Merch Consumer Trends of 2023

Branded merch has become more and more of a necessity for brands and other service providers. This type of marketing is especially lucrative for online influencers and personalities.

In 2020, we saw a very big dip in overall sales of products such as clothing and footwear. According to ResearchandMarkets, the general merchandise market saw a decline from $1,843.6 billion in 2019 to $1,810 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1.9 percent. The decline is mainly due to economic hardships from the pandemic.

With the economy starting to revamp in 2021, we have seen great opportunities for smaller brands that took the time to grow their audience in the past year, to offer new and exciting merch. This is in part due to the fact that most consumer sales are being driven by the ability to connect with ones core values.

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What are your

Brands’ Values?

According to Faire’s survey data, the most purchased brand value tags were Women Owned, Made in the USA, and Handmade. Consumer purchasing patterns have become more about how they value a brand rather than the actual product itself. Most retailers shopped by brand value in order to find products that resonated with their customers.

Check Out Core Brand Values Examples: Why They Are Key to Differentiating Your Brand

A brand mission statement is important to clearly communicate the brand's purpose, objectives and how it plans to serve its audience. A clear mission allows the consumer to see their own values in your brand and make more on emotional connection. This builds brand loyalty and brand pride.

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Trends By Categories

More and more businesses are shifting to remote work and this has opened up the potential to offer a variety of merch that otherwise would not be suitable for certain brands before the pandemic. It is important to do your research and find your audience to then gear your promotional products or branded merch towards their specific interests.

Read about How The Pandemic Changed The Way People Shop

Pet Merch

As the pandemic begin extending in 2020, more and more people began adopting pets to help them cope with worldwide lockdowns. With pet adoptions on the rise, pet merch saw an increase of 1 Billion dollars annually.

According to the 2021-2022 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 70% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 90.5 millions homes. This is a market that is worth looking at if you are thinking of dropping merch. Pet people love to buy toys and clothing for their dogs.

Apparel

Big clothing brands such as H&M and Zara saw a sharp decline in sales at the begging of 2020 but quickly bounced back better than ever in 2021. Despite the losses in 2020, apparel and accessories sales in the United States are expected to reach $495 Billion in 2023.

Athleisure and activewear brands suffered less of a sales decline in 2020 compared to other apparel categories, decreasing by just 2-3% vs 2019. Consumer interest in health and wellness will continue beyond the pandemic, so demand for athleisure and activewear is expected to be strong in 2021.

Although screen printing on athletic clothing can be challenging, there are ways to work around this and get the perfect print for your athletic merch.

Check Out Apparel Ecommerce Market Size in the US from 2016 to 2021

Health & Wellness

Wellness products saw a 10% increase in sales during 2020 and is predicted to increase an additional 15% in 2021 with a big push toward the end of the year. Wellness items have been on the rise for a few years now but it is predicted to hit all-time highs in 2021.

As global consumers are beginning to focus more on their wellness, products such as yoga mats and candles are among the highest sold items. These are products that can easily be manufactured and printed with your logo, they make great promotional merch!

Tech Gadgets & Accessories

Gadget such as wireless phone charges, wireless headphones, and speakers have been on top of the tech chain when it comes to consumerism. In 2021, it is projected that most people will opt for wireless EVERYTHING.

Charger pads can be a great promotional product to display your company logo or brand name. Brand artwork can be laser printed unto these types of surfaces, making it easy, fast, and affordable.

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The New Normal

Brands and retailers will need to consider how consumer behavior has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many consumers invested time and money in purchasing and learning to use equipment to facilitate fitness, cooking, working, and entertaining from home.

This means that many of the industries that thrived in 2020 could remain elevated above pre-pandemic levels, and at the same time, industries that struggled last year may find their industries have been changed permanently.

Increased remote work may lead to more travel and mobility, and business travel may ramp up, benefiting accessories like luggage and backpacks. The casualization trend that took hold in apparel and footwear last year is likely to remain.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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How To Create A T-Shirt Design

design by Coco Nella

Designing a t-shirt can be a daunting task, some will hire a designer and some will take the DIY route. Regardless of how you decide to do it, it’s important that your design translates well on a t-shirt and for this reason, we came up with a checklist for you to follow and make sure you’re on the right track.

Design Checklist

1. What’s your goal?

Before starting your design, it’s important to understand what you are trying to accomplish with your t-shirt. What is your primary goal? Are you trying to raise money for a cause? Are you trying to gain recognition as a new clothing brand? or are you simply trying to sell as many t-shirts as possible? Maybe you’re simply creating a shirt for your team at work or for your family reunion. Establishing a goal will help you narrow down your design and pricing choices.

2. Brainstorm

Brainstorming will help you determine the colors, the fonts, words, and imagery for your t-shirt design. It’s crucial to have a list of guidelines around your design to have a starting point when you begin your creative process. It will also help you make sure you include everything you need, especially if you are designing apparel for a specific event or cause.

3. Gather inspiration

This is the fun part! start googling images or looking through Instagram or Pinterest for inspirational images that best fit the aesthetic and vibe you are going for. There are also tons of books containing great and famous designs from now and past decades that may be helpful to you if you’re trying to create something that is unique to this time period.

Here are some important details to consider once you have settled on a design:

• Size

  The size of your graphic should be based on the design, and the properties of the garment to be printed. Depending on the shape of the design, it can look much bigger than what it should. For example, square or circular shapes tend to look better when they are sized smaller than standard.

  Some may print the design on a sheet of paper and hold it up to the t-shirt to ensure the sizing is right. Others may use an online t-shirt mock-up generator.

• Font

  Some fonts look better than others and if this is an integral part of your design, you will need to make sure it translates well on a t-shirt or sweatshirt. If you are struggling with finding the right way to properly visually represent your brand, typography is a great way to start, Typography can become a voice of design.

• Placement

  With methods such as screen printing, there are a few options for placement. The most common areas are the center of the chest, left chest, full front, oversize front, upper back, center back, and full back. The placement, most of the time, will be determined by the design, the shape, or the purpose. If it’s important for the image or design to be visible, a center chest placement may be ideal. Other less common placements are the sleeves, sides, or back of the neck, which are increasingly becoming more popular among streetwear clothing brands.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

While you may have a great design ready to print, there are common mistakes people make when they are ordering t-shirts to be printed. Here an outline of some of those mistakes to avoid:

• Sizing

  This is the most common and avoidable mistake people make when submitting a design to a print shop. The size of the artwork is important and vital as well as figuring out the cut of the t-shirt that the artwork will be printed on.

• Placement

  This may seem straight forward, however, one common placement mistake is printing the design at belly level which is not flattering. Generally, when the artwork is submitted, the printer will advise on placement and adjust your file to the best fit. Alternative placements such as sleeves or sides are possible and your printer should be able to help you with such requests to ensure the design will translate properly.

• Typography

  There are millions of font types, some better than others and not all will work for a t-shirt design. typography is the art of typesetting or arranging type in a way that makes sense, along with choosing typefaces (fonts) making sure that the spacing is correct, and the way it interacts with the graphic elements is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Your font choice can say a lot about the way your design is received, and convey certain ideas or evoke emotions that may not be intentional. A good rule of thumb to ensuring your design looks good is to never use more than 3 different fonts in one design. Check this site to get a crash course in typography!

• Composition

  Composition in terms of design is everything. Every design has elements that are arranged in relation to each other, and this relation is what makes up the overall composition. Some will say that composition is in the eye of the beholder, but there are certain rules to follow when creating a design. A typical mistake would be the spacing or the entire design could be off-balance, drawing the eye to the wrong thing. Here are a few resources to help you with composition.

• Image quality

  Nobody wants a blurry design on their t-shirt and this is one big mistake people often make when they submit a file to the printer. To ensure your design or image is big enough and is high-quality, check the resolution (pixels). Ideally, images should be 200dpi or higher to guarantee a clear and detailed print.

• Contrast

  Low contrast can lead to very hard to see designs against specific color t-shirts. If the contrast is off, your design won’t shine. So, what is contrast? It’s the degree of visual difference between the darker and lighter parts of an image, or the way shades of colors correspond to each other. The strongest contrast is between colors is black-on-white or vice versa. And of course, bright colors on a dark background are going to also be high contrast.

• Details

  Fine details, small text, or very thin fonts can be difficult to discern on printed t-shirts. What might look good in black and white on paper or even on your high-quality phone screen can be hard or almost impossible to read on a t-shirt. Your design should have thick lines with also bold font or font that is big enough to translate well on a shirt.

• Borders

  This mistake often happens when the design is a photograph. Designs that have a border can often look boring or cheap, that’s why it’s advised to take out any blank border from an image or design. Removing the border can make a huge difference and make the t-shirt more appealing to your customers. You may remove the background using photoshop, or if you don’t have photoshop, our team at Family Industries can help you.

  Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator
  

Family Industries has experts standing by ready to help you with any of these roadblocks. We offer graphic design help and we also consult on print options. Click Here to Contact Us!

Why Spending On Premium Screen Printing Is Worth It

Apparel has definitely become more expensive, and even for simple basic t-shirt the price and expectations of quality have gone up. When delivering quality, as a brand, your focus should be on 100% customer satisfactions. Opting for a cheaper material or cheaper print can cost you credibility and brand loyalty.

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What Is Premium Screen Printing?

Premium screen printing refers to specialty printing shop instead of the print-on-demand companies such as Printful or Zazzle. Premium screen printing includes experts screen printers that will navigate the process for you and deliver top quality prints.

A premium screen printing shop will always have designers on their team to assist with technical design inquiries and be able to help you prepare your artwork for screen printing.

Additionally, premium also refers to the type of garment. A good screen printing shop will offer you a variety of fabric types - of course, this may also vary according to the design and ink needs to achieve the perfect print.

Screen printing creates unique visual outputs when compared to digital printing. The ink for screen printing is absorbed deeper, providing clearer edges to the image. Screen printing ink can also be applied thicker, resulting in long-lasting, brighter and more vibrant colours even on darker shades.

What Are T-Shirt Premium Options?

When it comes to custom t-shirt printing you have a choice of three fabrics — polyester, cotton or blended materials.

1. Comfort Colors 1717 Heavyweight T-Shirt

Comfort Colors 1717 is 100% ring-spun cotton, making this fabric very durable and heavy. This material is comfortable and the style is a relaxed fit and a bit oversize. This style has been very popular in recent years for it’s fit.

Features:

• Relaxed fit and unisex

• 6.1 oz./yd², 100% ring spun cotton, garment-dyed

• Double-needle armhole, sleeve and bottom hems

• Twill taped neck and shoulders for extra durability

• Heavyweight

• 7/8" double-needle topstitched collar

• Pre-shrunk

2. Bella+Canvas 3001 Classic Unisex T-Shirt

This Bella+Canvas 3001 custom print t-shirt is a modern tee with a crew neck and side-seam construction for durability. Designed with superior airlume-combed and ring-spun cotton, it has a very soft feel and smooth surface which makes it great for direct to garment printing.

Features:

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton

• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping

• Side seamed

• Retail fit and unisex sizing

• Soft and lightweight

• Crew neck

3. AS Colour 5001 Staple Tee

The AS Colour 5001 staple t-shirt has a soft and relaxed fit, made from a blend of cottons with a fit that can be worn for any occasion. You can dress it down or dress it up. A true staple for every closet.

Features:

• 100% combed cotton (heathers 15% viscose)

• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping

• Side seamed

• Regular fit and unisex sizing

• Mid-weight

• Crew neck

What if you’re just getting started?

As a small business, we understand that quality investments matter but funding for those investments can sometimes be tight. If you are at a point where you have to be highly focused on budget, consider simplifying your logo to be a 1 to 2 color print, and keep the design limited to the front of the garment. Not only does this reduce cost, but simple screen printed designs are considered to be more fashionable, which will have your customers reaching for it more often.

Why Not Use On-Demand Apparel Printing?

Print-on-demand can oftentimes be the easiest and cheapest option, however, if you’re looking to build a brand that people trust, this may not be the best option for you.

Control of your merchandise cam often times be lost, you have to trust the printer to do their job properly, but quality control can quickly become overwhelming.

Additionally, order fulfillment can take longer or can be affected by other events such as holiday rush, this is why we always recommend to make orders ahead of launch time to avoid any delays. With a premium print shop, they often times can set you up on a scheduled re-order system.

The main downside of on-demand apparel printing is the loss of control over the quality of the print and the quality of the fabric.

Check Out What Is Print-On-Demand? Pros And Cons Of This Business Model?

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In Conclusion

When launching an apparel brand, the fabric itself should be priority. We believe that choosing premium garments coupled with premium printing will cement the high-quality integrity of your brand and in turn also cement brand loyalty with customers.

If you want your custom t-shirts to market your business effectively, they need to be worn and seen. The only way to ensure that happens is to make a great t-shirt people will want to wear.

Print shops such as Family Industries, are a greatexampleshigh-qualityhigh-qualite of a premium print shop offering high quality printing and high quality service for all clients.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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How To Design Artwork For Screen Printing With Puff Ink

Puff Prints are here to stay, and there’s certain design rules to follow to ensure your puff print looks perfect. In this article, we’ll take you through some of the design choices that can make your print stand out and some techniques we feel are essential when designing artwork to be screen printed with puff inks.

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What Are Specialty Inks?

Specialty inks refer to specific print finishes. For example, reflective inks, glow in the dark inks and our favorite, Puff Inks. These inks help with making your screen printed designs stand out from the norm. Now, these inks generally require an additive, for inks to create that “puffy” look you will want to select your regular plastisol ink in the color you would like to print and then add a Puff Ink additive which is then mixed with the pigment.

Learn more about Foils and Metallic Prints

So, Does printing with puff ink require A special set up?

Besides mixing the puff additive with your ink and some technical file setup, the process is somewhat similar to other forms of screen printing.

One of the main setup rules are ensuring that there is enough puff ink laid down on a garment in order for it to expand enough to notice, a general rule of thumb is to not have any lines or small details in your artwork that are less than 1pt.

Before puff ink is exposed to heat, it sits flat on the garment like any regular plastisol ink. Heating the finished design (usually by sending the garment down a curing oven) will activate the puff additive and enable the ink to rise and expand about one to two millimeters on all sides.

One important tip we can give you is to prepare for color loss. Because puff ink is an ink additive, it will dilute your plastisol ink color. You can offset this either by starting with a bolder ink color than you planned to use, or if you’re color matching or trying to achieve a brighter color, lay down your puff additive/ink mix, flash the ink lightly without activating the puff additive, and print another layer of undiluted plastisol ink.

Testing Puff Ink Additive

PUFF REQUIREMENTS:

• Halftone: 20 lpi

• Line Weight: 1pt minimum

• Max Art Size: Check with print shop what the maximum art size is as this changes from factory to factory. As a rough guide, an A3 page size would equate to a large chest print for a men’s garment.

• Image File Types: Most print shops will accept .psd, .tif, .jpg, .gif and .png.

• Vector Art File Types: Vector PDF, EPS, AI or CDR Files.

Learn more about How To Prepare A File For Screen Printing

Creative Uses of Puff Ink

Because puff ink does not activate until heat is applied, it allows for you to experiment with different design ideas. However, if you’ve never done it, make sure to consult with your premium screen printing shop.

Multi-Color Prints

When you have a print with several colors, you can add a puff effect to one of them, creating a more dynamic print.

Gradients

a 3 color halftone gradient printed in puff ink is totally possible! By thinking outside the box. Take a simple typographic logo and inject visual interest, tactile feel and a higher perceived value for your garment in one ingenious print.

Placement

You can play around with placement in any way you would like, this gives you the ability to print puff on sleeves, back or front of the garment. Puff can also be applied to accessories like hats.

Learn more about Different Screen Printing Techniques

What Not To Do with Puff Ink

• Don’t use puff additive when screen printing fine detail. Some of the detail of your print will be lost when your ink puffs up in the dryer. While some level of image detail is possible to achieve with puff inks, images with extremely fine detail will be lost.

• Don’t print abutting colors. Similarly, puff ink doesn’t work when printing two colors that register right up against each other. The fine edge will be lost to the puff effect.

• Don’t over cure your puff ink. Be careful to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on curing your puff ink.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Bella+Canvas x Family Industries

This past February we invited Bella+Canvas over to the shop to shoot a how-to video on screen printing and heat pressing vinyl designs on fitness leggings.

Our Production Manager, Mike hit the manual screen press while Phil, our in-house jack-of-all-trades, hopped on the heat press. Getting the opportunity to work on a video with Bella+Canvas was an incredible experience, and it’s always fun for us to help others learn a little more about our craft.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO & BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS BELOW!

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Behind the Scenes photos

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