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A lot of people buy a Cricut machine so they can make and sell shirts. They think the process will bring in a lot of money in a short time, but there are 3 big reasons you shouldn’t use a Cricut to make and sell shirts.
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You must be a pro at using Cricut Design Space
If you buy a Cricut machine and know nothing about it, you will first have to learn how to use Cricut Design Space. This software is what you’ll use to connect your computer, tablet or smartphone to your actual Cricut machine.
A lot of people get frustrated with learning how to use Cricut Design Space because it takes time, patience, and practice to become an expert at using it. You have to learn new terminology, remember what each button does, and make plenty of mistakes along the way.
You will have to watch and rewatch a lot of YouTube videos to become a pro. You will also likely have to purchase a Cricut Design Space tutorial guide as a reference guide so you won’t forget what to do every time you use your machine.
Weeding Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) takes a lot of time
Let’s say you’re making 50 shirts for a family reunion. You will need to buy a lot of HTV, cut the HTV with your Cricut machine, and then weed the HTV. The final step is to apply the design to your shirts. This whole process can take up to 8 hours if you’re doing it all in one sitting and depending on how many Cricut machines you have.
If you only have 1 Cricut machine, it could take you a lot longer to do all of this.
DTFs are so much easier
DTFs are Direct to Film transfers and are your designs already printed ready for you to press them onto your shirt.
You can make your own designs in Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, etc. or you can buy designs online and upload them to a DTF website so your designs can be printed and shipped to you.
Most DTF companies also sell premade DTFs that you can also buy.
How to choose a DTF company
Price for size
One of the major reasons for using DTFs is that they are easy to use and inexpensive. You want to be sure to compare different DTF companies to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Colors
One of the amazing things about DTFs is that you can use graphics that have lots of colors, unlike when you use HTV. One thing to consider when using DTFs is if the colors will still be vibrant once you’ve pressed them onto your shirt.
Longevity
We know that HTV lasts pretty long on shirts (if using high-quality HTV and applied correctly), but you also want to be sure that your DTFs will last a long time on your shirts. Check the FAQs on the company’s website to see what they say and also read the customer reviews.
Customer Reviews
What are customers saying about the DTFs? Don’t just look at the reviews on the company’s website, also check out YouTube and other social media platforms to get real and honest reviews. Please keep in mind that sometimes people that are doing a sponsored video won’t give an unbiased review.
The DTF companies I recommend
MyCraftSource – This company is located less than 30 miles from where I live and they sell adhesive vinyl, HTV, DTFs, Cricut machines, heat press machines, blanks for crafting and so much more. Their DTFs are the cheapest that I have seen and the quality is amazing!
NinjaTransfers – This company has a large online presence and they make some amazing and vibrant DTFs. They actually sent me some free DTFs to test out and I recorded and shared a video on my YouTube channel.
I hope you enjoyed this article on the 3 Big Reasons you shouldn’t use a Cricut to make and sell shirts. Send me an email if you’re ready to start using DTFs instead of HTV.
Click here if you want to book a 1-on-1 session with me to talk about your Cricut business.
