One Man, Fifty Thousand Shirts and One Million dollars to make a story of hope and help a nation

Amazing people do amazing things and this one man with hope and a vision is doing just that.

Current reports are estimating that 50,000 lives will be lost in this tragedy—our vision is hope.

One by one, fifty thousand hand drawn tally marks create the “x” on your shirt, each one representing a life that has passed, and connecting it with a life that has committed to help rebuild. Your shirt is a symbol how one person,

multiplied 50,000 times, can do something amazing.

Each shirt will be individually numbered and all involved will have their names recorded on the Wall. You can be a part of something important. You can be hope.

My name is Steve. On Monday, May 19, 2008, I set a goal to sell 50,000 shirts and raise $1,000,000 to help in the aftermath of China’s 7.9 earthquake. Read the Entire Story here:

Topic: 50,000 shirts to raise 1 million dollars. A campaign to help support the ongoing 

relief effort in the aftermath of China's earthquake

Spread the word about this site and this man’s efforts to raise the one million dollars he is seeking-post on your blogs, tell your friends, rent a billboard – anything you can do to help !!

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Pink is the New Color

Cafepress adds Pink to the maternity tees that have only been available in white and black, One must wonder.. Why haven;t they added blue as well? Sexist Maternity T-shirts? Maternity Tees from Cafepress can be printed on the front and back (for an additional 3bucks).

What is nice though ; front printing also has two choices, chest and belly: These fashionable maternity shirts are the newer body hugging style that shows off that proud to be pregnant tee. Now if Cafepress will just get on the ball and add blue to the mom’s to be bringing boys into the world, hint hint. Read the Official Cafepress Announcement

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DETROIT  —  More than 40 seniors from a Detroit-area high school have been suspended (Video: MyFoxDetroit) for a day and could be banned from prom and commencement for wearing T-shirts that joke about underage drinking.

Stevenson High School officials said the messages “Puschin’ It To The Limit” on the front and “Class of .08 Seniors” on the back are inappropriate. The first is a play on Busch beer and the second refers to Michigan’s blood-alcohol limit for drivers.

Freep.com has More….

Forty-four students were suspended Thursday.

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With the very recent launch of Cafepress InfiniStich™ Embroidery apparel, comes many opposing views on this newest technology (which by the way is patent pending) so as much as Cafepress may want to further explain to the shopkeepers oviously their hands are somewhat tied.

Lat night’s CP chat was all about this new product line and the CP staff did their best to try and explain it all- An excerpt from the chat:

[2008.05.15 18:14:36] RyanCP: It does as some of you pointed out have it’s limitations, the main one being that you can’t embroider in any shape you want. Each product has a predetermined print area, for most products this is a circle, for the hat we sent out it is a rectangle. We maintained the same aspect ratio of buttons and lapel stickers for all of the circles, as InfiniStitch products are full bleed.
[2008.05.15 18:14:40] RyanCP: For the Military Cap we used the rectangular sticker aspect ratio. The concept was to allow everyone to cut over images that comply with the best practices outlined in the tutorial.
[2008.05.15 18:15:00] RyanCP: The hats are embroidered with traditional embroidery thread and dyed like traditional embroidery thread, so you can count on great durability when washing
[2008.05.15 18:15:00] jean / rotemgear: does Ryan’s marketing hat have embroidery on it?
[2008.05.15 18:15:17] RyanCP: Like the name alludes to InfiniStitch allows for infinite colors, so you are not limited by the number of thread bobbins in a machine. Having infinite colors allows for complex designs, images not usually available for embroidery, so we are also really excited about this portion of the technology. Again, the threads are dyed just like traditional embroidery threads.
[2008.05.15 18:15:20] RyanCP: The threads are also stitched to the cap just like any embroidered item you will find at a store.
[2008.05.15 18:24:15] RyanCP: It’s a matter of personal preference, but we obviously don’t think so — we did launch this technology and spend a good deal of time working on it. In our focus groups 9 out of 10 people thought it was “embroidery”, and the 10th person was confused as to exactly what it was, but still liked it.

You can read the entire chat at CafeChatter

What is it they say? You can please All of the people Some of the time,  and Some of the people All of the time  But you cannot please All of the people all of the time.

Read more at The T-shirt Review

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New Instructions for the New InfiniStitch™ Products are now available at Cafepress.

Colors: Mid-tones make it happen
Images with a variety of mid-tone colors reproduce the best.

Try to avoid large areas of solid black and white, or of any single color, as they can muddy the effect of the final product.

Beautiful Backgrounds
The main element of your design might normally sit well against a solid background, but as a part of an InfiniStitich™ Embroidery item, a more varied background will create visual interest and prevent large solid blocks of color.

Great Gradients
Gradients are ok to include in your image, and reproduce well with InfiniStitch™ Embroidery. It is in the nature of this printing process that gradients can appear banded.

Say it with Bold
Bold text will stand out better than thin and tiny text, which may become lost and unreadable.

Full Bleed for Full Effect
For the best results keep your images full bleed. If your design is against a white background, consider adding a background color all the way to the edge of the allowed image area.

View FULL instructions

On a Darker note: There is some conversation going on among the Shopkeepers- that some of the templates for these new products revolve around the number of the Beast 666

The New Ceramic Pet Bowls are 6.66″ x 2″ and the new InfiniStitch Embroidery templates are 3.33″ which is 666pixels. One Sk’er stated:

I worked at a Walmart for 4 years …
I had some VERY interesting responses to a sales total of $6.66…
They varied between… “uh… just add a pack of chewing gum…” to
“Cancel the sale, this is a sign.. I’m going home and going to bed for
the day!” to “Walmart IS evil!!! ACK! YOU’RE the ANTI-CHRIST!!!”
LOL
And those were from simple random chance totals…
CP actually CHOSE 666 for their template size. 🙂

Actual examples of Infinistitch™ Embroidery Caps:

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InfiniStitch™ Tutorial InfiniStitch™ FAQ Want Help?

Are there any other products that match the aspect ratio of the new InfiniStitch products? Yes! Many of your images will directly transfer over to the new InfiniStitch™ products, please see the chart below for details. The full bleed aspect ratios match exactly, making it easy for you to create new InfiniStitch™ products. Don’t forget to check the tutorial for Infinistitch™ to ensure you are using the best images for this technology. Stonewashed Cap 2.25″ circle 3″ x 3″ 2.25″, 3.5″ buttons & magnets, lapel stickers Men’s Polo Shirt 2.5″ circle 3.33″ x 3.33″ 2.25″, 3.5″ buttons & magnets, lapel stickers Women’s Polo Shirt 2.5″ circle 3.33″ x 3.33″ 2.25″, 3.5″ buttons & magnets, lapel stickers Denim Shirt 2.5″ circle 3.33″ x 3.33″ 2.25″, 3.5″ buttons & magnets, lapel stickers Men’s Performance Jacket 2.75″ circle 3.66″ x 3.66″ 2.25″, 3.5″ buttons & magnets, lapel stickers Women’s Performance Jacket 2.75″ circle 3.66″ x 3.66″ 2.25″, 3.5″ buttons & magnets, lapel stickers Military Cap 2.5″ x 1.5″ 2.75″ x 1.75″ Rectangular Sticker Will this product be automatically added to my store? No; InfiniStitch™ products will not be automatically added to your store. While InfiniStitch™ products share the same aspect ratios as existing products, there are image guidelines that are different from your existing image catalogue. We have put together a guide for getting you started here. Will these products be eligible for bulk adds? No; InfiniStitch™ products are not eligible for use with the bulk add tool. While InfiniStitch™ products share the same aspect ratios as existing products, there are image guidelines that are different from your existing image catalogue. We have put together a tutorial for getting you started here. How does InfiniStitch Embroidery compare to traditional embroidery? InfiniStitch™ 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. InfiniStitch™ Embroidery is superior to traditional embroidery in the following ways: Possibilities Infinite colors: Ability to have an infinite amount of color Endless Possibilities: Most existing artwork can be applied to InfiniStitch™ Embroidered products, even photographs! Simplicity Short Process: No digitization necessary. Accessible: No special design talent or skills necessary Quick: All InfiniStitch™ Embroidery products are produced with same shipping times as existing products Value Affordable: Revolutionary prices for one-of-a-kind merchandise Revoluntionary Pricing Model: Flat pricing, not traditional per-stitch pricing Are InfiniStitch™ Products backed by CafePress’ 100% satisfaction guarantee? Yes, like all CafePress products InfiniStitch™ Embroidery products are 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

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The Cafepress Huge New Product Release Surprise leaks to the POD watching community before launch.

Somehow the new leading-edge product launch for Cafepress (while under wraps and even kept secret from the Cafepress Voice Teams) managed to go public before they were ready. Embroidered look caps were sent to select shopkeepers by someone at Cafepress and the word went Wild!
This innovative product is not traditional embroidery. It’s a process called InfiniStitch Embroidery and is patent pending. There will be No set up fees. and unlike traditional embroidery, photos and complex designs will look great with this process.
So, while this is a huge innovative money making product for Cafepress to get ready for a SUPER CP launch, the super-secret managed to get out of the gates before the product launch- Oops. Somebody spilled the proverbial beans.
What other secrets does Cafepress hold for it’s shopkeepers and customers? New, Cool, Neato Must-Have products? Stay Tuned! YOU just never know what may be next!
These cool embroidered POD caps (Or as another blogger coined– EOD Embroidery on Demand) are Alternative Apparel Caps Chino twill military-style cap with pre-curved bill and velcro closure. Unstructured.

InfiniStitch is a new, patent-pending embroidery printing process. It is NOT traditional embroidery. There are pros and cons with InfiniStitch Embroidery.

What our printing process can do that traditional embroidery can’t are:

1) does photos
2) offer an infinite amount of colors of thread
3) no special design talent/designer/file format is necessary
5) produced with the same SLAs as existing products
6) no set up fee

So no, this is not traditional embroidery, but it is very cool!

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Word has it that the Zazzle Top Dogs (Top shopkeepers are those who make over 1k/mo on a consistent basis) are busy recruiting the Cafepress Top Dogs in the latest quest to fill the Zgalleries with money making shopkeepers. The competition between two of the most popular online POD t-shirt companies turns it’s ugly head when reportedly in January of 2008 Zazzle was Bedazzling some of the top shopkeepers from Cafepress in efforts to get them to Zazzle exclusively.

The last year at Cafepress has brought many changes that have seriously effected shopkeepers and in response to the changes, many of them have opened doors to other PODs for selling their designs. Not to say all of these changes have been bad, but they have been something of serious rethinking for some shopkeepers on the strategy of the company. The latest being section ceilings for premium shops and the largest of shops being the most seriously hit hardest.

My guess is that since Zazzle is seeing much of the overflow of serious shopkeepers who make PODing their business, opening free galleries at Zazzle – no wonder the thought may have occurred to the Zfolks to swoon these top dogs over to their side.

Each POD has it’s benefits and serious money making shopkeepers/gallery owners are not going to stay in one locale anyway, but this may have gone over the edge for most folks.
The Blog, T-shirt Chat Says:

I can’t help but shake my head at anybody who signed. Why would a Top Shopkeeper close down their CafePress Shop, cut all earnings and then attempt to ramp up Zazzle to the same level. I can’t see it happening myself. And what was stopping you diversifying before hand and running the two in parallel? Nothing – rhetorical question, don’t answer.

As One Blogger writes: One thing CafePress should be watching out for, forget about Zazzle, is Spreadshirt. They are doing things right without the evil aggressive tactics, and are putting together a premium package that will attract people like myself.

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