With the popularity of athletic garments in today’s fashion trends, print shops are seeing stretchy substrates make their way through the door. Printing jobs like cheer uniforms, team jerseys or workout gear are on the rise. There are several things to consider about the garments themselves and how you plan to tackle them. First you … Continued

If you’ve been in the industry for more than four minutes, you’ve had an end user approach you with a pitch that goes something like “If you can just print 12 pieces now, I promise I will have 1200 more in no time!” The roots of this experience are with someone who believes they are … Continued

Embroidery backing is important for a strong foundation when embroidering on different materials and styles. Backing is a sheet of material that is hooped and embroidered along with the fabric you are embroidering. The material acts as a stabilizer, supporting the fabric and stitches while you embroider. I have worked on many decoration cases in … Continued

The art of science is rooted in an equal split between knowledge and luck. This has never been more accurate when we review the technique of water-based screen printing. The number of inputs that need to be considered for an optimal print causes many shops to shy away and mostly use plastisol ink. As the … Continued

When you work with contract decorators across the US, you quickly see that they all have different brands of DTG machines. And yet the same thing always comes up — no matter the brand, maintenance upkeep on the machine is a must! Call it TLC for the printer — this extends the life of the … Continued

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s… A Decoration Spec Sheet? You read that right. After years of work behind the scenes, we are proud to announce that the Decoration Spec Sheet is here! Created by your Decorator and Digital Solutions Team and built from customer feedback, this resource provides design sizes … Continued

As an embellisher of apparel, you’ve likely spent a lot of time adding various materials to garments as a means of decoration. What if I told you there was a decoration technique that embellishes and enhances the garment by removing from it, instead of adding to it? What is Laser Etching? Laser etching is a process … Continued

More and more key decision makers in the workplace are considering a company’s sustainability efforts centered around People, Planet and Product. This focused energy is a great place to start assessing what your company is already doing and where to go next. As interest rises, so does the need for products and decorations that align … Continued

The heat press is probably the easiest piece of decorating equipment to learn to operate. In today’s world of labor and staffing shortages, it can be a great way to bring inexperienced help into the fold by quickly giving a new employee the confidence and help develop an eye for detail that will help them … Continued

A constant question every screen printer has to weigh is whether or not the ink has cured correctly. The results of the ink being either under- or overcured will be a print that doesn’t hold up to the test of time in a washer. There are inherently unique differences to printing with water-based and plastisol … Continued