For the Business of Apparel Decorating
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for mugs to give out as end-of-the-year gifts for their customers. Mugs are no longer just the plain white mug with the company logo on them. They can now be personalized nearly 100 percent with the sublimation process. Laser transfer papers are also available to decorate mugs and other ceramic hard-surface items. Along with mugs, there are other drinkware products that can be part of your fourth-quarter sales surge. These include items like sippy cups, travel mugs, flasks, shot glasses, steins and even tea cups. There are many possibilities in this category. For example, you could offer a booze-lover kit with a flask, shot glass and beer stein, all personalized, for less than $50. The profit could be about $20 to $30 per kit. The key to this niche is ensuring efficient production. It is important to remember that some of the items found in this category require different kinds of presses for the surfaces that may or may not be flat. Remember your production limitations. Plan to add some test products into the bid, which you'll need in order to ensure the image is on the item correctly. When it comes to drinkware, it is very beneficial to have lots of good samples to show off all the possibilities, as well as to spark some creativity for the end-users. It might also be a good idea to have borders and templates available that allow customers to just drop a picture in. These templates come out looking great when personalized and require very little design work from your side or theirs. Holiday Gift Items When talking products that are going to sell in the fourth quarter, holiday gift items are probably at the top of the list for most. So, how can these be a niche market? Fortunately, if you are reading this, you are Use Info # 209 2013 October Printwear PW_OCT13 Ads.indd 35 | 35 9/18/13 11:52 AM