Print-on-demand Changes The Branding Horizon

Before the Information Superhighway, blogs, social marketing, tcp-ip and other cyber-goodies, if a photographer or artist had an idea for a brand, he or she either had to go to a local silk screener and make a few tee shirts and pray a lot, or pray even more and go to the library calling name after name of manufacturers needed to portray the images. Then came the production, advertising, fulfilling, etc.

A few of the larger such firms are Printfection and Cafepress. Getting set up is easy and inexpensive. All one has to have is scanned high resolution art, a few dollars, an imagination, and you are a few clicks away from your own brand. One caveat. One will not become rich overnight. It takes a lot of work, even online, especially online, to build one's own brand and create a following. But staying persistent and focused is the key. And it is not just tee shirts and caps anymore. It's everything from collectible clocks to maternity wear.

A lot of people refuse to open webstores due to the horrendous fees of so many merchant account firms. The good news is that both Cafepress and Printfection both offer merchant accounts and they are top notch, as secure as they come. They also offer toll free order numbers for those still a bit skiddish about sharing such information online. There are terms of service such as 30-day guarantees. One must abide by them to stay on these sites. It's a good idea to do so anyway.

The price of one's storefront varies depending on the type one wants and which firm it is using. It is not expensive and can vary from free to seven dollars per month. Of course if that were all there were to the costs, everyone would have a store. But the truth of the matter is, one must budget in advertising and other costs that go along with promoting any service or product. It is not a lot different than running a brick and mortar store except a lot less costly.

How does one learn to design the products and price them? Each site has a tutorial that can be comprehended rather easily. If one hits a stump, there is a toll free number and a forum for answers. It is not rocket science, but, yes, even I, occasionally run into issues which are rapidly solved.

So if you have been one of those starving-artist types with your head in the sand for a long time, its time to pull it out and show your wares. The Internet has opened phenomenal new markets and the buying public loves them (and by the way, orders are quite brisk) at all seven of my stores.

Build it and they will click.

I was one one of those creators who put my head in the sand for many years. I had (and have) a critically acclaimed cartoon Londons Times at londonstimes.us. For seven years I let it sit there and gather dust. Fortunately it gathered a following too (we found out about 9 million or 4000 per hour of which I had no idea at the time). Since discovering print-on-demand services I have opened mirthgirthbirth.com (maternity and infant wear), ricklondonwear.com (cartoon designer clothes) ricklondoncollection.com (cartoon gifts and collectibles), LTSuperstore.com megastore of gifts and collectibles, justfunnyaprons.com, justfunnyhoodies.com, and justfunnycoasters.com. The potential is unlimited. All one must do is research a product or products that are selling well, insert art or photography, and get to work.

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Rick London started Londons Times Cartoons in an abandoned Ms. warehouse. Now it is one of the most visited cartoon sites on the Internet with over 8.9 million visitors off-the-wall comics,and offbeat comics

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