Why do numpties not research a new business?

[ukuwi]

A few points that I would like to make, I am a "Newbie" to sublimation and to this forum (Two weeks roughly) apart from my introduction this is my first post, though I have lost count of the hours I have spent reading in an effort to buy the right equipment with the right support and avoid making costly mistakes down the road, many of my searches have come up blank, so we are left with two choices, we either ask what might seem like a schoolboy question or head for google, I don't understand why there is a need to know if a poster is a newbie or a seasoned vet of the sublimation industry unless your concern is that a 5 minute newbie might be giving poor or uneducated advice, all advice is just that "advice" no one is forced to take advice, but we can always look at the date a member joined and how many posts they have made to give us an indication as to whether their advice is based on experience or not.

Secondly, if a question has been asked and discussed before would it not be good manners to either give a link to the thread or help with a search query or even answer the question again, we all have the choice to just ignore the post and carry on with our day, it is hard enough trying to learn about which paper, printer, press, ink, mugs, software, cutter, t shirts to buy without feeling that you are imposing too much, as I learn more about this industry I will be happy to share my experiences good and bad with those who are just starting out, even with all the good will in the world it is ultimately experience that teaches us, whilst startup cost are relatively low they can soon mount up when making costly mistakes and all the help I can get is hugely appreciated.

And finally, making newbies feel that they are not yet worthy to post questions would eventually harm the forum in my opinion and would end up as an exclusive club for the experienced sublimator, I joined and paid my fee because I need help and as much as I can get, the print industry was always known as a "closed shop" meaning unless you were related or knew someone then you better find a different career, with the advent of the internet and forums all of this has changed (I am very pleased to say) And I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you that are willing to help those of us starting out.

I now sit here pondering whether to post, will I be shot down in flames for speaking my mind ?, well here goes....

[JMugs]

I suspect you might be fairly safe because

"I have lost count of the hours I have spent reading in an effort to buy the right equipment with the right support and avoid making costly mistakes down the road, many of my searches have come up blank"

Good start, and yes many searches will return a blank, but many will not, this is true of any business or hobby. There is a big difference in " Having done a bit of reading. I am I right in thinking....." compared to "My black is brown why?".

I use that because the "Black is brown" is easy found in a search, so asking just shows no research.

The final point that shows your mindset is the tone of your post over all, which even has a question at the end, questioning yet polite.

[calvinabc]

but ukuwi, you are a premium paid up member, the gripe is more when people cant be bothered to spend £10 for some invaluable advice. never be afraid to ask anything i say. if you dont ask you will either a)regret not asking, b)waste more of your own time, c)lose business, d)not learn anything.

calvinabc

[ukuwi]

Yes Calvinabc I totally agree with you, but the difference here is that I want to be a part of this community not just to learn how to get myself out of an immediate problem but also to take part in the forums and to give back when I have useful info to share, I joined the moment I found the site, where else would I find so many people all in the business willing to share their experiences and tips whereas some people have no interest in helping others and just want the resolve to their problem, maybe you should only be able to post if you are a premium member ! but I truly appreciate all the help that is already on here and all the future help I will undoubtedly need as time goes forward.

[Quinsfan]

I have been on here about 2 yrs now and spent at least 2 mths reading and re reading an awful lot of threads about the best set up, mug press and many other issues befor even thinking about posting. I came into this willing to learn and ask the silly questions knowing full well from what I had read there are people willing to help. I am still learning and have recently been posting about my issues with the 9600 printer I have. The responses form fellow members has been invaluable and it is great to know that people are willing to help.
I think my first post was about a proper school boy error, removing the protective film from the phone covers, I am known to still curse every so often when I STILL do it!!

What gets my goat is it most probably takes the same amount of time for the, I want a quick fix and easy buck brigade, to type their question and wait for a response as doing a quick search or even looking at the similar threads section above their post.

[James990]

All we need now is for people to STOP putting just UK or United Kingdom and actually put where they are. Many do this despite Justin often asking them not to. They seem to think it is good to not let people know exactly where they are!!!

[wayupnorth]

My approach is to look at the list of new posts each day, click on anything interesting or a topic I can probably help with and ignore the "black is brown" posts. Every forum has these and it's not worth getting upset. Forcing newbies to go pro is a bit elitist. Also a newbie may have zero knowledge of dyesub but many years in garment printing so it would be a shame to lose a potentially good forum member by scaring them off.

We all know there is a wealth of information on here about these repeat topics and I doubt someone has anything new. Admin can probably just add a polite "in the first instance try a search" response or none at all. If the OP follows up and seems genuinely none the wiser after searching then someone may step in to help. However the post we had recently saying he had no time to search and then threw toys out of the pram basically shot himself in the foot.

just my tuppence worth...

[k21john]

I've put together a post for newbies based on advice and information from the forum. Please feel free to take a look and add your own view of things
http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/vbforum/sh ... or-newbies

I would like to add that not everybody starts printing because they think its a money making machine. I misguidedly started printing as a hobby and a way to save money on printing t-shirts and merchandise for my old band. I bought cheap equipment even though I had done lots of research because I was poor living alone and for something intended as a hobby didnt want to spend thousands that I didnt have or put myself in financial difficulty. Now that I realize I do enjoy printing and would like to turn it into a business I am at a point where upgrading the lesser quality equipment I have is going to cost me a fair amount.

Many people have probably started with the best intentions but little resources and this is why they buy cheap and yes it is false economy. Eagerness to try to make a change in their lives by earning a little extra or having a new hobby just making things for themselves or gifts for family and friends.

The Numpties as you call them are the people who think printing is license to print money so they buy a printer with original manufacturer inks and expect to use a mug press and normal printer paper to transfer an image to a mug which is something I have seen on the forum. This clearly shows what type of person they are.

Lack of experience or funds doesn't make someone unintelligent it makes them the same as 99% of the population...

WISH WE HAD A LIKE BUTTON FOR THREADS.
Well Said

John

[Andrew]

All we need now is for people to STOP putting just UK or United Kingdom and actually put where they are. Many do this despite Justin often asking them not to. They seem to think it is good to not let people know exactly where they are!!!

Why is that such a big deal? I choose not to add much personal info as prefer it that way.

If people think newbies asking questions that you know have been answered numerous times before, just ignore them and save the advice for people who make a little effort.

[Justin]

It can be very useful knowing members approx. locations for several reasons, recommending local suppliers, other local members offering direct help and so on.