Image by BlueOut via Flickr

Are you looking for a little help in getting your shop started with Spreadshirt? I wanted to share some of the places you can get more information and some tips on setting up and running your Spreadshirt shop.

1. Spreadshirt Webinars - Webinars are a free, live presentation about different topics - all you need is your computer to participate. We have 2 different webinars (Spreadshirt Bootcamp and Vector Graphics 101) and we are working on some new ones that will launch in the future. Click here to see a list of upcoming webinars and to register to attend a future webinar.
2. Spreadshirt Forums - We have a very active forum where Shop Partners have shared lots of great ideas and tips. Check out the Shop Admin Forum and the HTML and Web Coders Advice Forum.
3. Shop Partner Newsletter - Each month we send out an info packed newsletter to shop partners including info on new products and tips for shop partners. Make sure you are subscribed in the Shop Admin section Your Spreadshirt->Profile->Subscriptions
4. Shop Partner Stories - see what some of the other shop partners are up to and how they get ideas for new designs. Check out the Shop Partner Stories here.
5. Tommy White’s Blog - Tommy White is the guy behind Nekkid Tee’s. Tommy has posted some great tutorials on his blog TommyWhite.com - check out his great tutorial on Organizing Your Spreadshirt Products and his Starting Grid for Spreadshirt Vectors. Thanks Tommy!

Know of some other Spreadshirt tutorials? Please share your favorites here.

You asked, we listened.  The webinars have been going really well and we really enjoy showing you how to set up a Spreadshirt shop - but everyone has been asking about how to create vector graphics so that you can easily use the flex and flock printing with your own designs and logos.

Well - we have been hard at work and we are happy to announce the next webinar Vector Graphics 101.

Spreadshirt Vectors 101 is comprehensive webinar about how to create and use vector designs within the framework of a Spreadshirt Shop. The webinar is presented live and participants are encouraged to ask questions and make comments. Vectors 101 will cover:

• differences between pixel and vector designs
• how to properly create a vector design to be used on products
• rejection-proof method of checking your designs before submitting for approval
• tips and tricks for creating effective vector designs

Upcoming Vectors 101 Webinars:

• Thur., May 14, 2009 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM EDT - Click here to register for this webinar
• Tue., May 26, 2009 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM EDT - Click here to register for this webinar
• Wed., June 10, 2009 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT - Click here to register for this webinar
• Fri., June 26, 2009 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EDT - Click here to register for this webinar

Spreadu-what? Spreaducation is a new area on our site where we have gathered information for shop partners about setting up shop, creating products and marketing your shop. Some of you might recognize parts of the texts from our marketing special last December, but we’ve refined, revamped, renovated and relocated it all.

Where might I find this fantastic stuff? It has moved out of the user area and can be found under the tab “Sell”, open to all. You will also find our new edition “Shop Partner Stories” with testimonials from some of our shop partners.

What’s in it for me? We think there is something for everyone in these pages. Beginners can find tips on how to set-up your shop and find your target group. Those who already have a shop and some ideas but are stuck at the designing phase can pick up some info on creating products. Experienced users can take a look at our marketing tips or see what other partners have done by reading the Shop Partner Stories.

Enjoy and happy learning!

But wait, dear Shop Partners, that’s not all …
There is also a brand new addition to our webinar series – Spreadshirt Vectors 101! If you have participated in our Bootcamp Webinar series, this would be your next logical step towards your doctorate in Spreadshirt. Vectors 101 will provide you with live and interactive instruction on how to create and use vector designs for a Spreadshirt shop. Sign up for one of the webinars and brush up on your vector skills!

One of the easiest ways to sell more shirts is to make it easy for people to find your shop. You can create your own Spreadshirt URL. For example, my Spreadshirt shop is available at http://IheartPGH.spreadshirt.com. Your url with the numbers in it will still continue to work so you don’t have to go back and change old links.

Setting up the URL is easy:

• log-in to your shop
• click Shops
• click Linking
• type in your custom name
• click Save

You can click on this image to see a larger screen shot of the Linking page

More information and a detailed tutorial is available here.

Jana (she is the CEO of Spreadshirt) sent me a link to this shop and I am in love. Volvo Love is filled with great t-shirts for Volvo lovers. Here are just a few of the reasons to love this shop:

• Enthusiasts are Passionate People - This is a great enthusiast shop - some of the most successful Spreadshirt shops are ones where people can buy merchandise about something they are passionate about. I just had my Saab towed away to the junk yard yesterday. It was my second Saab and I loved that car a lot - I don’t even like cars but I did love the Saab brand. I loved how passionate people were about their Saabs. When I lived in Ithaca, NY there was one place to get a Saab serviced - Pellegrino Saab - Nick and Rose are passionate about Saabs and the people who drive them (see rave review here). The Pellegrino’s were a great help and if I could buy a Pellegrino Saab t-shirt, I would order one right now. When you are working on building your shop - think about t-shirts that express things you are passionate about.  Check out a Saab Spreadshirt Shop here.
• Text It To Me - I am not talking about text messaging. The shirts in this shop are mostly text on a shirt. Text on a shirt is super easy to set up a Spreadshirt and looks great. You don’t have to have a complex t-shirt to have a good looking t-shirt. Also check out the text placement - same text but putting it in a different place on the shirt can create 2 different looks.

• Variety is the Spice of the Shop - Volvo Love does a great job of offering an assortment of products beyond t-shirts. Items like totes and hats make it easy for people to send a gift with out having to worry about sizes.

I have started to follow the blog, Pro Blog Design, which has some great ideas for thinking about and improving your blog. The latest post, 6 Tips to Make A Great First Impression, offers some great ideas for your blog, and I think these tips can really help you think about how your shop looks. The first 3 tips can definitely be applied to a shop:

1. Appearance. This is the cosmetic part of your blog. The biggest challenge is to make it attractive! The appearance of your blog includes your logo, the colors, the fonts, and many other elements. This is a part of your design that will require lots of time, but it’s worth the extra effort.
2. Usability. The more usable your blog is, the better the browsing experience will be. A usable blog is user friendly. If your blog is well presented and well structured, they won’t have to search anything and you will win points!
3. Clarity. Remember that a confused visitor won’t stay on your blog for a long period of time. Being clear is very important. Try to be explicit when you are presenting something on your blog. For example, insure that your section titles match with the content of those sections. This is something very basic, but so important!

At the bottom the author links to some other posts about first impressions. I think this one, What a First Impression Must Show, also offers some great ideas for thinking about how to improve your shop. This post looks at 2 important questions:

1. What this blog is about.
2. What this page is about.

I think you can also apply this to your shop - is it clear what your shop is about?

We have lots of tools and tips to help you improve your shop. You can check out the Shop Admin section of the Spreadshirt forums. You can also check out the category here on the blog for Setting Up Shop.

What do you think is the most important think to know about setting up your shop? What has worked for you? What didn’t work?

I know this has been one feature we have received a ton of requests for - edit and existing product. The wait is over, let the editing begin. Temple announced the arrival of product editing in the forums today, here are the details:

Today we released a new feature in the Shop Admin for your products. You can now edit an existing product or clone a product! Products can be altered for your shop or the Marketplace independently or both at the same time.

Editing a product to for replacement:

If you edit your product in the ?Product Overview? screen, it will be altered in both your shop and within the Marketplace (assuming that your product has been opened in both areas).

Here?s how it works:: Your original product is deleted and replaced by the new product (e.g. with a new color or alternate design). The editable attributes given to the old product (i.e. the commission rate, product name, etc) are automatically transferred to the new product. The product will get moved to the top of the ?Product Overview? list the same as every new product.

Editing a product to create a new version:

Please remember this will change your product in all areas. If you would prefer to change the product in just one of the selling areas (i.e. in your shop OR the marketplace) then simply use the small blue ?My Products? drop-down menu to the top left of the product overview screen and select either your shop or the marketplace.

If you want create new version of a pre-existing product WITHOUT deleting the original, then click on the ‘Clone Product’ option. A copy of the product will be provided which you can then change according to your desires. Great for creating the same design layout on different products, colors, etc!

Let me know if you have any questions!

So you want the colors in your shop to match your website but you can’t figure out which background color goes where. Check out this handy little map (click here for larger version) to change the colors in your shop.

Custom Colors can be controlled in the “Shop Layout” section of the Shop Admin.

Have you customized your shop colors?  We want to see! Please share your shop link in the comments - we just might feature your shop here in the blog.

I just got an email from The Sky Drops, they are band that is performing in Pittsburgh in few weeks and would like me to maybe write about them on one of my Pittsburgh blogs.   So I was checking out their website, which is really well done - great photography and colors.  I then click the link for  “store” - since I work for Spreadshirt I now check out everyones t-shirts and online shops.  They have some great pictures of t-shirts  that are nicely displayed in the green grass.   But, when I click to order them they only have small and medium available in like 2 colors.

The shirts are a great text design and Spreadshirt rocks the text shirts.   While I know that Spreadshirt can’t help with the selling and shipping of things like CDs, we could definitely help with the apparel merchandising.  By setting up a free shop with us at Spreadshirt.  They could offer all of the colors in all of the sizes we offer and more.  I sent Rob and Monika an email and they were kind enough to let me write this blog post.  I do love the shirts, the colors and the excellent product shots.  I hope they will try out a Spreadshirt shop.

I also hope that you will check out The Sky Drops while they are on tour for the next few weeks.

here is the video for their song Hang On

So you want to make a banner for your shop but you don’t have photoshop. Or you are like me and find photo shop to be the most confusing program out there. But paint has become a little too limiting for you? Then you will love this..

I found this idea for a quick way to make a banner for your shop over on the Etsy forums.

You can use PowerPoint to create some quick graphics. Yes - PowerPoint! And it is super easy. I have been testing it out myself and I LOVE it. I think I will be using PowerPoint to do quick cropping of photos and pictures from no on.

You can make your banner or avatar in PowerPoint. That’s right, PowerPoint!

It can do just about everything that design programs can do - it’s just a little clunkier. You can cut out shapes, add shadows, place type etc.

And most of you will have it on your computer.

Now I’m certainly no computer expert (I’m over 30 for God’s sake), and I hope I’m not teaching you how to suck eggs, but here’s a few steps to get started if you’ve never used PowerPoint before:

1. Go the PAGE SETUP and change the size to: width 3.55cm and height 37cm.

2. Go to VIEW and make sure you the FORMATTING PALETTE is open

3. Make your banner. The formatting palette has all sorts of shapes and functions and type options.You can drag or import images and toy with them etc. If you’re stuck, go to PowerPoint Help or post in this thread. I’ll check it every so often and try to help if I can.

4. When you’re done go to SAVE AS and for ‘format’ select JPEG.

I like this method because it is really easy to crop photos in PowerPoint - and it is easy to add multiple photos to the same graphic.