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Custom Screen Printed Transfers & More

Why You Should Hang Tag Your Shirts | How To Make Hang Tags

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Hey Friends, Dave here with Transfer Express and today we’re talking about how you can easily add that extra touch to really make your apparel feel retail quality: that’s right hang tags!

We’ll be diving into the value they add, how you can create them on any budget and even some inspiration on how you can make those little paper tags work for you.

Ready? Let’s tag it!

The first thing that we have to cover on hang tags is the perceived value. Not only do they give you the retail look, but they can also aid in a sale. With just one little extra step, your apparel immediately feels more expensive - regardless of the retail price. Adding the retail touch helps put any printed apparel on the same level as the big box stores we’re all familiar shopping at.

Now, this doesn’t apply to just clothing brands out there. Even if you’re a custom decorator, having the confidence to offer your customers this add-on service can help them sell more custom apparel too, and adds to your menu of services and capabilities.

Aside from value, and with the rise of ecommerce, hang tags offer a great opportunity to extend your brand experience. Where online your customer cannot be immersed into your brand as if they were shopping in a retail store- so using hang tags or even packaging to bring your brand to them is an effective and affordable option.

Including things like your brand story or positive messaging can help your brand be more memorable, leading to repeat purchases and brand loyalty. Including calls-to-action to follow or share on social media is a great idea too, creating multiple touch points for your brand even after the shirt’s been opened, worn, washed and back in the closet.

Taking it a step further, you can even put promo codes on your hang tags to drive repeat purchases. 10% off your next order? That’s a nice surprise to receive with your new favorite t-shirt, right? Because if they love this one, they’ll love another one.

One trend we’ve seen rise recently is sticker hang tags- with a branded sticker on one side and a printed liner on the back. You’ve most likely got a custom print shop in your area that offers this, or you can order from the national online printers that offer stickers like these.

They’re a nice added bonus, because #1, who doesn't love stickers? And #2, depending on where they put it, be it a laptop, a bumper or on anything else, you’ve now got a mini billboard traveling around advertising your brand. Pretty nifty, right?

Now, your printed tees look great right now, but not everyone knows how to care for certain fabrics or certain print methods. Including detailed washing instructions can help your customers keep their purchase looking brand new for years to come. Machine wash cold, turn the shirt inside out, tumble dry low, do not iron on the printed graphic, etc… Of course, here at Transfer Express, we know the washing instructions are typically ignored and get tossed right in to the load with everything else- so we wash test all of our custom heat transfers to 50+ wash/dry cycles to ensure screen printed and digital prints that last so you can be confident in your print durability.

Of course, we have to cover the retail benefits of hang tags, too. If you’re selling in a store, vendor market or anywhere with foot traffic, hang tags offer the perfect spot to put information that helps influence purchasing decisions. I'm talking information like size and price. You can also easily fit a barcode on there too to make point of sale, or even inventory management, a breeze.

Now that we covered why, let’s cover the how. Whether you’re DIY’ing it, or going with a pro print shop, there’s several ways you can get some awesome hang tags.

And just like that you’ve got your apparel ready for retail. Of course, you can always step up your game with thicker stocks, fancy finishes like foil stamping or die cut shapes, all depending on what makes sense for your brand and budget.

Let’s get to tagging! Offering these services or tagging your own apparel is too easy and quick to not be doing it. Tack on the promotional branded power and you’ve got yourself a winning recipe for success! Of course, here at Transfer Express, we’re dedicated to helping you and your t-shirt business succeed with tons of inspirational ideas, marketing tips and tricks, heat transfer application education and so much more.

Be sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on all the new videos we’re dropping weekly. Until next time, I'm Dave, happy pressing!


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