Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1451361
G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M 2 0 2 2 S U B L I M A T I O N R E P O R T 6 7 folder. is really makes train- ing a new print operator easy. SUBLIMATION PRINTERS Any sublimation printer can be used with Condé's Kiosk soft- ware. With that said, I recom- mend the Sawgrass SG500. e SG500's built-in paper tray sup- ports a maximum paper size of 8.5" X 14", making it qualied to be a pop-up shop workhorse. Further, up to two additional bottom pa- per feed trays and a bypass tray can be added to provide the me- dia options you need for more efficient, lower cost printing. e larger of the two printers, the Sawgrass SG1000 can print up to 11.75" X 17" paper from the bottom built-in tray and optional bottom paper feed tray and up to 13" X 21" from its optional multi-by- pass tray. e 13" X 21" paper size is versatile since it maximizes the transfer area of 16" X 20" heat presses and therefore increases the number of products that can be produced. PRICING Perhaps the most dicult task of a digital decorator is to determine the selling price of their decorated products. You may ask yourself if setting up shop at an event al- lows you to charge a higher price. After all, the customers are getting the products in real time. Sometimes, however, overpricing your products makes them unsellable while underpricing gives the impression that they're cheap. So, what do you do? Condé has put together a free pricing spreadsheet that lets you determine your product costs and experiment with prices to select your desired prot level. It even provides a sur - vey of pricing for most products. is is the same kind of spreadsheet many big com- panies use to determine the price of their products. Now you can use the same tool yourself without having to create your own. To receive your copy, call your Condé ac - count manager to have them send it to you. SELLING Your booth should look professional and well organized. Use labeled plastic bins under the table for storage, as this makes your area look better as well as setup and teardown go much faster. I recommend you have a dedicated person to greet pros- pects and help them understand what you are doing. Once they have selected a prod- uct, you'll need to help them with select- ing a photo and uploading it. For folks that are not tech savvy, you'll nd that's it's simply easier to do it for them. You'll of course need a cash box for making change and a credit card reader for your phone (also check with local authorities regard- ing a business license and sales tax). Be wary of oering too many products, as customers may not be able to make up their mind! Be sure to promote your par- ticipation ahead of time by posting the event to your Facebook or Instagram page — you could even oer a discount for mentioning your post. And nally, be sure to produce great-looking sublimated name badges for you and your sta. REFERRAL SYSTEM Every product you sell should have your company information on it so that the ultimate end-user will know where to buy more of your great products. For shirts, you can sublimate your information on the bottom tail of the shirt. For others, sublimate the back- side or place a label in an in- conspicuous spot. is meth- od can also include a job code to expedite reorders. TECH SUPPORT We a ll k now how critica lly important tech support can be when your printer or heat press stops working properly. Very often the issues are simple but without help, they are liter- al showstoppers. Most events are held on the weekend, which is a big reason our tech support sta is available seven days a week. Prepare yourself for events the best you can with a backup set of inks, extra paper, waste ink tank col- lection unit, and a digital pyrometer for your press. When the big problems hap- pen, however, you'll denitely want to talk with an expert. Although my description of a sublima- tion pop-up shop may have been a brief one, I hope it has tickled your curiosi- ty enough to go out and try something new. Stepping out of your comfort zone even once makes it easier and more like- ly that you'll do it again. And if you can keep expanding your comfort zone, you'll open yourself up to growing your subli- mation business and expanding your cus- tomer base. Feel free to give me a call at 800-826-6332 or email dgross@conde. com with any questions you may have. I'm here to help your sublimation busi- ness succeed! SR David Gross is the president of Condé Systems Inc. For more than 25 years, he has developed and built the Mobile, Alabama-based company into the premier source for printers, substrates, and consumables serving the graphic art, photography, prepress, and desktop publishing industries. folder. is really makes train- ing a new print operator easy. Any sublimation printer can be used with Condé's Kiosk soft- ware. With that said, I recom- mend the Sawgrass SG500. e SG500's built-in paper tray sup- ports a maximum paper size of 8.5" X 14", making it qualied to be a pop-up shop workhorse. Further, up to two additional bottom pa- per feed trays and a bypass tray can be added to provide the me- dia options you need for more efficient, lower cost printing. e larger of the two printers, the Sawgrass SG1000 can print up to ultimate end-user will know where to buy more of your great products. For shirts, you can sublimate your information on the bottom tail of the shirt. For others, sublimate the back side or place a label in an in conspicuous spot. is meth TECH SUPPORT We a ll k now how critica lly important tech support can be when your printer or heat press stops working properly. Very often the issues are simple but without help, they are liter al showstoppers. Most events are The Sawgrass Printer Manager provides the ability to resie images on the y directly from the kiosk folder. This really makes training a new print operator easy.