Ken Adams left a comment for my previous posting about my CafePress store and recommended that I check out Spreadshirt instead. After checking out their website, I am pretty impressed. Spreadshirt operates pretty much the same way as CafePress, which means that you can either create a design for yourself and order your own items, or you can open your own virtual store and sell items at a markup. They seem to have a slightly smaller selection of miscellaneous items than CafePress, but in return they offer far more colors for their T-Shirts. They also offer more flexibility in their design and printing process. For example, they support both plot printing (which apparently provides excellent quality even on black material, although only in one or two colors) and digital printing. Theie website also has a designer application that allows text based designs to be created right on the website, without having to upload an image. The pricing is a little more complicated, as they have base charges plus surcharges for more complex prints, but a first glance it seems to be in the same range as CafePress.
I’ll definitely give this a shot. The bigger color selection alone is a big plus for me, and particularly the ability to print on dark material. Stay tuned for further announcements of designs from me and my kids.