Tale 3: Opening the Ink Lab

Tale 3: Opening the Ink Lab

Technically this would be considered the next major update for the Den, just not as extensive as the previous one.  Overall, we've had some really resounding success with the store and we've appreciated everyone that has shopped with us up until this point.  As always, we're always listening to customer feedback and thinking about where to go next.  As you probably already know, we've taken the site down to work on some new updates and we're excited to share what we've been working on.

General Updates

First and foremost, let's talk about the store itself.  Some things we've worked on with this latest update are as followed:

  • Moved to making our products in house.  Previously, we've been relying on other suppliers for our products, which has had its success overall.  However, shipping times have been an overall difficult thing to maneuver as each of our product's ship at a different time. We're happy to announce that moving forward our products will be made in house, which will take a bit longer overall, but it'll be well worth it in the end.  As a result, some things are having to change.
  • When we thought about prices, there were two questions we had to ask ourselves especially with our products now being made in house which is a bit more costly on the backend, do we raise prices on products and keep free shipping, or lower prices and have a shipping fee?  This is something that can't be answered right now overall, it's gonna take some trial and error.  For now, we've opted for a lower base price for products with a $5 shipping fee to counteract the cost of shirts.  Again, this is something we'll play around with and figure out where we wanna go so stay tuned for updates.
  • Limited Drops are moving to the Home Page instead of its own dedicated section to make room for a new service we're offering.
  • Most of our previous products are gone, but our bestsellers are gonna stick around for a bit longer.

 

The Ink Lab

The biggest takeaway for this update is the introduction of the Ink Lab.  We've thought about this since Day 1 when we opened, and we're finally happy to announce that the Ink Lab is opening for business!  This exclusive service will allow you, our customers, to make shirts with designs that you want on them, something we think will be really cool.  We've played around with pricing, and I think we've gotten it down pretty well.  Check out all of the information involving the Ink Lab down below:

 

Service Structure:

Tier 1: Upload My Art

If you already have a design in mind, then you can send that to us, and we will start working on your shirt.  Please note, images must be in JPG format to use.  This tier will include the following:

·       Printful-ready file prep

·       4 Mockups

o   Front, Back, Right Sleeve, Left Sleeve

·       2 revisions

·       Shirt printing + shipping

Fee: $5 service fee + cost of shirt

 

Tier 2: Design My Shirt

We will create your shirt based on things that you suggest.  For example, if you want a shirt with Batman on it, we will generate 5 different images from you to choose from.  If you do not like these options, we will submit 5 more complimentary images.  This tier will include the following:

·       Printful-ready file prep

·       4 mockups

o   Front, Back, Right Sleeve, Left Sleeve

o   2 revisions

o   Shirt printing + shipping

Fee: $5 service fee + cost of shirt

Customer Workflow

Step 1: Choose a Service

·       Option 1: Upload My Art (see information above)

·       Option 2: Design My Shirt (see information above)

Step 2: Submit Form: Our form will collect the following information:

·       Shirt color

·       Sizes

·       Placement (Front/Back/Sleeve)

·       Style Notes

·       Uploads

·       Deadline (if any)

 

Step 3: Quote + Approval

Once your form is reviewed, we will send the following:

·       Price for the shirt.  This will vary depending on the following:

o   1 image on the front

o   1 image on the front and back

o   1 image on the front, back, and sleeves

·       Turnaround time – this is an estimate

·       Mockup ETA

 

Step 4 – Mockup Phase

We will deliver the following once everything has been approved:

·       4 mockups (Front, Back, Right Sleeve, Left Sleeve)

·       Revisions based on what option you selected

 

Step 5 – Finalization

Customer approves, and then we:

·       Prep Printful-ready files

·       Check artwork quality

·       Confirm feasibility

·       Send quote