Necessary Equipment

As we work on setting up our shop, I thought I would list the essential equipment we have already assembled:

1) Computer, of course, with a flat screen - it has a good processor  with a lotta RAM, says my son, the computer college graduate.
2) Software: we have a copy of Corel, it's old, I may have to upgrade. Personally, I prefer PhotoShop Elements and may use that but it is important to have a good art program.
3) Camera, 8.2 megapixels is pretty good.
4) Scanner, I may have to pick up a better one, this one is very old.
5) Dye Sublimation Printer - my big investment, I got a Ricoh GX7000. I can print 11X17 with it and if I buy a bypass tray I can get up to 13" wide.
6) Sublimation inks - only one company makes it for the printer- 4 cartridges (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black) SubliJet-R inks.
7) Regular office printer, my Ricoh GX5050n, the one that uses the $28 a set inks. (Also CMYK)
8) My heat press: I have Hix 15x15. We have it bolted to a heavy desk already.

There you go, now here's the damage:
1) Computer - $400 so far (used http://craigslist.com)
2) Software - $200 so far (ebay, but be careful!)
3)Camera - $80 (Best Buy)
4) Scanner $25 (ebay again)
5) GX7000 - $720 (http://www.conde.com)
6) Inks $400 (conde.com, too)
7) GX5050n $300 (they had a great incentive sale at Conde!!)
8) Heat Press - $250 (ebay, a real deal for a good brand)

Total $3,125.oo

Next, we can talk about small accessories. By the way, this equipment enables us to put photo quality images on a variety of products, like tee shirts, tiles and a huge array of popular items. Follow my blog to hear more as we get the Mermaid's Chest created!

Making Photo Balloons

A really cool thing is available to average folks like you and me, but the business entrepreneurs have appropriated it and no one knows about it! If you have a simple inkjet printer and a computer, you can make the coolest gifts for your friends and family for about $3 each!!!

Here it is, really cool balloons! Not Mylar balloons like they have at the supermarket, but photo balloons. These balloons come with free software to add artwork and photos and soon you can create lovely and fun items just for your friends. So new, that most people will be amazed and delighted to see them.

I found them at http://www.dyetrans.com/sublimation_blank_balloons.php

The balloons are in a cardboard frame that fits in your printer, the small ones fit any printer and you can get the large ones if your printer will print 11”x17” paper. The printer has to be an inkjet, not a laser. Also, they say if you have an all-in-one printer that gets fairly hot, it is not ideal for creating the balloons.  The best printer has a straight paper path, too, one that doesn’t bend the paper so much. I have a little Ricoh GX5050N* and it works great. I had to set it for A4 size paper, but after I figured that out it was no problem. The Conde folks have complete instructions, plus a video on their website, so check it out.

*(By the way, if you have one of the Ricoh GelsPrinters, Conde sells 40ml versions of the ink they use for $7 a cartridge! That’s an unbelievable price!)

You can choose from a huge array of colorful frames that fit each balloon, which are available in hearts, stars and round shapes. The artwork is for holidays, birthdays and even has a section that is for kids to color. You choose the art, add your photo and text if you want and hit print. The assembly is easy, with a little tube and a straw that you blow up and a stand that holds it. No helium, no popping, they are fantastic!

Good luck in all your endeavors and have Happy Holidays!

Setting Up The Mermaid's Chest

We are starting our new business in our garage.The garage itself needed a major makeover and that is just about completed, so I have turned my attention to equipment and office machines.

I have a fairly good computer but I needed a printer for general officework and I have chosen the Ricoh Gelsprinter GX5050n. (http://www.dyetrans.com/browse_ricoh?printer=GX5050N). Now, I have several reasons for choosing the Ricoh. One is that I already purchased another Ricoh, the GX7000, which we are setting up to use for dye sublimation printing on products, the core of our product line. The GX7000 is a bigger (13" wide) printer but I am so impressed with how fast and nice it prints, I was more than enthusiastic about another Gelsprinter. They use only four cartridges and they have a convenient and easy ink delivery system.

Plus, and this is the big tip for today: you can purchase the starter ink cartridges for $7 each from http://www.conde.com! These carts are smaller than the regular ones, but they print over 400 pages, and the $40 ones only print 1000 pages. Doing the math makes me a smart cookie!

Introducing: bobbicoker, Entrepreneur Princess!

Certainly helps if I start this blog with my bona fides, I suppose. I graduated from Temple University, blah blah,,,but my real life is what has prepared me to give advice on home based working.

I had a small sign company once, painting shop windows and building walls. I painted shirts and sold them in catalogs, sewed garments and sold them at the flea market. I have scoured thrift shops for ebay worthy items and so on. All of these are pretty common avenues these days for folks out of work or looking to make money on the side to supplement a reduced income.

This blog is intended to offer you advice in such endeavors. Right now I am in the process of setting up a whole new shop in my garage. I have purchased all the things I need to put my artwork on a variety of products that I will market in all the usual places, I have found an inexpensive avenue towards my goal of branding my items and making a real fortune.

Stay tuned for the birth of my new brand, the Mermaid's Chest. Bona fide cool stuff.