Cafepress - For Beginners

If your new to Cafepress, you probably have a lot of questions. I know I did when I started two years ago. I knew little about how things work or the best way to do things. I made mistakes and would like to help you avoid those mistakes and get off on the right foot to a really great start.

My first suggestion is to go with a Premium Shop. Yes I know it cost money, but if you truly believe in your ideas then it is definitely worth it. They have several payment options available.
* $6.95 per month
* $18.45 for 3 months
* $34.95 for 6 months
* $59.95 for 1 year (only $5 per month!)
15-day Free Trial for your first Premium Shop

There so much more you can do with a Premium Shop that you can't do with a basic.

Here is a comparison of the
Basic vs Premium Shop

Here is a list of
Premium Shop benefits

If you decide to stick with the Basic Free Shop I suggest only one design per shop. You can have as many free shops as you want.

This list was compiled from many different Shopkeepers on the Cafepress Forums.

Be original

Read all the tutorials

Ask for advice on the forums

Pick a topic you love

Have fun

Have patience

Make sure to tag all your images as you upload

Add Section Teasers, Section Descriptions and Product Descriptions as you add a new design

Learn all you can about SEO

Add each design to as many products as appropriate

If you plan on adding lots of design, do go Premium sooner than later

Make your shop easy to navigate

Keep important stuff above the fold

Read the forums here AND elsewhere

Wear your own products and have business cards handy

Use punctutation in descriptions

Check spelling and grammar

Remember you are NOT the buyer, you cannot predict their taste.

Vary your words (vocabulary, vernacular) in descriptions.

Be patient

Post early, post often.

Link to your site from everywhere allowable.

Experiment with color. Look into color schemers, color theory and color palettes.

Learn what full bleed is, why it's important and how it can help you create better products

It's really hard to break a CafePress shop beyond repair. Experiment.

Patience is important. Success won't happen overnight. You'll have to put a lot into your shop to get a lot out of it.

Go premium as soon as you can afford it.

Learn all you can about tagging and SEO.

Add some sort of a stat counter to your shop and use the data you get from it to your advantage.

Research the market

Avoid using square designs with sharp edges and corners on apparel

Learn about copyright and trademarks

Read the forums. Learn from the success and mistakes of others

Learn to be efficient

Edit sections/products in a new tab or window to save on page loading time

Be aware of the 200 character limit on section teasers. Go over 200 characters and your sentence gets cut off leaving an untidy shop!

This list was compiled from many different Shopkeepers on the Cafepress Forum

Don't steal other people's designs This is a BIG ONE!

Don't do the same tired slogans or designs that everybody has already done.

Don't ignore the advice you asked for

Don't steal other people's designs

Don't pick a topic that you hate because you think it will make money

Don't expect instant success

Don't give up too soon

Don't under price your products

Don't delay new designs waiting for an old one to sell.

Don't waste 2 hours making a list, whyen everything on it would have taken 20 minutes.

Don't edit two shops at the same time in two different tabs/windows of the same browser. Trust me, you'll regret it.

Don't forget to Add Section Teasers, Section Descriptions and Product Descriptions as you add a new design. You'll regret it later if you have to go back in and add them for all your sections, products. It's much easier and more efficient to do them all when you add the design. It's how search engines find you!

Tags are keywords you assign to your images that help customers find your products in the CafePress Marketplace. Tags can be words that describe the image subject matter, theme, concept, creation method, colors, text and more.

Best Practices for Tagging

Remember Your images will NOT show up in the CafePress Marketplace unless they are tagged.

Your best bet is to tag images at the time you upload them, that way you won't forget to go back and do it later.

There is also lots of discussions in the Community Forums about Tagging images.

SHOPKEEPER TUTORIAL Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Optimize Your Shop for Search Engines

Make sure you fill in your Section Teasers and Description Boxes. You want to use as many keywords that describe your design as possible, while using complete sentences.

This is how people will find your stuff when the search Google and the like.

There is a whole section in the Community Forums to discuss SEO here is the link: Search Engine/Optimizing Product Exposure

Check these links for what you need to know to get started working with your images.

Beginners Image Workshop

Designing for Dark Apparel

Image Guidelines & Templates

Use the Community Forums. Cafepress has a awesome group of shopkeeper that are very willing to help you out. It's is amazing how supportive and helpful they can be.

Start off by reading the "Stickies" at the top of each category. These are the Topics that are in bold. There is a wealth of information there.

Then you can search for a question or topic you you want. If you can't find an answer, post a question and get feedback.

I use the Community Forums everyday still. I read through them every single morning to see what's new.

The Community Forums are an extremely valuable resource.

It's been five years since Basic Shops had a makeover - and we're pleased to reveal a new and improved look! Some of the main highlights include:

* The green header has been replaced with a slim, elegant header that won't detract from the shop logo and design.
* The entire look of the shop has been modernized, without changing the basic appearance.
* The Product Detail page has been updated to help increase conversion and includes a carousel displaying other products in the shop.
* The underlying HTML is designed to be standards-compliant and highly SEO-friendly.

Check out the New and improved Basic Shop look! cafepress.com

Check out these useful links:
Tutor Tanith CP Tips & Tricks

The Only Authorized Guide to CafePress.com Only $27.99

Hectic Studios : Working With HTML in Your Premium Shop

Unofficial CafePress Premium Shop Owner's Guide & FAQ by FoxVox

SHOPKEEPER TUTORIAL Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Optimize Your Shop for Search Engines

On May 15, 2008 Cafepress announced a New technology and New Products to go with it.

InfiniStitch(TM) embroidery is similar to traditional embroidery, as it uses dyed thread, is sewn directly onto the product, and is durable and safe for washing machines. Unlike traditional embroidery InfiniStitch(TM) allows for infinite colors and endless design possibilities. You'll find a variety of InfiniStitch(TM)-ready products - each as easy to create as any other CafePress product:

* Stonewashed Cap
* Military Cap
* Men's & Women's Polo Shirts
* Men's & Women's Performance Jackets
* Denim Shirt

Click here for InfiniStitch(TM) embroidery: Tips for quality products

This article Giving up? has some very useful information for beginners as well, so check it out.