People love to talk about how printed matters are dead until they realize how much of our daily lives use it. You love notebooks, pens received at the expo, your favorite mug with inspirational quotes, boxes with your breakfast cereals wrapped, t-shirts you bought last week…prints are everywhere and perhaps it's a sign you should start a printing shop.
The print business is a good choice for many entrepreneurs, but whether it will be successful depends on your approach. Don't start a printing business just because you saw someone on Tiktok who has decided to print your t-shirt. You need to enter the market with a clear vision of how to make your business profitable by knowing the market and creating products that can be sold.
What makes a printed product attractive to customers is the personal touch of customized prints and the quality of the product.
Find your niche
There are many ways in which the printing industry can specialize. Here are some you can consider.
Printing T-shirts: Perhaps one of the most common printing businesses, personalized clothing is in high demand, whether it's leisure or as uniforms.
Sign Printing: Signs include signs and banners, shop signs and vehicle wraps. These custom prints are bigger than usual and aim to have a visual impact. If this is the business you start, don't forget that you need equipment for a big format and you need to understand the various finishes of the product (such as UV protection agents on outdoor signs).
Promotional Printing: From marketing materials such as flyers, brochures and business cards to promotional items such as pens and mugs, it's a niche.
Digital Printing: Digital Printing offers high quality on-demand printing for a variety of applications, including book printing, photo printing, and personalized stationery.
Offset Printing: This is frequently used for printing magazines, brochures and packaging. It is famous for its sharp details and massive printing capabilities, making it ideal for large-scale projects.
Additionally, it improves your niche by determining whether you are producing products for a particular type of customer.
Equipment for starting a printing shop
Your business needs equipment to produce your products. Below is a list of assets you need to acquire to run your business.
printer
What is the printer-free printing business? You need to invest in major equipment. Do your research into what the best printer for your product is. This can be laser jet printing or wide format, clothing, or offset printers.
Laminator
Lamination is also a value-added service that you can provide to products such as bookmarks, posters and other important documents.
Cutting system
There are a variety of cutting machines. This includes cutting the paper into set sizes and die cuts.
Computer and Graphic Design Software
You must use graphic design software on your computer to process your order and send it to the printing press.
Binding and Finishing Equipment
The final ingredient in a well-developed printing product is how it is bound and completed. Research the various machines you need to complete your product.
Legal requirements for starting a printing business
When you open a business, the same legal requirements apply to registering a business. From registering a company with CIPC to creating a bank account and obtaining taxes.
If necessary, you will need to determine the location of your business and lease your office space. If you are simply a print-on-demand business, check out the setup of a website that can support online ordering.
Set up a marketplace. If you sell your products online, you will need to work to set up an online store, such as Amazon South Africa or Etsy. If you are selling through Webiste, research the best website builders. Finally, if you have a brick and mortar store, promote your products and services on social media.
Please note that there is no need to sell it in just one way. You can try multi-channel sales.
Consider all marketing expenses, the acquisition of equipment to lease your workspace, and all other expenses related to software, office supplies, raw materials, and paying staff. This will help you decide on the pricing of your product.
Now that you have a niche, shop, or marketplace, price, product, you are ready to open your door to start selling.
