Ashley, a New Jersey mother of two and 30 years old, had loved to paint as a child. She would spend entire afternoons sketching flowers, goofy animals, and small designs that popped off the page. Years later after leaving her job to be a stay-at-home housewife and tend to her new baby, the passion never really went out.
One day, as Ashley shopped through racks of plain baby clothes in the store, she couldn't help but wonder, "What if my child could wear something truly unique—something I made for them?"
She imagined her little darling all dressed up in her own work: sweet watercolor print animal tops, sunny and festive patterns, and kin coordinating prints which would leave other mothers at the nursery school or park heads turning and smiling with envy.
First, Ashley was seriously worried that no one would buy her designs, so she started small with a print-on-demand website. With some research and with some prodding from friends and family, she opened her web shop. It was almost magic to upload a sketch on her tablet and see it come to life as real merchandise like t-shirts and tote bags.
In order to attract her initial customers, Ashley placed her designs in her local Facebook parenting groups, shared photographs on Instagram, and even wore one of her own pieces when she took her child to daycare — and it started conversations with other moms. To her surprise, sales started picking up quickly, and before long, her store was selling a consistent 50 pieces a month. Emboldened, she decided to expand, turning her side business into something bigger.
But the cracks began to show over time.
Ashley liked how easy the POD platform made it all — she could create, upload, and sell without having to worry about production.
“When I first started out on POD, I really thought it would solve everything. But I’ll never forget the day I lost a big rush order that could have meant so much for my little shop.”
This is a rush order from a local customer who needed matching shirts for a family trip the following weekend.
"A local customer reached out, hoping to get matching family shirts for their beach trip the following weekend. They were so excited about the design, and honestly, so was I.
But when I checked, the POD platform just couldn’t guarantee delivery that fast. There was no way to speed up production, no way to prioritize a single order — it was completely out of my hands. I had to tell the customer no, and it broke my heart. "
Worse still, holiday season delays turned into a nightmare. Customers who had ordered gifts weeks in advance messaged her, frustrated that their packages hadn’t arrived on time.
"Orders I’d promoted weeks before Christmas ended up arriving late because of carrier delays, and there was nothing I could do. Packages went out in plain, generic mailers — no logo, no personal touch. Reading disappointed customer messages, realizing they'd believed in me with their gifts, left me helpless. I put so much love into my designs, yet at the end of the day, I couldn't dictate how they were produced or delivered."
Ashley was helpless — she couldn't reverse the delays, dictate the appearance of the packages upon arrival, or even inspect the final quality of the prints before sending.
"Honestly, it was heartbreaking. I put my heart and soul into my designs, and ultimately, I couldn't possibly guarantee that customers would get what I envisioned. Receiving disappointed emails in my mailbox because of circumstances that I had absolutely zero control over made me understand that if I truly wanted my brand to be unique — and reliable — I needed to do things differently."
After the POD platform’s base costs, marketplace fees, and what little she could afford for ads, Ashley realized she was barely making a few dollars per shirt — not nearly enough to turn this passion into a real business.
Most of Ashley's desires came down to this: she wanted to dress her child in truly high-quality clothes she stood behind — gentler shirts on sensitive skin, prints that don't fade after a handful of uses, and playfully silly patterns that appeal to her family's sense of humor. She saw POD's products as limiting: generic prints on generic blanks, no glow-in-the-dark, no small-batch seasonal patterns, and no soft, locally sourced materials she could select herself. She wanted to be sure every detail, from fabric choice to final finish, met her own standards — something no POD platform could offer.
That’s when Ashley stumbled into something unexpected: DTF printing . Late one night, scrolling through a Facebook group for creative moms and small business owners, she noticed people excitedly sharing photos of vivid prints they’d made themselves — not through a POD platform, but right in their own homes. Posts showed baby onesies with metallic lettering, tote bags printed with custom artwork, and T-shirts for local sports teams turned around in just a day.
At first, Ashley was skeptical. Could one machine really give that level of control? But the more she read, the more it all fell into place: these creators weren't limited by some other company's catalog, delays, or quality issues. They were making, printing, and shipping on their own terms — keeping far more profit per sale and adding personal touches like custom wrapping or handwritten thank-you notes.
That Facebook community opened Ashley’s eyes to something she hadn’t dared to dream before: o wning the whole process . She realized she wouldn’t just upload designs to a distant factory — she could actually bring her art to life at home.
This spark of possibility turned into determination: Ashley realized she needed to make an investment in a DTF printer — and ultimately be the master of her brand's story from start to finish.
Decided to invest in her own printing equipment
For Ashley, switching from POD to owning her own DTF printer wasn’t just a business upgrade — it was the moment her side hustle turned into something deeply personal and real: a creative brand she could shape, touch, and share with the world and her family.
With her own DTF printer, Ashley’s business quickly grew beyond online orders. No longer tied to the POD platform’s production times, she could take on last-minute requests from local moms, daycare fundraisers, and even neighborhood sports teams who needed custom shirts in just a day or two.
She began offering small seasonal drops at local craft fairs and pop-up markets, and word of mouth spread quickly: parents loved that she could create unique, high-quality designs fast — without the days-long wait POD sellers faced. Printing at home meant Ashley could serve her community anytime, turning spontaneous ideas and local demand into real products almost overnight — and transforming her small shop into a brand people recognized and trusted locally.
One of the most special parts of her work was getting to show her kids exactly how the clothes came to life. Children sometimes gather around the printer and heat press as Ashley patiently shows them step by step how her drawings are transformed into real printed garments. The kids loved watching the picture appear on the film and feeling the warm press after it sealed the design.
It wasn't just about the shirt, but about getting to share a moment with them and have something real that was made out of Mom's love and creativity.
“This is how Mom's sketch turns into your shirt! I want them to truly get it and be proud of what we are making together. Honestly, nothing is better than seeing their face light up when they put on the shirts they assisted in designing.”
Ashley did end up with her own DTF printer, she was finally able to add in all the little sweet touches she couldn't fit in previously — customized thank-you cards, special labels, and surprise details that were uniquely hers and made each order special.
“And honestly, printing everything myself changed everything. It let me add those small touches I’d always wanted — like sweet notes, fun wrapping, or little freebies that show customers there’s a real person behind each order. And furthermore, having it done this way is less expensive now than it ever was, so I can still make every package a special one without losing my shirt. At the end of the day, it isn't so much selling something as it is sharing a piece of my history and making someone a little happier when they open up their package.”
After investing in her own DTF printer, Ashley didn’t just stop at small runs — she quickly scaled up production. By taking on more local orders, launching limited-edition designs, and offering faster fulfillment, her sales surged. Remarkably, within just two months, the gross profit she earned covered the entire cost of the equipment . From that point on, every shirt she printed meant real profit — turning her creative passion into a sustainable business.
Ashley isn’t rushing to build a huge production line. For her, success isn't always volume — it's balance. As the printer is working from home, she can design, print, and package orders at home without missing out on experiencing her child's milestones and daily activities. She can work whenever ideas strike her, even at dawn after the household has quieted down, as she is not bound by work timings or commute. As a result of this flexibility, Ashley is able to build her brand at her own pace and on her own terms and yet maintain the creative, autonomous, and family-oriented lifestyle she wants.
“This really is my dream life. I get to wake up each morning, spend time with my child, and still get to pour my heart into designing and printing shirts that people actually love. I’m not stuck in traffic or tied to someone else’s schedule — I can create late at night when inspiration hits, or print an order during nap time.”
When Ashley finally decided to bring production home, she still had plenty of worries. Creative by heart but not especially technical, she feared the learning curve might be too steep. What drew her to the XP600 U13 was how beginner-friendly it felt from the start.
"The machine itself is solid and substantial, but what really impressed us most was the dozens of pages of clear step-by-step instructions that made everything look feasible, even for a total beginner to printing."
The other clincher was InkSonic's after-sales service. Knowing that she would not be left in the lurch if something did go wrong gave Ashley genuine peace of mind. Whenever she had queries — large or small—there were human beings on hand to assist, not automated responses.
Financially, she was also pleased to discover she could pay in instalments through Afterpay, which took the pressure out of needing to make a large upfront payment, especially after reducing from full-time work to spend more time with her family.
It was a matter of getting convinced that she was able to run her own small production studio from home, manage family life and creativity without fears of being stonewalled by technical problems. The U13 had made what had felt like a distant dream real, possible, and long-lasting.
We at InkSonic know that it's never simple to start your own company — it takes guts, innovation, and countless late nights. That is why we're providing more than a sale of printers. With reliable, trouble-free machines , accurate step-by-step manuals, and professional after-sales support, we aim to provide every entrepreneur with the confidence to turn ideas into solid products. Regardless of whether you're sending your first design or growing out into a hometown name, we're along for the ride with you — offering the tools, expertise, and support you can count on.
