Not so many years ago, our industry operated with simpler tools. Squeegees and ink. Needles and thread. Maybe a whiteboard or spreadsheet for scheduling.
Remember when you used to plaster parking lots with flyers for your shop? That was caveman social media.
These days things are far more complicated.
Whether you are the “one-man band” and operate your business by yourself, or your shop has a multitude of employees and is an around-the-clock juggernaut, there is one thing that can help simplify your business:
Monday, January 23, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1352)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
-150-150-p-L-97.png)
New article from Marshall Atkinson & atkinsontshirt.com. In December of 2016 I posted on my social media channels a simple essay contest for decorated apparel shops that read this blog. Send me a few paragraphs outlining your shop’s biggest challenge. Using that info, I’ll craft a response as the basis of an upcoming article. The winner receives an hour of free coaching help from me in return.
Monday, January 16, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1538)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
Here is Part 2 of an article that was recently featured in Screen Printing Magazine’s October/November 2016 issue, and on Screenweb.com, Kieth Stevens gives us some tips on printing on today’s modern fabrics:
Friday, January 13, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (2513)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
Tune-ups are a very important part of maintaining all types of machinery. A tune-up ensures that all functioning parts are performing at optimal levels. Decorators of all types rely on their equipment day after day to produce quality results. If neglected, these complex machines will slowly deteriorate and minimize production and profit potential.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1272)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
New article from Marshall Atkinson & atkinsontshirt.com. Here’s lies poor Rocky.
Once upon a time he ran a Garment (Fur) Decoration Shop (Tree) for all the other animals in his area.
He used to have a good business and made a lot of acorns over the years. Rocky wasn’t comfortable with change, as he always liked to do things “his way”.
Recently there has been a good bit of financial pressure in his Tree. Rocky has been losing acorns steadily over the last year or so. His wife Matilda has been in his ear about trying something new to grow the business.
She fancied a bigger nest in that Oak Tree across the pond. The one with golden leaves in the fall. You know the one.
Rocky’s biggest challenge is that gaze of Raccoons that work in the forest across from the farmer’s field. They built up a huge fur decorating enterprise seemingly overnight and have been steadily eating into Rocky’s territory. One client after another, they all seem to be heading away from Rocky.
“They don’t even do a good job!”, Rocky used to say jealously. “I’ve seen their work. Sloppy. In fact, I heard the Raccoons aren’t even doing the printing! They are contracting the orders out to those Badgers by the river. They run everything out of their basement Log. They just ship the goods in Raccoon branded boxes!”
But look at poor Rocky now. He’s a mess. Business indecision led to his heartbreaking demise
Monday, January 9, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1469)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
A sold-out crowd of 130 manufacturers, end users, and researchers gathered for the first “Digital Textile Printing: The Future Is Now” educational conference hosted by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and SGIA in Durham, North Carolina, December 6-7.
Big Picture’s Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Palmer was there; here are some of her top takeaways from the event:
Thursday, January 5, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (2446)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
A shop's layout can certainly help a business function better. Lon Winters of Graphic Elephants explains why in this excerpt from a longer interview.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1360)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
Every screen printing shop tries to run efficiently, but sometimes we get bogged down by the minutiae of day-to-day operations. So it’s important to set aside some time to analyze the systems in your screen printing department to make sure things are running smoothly.
If they’re not, here are three things you can do to improve efficiency and productivity:
Thursday, December 22, 2016/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1423)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
-150-150-p-L-97.jpg)
Can you suggest some approaches to building a darkroom for a screen-printing shop that has a limited floor space? This was a question posed by a Printwear reader, and here is Kieth Stevens’ response:
A booth can often be constructed of black plastic sheeting, which is relatively cheap to purchase. Choose a location close to the washout area to minimize exposure to light. Simply construct a 1′ x 3′ wooden frame and determine where to place the entry to the dark room. Staple the plastic to the frame and overlap some plastic to create the “door.” By overlapping the plastic sheets, it will minimize the light coming through during entry and exit. Also, be sure that the plastic cover reaches to the floor to block out light completely.
Friday, December 16, 2016/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1701)/Comments (0)/
Tags:
New article from Marshall Atkinson & atkinsontshirt.com. What is one of the number one growth area in the decorated apparel industry? Performance and Athleisure wear. The good news is that your shop can benefit directly from this boom by decorating on these trendier tech apparel blanks. Maybe you already are, and that’s great. There is better margin in them too; as they prove to be more difficult for some lesser educated or experienced shops to handle. I’ve talked to plenty of new customers over the years that left their previous decorator because the white ink turned pink on some red polyesters shirts (see the picture above – does this look like your handiwork?), and the printer didn’t take responsibility for the challenge.
Monday, December 12, 2016/Author: Anonym/Number of views (1539)/Comments (0)/
Tags: