Last month on our social channels, we asked our customers, “what is something you wish you knew before starting a heat printing business?” We had an overwhelming amount of responses, and thought prospective heat printers would love to know the 411! Whether you’re on the fence about starting a business in this industry, or just curious, keep reading along. After surveying all the responses, here are the top 5 responses!

#1 Quality Matters

Don’t be afraid of price tags! A lot of customers chimed in and said they wish they would have invested in quality equipment early on. Not all equipment is created equal. The term, “you get what you pay for” applies when purchasing your heat press or vinyl cutter. Did you know that STAHLS®’ Hotronix® manufacturers all of our heat presses in the USA and offers 24/7 tech support?! We take pride in knowing that each press that is sold offers quality heating elements, even pressure, and ease of use right out of the gate.

#2 Start Simple

This may seem like a no-brainer; however, it is a valid point. Some customers mentioned it’s important to start small and watch your business grow. Don’t expect to hit every target market right away. Things take time! Starting with one product, learning about it, and doing it well will have a lot of payoff in the end. It can be overwhelming to memorize every single product we offer or want to try every single material that is released. When you start with a smaller material list, new trends will evolve from there.

#3 Know Our Trusted Formula

Time. Temperature. Pressure. I am sure that is engraved in everyone’s brains! Customers will back us up when we always say application instructions are key. Each HTV material that we sell offers a unique application on the heat press. In order to have your HTV last through all of the wash cycles, and prevent peeling/lift up off your garment, the settings must be trusted. All of our HTV materials offer application instructions on our site to always have as a reference point. Pro Tip: Print out the PDF and laminate it and keep close to your heat press!

#4 Know What You’re Buying

This next tip relates to tips #2 and #3. As stated above, a first-time heat printer may be overwhelmed by all of the heat transfer vinyl, logos, and services we offer. It is a lot to take it. Have no fear! We are very transparent when it comes to our messaging. We do our best to show our customers what materials work best with certain fabrics, what works best for certain niche markets, and what you wouldn’t pair on athletic wear vs. everyday fashion. Pro tip: Bookmark our education tab on your browser. We offer SO many resources, and your answer to a most frequently asked question may be in there!

#5 I Wish I Would Have Known About STAHLS’ Sooner

First off, THANK YOU! We are honored to have our customers praise our products, knowledge, and customer service. Without our customers, we wouldn’t be where we are today. If you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel, then you probably know that we recently hit 100K subscribers. In order to get to that milestone, we always want to make sure that we were providing education and content that YOU want to see. Make sure to check out our YouTube channel as well as our Instagram and Facebook pages to stay in the loop with all of our content. We offer a range of how-to videos, new product releases, webinars, and more.

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Hopefully the advice from our customers eases your mind when starting a heat printing business. There seemed to be a common consensus amongst our customers and that was to take the plunge and just do it! STAHLS’ remains the #1 manufacturer in heat transfer vinyl, and we will always be here to help our customers succeed!

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