Scaling a Side Business: How Custom Apparel Printing Became a Revenue Stream

Are you looking for ways to scale your side business?

Custom apparel printing has taken off in recent years and become one of the easiest side hustles you can turn into a legitimate revenue stream. The demand is high and supply doesn’t require a warehouse full of equipment and clothing.

But here’s the best part…

A custom apparel business can be done from anywhere with simple startup costs and durable heat transfer designs. These methods allow anyone to scale properly.

Okay then! Let’s get into it…

What you’re going to learn:

Why Custom Apparel Printing Businesses Are Booming
Why Durable Heat Transfer Designs Are Taking Over
How To Scale A Side Business Printing Apparel
Mistakes That Will Hurt Your Growth

Why Custom Apparel Printing Businesses Are Booming

If we’re going by statistics then numbers don’t lie.

The custom t-shirt printing market size was valued at USD 5.16 billion in 2024, according to research by Grand View Research. From there it’s expected to reach $13.61 billion by 2030 growing at a CAGR of 11.5%.

That’s incredible growth for any industry. It also means opportunity for side business owners looking to capitalize early.

So what’s behind all of this growth?

Take a look at what’s happening around you. People love personalised items. Custom merch has become the branding tool of choice for creators, small businesses, teams, etc. over social media. Oh and let’s not forget ecommerce making it easier than ever for businesses to sell online.

Local teams + local businesses + ecommerce = millions of custom apparel customers.

Why Durable Heat Transfer Designs Are Taking Over

Printing directly onto fabric used to be difficult and expensive. Today it’s one of the most popular ways to print because of advances in durable heat transfer designs.

DTF is short for Direct-To-Film transfers.

These transfers allow business owners to print vibrant, long-lasting designs on all types of fabrics. Cotton? Check. Polyester? Check. Blends? Double check. Doing custom apparel on any type of clothing has never been this easy.

Providers like Shirtmax DTF Transfers have made it simple for anyone to buy high-quality transfers without expensive printing machines.

According to Grand View Research, the DTF printing market size was valued at $2.72 billion in 2024. Estimated to grow by 2027. That’s roughly 40% growth in just under 4 years.

DTF transfers are the present and future of printing custom apparel. Here’s why they’re perfect for scaling…

No minimums. Print one shirt or 10,000. You’re not stuck agonizing over minimum order quantities.
Full-color prints. Forget about color counts like screen printing. DTF = unlimited colors.
Print on various fabrics. DTF printing works on pretty much every fabric material. Crazy versatile.
Inexpensive startup costs. No need to buy expensive printers. Outsource the prints instead.

When you combine those 4 things together it’s no wonder small businesses and side hustlers are leaning towards DTF transfers.

How To Scale A Side Business Printing Apparel

While the opportunity is there for everyone it doesn’t mean you won’t have to put in the work. Here’s exactly how to take your side hustle and scale it up.

Pick Your Niche

You can’t sell to everybody. At least not right away. The smartest thing you can do when starting an apparel business is picking a niche and dominating it.

Local teams. Pets. Fitness. Unique fandoms. When you choose a specific niche, marketing costs decrease and your ad targeting can be razor sharp. The result? Better sales and happier customers.

Source Your Transfers

Quality is important. It bears repeating… it’s really important.

Cheap = dissatisfied customers. There is no cheaper way to produce high-quality durable heat transfer designs than by using DTF transfers. Partner with a trusted supplier who can provide you with consistent quality transfers.

It’s the #1 decision that will make or break your long-term growth.

Create An Online Storefront

Selling online is the best way to scale your side business. Sure you can start by handing out business cards at your local soccer team’s games. But what about customers on the other side of the country that want your brand?

Start small with an online storefront. Whether it’s via Shopify, Etsy, or social media doesn’t matter. Focus on building your storage, order fulfillment, and product range.

Don’t try and boil the ocean before you even learn how to swim.

Build A Brand

This can’t be stressed enough. If you want your side hustle to turn into a business then you better be branding every step of the way.

This means building a following on social media, creating consistent design aesthetics, and having a story that people can vibe with. Customers buy from brands they feel connected to.

Grow your brand and you’ll grow your business.

Reinvest Early Profits

Make sure to set money aside for reinvesting back into your business. There’s always going to be better equipment, more effective ads, and new product lines to invest in.

Tempting as it may be to hold onto as much cash as possible in the early stages… take some of those earnings and start putting them back into the business.

Allocating funds for ads and influencer partnerships can also help scale your business dramatically.

Mistakes That Will Hurt Your Growth

But it’s not just best practices that will help you grow. There are also things you should avoid doing at all costs.

Sloppy quality control. People notice when there’s a typo on their shirt. Triple check every order before shipping it out.
Undercutting your price. The business will not scale if you’re selling your merchandise at cost. Charge what your product is worth and let the sales speak for themselves.
Poor customer service. Get back to customers quickly. Always try and go above and beyond when dealing with any type of issues.

You get the idea. Think about every single order as if your business depended on it. Because it does.

Wrap Up

Printing custom apparel has become one of the most popular side businesses around. Thanks to durable heat transfer designs and ecommerce anyone can start printing today.

To recap. Here’s how to scale your side hustle:

Find a profitable niche
Source high-quality transfers
Create an online store and start selling
Build a brand
Reinvest early profits into scaling

The opportunities for starting a custom apparel side business have never been better. Those who take the proper steps to scale will be setting themselves up for long-term success.