The Smart Way to Add New Product Categories to Your Print Shop

At one point in time, print shop N The Zone Ink attempted to bring stickers and digital print-cut products in-house. “On paper, it appeared simple, but in reality, it didn’t align with our garment-decoration workflow,” says Deanna Smith, co-founder and CEO.

Smith and her team learned that digital printing requires an entirely different production environment. “Lint, fibers, and the natural messiness of apparel production interfered with the laminate and print quality,” she says. “The equipment demanded far more labor than we expected, and because it wasn’t our area of expertise, troubleshooting stole time and attention from the core departments that truly drive revenue.”
Ultimately, the category became more of a distraction than an asset for N the Zone Ink. In fact, outsourcing proved faster, cleaner, and more profitable.

The lesson for Smith? “New categories are never ‘plug-and-play,’ no matter how simple the sales pitch sounds,” she says. “If it’s not a natural fit for your infrastructure and your strengths, it’ll drain resources instead of adding value.”

Read the full article on Apparelist