Start here: new to the trade (or the board)

Kontraktr Team✓ TEAM

Kontraktr · posted 6/9/2026

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Welcome — whether you're new to decorated apparel or just new to this board, this is the right place to land. No question here is too basic. Everyone running a press today started exactly where you are.

A few things to make your first week easier:

Pick one method and get good before you add another. Screen printing, DTF, embroidery, vinyl — each is a craft. Trying to learn all of them at once is how shops end up mediocre at everything. Depth first.
Test on scrap before you touch a customer's blanks. Every process has a dial-in phase. Ruin cheap test pieces, not a 200-shirt order.
The industry is generous — ask. Screen printing especially has a strong "help the new person" culture. Use it. The people answering here were helped once too.
Learn to cost a job early. Knowing what a job actually costs you to produce is the skill that keeps a new shop alive. Don't guess at pricing.

How to ask a good question: tell us what you're trying to make, what gear you have, and where you're stuck. Photos help enormously — a picture of your setup or your result on the thread gets you a specific answer instead of a generic one. Ask away.

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KTKontraktr Team✓ TEAM· 6/10/2026

If you're brand new and not sure which board to post in, just post here — someone will point you to the right room. And don't be shy about posting a photo of your first prints, good or bad. "Here's what I got, here's what I wanted" is the fastest way to get real help.

YOReply as you

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