Six years ago, we tested clothing printing as a new production direction. We already understood artwork and order fulfillment, but equipment reliability, local pricing and distributed competitors made the project unprofitable.
The original setup
We began with heat-applied film, a cutter and a press. Later, a production partner purchased a direct-to-garment printer while I managed marketing, sales, packing and shipping.
Equipment problems
The printer was expensive but unreliable. Ink leaked, applied unevenly or dried inside the system, creating frequent defects and lost production time.
Local market economics
Competing shirts sold for roughly 10 to 12 euros. Our shirt, ink and equipment cost reached about 6 to 8 euros before tax, leaving only around 1 to 2 euros from a typical single order.
Wholesale was too rare
Orders of ten or more items could be more efficient, but they did not arrive frequently enough to support the operation.
Export competition
The expected export margin was around 30 percent. Delivery prices then increased, while large distributed providers could produce closer to the customer and deliver for less than our Estonia-based workflow.
Closing the project
After about six months, we sold the equipment, repaid the partner's equipment loan and ended the direction on good terms. The lesson was to validate capacity, defect rate, delivered cost and competitive structure before scaling.
Frequently asked questions
Was demand the only problem?
No. Equipment reliability, low local margins, limited wholesale volume and export delivery economics combined.
Did the partnership end in conflict?
No. The equipment was sold, the loan was repaid and the partners separated peacefully.
