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Beyond T-Shirts: How Screen Printers Can Easily Sell Promotional Products

By Amanda Smith 

Your print shop is great at turning artwork into apparel – but what if you could turn that same artwork into even more sales? From mugs and pens to chargers and duffle bags, your clients are already ordering branded merchandise, just not from you. It’s time to stop sending them to competitors and prepare yourself for screen printing business growth. (Other printers have already done it.)

Selling promotional products for screen printers is a no-brainer. You can grow your business and diversify revenue streams without adding equipment or inventory (hooray!). It’s a smart, simple way to provide clients with more services, strengthen relationships and improve loyalty.

Why Promo Is a Natural Fit for Screen Printers

You already help clients promote their brand and they trust you with their logos – adding promotional products just gives them more options to do it. Promo products turn logos into everyday ads. Think tumblers in employee welcome kits, tote bags at trade shows or rally towels at sporting events.

And thanks to how the promo supply chain works, you don’t need to stock items or imprint them – someone else handles that! Promo vendors customize and dropship products directly to your clients. That means when you expand print shop offerings and upsell promotional items to print clients, you can grow your print shop without new gear. Zero inventory, no equipment and no added stress.

How To Start Selling Promo Items as a Screen Printer

We know – you already have a business and you’re busy. But the good news is adding promo products to a print business doesn’t have to add stress. Here’s how screen printers break into promo without breaking a sweat.

Join a Membership Organization in the Promo Products Industry

When you join a membership organization like ASI, you get access to member benefits including educational resources and software tools that help you run your promo business. ASI’s large network of vendors makes it easy to connect and source promo for your customers.

Use Software Built for Selling Promo

Promo product sourcing is its own world with tons of products, vendors and decoration methods. The good news is there is one tool you can use to manage every aspect of your business. ESP+ is an all-in-one software solution built specifically for print shops and promo professionals. Say no to juggling multiple platforms, tabs and tools – and yes to one simple solution.

With ESP+, you can:

  • Search 1.2+ million products from nearly 3,000 promotional products vendors for printers
  • Design client-ready presentations
  • Manage orders, invoices and customer data
  • Launch branded websites and pop-up stores
  • Access a huge catalog of zero-inventory promo items

Promote to Existing Clients First

You already have clients. An easy way to sell branded merchandise is to offer more to people already buying from you. Marketing promotional products for screen printers can be as easy as just telling existing customers you offer them. Next time a client orders custom shirts, ask, “What else can I put your logo on?” See if they need event giveaways, thank-you gifts or branded office supplies. (And if it’s fall, be sure to ask about end-of-year awards and holiday gifts!)

To help close the deal, put together a custom presentation or mockup using ESP+. Most clients love seeing how their brand looks on something other than a T-shirt, and the visual alone may be enough to secure the order.

Bundle Shirts With Promo

Kitting – bundling products together – is a big trend in promo. As a screen printer, you can create your own kits that include shirts and related promo items. Just think about it: what if you bundled shirts with hats, water bottles or totes? You’d add value and increase your average order. Some pitch-perfect ideas:

  • Back-to-school kits (shirts, lanyards, notebooks)
  • New employee swag (backpacks, polos, drinkware)
  • Event merch bundles (totes, hats, pens)

This strategy helps you upsell promotional items to print clients and further position yourself as a full-service branding partner.

Smart Sales, No Stress: Why Promo Works for Printers

Relationships are the key to any successful business – and you already have those. You understand timelines, design needs and branding. Selling promotional products is a natural next step for screen printers and lets you build on those strengths.

A good sourcing platform does the heavy lifting:

  • No inventory. No equipment. No overhead.
  • Vendors do it all – stock items, imprint and ship to your customers
  • You can focus on selling and meeting client needs

You can grow your business and build loyalty by helping your clients get everything they need in one place.

Final Takeaway: It’s Easier Than You Think

When you join an organization like ASI, you have all the valuable resources you need to expand your offerings into selling promo. Join ASI today and start saying, “What else can I put your logo on?”