How to start your boutique with a DTG printer

January 19, 2022 Kayla Belfiore

Hi there! Welcome to EllaLaine! I’m so happy you’re here.

Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with a bunch of non sense before getting to the point. Let’s get to reason why you’re here. You’re interested in starting a boutique and I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, the research is endless. I know because not even a year ago, I was in the same spot!

When I started my boutique, I looked into every single way to start printing my items at home. At the very beginning, I was using a POD (print-on-demand) company. Printful, specifically, but I just wasn’t making the kind of money I wanted to. After Printful charges, I was making just a few dollars per item.

This is when I decided to look into DTG printers. Man oh man was that overwhelming! There were so many to choose from and I had no idea where to start. The prices, features, etc. range so much. It was seriously mind boggling.

Eventually I came across a YouTube video talking about the Roland BT-12 printer. It’s the cheapest on the market and had amazing reviews so of course I was all ears. I’m happy to say, I now own a Roland BT-12 DTG printer and am so, so happy with my investment. I can print virtually any design on my t-shirts and sweatshirts! (Except white ink). That’s the only con I can come up with. The BT-12 can print any color but white so avoiding dark colored shirts is recommended.

This seems like a huge drawback unless you have $15,000 to spend on a DTG printer that DOES print white ink lol. Needless to say, I didn’t.

Let’s go over the supplies you need to get started with DTG printing:

DTG Printer
Heat Press
Pre-treatment
Shirt’s or whatever fabric you plan to print on

Thats it! Those are the basics.

Pre-treatment: In case you’re curious, the pre-treatment is needed for any color fabric that isn’t white. If you don’t use pre-treatment, you run the risk of your design fading with the first wash as well as subsequent washes.

Heat Press: Needed to dry the pre-treatment onto the surface you plan to print on. Just spray some pre-treatment, lay your fabric in the heat press and press for at least 30 seconds at 300 degrees. Simple right?!

Now you’re ready to take your pictures and list your item on your online shop or website!

I know that using a big new machine to run your business can seem very overwhelming but trust me, the Roland BT-12 is so easy to use, it’ll have you feeling like a pro in no time!

One more thing before I go, The Roland BT-12 will run you around $3,500. Steep, I know but when compared to your other options, the pro’s are so worth it. Plus it won’t take you long to make that money back when you’re selling your items all day everyday! This printer also includes all the ink you need to get started (up to 600 prints per color), cleaning supplies, manuals, and much more!

I bought my printer from SwingDesign and strongly recommend them. They sell kits you can buy to really get you started the very day you receive your printer. Here is the direct link to where I got my amazing printer: http://shrsl.com/3czpv

I hope this post helps you make your decision on whether or not DTG printing is for you. I know how many blogs I read and it really helped me ultimately decide this was the path I wanted to take. By the way, it took me about 2 months to cover the cost of the printer and now I’m making thousands a month from it! I can’t stress enough how happy I am with my decision to invest in my business. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my family. Here are a few designs I’ve made with my printer that are now best sellers!