Fabric, a vetted membership community for print shop owners, is now accepting applications for its second cohort of members, launching in July.

Founded by Bruce Ackerman (Printavo), Steven Farag (Campus Ink) and Kevin Baumgart (Sales Ink), Fabric was created to fill a gap in the decorated apparel industry by providing support, coaching and guidance to help businesses grow and thrive.

In March, Fabric launched its first set of core groups for shop owners. The three groups, each consisting of seven to 10 members working in non-competing markets, meet monthly with an executive coach/facilitator. During the meetings, facilitators help drive accountability, support goal setting and foster positive conversations in general.

Grow Your Screen-printing Shop

Per the organization, “Growing a profitable print shop is challenging. The journey involves tough decisions and often leaves owners feeling isolated and drained. Participating in a core group of industry peers creates accountability and helps owners gain clarity, support and direction.”

“We are creating a space where the business owner can become financially secure and be in full control of their time,” says Printavo’s Ackerman. “This doesn’t happen in many shops today.”

Campus Ink’s Farag adds, “I’m confident that if the shops take their core group seriously, they will move into a realm of peak business ownership.”

For more information, visit Fabric.ink.

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A simple way to test whether the ink is cured completely is to do a stretch test. If the ink does not crack while the fabric is stretched, it’s cured. Photo courtesy of International Coatings

One thing that has stayed the same all these years: What falls off at the end of the dryer is NOT the ink’s fault! YOU own it!

You are the last line of defense for everything that happens prior to laying the garment onto the dryer. Some of you might be balking at this idea right now but let me explain.

I get called in to situations when there’s a problem. Most of the time they blame the ink, and 99 percent of the time it’s not the ink, but something else. The ink is probably the most consistent thing you have in the shop, maybe that and the emulsion. These inks are tested in a laboratory prior to being released for sale, whereas most shops do not have the ability to perform the types of tests the laboratory can. Yet, the shop owner will call me because they “feel” that it’s the ink’s fault.

There are many factors that can affect the outcome of a print, and I’d like to address some of the most common ones, so that you won’t get to the “now what?” point at the end of a print production. There needs to be checks and balances way before the final print falls off the dryer to assure that the results are as perfect as can be. What follows are a number of the more common sources of trouble when screen printing—problems that, again, have nothing to do with the quality of the ink a company is using.

Garments: If the garment isn’t correct—meaning the size, color or construction quality—you are the one who applied the graphic to it. Whether the garment was supplied by you or the customer, it’s your responsibility—and the cost to reprint the job on the correct garment can be costly.

Image Placement: Whether you printed the left chest image on the back by mistake or the back image on the front or whether you accidentally taped off a portion of the logo or trademark—again, that’s your mistake. (By way of example, on my real first professional print job back in 1981, I printed the REMO drum head logo on the back instead of the left chest of 72 brown sweatshirts. Not good!)

Ink Type: Did you use white ink made specifically for use on a cotton garment on your 100-percent poly red shirt or use a poly ink on a 100-percent cotton garment? Both are no-no’s. Let me explain: If you use a standard cotton white on some dark polyester fabrics, it’s possibly some of the color or dye from the polyester can migrate or sublimate through your ink and alter the ink color. Using ink specifically to print on polyester fabric can help prevent that from happening if used and handled correctly. Keeping the cure temp as low as the ink will allow and cooling them off immediately after curing will also help prevent dye migration.

Gel gloss was integrated to some of the “spines” and other features of the fish to achieve that underwater look. Photo courtesy of International Coatings

Similarly, when using ink for polyester on some reactive dyed cotton fabrics, it is possible, under the right circumstances, to have the polyester ink bleach or “ghost” an image on any cotton fabric that it touches. Ghosting only happens when you use certain low bleed and 100-percent polyester white inks on cotton fabrics that are still hot and have some moisture remaining within the fabric. If the printed fabric is left in contact with reactive dyed fabrics while hot, you may create a ghost image of the polyester ink print on the reactive dyed fabric.

If you run into such a problem, here’s a tip—cooling the garments off directly out of the dryer will help prevent the ghosting from happening.

Dryer Settings: Did you make sure that the dryer temperature is correct for the type of ink being used (low-cure vs. regular cure type inks) or for the type of garment you are printing on (100-percent cotton vs. 100-percent polyester for example)?

While heat is vital for curing and fusing ink, finding the sweet spot is key to avoiding energy waste and maximizing profitability. Heat is a necessary evil. You need it to do the job, but any excess turns it into an enemy.

Under-curing is the problem I encounter the most when people complain about the ink. Use a temperature gun aimed at the inside of the dryer to measure the temperature more correctly. Slow down the belt speed if needed. Typically, the ink should reside in the dryer at least one full minute at the cure temperature suggested by the manufacturer.

Close up of the FX Gel Gloss application on the spines. Photo courtesy of International Coatings

If you do detect that the ink is under-cured, be careful not to run the ink through the dryer a second time at temperatures that still would not cure the ink. For example, at 250°F (121°C) the ink will still be heated to only 250°F (121°C) and still will not cure if it needs to hit 280°F (138°C) for it to be fully cured, no matter how long you run it through the dryer.

Ink and Screen Rooms: You can learn a lot about a screen-printing company just by looking to see how seriously they take their ink and screen rooms. These areas are key stages of the screen print process. Strive to streamline these critical stages. It’s kind of like looking into a restaurant’s kitchen—a lot can be learned about how the food will taste when you see the kitchen in which it is prepared.

Are there pin holes creating little spots of ink on the garment? These pesky little dots may not show up on your first few shirts or even the first 1,000 shirts but can develop while the production run continues. So, check your screens—and prints—frequently throughout the day.
For the most part, these holes can be practically eliminated by creating a clean, dust free and dry environment in all your screen-prepping areas.

Create profiles for your coating and exposing department, then create and maintain a proper ink kitchen. The profiles will help keep your prints consistent from operator to operator and from customer order to their reorder. This simple implementation will save you countless hours and dollars over the years.

Monitor Constantly

Many printers try to make screen printing a “set it and forget it” type of business, but it simply will never be. There are countless things that can change throughout a production run, whether it is a simple 100-piece run or 100,000-piece run. The numerous factors involved make a “set-it-and-forget-it” approach unrealistic, expecting the 1,000th print to be the same as the first. Consistent monitoring is key.

Plastisol inks, for example, are thermoplastic, so you can expect an ink that has been exposed to residual heat from pallets that have passed through multiple flashes to change its characteristics as printing progresses.

To achieve the thick layers of puff that were incorporated in this print, the ink must meet the correct temperature. Photo courtesy of International Coatings

At first, the ink will become creamier and thinner as the squeegee agitates it by going back and forth. However, over time it will start to thicken, or gel, as the heat from the pallets affect sits thermoplastic characteristics. Thinning and thickening will alter the ink’s opacity and may cause variations to your design throughout the duration of the production run. The print you get at the end of the production run may not look like the sample that was approved at the start.

Not all inks are created equal. Some brands may use a large percentage of liquid thickener in their products, which can exacerbate the problem. Inks containing liquid thickener may start out thicker, but the ink will liquify to a thinner viscosity during the production run. This additional factor could introduce instability in the viscosity of the ink, which could in turn affect the opacity of the print.

Another factor could be the weather. Let’s say you have a job for 100 shirts to print manually, which can be printed in one day. In this case, you can assume the weather will be the same from the first print to the last. If, on the other hand, you are lucky enough to land a 100,000-piece job on an automatic, then you may be printing the same image for 20 or 30-plus days. (3,000 prints per day x 33.5 days is 100,500 shirts). Any change in the weather over the course of the production run can influence the garments’ moisture content and the dryer temperature.

If you are printing a large job, consider burning a second set of screens to save on down time in case one of the screens rips. It would be great if all the screens last over 100,000 prints, and it may even be possible but…the cost of the extra screens pale in comparison to the hour of downtime in case a screen (or multiple screens) must be prepped for replacement.

Other Factors

Even though we like to think that plastisol ink formulas are complicated and sophisticated, it ultimately comes down to only a few ingredients that affect the curability of each batch created. I can assure you that every batch we produce is thoroughly tested for curability as part of our standard quality control procedure.

It can be assumed that all manufacturers thoroughly test every product they produce as well. However, it is impossible to test every batch of every garment produced. Garment manufacturers are constantly tweaking their dying processes, and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the garment variables. With the constant ebb and flow of chemical and dyeing evolutions, it is simply impossible to duplicate every scenario in our lab that could come up in the real world.

This is why I refer to this industry as an art form. Only a professional with years of experience can draw on their “trial by fire” education that enables them to keep the production flow going with minimal downtime and loss. Again, as much as we would like it to be, most of our industry processes are not simply “set-it-and-forget-it” type steps.

Quality Control Checkpoint

With proper curing, puff ink can add so much depth to print pieces. Photo courtesy of International Coatings

Every single garment or substrate that falls off the end of the dryer is the printer’s responsibility. No one is going to hold your hand and make sure you did it correctly. The right color, the right garment, the right placement, the right design, etc., all require your attention. Put together a quality-control checklist and go through it for every order: Once after you print the first production sample; once midway through production; and once when the job is completed.

Here are a few suggestions for what your checklist could include:
Is the garment going to bleed or possibly ghost? When in doubt, test the fabric. Is the correct type of ink being used? Did you correctly spell the customers’ company name? Is the garment being printed the one the customer ordered/provided? Is it the correct color and size? Does the image go on the front, the back or on the sleeve? Do they have a PMS color callout?

There are so many things going on, but one of the simplest and easiest things to check at the end of the line is whether the ink is cured. The cool thing about plastisol is that if you catch the job before it goes out the door to the customer, you can re-run the garments through the dryer, either slower and/or by raising the cure temperature of the dryer once again. You probably could save the job that way—instant hero status!

Kieth Stevens is the Western regional sales manager for International Coatings. He has been screen printing for more than 42 years and teaching screen printing for more than 12 years. He is a regular contributor to International Coatings’ blogs; and won SGIA’s 2014 Golden Image Award. He can be reached at kstevens@iccink.com. For more information, visit iccink.com. You can also follow the company’s blog at internationalcoatingsblog.com.

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To see the complete list of 2025 Impressions Industry Impact Awards Winners, click here. Photo courtesy of International Coatings

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A rear-mounted exhaust hood for Vastex D-100 infrared conveyor dryers. Image courtesy of Vastex

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—A new rear-mounted exhaust hood for Vastex D-100 infrared conveyor dryers exhausts fumes emitted from curing of direct-to-film (DTF) adhesives and collects glycol residue, it was announced by Mark Vasilantone, president.

“The rear exhaust removes harmful DTF fumes from the shop environment while collecting glycol condensate, protecting the operating staff as well as the dryer’s heating elements, making it a ‘must have’ for safety-conscious DTF printers,” he explains.

Independently powered, the exhaust hood snaps onto the rear of any D-100 dryer, and is offered as an option on new units, or separately to retrofit existing units. Variable controls for both heat intensity and conveyor speed allow fine-tuning of the curing process and rate at which items are being coated with DTF adhesives.

Configured for Precision Curing of DTF Transfers

The dryer is equipped with an 18 x 46 in. (45.7 x 117 cm) conveyor belt and a 16 in. (40.6 cm) square, 1,625-watt infrared heater which carries a 15-year warranty. Available in 120V or 240V versions, the dryer can be placed on a tabletop or utility cart and can be paired with a Vastex PTF-100 powder applicator to both coat and cure DTF-printed films. The dryer is also suitable for curing up to 110 plastisol-printed garments/h, or 50 garments/h screen printed with water-based ink or discharge.

Updated 4/24/25

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Goof Proof® transfers are a fast, cost-effective alternative to DTF, delivering the soft feel of real screen printing. Perfect for 1-2 color designs, they arrive pre-cut and ready to apply—no cutting apart required. Orders placed by 3 PM ET ship the next business day, helping decorators meet tight deadlines without the setup, equipment, or overhead of traditional screen printing.

Goof Proof transfers can be applied to cotton and poly/cotton blends, with two temperature settings to prevent scorching on heat-sensitive fabrics. They are available in two standard sizes— 9-inch by 12.75-inch and 11-inch by 14-inch—with a minimum order of 25 pieces. Bulk pricing discounts make them a cost-effective choice for decorators fulfilling orders for teams, schools, businesses, and events.

“By offering Goof Proof transfers on stahls.com, we’re giving more decorators access to one of the industry’s most trusted screen printed transfers,” said Josh Ellsworth, Chief Revenue Officer at GroupeSTAHL. “It’s a proven, fast and reliable solution to help them meet customer demands with confidence.”

For more details, including free sample requests, color options, and pricing, visit stahls.com/goof-proof.

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According to M&R, effective immediately, Nazdar SourceOne has been granted exclusive distribution rights for M&R’s industry-leading products in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

Per M&R, the expansion “enhances Nazdar’s reach within the United States and underscores both companies’ commitment to the screen printing and garment decoration industry.” The announcement aligns with M&R’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, marking yet another milestone in its legacy of innovation and excellence.

Nazdar SourceOne has been a partner of M&R’s for over three decades. According to M&R, “What began as a dealership relationship has evolved into a true strategic partnership built on shared values and a mutual commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology, chemistry and manufacturing solutions…integrating M&R’s advanced graphic and textile screen printing solutions with Nazdar’s pioneering ink formulations.”

“In the ever-changing landscape of the print industry, our partnership with Nazdar has remained a cornerstone of innovation,” said Danny Sweem, CEO of M&R. “Nazdar’s technical expertise and forward-thinking approach continue to drive advancements that benefit our customers worldwide.”

DTF and DTG Printing Partnerships

According to M&R, the collaboration “reached new heights” with the recent introduction of the POLARIS Industrial DTG Platform, what it described as “a breakthrough in direct-to-garment (DTG) printing.”

The M&R Quatro DTF printer is one of a number of efforts the two companies have collaborated on. Photo courtesy of M&R

Per M&R, “POLARIS has set a new standard in the industry with its unmatched print quality and speed, made possible in part by Nazdar’s advanced ink and pretreatment solutions. This synergy extends to the POLARIS S4 Digital Pretreat Unit, which revolutionizes the application of pretreatment by delivering precise volumes only where needed, further optimizing efficiency and quality.”

Additionally, M&R says its expansion into direct-to-film (DTF) printing with its QUATRO series has been made possible through Nazdar’s rapid development of a the requisite high-performance inks.

“Our partnership with M&R has been built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect over the past 30 years,” said Richard Bowles, president and CEO of Nazdar. “This expanded partnership is a key component of our national expansion strategy. By combining M&R’s cutting-edge equipment with Nazdar’s technical expertise and industry-leading portfolio of products, we are confident that we can help our customers achieve new levels of success.”

Inks and Screen Printing

Launched in 1922, Nazdar manufactures a comprehensive line of UV, UV-LED, water-based and solvent-based digital inkjet, screen printing and narrow web inks and coatings.

For its part, since its founding, M&R has “helped countless screen printers realize their dreams by supplying them with innovative screen and digital printing products that stand the test of time.”

According to M&R, “We have the right solutions, from pre-press to product finishing, for shops of all sizes. M&R equipment is designed and built with a commitment to quality, durability and innovation, and is backed by unrivaled 24-hour service and support. With efficient systems integration from start to finish, it’s no surprise that year after year, print after print, M&R’s hard-working equipment is the choice of professional printers around the world.”

For more information on M&R Printing Equipment and its collaboration with Nazdar SourceOne, go to mrprint.com/nazdar.

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Present for the award ceremony were (from left) last year’s winner, Dave Gardner, director of creative embellishment at Gildan; Squeegeeville founder Andy MacDougall; the Ink Kitchen’s Rick Roth; and past award winner Mike Beckman. Photo courtesy of Impressions Expo

An internationally recognized designer with 40-plus years of experience specializing in high-quality screen printing for advertising, posters, and a wide range of industrial and decorative applications in addition to textile printing and T-shirts, Nadirashvili has long been renowned for his creativity and technical expertise.

Nadirashvili joins previous award winners screen-printing pioneer Dave Gardner, director of creative embellishment at Gildan; Andy Anderson of Anderson Studios in Nashville, Tennessee; and screen-printing innovator Mike Beckman, now with M&R, in this the fourth year of the awards.

CEO of Midi Print Screen Printing Company

In addition to being the president and CEO of Midi Print, a company known for, among other things, its music and life-themed prints, Nadirashvili is the founder and president of the Russian Screenprinting Association and a member of the Academy of Screen and Digital Print Technologies (ASDPT).

A man of many talents, Nadirashvili is also the leader of a contemporary jazz band that has played around the world, including in many music festivals in the former USSR and Eastern Europe.

“This award isn’t just a reflection of my work. It’s a testament to the fantastic people who have been part of my journey in the T-shirt world, to people who not only shaped my career but also the person I am today…your belief in me gave me the confidence to aim high,” Nadirashvili said via video, being unable to make the trip to Long Beach from his native Russia.

“I may not be there in person, but I am there in spirit celebrating the incredible work we all do,” Nadirashvili added. “To the entire print and design community, thank you for inspiring me every day.”

For a video of the entire presentation ceremony, which includes a number of examples of Nadirashvili’s work, see below:

Updated 4/24/25

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Speed is more than just a competitive advantage. It’s the difference between being a contender and being left in the dust. Yet, so many shops in the screen-printing industry are still chugging along with a 10- to 14-day turnaround, while others have mastered the three to five-day workflow.

Where is your shop on your production turnaround?

One common theme remains true for the entire industry: the shared challenge of accomplishing tasks faster. This isn’t just about boosting sales, increasing productivity or maximizing profits. It’s about gaining a competitive edge or being the shop that can deliver in record time. We’re all in this race together, constantly seeking ways to accelerate our progress.

First Gear: Your Orders

Let’s shift into first gear and get this article rolling by discussing the most critical ingredient for shop speed. Your customer and their order. Why is this important?

What you constantly say, yes to, matters in terms of how fast you turn that order around. What are you agreeing to daily and for what type of production method? As we can’t bend the laws of time and physics, your shop must add the necessary elements to increase the speed for your average order, no matter the type. What are you missing to put the pedal to the metal?

This may mean different things in different shops. Some focus on larger orders, which might mean adding equipment or shifts to reduce turn-time days. Others focus on many smaller orders, in which case the killer question will revolve around faster setups or getting the necessary inventory in the building to begin production.

Shifting into first gear here with speed means you need clarity of purpose for your business focus. Eliminate the junk getting in the way of building a faster way to turn jobs based on your typical customer order.

Solve the problem. The speedbumps getting in the way and the excuses you make can be mitigated.

For example, many shops stock inventory in black, white, gray and their local team color in full case quantities per size. There are also automatic quantity levels that trigger purchasing more stock. What happens, though, if someone requests something in a color that isn’t in stock. Maybe try replying, “Here’s the turn time for that. If you need it faster, here’s what we offer.”

You might also try simplifying your offer. If speed is the hallmark of your offering, what scenarios with your market get in the way of a faster turnaround? Your shop’s practices must align with the orders you accept. Audit the work you are saying yes to. Can you earmark the “best practice” orders you receive that allow you to jump up in speed?

Speed Checklist

• Is the order the kind you typically accept, or is it something weird? Weird things take longer.
• Is all of the order information accurate and entered correctly in the system?
• What is the ship date? This is the most important piece of information regarding the order. What will prevent you from shipping on this date? Mitigate that concern early.
• What guidelines have you set up for orders you are accepting?

Second Gear: Having the Right Equipment

Next, examine the type of equipment and software you have deployed in your shop. Older equipment may be paid off, but newer equipment and ideas can significantly increase production.

If you have been to a trade show in the last couple of years, you probably have noticed the upgrades in production equipment and other support machines for the industry. Are you taking advantage of these new industry upgrades?

Speed often comes in the form of automation, which in turn can allow you to take various steps out of a process and/or significantly improve the output.

For example, many shops still use film positives to prep transfer an image to a screen in screen-print production. However, while this is a tried and true method and foundational for smaller shops, companies with computer-to-screen or laser-to-screen systems enjoy a pronounced speed advantage. Moiré and emulsion pinholes are also virtually eliminated when taking this approach. How many minutes a year in your shop are you wasting trying to eliminate these two challenges alone?

Did you know you could have printed about 12 shirts every time you stop your auto press to tape up a pinhole? How many times a year do you think you are doing that? Multiply that scenario over 12 months and discover the time savings you will get by solving this one problem.

Most likely there are hundreds of instances like this floating around your business. Are you spending the necessary time to monitor these challenges and compare what you’re working with now to more modern technology, software and consumables to see if there is a better way of doing things moving forward?

Time savings comes in small increments. A second or two savings at any stage in your production processes will be cumulative. Everything stacks. Annualize the impact of improving something. Even a tiny improvement could save hours or even days over the course of a year. Honestly, it pays to rethink your work.

Speed Checklist

• Is all your company’s equipment functioning properly? What isn’t working as it should?
• Are multiple employees trained on the equipment? What happens if someone gets sick or goes on vacation?
• What parts of your process could you automate?
• If you change the type of work you accept to gain speed, do you have the equipment to produce this new work?
• What are you putting up with because “that machine is paid off?”

Third Gear: Quality, Quality, Quality!

Quality control. Yep, that tired old nugget. However, in the context of speed, it is crucial. How can you get faster if you are doing anything over a second time? In my experience, many shops don’t even track their errors. You absolutely need to comprehend the quantity, reasons and potential solutions for errors in every department.

And this isn’t just limited to production. It could be incorrectly ordered inventory, incorrect shipping information, or artwork or digitizing challenges.

These problems are an anchor for your business. They’re holding you back.

A great way to start solving these issues is with an exercise called “Root Cause Analysis.” Often, the real cause for a situation is farther upstream than where the error occurred. Keep asking “why” something happened and what led to it happening.

By the way, most errors are caused by two things: information or training.
Better information produces better results. Keep track of why your team makes mistakes. I’ll bet you many of those challenges are information related. This could be input from your customer or with order entry. Simply typing in 84 instead of 48 can greatly impact what happens in other departments.

Keeping track of your challenges is a great way to learn what is slowing you down. And I’ll say this again so everyone in the back row can hear me: This isn’t limited to production. In fact, the biggest culprit is generally the sales or customer service team and the order entry process. Wrong or incorrect information can lead to problems in many departments in the shop.

Speed Checklist

• Where do most of the mistakes happen in your shop?
• Start a spreadsheet and record the problems. Fix them so they don’t occur again.
• Be neutral when investigating problems. Yes, it could be Fred. But what if Fred wasn’t trained properly, or he’s trying to make things work with old machinery?
• Measure. Numbers don’t lie.

Fourth Gear: An Effective Workforce

Now, let’s examine one of a business’s most crucial parts: its people. Let’s face it, you are only going to go as fast and as well as the people on your team. What are you doing to train these folks to become print superheroes? This is an ongoing, constant effort to raise the bar in your shop.

In racing, the driver might be behind the wheel, but an entire team is needed to help the driver win. Drivers can’t do it alone. They rely on mechanics, engineers support staff, logistics people and layers of management. Believe it or not, about 100 people work for each car.

Here’s a cold, hard fact: Not all employees give the same effort or have the same attitude toward learning. This brings us to the magic phrase: “Change your people or change your people.” Your job as a leader is to help your team get better at what they do. However, some people don’t want to change, are complacent or have other soft-skill issues.

I know a shop that changed everyone in its 35-person workforce over the last couple of years, dialing in this concept. They can regularly turn jobs in three to five business days, but most jobs are out the door in about two days after they get everything they need to start (garments and art). They rely heavily on software, automation, processes and standard operating procedures to give them the lift they need. They have simple rules for running the business and guardrails to ensure everything happens properly.

The chaos is further minimized by ensuring it doesn’t make it onto the schedule. They say no to jobs that are not aligned with the work they want to produce. They also say no to employees who get in the way of this mission. You can too. This is where mission, vision and core values intersect.

Speed Checklist
Practice the “Rule of 3.” There should be three trained people for every core function in the shop.
Bring in outside help to train staff members in best practices.
Send staff to training sessions, conferences, trade shows and even friendly shops willing to share how they do things.
Give everyone clear expectations regarding what success looks like in the work they do. Support them so they can do it to the best of their ability.

Fifth Gear: Organization

I’ve been to a good number of shops. The ones that produce the most have one thing in common: clarity. Everyone knows what to do next. Jobs are lined up and ready to go early. Every department has a stringent production schedule. Systems are everywhere, and the people who do the work help build them.

Organization is important because it focuses on effectiveness. There is a difference between efficiency and effectiveness.

For example, you can print 500 full front prints at record speed. Super efficient! Then you realize you should have printed the image on the back of the shirt. (Insert car crash skidding and crashing sound here.)

I’ll take a crew that works effectively at a comfortable pace and doesn’t make a mistake over a team trying to go so fast misprinting becomes a serious liability any day of the week. Wouldn’t you?

Get clear on what should happen and set this up so people can instantly know how to succeed.

Speed Checklist

• All information is double-checked for accuracy early. Consider every field on the order mandatory.
• Work out when each step in your process is due. Work backward from the ship date. The ship date is the day on the calendar that the order has to leave the building. It should be ready to go one business day before. Every department is responsible for their piece of the order.
• If any employee is struggling, they should feel safe raising their hands and asking for help.
• Inventory must be checked in and counted on the day it is received. Find out where the time bomb is long before your production date, so you will have time to resolve it.
• Line up tomorrow’s work today. Print a schedule and arrange each job in the order it should be produced.
• It’s okay to say no to jobs that are not profitable or not in your wheelhouse.
  What are you measuring? What are your current KPI’s, or key performance indicators? Are they what they should be? If not, what do you need to do to get them there?

Overdrive: Making it Happen

So, how do you put all of this together? First, let’s face facts. You aren’t going to get faster by reading this article. The only way that will happen is by putting in the work. Actions make things happen.

Something else I’ve learned having completed many of these kinds of improvement projects over the years: it can’t be top-down. You have to involve the whole team. They probably already know the reason why something is slow.

Get the team together and have a chat. What are their ideas on getting better? Can they name the things they hate or complain about at dinner every night? I’ll bet they can.

Fix those first.

Remember the old adage, “Man supports what he helps create.” More often than not, simply barking orders at people will only lead to resentment and little, if any, improvement. Knock out what your team already knows is broken, but has been too busy or too shy to say anything about.

This will create momentum and some early wins. When your crew sees positive change, they will be more willing to work on the next idea. A year from now, when you have made significant speed improvements all over the shop, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to begin. Time to start your engines!

Marshall Atkinson is a veteran designer, custom apparel decorator, business coach and principal of Atkinson Consulting, (atkinsontshirt.com). This past year he launched the online “Midjourney: Elevating Print Creativity” newsletter.

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“Designed for established screen printers and growing enterprises, JetBlack automates the journey ahead, eliminates cross-contamination of chemistry and accelerates your profitability,” company says. “It’s time to take command of the darkroom and watch your productivity to take flight.”

Powered by screen-reclamation products specialist Easiway, the system is capable of reclaiming 160-200 screens per shift with the help of its fully integrated dip tank prep area, high pressure wash chamber and drying area.

Other advantages of the JetBlack include the ability to eliminate cross-contamination, thanks to the system’s in-line dehazing and degreasing technology, which ensures your screens are pristine and flawless; streamline your darkroom operations with the help of the system’s compact, industrial-grade design; and keep workers safe from harmful chemicals.To see a video of the system in action, click here. To learn more about the system, click here.

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“For decades, Lawson and Workhorse have been at the forefront of screen and digital printing equipment manufacturing,” said Taylor Landesman, Vice President of Lawson Screen & Digital. “By merging our strengths, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable solutions that empower print businesses to succeed. Our combined expertise, resources, and shared dedication to the industry make this a natural and exciting next step.”

The merger reflects the companies’ shared vision of Better Together, creating new opportunities for growth and advancement in the industry.

“I’m excited by the ability to offer an expanded product line, enhanced customer service and support, along with innovation and advancements that will benefit Workhorse-Lawson customers,” says Tyler Dummett, President of Workhorse Products.

Both Lawson and Workhorse will continue to operate as normal, with no changes to staff, contact information, or day-to-day operations. Customers can expect the same exceptional service and support they have come to trust.

For more information, visit lawsonsp.com/blogs/education-and-training/lawson-workhorse.

The post Lawson Screen & Digital and Workhorse Products Announce Strategic Merger appeared first on Impressions.