the site several times, and making some additional changes again today, we decided to put our skateboard shop back on our main site. We have a small selection (so far) of skate decks, many for girls as well as guys. Even though they are printed through Zazzle, we have not heard any bad things about them. They are solid maple and printed with a patent pending process. We couldn't find any complaints out there, but if you have purchased a skate deck from Zazzle, and have a comment about the quality, please post below.

Also, we have published our bumper stickers here as well. As you can see below the "I Brake for Sasquatch" bumper sticker is our best seller and we wanted to promote them a little more.

I BRAKE for Sasquatch Bumper Sticker from Zazzle.com

2010-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

This is by far our most popular bumper sticker! We LOVE it. :)

I BRAKE for Sasquatch Bumper Sticker by Tutkahnkuchacka

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales | Online Shopping Safety Tips

2010-11-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well, as we all know Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner... the two days that the retail giants have decided to run the "biggest" and the "best" sales... However, have you ever noticed that the stores will run better sales after these dates, and even have more items in stock later on? Holiday sales events are carefully orchestrated by retailers to make shoppers think they "have" to go shopping on these days. Although it is true only some stores provide their best deals on these days, major chains usually run sales all through the holidays, and even for some time after to get rid of left over stock.

Online retailers, however, usually provide great deals all year round as most sites have very low overhead without having a storefront and trying to get people to come to them... by having a website, they come to you at the click of a button. So, you may not see the insane deals you would at the store but not having to put up with the hassle of crazy people, traffic, stress, taxes (a lot of sites don't apply tax to your purchase unless you are located in the same state). But what about shipping, not be able to "see" the product, and returns? A lot of online retailers offer free or low cost flat rate shipping to be able to compete with the stores in that manner. Most websites now offer detailed descriptions, alternate views, and sizing information on their merchandise. As far as returns go, always locate and read a web store's return policy BEFORE placing an order, it can save you a lot of hassle later on.

Here are some safety tips for shopping online:

LEGITIMATE BUSINESS: Make sure the website is legitimate. Locate their contact information and location. If you cannot find this on their site and confirm the address through Google Maps, Mapquest, or White Pages, I would not purchase from them.
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU: Check to see if they are a member of the Better Business Bureau or have any complaints published through the BBB. The BBB is usually a good representation of the business's practices and how they handle complaints. If their web store is not listed with the BBB or you can't find it, search by their local contact information as they may have a local store which is listed with the BBB.
RETURNS & EXCHANGES: Find out where they ship the product from, costs, shipping options and return policy - some sites charge rediculous re-stocking fees (up to 20% of your purchase) plus the cost to ship the item to you; while other sites may only deduct a fee if you make a flat return instead of exchanging an item... Read all shipping and return policies very carefully before ordering. If you can't find this information on their website don't purchase from them.
SECURITY: Is the site secure? Generally most online retailers post their security certificate information, however you can also check a site's security in your address bar. Secure pages will generally be labeled with "https://" in the beginning, the "s" means that the site or the page of the site you are on is secure. For most sites, only the check out pages are secure as it is difficult and costly to secure the entire site.
PAYMENT TYPES: Generally, payment types taken don't ultimately tell whether a site is reliable or not. However be careful when considering the payment type, and how legitimate the site seems. It is actually just as safe (if not safer) to purchase online than it is in a local store. The reason fradulent purchase are made online is because you don't need the card in your hand to make the purchase, just the numbers. Reputable online retailers have a credit card verification process to proctect themselves and the customer. This helps deter online fraud. The best thing you can do is make sure your credit card company has your most up to date billing information.
ITEM IS IN STOCK: Need to make sure you will get the gift in time? Online stock levels are not always 100% accurate, it is best to call the retailer directly to order if you have waited until the last minute to purchase that special gift. Although some online stores have call centers, you may be able to get through to someone who can confirm whether the item is in stock or not.

VISIT OUR SITE FOR THE LATEST SALE AND SPECIALS!

Yay! We have a blog.

2010-11-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

So what does this mean? Well it means we can actually write nice, descriptive articles about our products and designs and instead of posting "new item" or "sale". Now we have the opportunity to post the most valuable information about our products and services.

You may be thinking why we would need to be able to post information than just what is on our website, Twitter and Facebook pages... Well, those only work so well and only get to so many people where are as blogs are like little newspapers or magazines that are constantly getting referenced by search engines.

First, we operate a few stores which all offer our own designs! Here is a list:

http://www.customgraphictshirts.com/
http://8-bit-tees.spreadshirt.com/
Skateboards & More (Zazzle)

So start out by taking a look and letting us know what you think!