To expand our school's student-ran store and entrepreneurship program by adding sublimation printing capability, giving students at Autism Collier Charter the opportunity to design, produce, price, and sell a wider range of custom-printed products (such as mugs, shirts, tumblers, and other personalized items), building on the vocational, business, and independence skills already developed through the store's existing engraving production line.
Students will learn to operate the sublimation printer and heat press safely and independently (or with appropriate support) as part of their role in the school store's production team.
The school store will expand its product line to include custom sublimation-printed items, increasing sales variety and customer demand.
Students will gain experience with a new production method, broadening their exposure to different tools, materials, and processes within the same entrepreneurship pipeline.
Students will continue practicing core entrepreneurial skills design, quality control, pricing, inventory, and customer service.
The program will give students additional transferable vocational skill (sublimation printing/heat pressing) relevant to potential future employment in printing, retail, and custom goods industries.
Vocational & Career-Readiness Skills:
Exposure to skills relevant to the printing, apparel, and custom-goods industries — real sectors with entry-level job opportunities
Entrepreneurship & Business Skills:
Builds understanding of product differentiation: comparing cost, materials, and margins across two different production methods
Independence & Life Skills:
Continued practice with fine motor skills and attention to detail, applied in a new context (image placement, alignment, pressing)
Social & Communication Skills:
New opportunities for peer collaboration as students take on different roles across two production lines (engraving vs. sublimation)
Engagement & Motivation:
Growing product line gives the whole program more visibility and recognition within the school and community, reinforcing student pride
Sublimation Printer $500: The core equipment needed to convert student designs into sublimation transfers. This will allow students to take an active role in the design and printing stage of production, reinforcing both creativity and technical skill.
Sublimation Paper $100: Consumable paper used to print each design before it is heat-pressed onto a blank product. Ongoing paper purchases will be built into the store's own product pricing so the program can sustain itself.
Sublimation Ink $120: Required ink specific to sublimation printing; necessary for the dye-transfer process.
Butcher Paper $50: Used as a protective barrier between the heat press and the product during pressing.
Heat Tape $20: Heat-resistant tape used to secure the sublimation paper firmly to the blank product during pressing, ensuring designs stay aligned and preventing "ghosting" or shifting during the press cycle.
Shrink Wrap $30: Used to wrap tumblers and similar curved blanks tightly before baking, ensuring even ink transfer around the full surface of the product.
Heat-Resistant Gloves $60: Required safety equipment for students handling freshly pressed or baked items, which reach high temperatures. This directly supports safe, independent student operation of the equipment.
Auto Heat Press $250: An auto-open press reduces the risk of burns and improves consistency compared to a manual press, making the pressing step safer and more accessible for students to operate with appropriate support.
Oven (Tumbler/Mug Oven) $150: Needed to properly cure sublimated designs on tumblers and mugs, which require baking rather than flat pressing. This expands the store's product range beyond flat items like shirts and mouse pads.
Blank Mouse Pads, Keychains, Tumblers, and Shirts $400: Starter inventory of blank products for students to personalize and sell through the school store, giving them an immediate, real product line to design, produce, and price as part of the entrepreneurship program.
