One of the biggest game-changers I've seen recently is how good AI has become at creating realistic marketing images. A few years ago, if I wanted to show a product being worn or used, I'd have to: • Organise a photoshoot • Buy stock images • Use Placeit • Spend hours in Photoshop creating mockups Now? I simply upload a flat product image and tell ChatGPT what I want. For example, I uploaded images of some baby racing suit designs and asked ChatGPT to create professional motorsport-themed photos of babies wearing them. Within minutes it generated realistic promotional images showing babies in pit lanes, race garages, on podiums and beside race bikes. No photoshoot. No models. No Placeit subscription. No Photoshop compositing. Just the product image and a well-written prompt. This is where AI becomes genuinely useful for business owners. Think about what you sell: • Clothing • Gifts • Printed products • Books • Courses • Food products • Merchandise If you can create realistic lifestyle images in minutes, you can launch products faster, create more adverts, test more ideas and spend less time designing. The technology is moving ridiculously fast. The businesses that learn how to use these tools today will have a serious advantage over those still doing everything the old way. Have you tried creating marketing images with AI yet?

Heads up, everyone—I’ve got a super useful bit of free training coming your way soon! 👀 If you’ve ever created a complicated image with a black background (especially using AI) and wanted to print it on a black shirt, you know how tricky it can be to get that pro look. This weekend, I’m recording a step-by-step video showing you exactly how to: - Remove the black background from your image for perfect printing on black garments - Add halftone effects to areas that fade to black, for a smooth, pro finish - Reduce ink coverage to give your shirts a softer feel and better overall quality - This is a real game-changer for anyone creating designs with AI and wanting to level up their print results. I’ll walk you through the whole process in Photoshop, so you can follow along and apply it to your own artwork. Keep an eye out – I’ll be creating the video this weekend and posting the video straight after! Steve

If you’re ready to take your learning to the next level, our full step-by-step course is available - click to access Inside, you’ll discover: - How to design and brand your clothing - Printing methods that work for small businesses - Marketing strategies to get your first customers 💡 Pro Tip: Start with the free mini-resources in the Classroom, then jump into the full course when you’re ready to create real products and sales.

With increasing competition, more and more sellers are saying that it’s difficult to find success on Etsy. ‍ So is it still worth it to sell on Etsy in the UK despite the challenges? Apparently, Etsy fees include a $0.20 (is that £0.20) listing fee for each item, renewable every month? A 6.5% transaction fee on sales, and additional payment processing fees. These fees add up and its a very copetitive market. Does any one have a breakdown of what their monthly total fees that their willing to share please?

I am somewhat amused about the huge difference if DTF pricing by the meter. I have seen one company advertise at £40 per meter, another at £14 a meter and a new one in the mancheter area at £5.99 per meter. I have purposly not mentioned any names as the question isnt about individual bur about quality of output. Will the £40 per meter authomatically be the top/best quality prints and does it follow will the £5.99 per meter be the lowest quality. Does anyone, irrespective of location, have an opinion please?