As an apparel decorator, you shouldn’t just be the person that prints your customers’ T-shirts. Instead, be the service provider that prints their headwear, bags, and other accessories. Add-on products are not a hard avenue to incorporate, and the extra profit is never a bad thing.

Check out these five easy-to-add accessories to include in your lineup.

Credit: KingPro

Caps and Hats

The absolute number one add-on product to apparel for us is hats. Hats can be printed, embroidered, or you can apply a digital heat transfer, so the options are endless. Most of us have all three options already running in our shops.

• If you have an embroidery machine, putting logos on hats is simple. Most vendors carry various blanks, and you can generally add hats to any order.
• If you specialize in screen printing, you can set up a small press with a panel to screen print directly onto the hat using smaller screens. This is a great look for trucker caps.
• If you have a digital sticker printer, simply purchase a special vinyl for heat transfer. (If you are not familiar with these products, we recommend Monkey Grip.) You can simply print on the material full color and heat transfer onto your hats. You will need a special press for the hats, which can be as affordable as $150 (you can cover that investment with one job).
  

  Credit: KingPro

Rally Towels

Rally towels or bandannas are an awesome way to add an affordable product to any T-shirt order. They can be printed on your screen-printing press; however, they may require a different type of ink. We typically use water-based inks for these products so that the print is softer. You may need to invest in a waterproof ink. There are some new products out there that are easier to print than they used to be.

Because these products require a little more setup and possibly the investment of different ink, we always require a higher minimum than our T-shirt orders to ensure this is a super profitable addition to your orders.

Credit: KingPro

Tote Bags

Tote bags are an awesome, easy upsell to printed apparel. Every time we recommend adding bags to an order, people say yes. They generally can be set with a similar price of a T-shirt; however, it’s a great way for businesses to get their brand out there. Bonus: Tote bags are also eco-friendly.

Two bags can simply be printed on your screen-printing press that you print all your apparel on. You just have to remember to burn the screen upside down from how you normally would burn it. No special ink or additional equipment is necessary.

Stickers

Stickers can be screen printed on your existing equipment with special lacquer inks, or if you have a digital machine, can easily be printed. These make a great add-on to any screen print apparel order.

They are easy to produce and low cost. Like towels, we recommend a higher minimum so that you can ensure you’re making enough profit on the job.

Credit: KingPro

Swimwear and Costumes

Many businesses, brands, or events want something unique for their promo models to wear to promote their brands. Most of our blank manufactures don’t carry something like this but you can order swimwear or a uniform online and print on it.

Recommend these items to your promotional merchandise customers. It will put you on a different playing field than your competitors because most people aren’t willing to do this as the material of these products can sometimes be challenging to print on. We recommend charging a premium for them.

If you screen print, you can print directly onto them. Sometimes they are double-layer fabric, so you may need a clamp or to exercise extra caution when you are printing. If you have a die-cut machine, you can also simply heat transfer onto them.