Hot Items From 2011

With the year winding to a close you always see those top X number of item lists which are kind of fun. It gives you a chance to reflect back to the events of the previous year.

With the year winding to a close, you always see those top 100 lists They are kind of fun, and it gives you a chance to reflect back to the events of the previous year.

In the spirit of the top 100 list, I have polled our department leads for the top products from 2011. In the style of a late night countdown, I’ll count down from #5 up to the #1 requestes item.

Rhinestone Decorations5. Rhinestone Decoration – Bling is still in and people still want to see that sparkle on all sorts of items. We have seen people decorate everything from t-shirts to jeans to ball caps. I even saw a full mug covered in Rhinestones. (*Mugs with rhinestones are not dishwasher safe and we make no guarantee to the durability of the rhinestone on hard surface items.)

PhotoTex4. Removable Wall Decoration – We carry a nice line of both imprintable wall graphics as well as colored wall vinyl. People have had all sorts of creative decoration ideas, from just fun sayings on the wall, to full back ground images that make your cube feel like you are at the beach or even at the ballpark like you see in the picture.

3. Heat Transfer Paper – The old standby Dark Shirt Transfer Papercontinues to amaze me from year to year. This personalization technology allows our customers to create some incredible images without having to set up screens, deal with messy ink of beat their head against the wall with the issues of today’s direct to garment printers. It only takes an inexpensive inkjet or laser printer, a heat press and the sky is the limit. Add a low cost vinyl cutter with an optical eye, like the Graphtec Silhouette Cameo, and you can also personalize dark garments. Hmmm, $2500 startup investment versus a $60,000 to $80,000 investment for nearly the same results. Seems like a good business decision to me.

Chromaluxe Photo Panels2. Chromaluxe Photo Panels – These amazing sublimation blanks turns a standard photograph into a lifetime memory. They have some easy to use mounting options and quickly add a wonderful look to blank walls. These panels have the best sublimation coating you can get and you probably have already seen them and just didn’t realize it. Walk through any major sporting venues club levels and most of the images on the walls are probably Chromaluxe Photo Panels. Check out what one of the best photo labs in the country is offering – Diversified Labs.

1.iPad Personalized Case iPhone / iPad Cases – With most people in the world now owning either a iPhone or an iPad (in many cases both) everyone wants to make them their own. Personal expression on the outside of these items that also provides them some protection from dropping them is all the rage. With our new iPhone and iPad cases you can personalize those items for your customers. Everything from having a picture of their kids to a specific design that tells the public who that owner really is. By sublimating them you make it permanent, scratch resistant and a part of the iPhone or iPad. In 2012 we expect to expand this line to include a new rubber case option for iPhones, a hard case for iPads and also some imprintable skins for any type of phone or laptop.

So there you have it! 2011 was an exciting year here with trends in the market changing and growing. We are excited about the potential for 2012 and I hope this gives you some insight as to what you should be gearing up for in 2012.

P.S. Thanks to Rick from Ramy-Grafx for inspiring this blog post. Look for more to come.

Author: Aaron Montgomery

I have been in the garment decorating industry since 1999, and have worked with many small businesses to help them make money and improve their marketing and sales. I love helping small businesses as I have been involved with or had my own small business since I was a teenager. In my free time, I enjoy volleyball, bowling and spending time with my sons. I have lived in St. Louis since 2010 by way of Boston, Colorado Springs and most major cities in Arizona. Aaron also delivers a bi-weekly Podcast called "2 Regular Guys" with industry friend Terry Combs. You can catch it at 2 Regular Guys.