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August 21, 2019
Daniel Rim has always been interested in graphic design.
No stranger to the realm of sticker and garment creation thanks to his position as ecommerce manager for an Australian snowboarding group, when he started looking for a side venture a couple of years ago, it made sense that this sort of industry is where he focused his attention.
The Colour Cartel is Daniel’s brainchild, where his stickers and apparel are made available to his customers.
Getting the best ideas when you least expect it
Daniel says that the idea of making his own stickers really took root whilst attending the Outdoor Retail and Snow Show in Denver, Colorado, earlier this year. He got talking with a friend of a supplier, who owns a Canadian based company that makes ski and snowboard wax. “He was pouring his own wax and he had to make his own packaging. He was like ’I bought a sticker printer to make my packaging, and now I’m doing more stickers than I am bloody wax’.”
“I was like, that’s a cool idea - ‘cause obviously, in the snowboarding industry, everyone’s got stickers for everything. That was where it started and it sort of stuck in my brain...I guess that’s where the initial idea came from.”
Settling on the BN-20 was simple
Once he returned to Australia, he threw himself into research and it quickly became clear that Roland DG’s VersaStudio BN-20 was the right choice.
“It was more just about getting something that was going to give a high quality print cut and something that I could obviously sink my teeth into and learn,” Daniel says.
“I loved the fact that the BN-20 was a printer cutter, something that...had quite a wide range of applications that I could use it for. Whether it be printing vinyl stickers, whether it be t-shirt transfers - whatever you can think of, the BN-20 can do it all.”
Daniel was also looking for a machine that would be relatively hands free. He liked the idea of setting it to print, going to work and coming home at the end of the day to the job being completed. Although the BN-20 requires more of a hands on approach at the moment, as he is still learning the ropes and performing testing, he looks forward to the day when he can do just this.
“And the size as well. The size for me was a big one, ‘cause...it’s in the spare room at my house.”
Extensive research has paid off
When asked how he is finding the BN-20 so far, Daniel says it’s fantastic.
“The other bonus is all the tutorial videos...that Roland DG put up as well. It’s good to go through those and then go off Gus’ recommendations as well, just so you’re getting all sides to the story.”
“Just finding what works for you - what works for me might not work for someone else.”
He says that he is very thankful he made the decision to purchase the BN-20 through Machines Plus. “[Gus] was very very educated on the topic - something that I had very little education in - and he answered a lot of the questions that I had outstanding as well, something that I struggled [to find] with everybody else”.
Daniel has found himself really enjoying the BN-20 so far. “I actually quite enjoy making [stickers],” he says, “it’s something that I enjoy doing in my spare time. Even if I don’t have a job on, I’ll sit there and I’ll start designing stuff for myself.”
So what’s next?
With his whole life a bit of a juggling act at the moment - Daniel is an avid lacrosse player on top of his ecommerce position - he is hopeful that he’ll be able to grow The Colour Cartel over the summer months when things have died down a bit. “Over the coming year, I’d like to be able to consistently turn over some stickers and [t-shirts] each week. In the next couple of years, I’d like to...employ someone and to continually grow and move, maybe add a couple of extra machines.”
Not alone in his love of graphic design, Daniel has a handful of friends who also enjoy designing in their spare time. “They’ve all got very different styles. If they’re able to create designs in their own style, then they’re more than happy to do it but if they’re restricted to doing what other people want from them and working from a brief, then they find it a lot harder.” It is his hope to feature them on The Colour Cartel website, offering their work as an option to his customers.
“I’m burning the candle at both ends at the moment, but...it’s enjoyable. I like doing it, it’s not a chore - I enjoy making logos and stickers. It’s not something that I dread to do, it’s something that I’m quite energised to do.”
We see some great things on the horizon for Daniel and The Colour Cartel, and wish him the best of luck for the future.
Machines Plus is a supplier of quality printer/cutters for heat transfer vinyl, as well as accessories, for the garment decorating industry. Gus and his team help digital decorators to get ahead in their business by selling the latest in machines, consumables and apparel for direct to garment printing (DTG), heat transfer, dye sublimation and UV printing. They supply big name brands like Epson, Ricoh and Roland DG. They partner with customers, matching the right solution to their business and provide unbeatable value and experience. Gus and his team support customers in regional Australia as well as major cities, both domestically and internationally.
