Over the last 15 years I’ve grown my shop, Axelrad Screen Printing, (axelradarmy.com) from a two-head tabletop manual press all the way up to seven autos and 45 employees. During that time the most common question I have been asked by someone trying to gauge the shop’s capability is: “How many machines do you have?” For the record, I find this to be an absurdly inaccurate metric, though I understand the point. Still, the question seems strange. I’ve never heard of anyone asking a contractor how many drills they have when getting a quote for a new deck.

I’ve always felt like the seemingly common use of this metric as a starting point for deciphering a shop’s capabilities also offers a hint as to why some shops fail. When someone says, “We’re a 10-auto shop,” I can’t help but think, OK, did you have an initial investor, or did you build the shop one auto at a time? Clearly, one of these two tracks is going to be more stable than the other.

All that spins is not gold! Simply adding more production capacity in the hopes your business will also grow is no way to plan out your company’s future. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

On that basis, I feel like many shops are willing to prematurely invest in machinery as a way of potentially attracting more clients, holding fast to the trusty “if you build it, they will come” approach. Unfortunately, while this philosophy can work, it comes with a lot more risk than building your infrastructure one step at a time. Which brings me to my main point: being financially ready to increase your production capacity by purchasing additional machinery is not a guaranteed indicator you’re ready to grow that way.

Obviously, the financial side of these decisions needs to make sense. But to me, understanding how adding machinery affects the overall workflow of your shop is just as important—and tragically overlooked in all too many cases. For my own part, I adhere to the principle that every time a shop expands the amount of machinery it puts into production, it may gain some percentage of capacity, but it loses a percentage of its overall efficiency as well. It’s unavoidable and must be accounted for when weighing the pros and cons of acquiring new equipment. Not only is this concept written into the basic workings of the natural world, but in economics as well—as the law of diminishing returns.

With this in mind, when acquiring new machinery, the game becomes less about adding capacity and more about increasing or, at the very least, maintaining efficiency. It flips the narrative from proactive to reactive. Consider this: when you finally get that second auto, you’re capable of doing double the work. But when you get a third auto, you’re doing only 50 percent more work overall, and with a fourth auto you’re gaining just 25 percent. Each additional press constitutes a diminished percentage increase to your shop’s overall capacity. So, as you grow, each additional machine inherently has less of an impact on your overall capacities, assuming your overall efficiencies remain constant—something that is by no means a given.

In light of this reality, the following are five things to consider before taking the plunge and buying that auto or that shiny new multihead embroidery machine you’ve been eyeing.

1: Shift into high gear: Consider adding a second shift with your current machinery

If your company is located in a labor market where two shifts are possible, this is always a far more effective alternative to buying more equipment, even as it shifts the problem from being a strictly financial one to one of employee structure and staffing.

That said, turning one machine into two by adding a second shift is a luxury that can only be afforded by those shops in a demographic area where it makes sense. There are shops in metro areas that are moving around the clock; however, there are also shops in small towns that are asleep by 9 p.m. If you’re a smaller shop with one or two machines, having a second crew run a job into the night that was set up at the end of the day shift is a feasible approach. Once you get into having multiple machines moving at night, though, your need for additional management becomes apparent—not to mention having to deal with the added demands on your screen and ink departments as well.

Before you know it, you are taking on the daunting task of staffing the entire shop for a second shift, which can be difficult if not impossible in a highly competitive labor market. It’s important to consider and weigh your options in order to determine whether buying another machine and/or expanding your day shift with another operator or two will, in fact, make more sense in the long run.

2: Capacity Needs:  Are you adding machinery to accommodate just your busy season?

While on the topic of employees, before making any investments into new machinery, it’s important to ask yourself: are you currently staffed for your busy season or for your slower months?  Whatever your answer, you are bound to run into a problem at some point. The inherently erratic nature of the custom decorated apparel industry is a burden we all share. Before making an investment in either equipment or staff, it’s important to make sure you’re being conscious of how this investment will play out in terms of both your busy and down seasons.

The author’s company didn’t become the size it is today overnight, but grew in stages reflecting the amount of business it’s been able to generate over the years. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

Aa a general rule of thumb, the minimum amount of machinery you need on the slowest month of the year is the actual size of your shop. If you base your growth on your busy seasons, you’ll have machines sitting idle the rest of the year. It’s certainly better to run your machines harder in the busy times. Working on proper scheduling and maximum efficiency with the least amount of equipment you can get away with is imperative. If you’re running two machines now at 50 percent of your capability, adding a third will only exacerbate whatever issues you may already be facing.

Identifying and solving any and all of the issues that may be preventing your current machines from running with full efficiency is the key to having confidence in expanding. If buying more equipment feels more like a risk than a no brainer, it’s probably because of efficiency issues, in which case you don’t really need it. You might find it surprising how much you can increase your capacity with the equipment you already have simply by adjusting the processes around them. Think things like kitting, better and faster screen prep, press setups or any other bottlenecks your shop may be experiencing. If the press ain’t running, it ain’t makin’ money! In my experience, a lot of shops bypass this kind of analysis, probably because in many cases it’s harder to do than taking out a loan for a new piece of equipment.

3: Words talk, numbers scream: Measure your output, control your metrics and use numbers to inform your decisions

Having the processes in place to measure your current output and machine efficiency is of paramount importance before growing your infrastructure. If you cannot yet look at an accurate data sheet of what your machine, or machines are currently producing then maybe it’s not yet the time to buy another one. Sure, you can buy another, but you won’t have any way to judge its effectiveness or return on investment. For anyone planning on growing their business in a healthy manner, you’re going to want to make sure you’re doing this accurately at every step from the very beginning. It’s not hard keeping track of these kinds of things when working at lower production capacities. But as you start to expand it 1) gets harder and harder to doing so and 2) become exponentially harder trying to go back and retroactively get a clear idea of your original baseline.

4: Rule your mind or it will rule you:  Don’t grow just to say you did

Oftentimes, the allure of appearing successful can cloud one’s judgment. Be careful you aren’t expanding just to say you did, or to create the illusion of growth for the sake of impressing either your competitors, or your family and friends. Sometimes just having the necessary tools on hand will make you feel like you can do the job. However, there’s a lot more to running a successful business than just investing in a bunch of new gear. It’s important to be conscious of the natural influence our egos can have on us as we make business decisions. Growing too fast is a sure way of growing yourself out of business. Exercising restraint and patience is key when it comes to expansion. Be honest with yourself. Is this really the right time, or do you just want it to be?

5: To thine own self be true, navigating industry trends:  Define who you are and only invest in the trends that suit your needs and goals

In the decorated apparel industry, it seems like every three to five years there is a tectonic shift in the industry due to the emergence of some kind of new technology; however, investing into industry trends is always going to be a risk. When new technologies emerge, it’s important to be able to decide whether or not you should be investing or let it pass and try and weather the storm. There are areas in life where the natural world rewards impulsivity, but in my experience, the decorated apparel business is not one of them.

As your business grows, it is important to identify and develop the niche it occupies in the industry. No one can specialize in everything, and if you don’t know what your specialty is you’ll fall for anything. It’s important to know who you are as a business and where you’re going at all times. That way, as new industry trends emerge, you can make informed decisions as so whether or not a particular new technology is pertinent to your overall goal.

One of the thrills of our profession is the pressure to constantly evolve, not just technologically but creatively. That said, because our ever-evolving industry can be overwhelming as well, it’s crucial to be mindful of those foundational aspects of the business that never change no matter what the equipment you may be using: quality work, excellent customer service and an honest work environment. These are things that remain the same irrespective of whatever else may be going on in the world. Getting the basics right will make deciding whether or not to expand a lot less scary.

Dennis Condusta currently serves as the production manager at Axelrad Screen Printing in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (axelradarmy.com). In addition to screen-printing, Axelrad provides a host of other services, including embroidery and design. Condusta is also a regular Impressions Expo conference series presenter.

The post What to Know Before Growing Your Custom Decorated-Apparel Business appeared first on Impressions.

Working With Faded Edges

When creating your designs for DTF transfers, one of the biggest issues you need to be mindful of is faded edges or transparent areas. The reason for this is that after the image is printed from an inkjet printer, an adhesive powder is applied to the ink, which helps the transfer stick to the fabric. As a result, with DTF transfers the ink droplets or tiny spots used to produce faded edges and transparent areas are too small, so the powder doesn’t have enough surface to cling to. They may, therefore, not adhere properly or could peel over time, leaving rough, splotchy areas. To prevent this, there are a few different options you can utilize when creating your art from scratch or adjusting a design you may already have to make it work.

The easiest way to avoid faded edges is to create a path around the edge of the main element with the pen tool (see below) and delete the unwanted faded areas. Image courtesy of Dane Clement

Hard Edges – The simplest way to avoid printing faded edges is to create a solid image with a clean, hard outer edge. If you already have a design that has a faded edge, you can easily fix this by using a selection tool like the pen tool. Create a path around the edge of the main element or area that you want to keep with the pen tool, then make a selection of the path, invert the selection and delete the unwanted faded areas. Now you can use the image in a layout with no worries.

Using Shapes – Another handy trick to avoid faded edges is to place your image inside a shape with a clean, hard edge. You can use basic shapes like circles or rectangles, but try thinking outside the box as well. Try pasting the image inside of text or create unique freeform shapes using the pen tool or any other tools like a hard-edge paint brush. Create a shape that complements your image or layout idea. For example, if you are creating an image for a swim team or a fishing design or something with a water-related theme, make a giant splash shape. It will create a much more intriguing, eye-catching design.

Large Halftone Dots – Among the advantages of DTF transfers is the ability to print small details. It is this advantage that provides the next option for dealing with faded edges to work. In fact, the use of large halftone dots has become very popular with DTF transfers, as it allows you to keep the integrity of the design instead of needing to eliminate areas and sacrifice the original look.

Once the path has been created, you can make a selection, invert and delete the unwanted faded areas. Image courtesy of Dane Clement

If you have a raster design with faded edges, start by making a selection of the original image. When using Photoshop, you can do this by holding down the Command/Control key and then clicking on the art layer. You should see “marching ants” running around the perimeter of the image denoting the fact it has been selected. Make a new layer and fill the selection with black. Duplicate the file so you have two separate files available. The new file will be used to create the halftone.

In the Menu Bar, go to Mode > Grayscale. Turn off all the layers except the layer with the black faded shape. Go back to the Menu Bar > Mode and select Bitmap, where you will be prompted to flatten your image. In the first window that pops up, make sure the resolution matches the resolution of your image. (I always set up my images at 300 ppi.) Click OK, and in the next window set up the halftone specifications.

For the frequency, the smaller the number the larger the dot. The larger the dot, the more “graphic” the image will look. I recommend a frequency of 20 lpi. For the angle, I use 61 degrees and a dot shape that is either round or ellipse. Round dots will give a more traditional, graphic look to your image, while elliptical dots will look more organic and provide more surface area to adhere to the garment. The look you want the final product to have can help dictate the dot shape you’re ultimately going to want to use.

Once the halftone screen is set, change the mode back to grayscale. Now you need to transfer this halftoned greyscale image to the original layered art file. To do this, click on the tab at the top of the window for the grayscale file and drag it out of the window to separate the files into two separate windows. Now you can go to the channels panel of the grayscale file and drag it to the art file. It will automatically create a new channel in the art file with the halftone in it.

That done, hold down the Command/Control Key, click on the halftone channel and go back to the layers and make a new layer. Fill the selection with a color that will work with your image. It can be black, white, gray, a neutral color or even something that will match the shirt color the image is going to be applied to. The reason for this is you need these dots to be solid to adhere to the shirt. By filling the selection with a color, it acts as a backing color to fill the dot so the halftones will be solid and have enough area for the adhesive powder to stick. Once the color is filled into the selection, make sure the art layer is above the halftone layer. Hold down the Option/Alt key and click between the two layers. The art layer will automatically be pasted inside the halftone layer. Viola! Your original image with the faded edges now has a halftoned edge.

Note that while DTF transfer can hold small details, there remains a limit as to how small you can go. Check your printer for its specifications and then use that measurement to determine what dots may be too small to hold. Erase those that are too small so you are only left with printable dots.

There are two tricks I use to help determine and eliminate dots that are too small. First I make a new layer, and use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to make a round selection at the smallest size recommendation from my printer. Fill the dot with a bright color that will stand out from the image. You can then move the dot around to see what dots need to be removed.

Another quick way to remove several small dots at once is to make a selection of the halftoned artwork. Contract the selection 2 pixels and then expand the selection 2 pixels. Invert the selection and delete. This will automatically delete any dots smaller than 2 pixels. Depending on the size of the dot you can hold, you may need to increase or decrease the amount of pixel contraction and expansion.

You may still need to double check using the small reference dot, but this will help remove a lot of unprintable dots at once so that you’re not wasting time manually checking and erasing.

Although today’s DTF transfers have a lighter feel than in year’s past, it’s still a good practice to include some open spaces in your design where the garment can show through. Image courtesy of Dane Clement

Having a Light Hand

As with any printing method, the more ink you use, the heavier the design will feel on the shirt. While today’s DTF transfers naturally have a lighter feel, it’s still a good idea to design your layouts with some open spaces where ink won’t print and let the garment show through. The less ink you use, the lighter and more comfortable the garment will be.

If you already know the color of the shirt you’ll be using, you can create some cool openings in your design by knocking out that same color from the image. For example, if your design is going on a black shirt, you can use the Color Range Selection tool to pick the black in the design and knock out that part of the design so the black of the shirt shows through. This will reduce the amount of ink being printed giving the transfer a lighter feel. After that, you can use the same technique described previously to apply a halftone screen to the entire layout for a nice finishing touch.

To Print or Not to Print

Now that you’ve got some pointers for creating artwork to make better transfers, how are you going to do the actual printing? As with all production methods there are the options of either doing it yourself or contracting it out. Of course, doing it yourself means the expense of equipment. If you go to a trade show, you’ll see all kinds of DTF equipment available out there, but you really need to do your homework to make sure you understand the ins and outs of what’s involved. The equipment, the ink, the adhesive powder—there’s a lot to consider.

To create some openings in this design, the black portions of the design were knocked out to let the black material of the garment itself show through. Image courtesy of Dane Clement

On the flip side, there are any number of printers out there that you can send your designs to and have your transfers produced. The only equipment you need is a heat press. For those just getting into the business, this might be the best. It gives you a chance to get started with lower out-of-pocket expenses making it easier for you to get off the ground quicker and easier.

If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you know how DTG printing flooded the market in its early years. Everyone had one. Now only those companies that really invested in and took the time to understand the technology remain. Just as DTG boomed, the same might be said for DTF. In time things will likely level out, leaving only those who can afford to maintain and invest in the continued betterment of the process to provide quality transfers. It’s something to consider when trying to decide between doing it yourself or finding a quality supplier who can do it for you.

Just as you need to do your homework when looking into possibly buying equipment, you need to investigate and research the various DTF transfer providers out there. Not all are providers are created equal! You want to go to a trusted business that really knows and understands the product. I suggest sending a design to a few different companies to compare.

Cheapest isn’t always the best. Color quality might be poor. Adhesive may seep out from under the color print leaving an unsightly outline around the printed area. Registration from the colors to the white ink might be out. Some peel hot, while others peel cold, taking longer to get through your job. The transfer might not adhere properly and start to peel. Even ink quality isn’t the same. There are trusted companies that use inks that are certified clean and safe. Others don’t. If you want to grow your business, you need to provide a superior product, and superior products come from trusted, knowledgeable companies. Shop around and talk to others to make sure you’re getting the best product possible.

The DTF race is on, and you don’t want to be left behind. Making sure you create designs properly that work well and then having them produced using quality printers, supplies and products is the way to stay ahead of the crowd!

Dane Clement is president of Great Dane Graphics, as well as vice president of creative for GroupeSTAHL. He has been speaking and writing for the decorated-apparel industry since 1987. He has also authored several artwork-training books for various garment-decoration methods. For more information or to comment on this article, email Dane at dane@greatdanegraphics.com.

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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 Ninja Transfers

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Decorators of all kinds are adopting direct-to-film (DTF) as a means of improving their bottom line. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we look at the nuts-and-bolts of DTF and the question of large print orders. In Part 2 of this series we look at the advances now being made in the areas of DTF special effects and purchasing options/decisions.

I write these words in the wake of the 2024 Impressions Expo in Fort Worth, Texas, (which takes place in Dallas, Texas, in 2025) and the timing couldn’t be more appropriate. Why? Because of the absolute tidal wave of direct-to-transfer, or DTF, tech that was on display there.

Custom DTF providers, DTF machines large and small, education sessions on everything from DTF design to pricing and marketing, it seems DTF is everywhere these days.

DTF (Direct-to-Film) Technology is Now Well Established

And why not? As is the case with many cutting-edge technologies, DTF proved problematic at first. However, it didn’t take long for materials suppliers, equipment suppliers and the DTF community as a whole to get many, if not most, of the kinks worked out. The result is a decorating methodology as reliable as any other methodology out there.

One of the great things about DTF decorating is the low barrier to entry. All you need is a quality heat press and you’re ready to go into business. Note how the transfer material on this Ninja Transfers’ print can be removed before having to wait for it to cool. Photo courtesy of Ninja Transfers

Not only that, but many of the limitations, as it were, of going with DTF have also become less of an issue as the DTF ink and systems manufacturers of world continue to hone their craft. Case in point: the growing automation of the process, from transfer creation to actual pressing, allowing DTF to increasingly nip at the heels of high-volume screen printing.

The growing number of custom DTF transfer providers out there also makes it incredibly easy to get started in this kind of decorating, thanks to a combination of increasingly sophisticated online design services and faster and faster delivery times. Get yourself a quality heat-press, create an account with a reputable custom DTF manufacturer, and you’re ready to go.

“DTF transfers have been a game changer for hundreds of thousands of businesses,” said Michael “Ninja Mike” Nemeroff, CEO of custom DTF provider Ninja Transfers, describing the technology’s continuing growth. “DTF has been the ultimate superpower for our industry and beyond, allowing businesses to customize almost any product, any material, any color, in any location. If a customer wants 10 different designs on 10 different products/materials and 10 different locations, it doesn’t matter.”

“As advancements in color accuracy emerge and some of the brightest minds in the industry focus on refining the process, enhancing both tactile feel and printing efficiency, DTF transfers are expected to capture an ever-larger share of the decoration market,” agreed Dave Conner of custom DTF provider STAHLS’ Transfer Express, whose company also manufacturers some of the industry’s most advanced heat presses.

A higher-volume Mimaki press complete with shaker/heater as distributed by Hirsch. Photo courtesy of Hirsch Solutions

Along these same lines, Nate Sprowell, vice-president of custom DTF printing at 613 Originals emphasized the aforementioned low barriers to entry and continued innovation as key drivers of the technology’s success. “Before DTF, the industry often required hefty investments in equipment, materials and space, or hitting high order minimums to make production worthwhile. Now, anyone with a heat press and a creative vision can start small and grow profitably,” Sprowell said.

“As the landscape continues to evolve, DTF will find its way into other sectors and business models,” agreed Zac Biberstine, director of product management at M&R, a longtime force in the world of screen-printing that has recently made a serious splash in the DTF world as well with its new QUATRO Direct to Film Transfer Printing System. “The rise of direct-to-film may not have been predicted by everyone, but it is very clear now that DTF is here to stay.”

For his part, Marc Vila, director of marketing at ColDesi, a leading providing of DTF printers, ink, film and other supplies, said: “There are many large-scale screen print production facilities who have not yet adopted this technology. As their equipment ages, they will.”

How DTF Custom Apparel Decorating Is Done

In practice, DTF consists of a multi-step process whereby a full-color (CMYK) image is printed onto a sheet of specially formulated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) release film that is then applied using a standard heat press. In an important intermediate step, a powder adhesive is also sprinkled onto the design immediately after printing. This adhesive is then heat cured along with the ink making up the design to create an image that will adhere to the item being decorated, i.e., heat pressed.

Among the benefits of this approach are the fact that:

• The resulting transfer does not have to be heat-pressed right away, but can be stored pretty much indefinitely. This in turn provides an excellent means of managing inventory and avoiding waste, since you can easily decorate individual garments on demand, as opposed to having to screen-print a bunch of T-shirts in advance—shirts you may never sell.
• There are no screens to burn, nor do you need to worry about things like color separation or half-toning, as is the case with screen-printing. Download the design you plan on applying and a high-resolution, full-color image comes out the other end. DTF is great for reproducing photographs, for example, a heavy lift for screen printers, especially.
• Turnaround times couldn’t be faster. Download the desired design, print, apply the adhesive powder and press—that’s it. Again, because the transfers can be stored indefinitely, small or even individual orders can be processed on demand. Time-sensitive orders, in particular, become a piece of cake.
• In contrast to sublimation and direct-to-garment (DTG) decorating, DTF can be used on a wide range of fabric types, including cotton, blends, polyester, nylon and neoprene.
• There’s no need for any kind of pre-treatment, as is the case with DTG, and DTF works well with all fabric colors, including dark ones, unlike sublimation, which only works with very light colors or white.
• While there’s a learning curve, DTF apparel decoration is much easier to master than methods like screen printing or embroidery. There’s also no cutting or weeding to do, as is the case with heat-transfer vinyl.

“DTF shines when you’re working with small orders of one to 10 pieces or detailed designs that require full-color CMYK printing. It’s also incredibly easy to place and apply, thanks to the carrier film,” 613 Originals’ Sprowell said. “With DTF, you can print and store transfers, then apply them as needed…The same transfer can be applied to different fabrics, colors or even items like bags or hats without additional prep.”

A closeup view of the shaker feature on the ColDesi DTF-24H4 printer. Photo courtesy of ColDesi

“DTF on hats and bags and jackets etc., this has been an absolute game changer,” agreed Ninja Transfers’ Nemeroff. He noted DTF also works well decorating harder-to-process spots, such as sleeves. “Pressing on sleeves is much easier than printing on sleeves in our experience.  While we still screen print, it’s been a huge advantage we’ve had by pressing on sleeves especially when the design is more than one color, in a tough location, or a complicated design.”

“Direct-to film-has emerged as the go-to decorating solution for low- to medium-quantity orders, offering full-color, high-quality capabilities on a variety of fabrics with minimal setup and equipment,” STAHLS’ Conner said. “Screen printing, by contrast, involves significant costs associated with the press itself and the labor required for setup and operation. The process—setting up screens, inking them and registering the print—can take as much time as it would for an operator to complete 24 or more pieces on a heat press.”

If this all sounds too good to be true, well, there’s a reason why DTF has been taking off the way it has of late—because it’s a truly outstanding technology. That said, DTF poses its share of challenges as well. Again, though the issues at play are hardly insurmountable. The situation also remains a very dynamic one, given the technological advances that continue to be made throughout the industry.

DTF and the Challenge of Large Production Runs

Since its inception, decorators interested in DTF have had to bear in mind the number of garments they plan on decorating. If you’re looking at a production run of, say, a few dozen T-shirts, great. If, on the other hand, you’re looking at an order for hundreds or even thousands of shirts, the situation can become a very different one.

Vividly shaded and detailed designs are simplicity itself with a quality DTF print. Photo courtesy of 613 Originals

In terms of costs, for example, the nature of screen-printing is such that, once you’ve got your screen, or screens, burned and registered and the system up and running, the cost of decoration drops to mere pennies per shirt.

In addition, a fully automated, six-, eight-station press not only has to be seen to be believed but is capable of outputting literally hundreds of T-shirts per hour with little if any effort on the part of operators other than threading and then removing the shirts from the platen on which the actual printing takes place.

Compare this with the many steps required in DTF decorating, including printing the design, applying and curing the adhesive powder; cutting out the design from the sheet on which the design has been printed (assuming the design is one of many printed onto a single piece of film); positioning each shirt (or garment) individually; positioning and then placing the design to be heat-pressed; doing the actual pressing; removing the shirt or item you’ve pressed; and then, finally, peeling away the transfer material.

Again, all this may be no big deal if you’re processing a few dozen shirts. However, if you find yourself having to decorate garments by the hundreds or thousands, even, you’re talking a fair bit of effort.

High-volume Direct-to-Film Decorating Technologies

Today’s double-platen heat presses, like this Dual Air Fusion IQ, are expressly designed with throughput in mind. Note the system’s ProPlace IQ feature, which projects a pair of design images onto the two platens to ensure timely, accurate placement. Photo courtesy of STAHLS’

That said, when it comes to dealing with higher-volume orders, custom DTF suppliers and heat-press manufacturers are doing everything they can to make the heat-pressing process as easy as possible through the development of everything from products like STAHLS’ EasyRip technology (which eliminates the need to have to actually cut multiple DTF transfers apart) to automated, multi-platen presses and laser-placement systems (to ensure each and every transfer is positioned as it should) and transfers that can be peeled either hot or cold, thereby allowing an operator to remove the transfer film immediately after pressing, as opposed to having to wait for it to cool.

By way of example, pretty much every U.S.-based heat-press manufacturer these days includes one or more pneumatically operated presses in its product line; this in addition to the many manual presses out there equipped with “pop up” features that allow them to open up automatically after a set time, freeing an operator to step away if necessary during the actual pressing process.

Also available are fully automated shuttle-style presses that include a pair of separate platens allowing operators to remove and then re-thread a new shirt onto one of the platens while the other is engaged in pressing. Examples of the latter include the Geo Knight & Co., Inc. DK20SPT Digital Knight TWIN Air-Op Swing-Away Press; Insta Graphic Systems’ Dual Shuttle Heat Press; and the STAHLS’ Hotronix Dual Air Fusion IQ. The latter, in addition to foot-operated pneumatic operation and its twin platens includes the option of the newly introduced ProPlace IQ system, a positioning technology that projects a facsimile of the design being pressed directly onto a blank garment as it is being threaded onto the platen, in STAHLS’ words, “ensuring quick and precise alignment every time.”

“In the printing industry, decorators know how hard it can be to find experienced labor. Print placement is one of the things learned over time and can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of the heat printing process. The Hotronix ProPlace IQ solves this problem with accurate projection to reduce misprints and speed up production for any decorator,” said STAHLS’ Conner. “The ProPlace IQ allows employees or decorators of any experience level to be able to simply load the garment correctly, then place the logo to the light for perfect placement, every time.”

Equally exciting are the advances being made by ROQ and its distributor ROQ US. Long known for its top-of-the-line automated screen-printing systems, the company recently debuted a system it calls the ROQ IMPRESS, a fully automated, multi-station DTF heat press, complete with laser guides to help with transfer placement.

ROQ’s recently introduced fully automated IMPRESS system takes high-volume heat-press decoration to a whole new level. Photo courtesy of ROQ.US

Complementing the IMPRESS are the brand-new ROQ FEED, which automatically places each transfer and the ROQ PEEL, which as the name suggests, automatically removes each print’s transfer paper when the pressing it done. With these three systems in place, all that’s left to do manually is thread the blank garments onto a platen at one end and then remove the fully decorated garments from the other—a process that looks awfully similar to a fully automated screen-printing operation.

“If you factor in all the costs, time, risk and space required to run a screen printing shop, training printers, prep an order, ensure everything is perfect to reduce errors while printing, break down the screens, clean up, and assign job to the correct printer who can handle it and compare it to the simplicity of DTF pressing, you’ll quickly realize it’s so easy, your ‘professional’ 10-year-old nephew can do it,” Ninja Transfers’ Nemeroff said, putting the amount of time involved in DTF decorating in perspective.

“With innovations to the process, like Easy Peel Technology allowing you to peel hot, dual-platen heat presses or simply having more heat presses, you can handle any size order,” Nemeroff added. “Typically, customers are doing one-piece orders to 100-piece orders on the regular, but this has been increasing ever since DTF came out and will continue to rise in average quantity over time as everyone becomes more experienced with pressing DTF efficiently.”

ColDesi’s Vila agreed, emphasizing, the fact that it’s much easier to train someone to operate a digital printer than it is the many steps involved in screen printing. “The amount of square footage needed to operate a high-color automatic screen press is [also] significantly larger. As real estate prices increase, the cost per square foot of business operation becomes more important,” he added.

Bottom line: for those decorators convinced DTF only make sense for fulfilling smaller orders, think again. Plenty of companies are already pushing the envelope in terms of big numbers, and you may want to consider doing so as well. Per M&R’s Biberstine, “Whether they are testing the waters or diving in headfirst, its undeniable that our industry is adopting DTF as a core competency. You get to decide if you want to be part of it or just watch it happen.”  

Ed Note: To see Part 2 of this two-part series, which focuses on DTF special effects and outsourcing DTF printing versus bringing the work inhouse, click here. 

Updated 4/24/25

The post The Tidal Wave that is Direct-to-Film (DTF) Apparel Decorating: Part 1 of 2 appeared first on Impressions.

There’s an old saying: “Doctors bury their mistakes. Lawyers put theirs in jail. But journalists put theirs on the front page for all the world to see.” Alas, the same can be said for custom apparel decorators. Worse yet, while it doesn’t take long for even the worst typo to become old news, decorated apparel is forever, making the standards by which the industry is now held higher than ever. Bottom line, to make it in today’s world you can’t just produce junk.

What follows are some tips for upping your quality control game with an eye toward ensuring you and your company make the grade. Look for more quality control tips in Part 2 of this two-part series.

“One of the beautiful things about the decorated apparel industry is there aren’t a lot of barriers to entry,” says Rodney McDonald, president at US Colorworks (uscolorworks.com). “That builds an entrepreneurial spirit and keeps things fresh.”

The flip side of this coin, though, McDonald says, is you get a lot of shops that start as hobbyists, and they don’t always approach their work with the same level of intent as running a business.

As smaller, newer shops begin to grow, they invariably find it necessary to employ a more systemic approach to quality control. Image by andrew_shots – stock.adobe.com

McDonald and his business partner, both with manufacturing backgrounds, approached their shop with a unique perspective. They built their business—which now prints about 30,000 shirts daily—by prioritizing actual manufacturing over many typical T-shirt shop practices.

He says this kind of distinction in an owner’s mindset can make a huge difference to a shop’s longevity and bottom line, for the simple reason that manufacturers think about processes and flow, including quality control, whereas all too many print shops out there focus on tackling one job at a time.

With this in mind, an effective quality control (QC) program represents a systematic process used in manufacturing and production to ensure every product meets a specific set of quality standards before reaching the customer. A solid QC process involves monitoring various aspects of the production process, detecting and correcting defects, and ensuring the final product conforms to the required specifications.

To find out how today’s top shops consistently deliver perfect prints, I checked in with some industry pros to learn a little bit about their QC methods and how other shops can implement them to up their game as well. In screen-printing and embroidery shops, the goal should be to deliver a product that meets or exceeds customer expectations and reduces the likelihood of returns or complaints. The following tips will go a long way to ensuring you do, not just most of the time, but with each and every order.

1. Setting your decorated apparel shop’s standards

As a first step toward implementing an effective quality-control program, whether yours is a brand-new or veteran shop, consider whether you’ve ever really, mindfully tried implementing a QC process in the past. “A tested QC process is important for a shop of any size, because we’re the last ones to touch the product before the customer sees it and before the person wearing it puts it on,” McDonald says. “If you put out a flawed product, it’s such a hard thing to recover from—you look bad, your customer looks bad, and you lose the order. There’s a cost to establish a robust QC process, but the cost of failure is significantly higher.”

As part of this process, ask yourself whether you’ve ever really defined what “acceptable quality” means for your shop and its products? If not, this is an important first step. Establishing clear quality standards ensures that every aspect of the product meets your expectations from start to finish.

Among the challenges when it comes to quality control is ensuring employees recognize the importance of high standards. Image by studioworkstock – stock.adobe.com

“That encompasses everything, from getting the art right to getting the print straight, to curing or sewing it properly,” says Marshall Atkinson, a business consultant at Atkinson Consulting (atkinsontshirt.com) and publisher of the AI e-newsletter, Midjourney Experience (midjourneyexperience.com). Simple mistakes, like printing “2024” when the customer wanted “2025,” can be costly and frustrating, so build attention to detail throughout the process.

With this in mind, at Stakes Manufacturing (stakesmfg.com), co-founder Jed Seifert says all decorated products at his shop receive multiple QC checks over the course of the entire product lifecycle, from receiving garments to shipping finished products.

“We have a proprietary file prep process that allows us to Pantone match and consistently hit color accuracy standards,” Seifert says. “We linearize our presses and do regular preventative maintenance to ensure print consistency across our equipment fleet. We thoroughly test and profile garments to the SKU level across all printing systems.”

Yes, it’s embarrassing when a customer sends you a picture of a shirt with issues. “But that’s why it’s important to develop your QC process, no matter the size of your shop, and you’ll be able to grow,” says Keith Burwell, owner of Precision 1 Concepts (precision1koncepts.com). “That way, you can take pride knowing you do your best to ensure quality products leave your shop.”

2. Understanding custom-apparel customer expectations

When it comes to QC and print shops, it all starts with understanding customers’ expectations. This can be tricky, because the customer might not always know exactly what they want either—that or they may have higher standards than you expect. “This means having open conversations with your client about their priorities so you can focus on delivering the things that matter most to them,” Atkinson says.

As an example, if a customer asks for a specific color, your final product must match that shade. “If they ask for royal blue ink on a white shirt, does it match the Pantone color they expect?” says Atkinson, noting missing this step leads to unhappy customers. To address these kinds of problems, he recommends using things like Pantone color books or a color spectrometer to maintain accuracy.

Another part of QC is educating your customers as to what’s possible. “Often, customers don’t fully understand the production process,” Atkinson says. “So, clearly explain what you can deliver so everyone’s on the same page.”

Echoing this sentiment, contract decorator US Colorworks’ McDonald says his company will often take its customers on shop tours as part of its sales and marketings efforts.

“By demonstrating our process and inviting people to see our facility, we showcase the infrastructure dedicated to quality,” McDonald says. “This becomes a huge selling point, because our clients, primarily distributors, invest time and energy selling to their clients.”

The other factor McDonald says his company considers is the long-term or lifetime value of a customer, especially in those instances where you find yourself not making money or possibly even taking a loss on a job as a result of QC errors.

“As you document and do research, keep track of whether a lot of these errors are occurring because this one customer isn’t communicating effectively,” he says. He adds there are times decorators “must educate…customers since they’re not printing experts. We might say, ‘This job would be better with a different printing technique or garment.’’’

Note, there are times this kind of analysis may mean parting ways with some clients. “There are some customers you can’t afford to do business with because they’re not organized enough to communicate effectively,” McDonald says. “We’ve had to tell customers a different printer might better serve them, and some have even returned, saying, ‘You were right.’”

3. Automation, technology and quality assurance in custom apparel decorating

According to Stakes’ Seifert, his company’s quality-control process combines the efficiency of technology and the precision of manual tools, supported by a team of experienced professionals who undergo thorough training and education. Again, his shop’s products receive multiple QC checks over the course of the decorating process, during receiving, staging, pre-production and post-production, as every item is QR-coded and scanned at every touchpoint, with screens showcasing product mock-ups and product/garment details.

“We report internal QC fails in real time to isolate and resolve any equipment and human errors,” Seifert says. “Every order is meticulously tracked throughout the production, QC and fulfillment processes, allowing us to identify the root cause and trends of quality issues. We address all individual instances where items are shipped without meeting our quality standards. In such cases, we provide corrective training to the responsible employees. This approach ensures we consistently deliver high-quality products while fostering a continuous improvement culture.”

Automating the ordering process, in particular, can help ensure smoother operations and more straightforward customer communication, since shops can both streamline production and set clear expectations by having systems to guide customers through the specifics of order entry.

“Our systems ask the questions as customers input their information,” McDonald says. “When customers receive a proof, it includes their timeline. Setting these expectations is important because it keeps customers informed about what to expect at each step of the process.”

For smaller shops that don’t yet have the resources for this kind of automation, McDonald suggests creating a similar manual approach. “If you’re not big enough to do automation, have a list of questions you want to ask for every order,” he says. “Have a process for order entry and order taking early on to prevent problems and manage expectations effectively.”

By way of an example, while the Precision 1 Concepts team uses shop management software to track orders, it also relies on paper checklists to ensure accuracy from start to finish. “We still use paper check-off sheets from receiving and shipping and into production start to finish,” Burwell says. The resulting blend of digital and manual systems allows the shop to maintain tight control over timelines and production.

4. Developing specific apparel decorating processes

As part of its production processes, US Colorworks operates a highly structured and thorough QC program. “Every time a person touches a step in the process, there needs to be quality control to verify that step was executed correctly,” McDonald says. For example, the team sends an art proof to customers for every order—even for repeat jobs—to prevent mistakes when selecting the correct artwork from a client’s portfolio.

Additionally, McDonald says his production team relies heavily on visual aids. “When our production people print garments, either digital or traditional screen print, there’s a visual of exactly what that product should look like on a screen next to their operating position,” he says. “Our operators and supervisors sign off on each order, ensuring that there are always two signatures for verification.”

In addition, he says, every US Colorworks operator can stop a job if something seems off. “Any of our operators can pull a garment or a job for a quality reason,” McDonald explains, emphasizing the fact the ability to do so is not limited to supervisors or managers. “We encourage people to ask questions. That’s what quality control comes down to—forcing yourself to ask questions when something doesn’t seem right.”

The resulting open culture of responsibility enables the team to catch and correct errors quickly, leading to fewer issues and a higher quality standard for each order, McDonald says, noting the processes for QC in screen printing and embroidery differ due to the unique nature of each method. “For screen printing, a lot of our quality control checks will come down to the following: Are we using the correct PMS colors for the ink?” he says. “Or did the ink get mixed correctly? Are we putting the decoration on the right garment?”

McDonald also emphasizes the importance of following a “recipe” for each job, including everything from the order of the screens being used things like squeegee angles or the pressure that need to be applied. “Our goal is to be able to print a shirt today, tomorrow, six months from now or five years from now, and it’s the same result every time,” he says, noting the fact that approximately 20 percent of his business comes from reorders only underscores the need for consistency.

Along these same lines, Precision 1 Concepts’ Burwell says that when it comes to embroidery work his company limits thread colors for efficiency. “We’ve developed our most popular thread colors and try to stay with those unless a customer requires something different,” he says. “We have three shades of red in stock vs. 15, but only our primary stays on the machine all the time.”

Conclusion: Quality control is central to profitable apparel decorating

Ultimately, an effective quality-control process plays a key role in determining the output from your facility, directly impacting client and customer satisfaction.

“Quality is not only a representation of your company but an extension of the brand, company or person you’re printing for, which is a responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Seifert says.

Focusing on quality enhances your reputation while building strong, lifelong customer relationships, which can’t help but be a plus for you business.

Nicole Rollender is an award-winning writer and heads up the copywriting and content-creation firm Strand Writing Services.  strandwritingservices.com. For more information or to comment on this article, go to strandwritingservices.com. For Part 2 of this two-part series, click here.

Updated 4/24/25

The post Quality Assurance and Commercial Apparel Decoration: Part 1 of 2 appeared first on Impressions.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we looked at four specific, concrete steps custom apparel decorators can employ to ensure their products are the highest quality possible, i.e., create an effective quality control (QC) program.

Something to bear in mind: while it may seem like a lot of work putting processes like these in place, the benefits will be more than worth it, in the long run, especially. Wastage costs money, and there’s no quicker way of losing a customer than not meeting their expectations. Not only will a disgruntled customer be more than happy to take their business elsewhere, but your competition will be more than happy to take their business.

Again, as Rodney McDonald, president at US Colorworks (uscolorworks.com) said in Part 1, the flip side of the fact you get a lot of decorators that start as hobbyists is they don’t always approach their work with the same level of intent as a pure businessperson. By following the advice below (and in Part 1) you’ll go a long way ensure you’re not one of those businesses.

1. Document every step of the decorating process

If you keep records of inspections, tests and any corrective actions taken during production, this documentation helps track quality trends you can use to make continuous improvements. “Whenever you have an error or a problem that pops up, it works to have one person managing the research to find the cause,” US Colorworks’ McDonald says. “Then when you know what to fix, make sure everyone who comes in contact with that area, even remotely, knows about it.”

With this in mind, well-run shops, like US Colorworks, not only employ a variety of different online shop management tools but maintain a host of different master knowledge bases where employees can access procedures and specifics about certain jobs.

“Besides keeping notes in a customer file, we also have pop-up reminders that say, ‘Don’t forget to do this or that,’” McDonald says.

Similarly, Marshall Atkinson, a business consultant at Atkinson Consulting (atkinsontshirt.com) and publisher of the AI e-newsletter, Midjourney Experience (midjourneyexperience.com), urges shop owners to track their data diligently to better understand their production and any issues that might arise. “You’ve got to measure what’s happening in your shop. How many orders or impressions are you running daily?” Atkinson says. “Knowing that can help you catch issues early and improve your process over time.”

Ensuring your team receives adequate training on the equipment it uses is another great way of upping product quality. Image by Grispb – stock.adobe.com

By way of an example, Stakes Manufacturing (stakesmfg.com) co-founder Jed Seifert says all shop data is captured and stored in real time within its management system, with flags and alerts to notify staff when trends or spikes need attention.

Beyond that, Atkinson notes shops need to make of point of addressing any problems that arise at their source rather than relying on quick fixes that do little more than simply get things running again.

“When something goes wrong, it’s usually a sign of a deeper issue,” Atkinson says. “For example, if your screens keep getting pinholes, your maintenance might not be up to par. It’s better to fix the root cause than just patch it on the spot.”

2. Test prints and commercial apparel decorating

As a testament to the importance of test prints, Keith Burwell, owner of Precision 1 Koncepts (precision1koncepts.com), says his team makes sure to do a test-print on every print job it gets in order to verify the artwork looks good, even for reorders.

Along these same lines, at Stakes, Seifert says, the company has set up a rigorous new-garment onboarding and testing process, during which his team individually profiles and wash-tests each color to build the best print recipes.

“We print samples throughout the testing process to measure dye migration, color fastness, vibrancy, peeling or cracking and hand-feel pre-wash cycle along with other variables specific to the print application,” he says, describing the thoroughness of the process.

In addition, Seifer says, “We regularly spot check test printed units in production for integrity of the print, including wash testing for durability, color accuracy testing with a spectrophotometer, and crock testing (for color fastness) with a crockmeter as well as a multi-person QC check on every printed unit before it ships.”

Something to bear in mind, though, when engaging is these kinds of tests is that, while test runs are great, they’re not foolproof.

“If you’re doing a water-based print run, it’s easy to control all the variables within that short run,” McDonald says, but “when you do a water-based discharge print on a big run, adjusting for all the variables is harder because the ink starts drying out. You need controls in place to identify when your variables are exceeded. If you hit the min-max on temperature or print settings, you know something needs to be fixed.”

3. Detecting, correcting Decorating Errors

Does your shop have specific set of procedures in place for fixing any defects or issues the staff may identify or that may arise: whether it be reworking the product, adjusting the production process or rejecting an item or items outright?

For its part, Seifert says Stakes goes truly granular in terms of how its teams categorize defects to adapt and quickly address any issues that may arise. This is true whether the problem is equipment or operator related.  “We track QC defect data with internal spoilage metrics and external customer feedback metrics,” Seifert says. “Our systems are set up to see red flags caused by spikes, particularly QC issues overall, individual equipment error upticks, and human errors per employee, to highlight irregularities in the data that need our attention. You’re only as good as your data.”

Similarly, at Precision 1, the team begins the process when it receives and checks freight against work orders after which the production teams recheck it for errors and a post-production team inspects it yet again during boxing and shipping.

“If you’re focused on repeat business and customers, you pay attention to fixing errors at every step. Having a recipe for different processes means you’ve done the testing and don’t have to recreate the wheel each time. Spending a little time on the front end to find and fix errors has always saved us time on the back end,” McDonald says.

4. Training your production team

According to Atkinson, one of the biggest challenges when establishing an effective set QC program is ensuring your employees know how to recognize and address quality issues and recognize the importance of maintaining standards.

“Shops need to do a better job training their employees,” Atkinson says. “Before starting a job, gather the team to discuss how it should run. That little bit of preparation can save a lot of headaches later.” By having these kinds of quick “huddles” before running a job, he notes, teams can be that much more confident that they’ll get the result they’re after as well.

Along these same lines, at US Colorworks, McDonald says, his team puts this mindset into action by making employee training a priority. “Quality is a function of that training,” he says. “Each of our operators has the necessary training and is certified to run the machine they’re running…more importantly, they have all the resources to research when they don’t know something.”

5. Addressing mistakes with customers

Unfortunately, in the real world, no matter how hard you try, mistakes happen. The good news is if you respond to these kinds of mistakes effectively they can actually serve to strengthen your customer relationships.

“Even if you’re 99 percent perfect, there’s still a 1 percent error rate,” McDonald says. “Every time you have a mistake or customer complaint, don’t just ignore it and say, ‘I’ll do better next time.’ Dig down into why that mistake happened, and then figure out what you’re going to do to eliminate the possibility of that mistake happening again.”

Similarly, Seifert emphasizes the importance of addressing customer concerns promptly. “We address any manufacturer defect reported by a customer immediately,” he says. “While we strive to be ‘perfect,’ errors happen. We believe the speed and effectiveness of the resolution, not the error itself, truly defines the type of partner you are.”

Precision 1 Koncepts’ Burwell agrees, noting that while mistakes are rare, transparency with his team keeps things moving. “It’s never a blame game, but we let everyone know where the issue was when it happens,” he says. “It’s rare, though—my team is awesome.”

Conclusion

Again, when it comes to being successful in the decorated-apparel business, an effective quality-control program is critical not just for ensuring your customers are happy with their current order, but providing them with the confidence to make you their decorator of choice in the long run as well. As an added benefit, by minimizing wastage and maximizing the efficiency of your company’s production processes, you’ll be boosting your company’s bottom line as well. 

Nicole Rollender is an award-winning writer and heads up the copywriting and content-creation firm Strand Writing Services.  strandwritingservices.com. For more information or to comment on this article, go to strandwritingservices.com. To see Part 2 of this two-part series, click here. 

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Obviously, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with my company Axelrad Screen Printing. You would have to be crazy to start doing something like this if you did. But here I am today, printing hundreds of thousands of shirts a year for some of the biggest names in music.

Having the necessary processes in place to produce top-quality prints on deadline should be a given for anyone looking to compete in the music business. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

It wasn’t a linear journey. There were many necessary detours containing valuable lessons. However, the road less travelled also tends to be the most fruitful, and I can attest to the fact that while screen printing for the music industry may not be for the faint of heart, it’s worth it—if you’re brave enough.

If you decide to make the transition from printing your own band’s shirts to pursuing doing it for a living, you likely won’t have the technical capabilities to begin printing for your favorite band right away. Executing high-volume print runs quickly is an ambitious goal that requires an already well running business. You’ll have to spend time gathering more attainable clients to develop your skills: everything from your local softball league to coffee shops, high schools and maybe a lucrative local corporate account or two. Only then, after all the struggles of expanding your press capabilities, adding employees and navigating deadlines will you be ready.

Finally, there comes the day, some random Wednesday afternoon at, say, 3:40 p.m., when a well-known band e-mails and asks if you can print some designs for its upcoming tour. You’re ecstatic. It’s arrived! The moment you’ve been working toward is finally here. Of course, you say, “Yes!” without a second thought.

Only after excitedly replying do you give the e-mail in question a closer look. Are those double sleeve prints in the second PDF? Wait, there are inside tag prints too? Is that a three-color print on the side of a two-ply hood? And it’s due in three days! That initial shot of adrenaline starts to cool down. Like most things, what should have been the celebratory moment you’ve been working toward for what feels like forever proves bittersweet. Nothing good is ever easy. Sadly, screen printing is not immune from the natural laws of the Universe.

Imagine one of your regular customers, someone you’ve been building your business with for years says, “Hey, I’m not sure how many shirts I’m gonna need or what city I’ll be in when I realize I may need more, but the due dates all firm, and much of my income depends on it. Does that sound good to you?”

It’s unlikely your answer would be the same elated “yes” that it was for that well-known band. But there it is. The magic of the rock ‘n’ roll gods makes us do crazy things.

Commercial T-shirt Printing for Rock Bands

When it comes to music clients, it’s not only a given your prints are excellent, it’s a requirement for even getting into the arena. Your sales angle, therefore, quickly becomes less about quality and more about turnaround times and communication. Sure, you can print well, but can you do it tonight, accurately and have it to Cleveland by tomorrow? Equally important, you have to ask yourself: “Do you even want to have to do so?”

Don’t forget to make sure you have access to the necessary stock in advance of having to fulfill the last-minute orders you will invariably find yourself having to deal with. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

Accommodating the demands of the music industry, for example, will often require you to restructure the workflow you’ve already been refining for years with your other customers. Let’s say that same local coffee shop that has helped you grow your business to where it is today has an order on the schedule. Now a band you’ve been working with calls telling you they had a way better sales night in Denver than they thought they would, and they need 1,000 more tour hoodies in Salt Lake City—in two days.

You’re now at a tough crossroads. Because the local coffee shop is never going to need 1,000 hoodies this fast, let alone two time zones away, your workflow up to this point was never set up for that kind of thing. It’s now up to you if you want to continue down the rock ‘n’ roll road you originally set out on—or if you want to continue running your business the way you have been in order to even get into the game. Either way, it’s important to understand you’re going to have to develop a whole new set of procedures if you’re going to be able to accommodate the unique demands of the music industry—assuming that is that it’s still where you want to take things!

The good news is once you’ve put in place the more dynamic procedures necessary for accommodating bands on the road, the local coffee shop benefits as well. A rising tide lifts all boats. You don’t have to abandon your traditional customers. Just the opposite. Faster turnaround times and more rigorous quality control are good for all involved.

Challenges when Custom T-shirt decorating for the Music Industry

This past year we had a client sell nearly triple what they’d originally projected they would sell at the start of their summer tour. It’s hard to point fingers when there is no one to blame. Their initial projections were reasonable and accurate. I put in place a production plan based on those projections. But the rock ‘n’ roll gods had other ideas.

The only way to deal with these kinds of situation is to work with the band’s merchandising manager and create realistic expectations. It is imperative at this point that you do not over promise. Overpromising and under delivering won’t work with clients who are constantly on the move and utterly dependent on what you’ve promised them. A silver tongue only gets you in trouble in the music world. Figure out how to actually do what you’re promising, and then do it when you say you will at all costs.

The team at Axelrad spent years mastering the nuts and bolts of the craft of apparel decoration before venturing into the rock ‘n’ roll arena. Photo courtesy of Axelrad Screen Printing

Be transparent with your team, let them know what’s happening and that it’s not the fault of management. Work out reasonable rush charges with the customer and talk to your team about overtime and bonuses. Money alone won’t solve all your problems, but it certainly serves as a good starting point. That said, be aware that asking your team to step up this way typically only lasts so long before it gets old, and burnout sets in. I recommend using this option sparingly.

Taking a look at your schedule as a whole and working with the sales team to make room and move whatever other deadlines you have to accommodate the unexpected rush represents a much better starting place. It’s a fine balance, but managing your way out of these situations is far better in the long term than working your way out of them. Wearing out your team should be the last option. This is the new normal. Running down your employees over and over again won’t last.

Another situation I often encounter is a band that will initially order just enough to get it through the first week of its tour, and then use the sales from those first few dates as a projection of what it will sell for the remainder of the tour. Basically, they are guaranteeing there will be a rush reorder of an unknown size coming your way.

The most important thing to do in this case is block out your schedule, anticipate it and document every single thing you did to produce that first run so the reorder goes promptly and accurately. Bands have a terrible habit of underestimating their sales. As a general rule, expect the reorder to be at least 60 percent of the initial one.

Then there’s the question of inventory. We once had a client order so many tour shirts using natural discharge that we depleted our regional distributor’s entire stock before we were finished with the run. Inventory is incredibly important when dealing with high-volume fast turnaround times. It’s easy to get caught up in the rush and forget to check if you have enough pigment to make that specific shade of red. It sounds trivial, but it can’t be understated how important this is.

While you’re at it, package and present each order as if it’s going to be processed by the customer in the dark, in a hurry while on a truck going down the highway and 70 miles per hours. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Labeling the outside of your boxes clearly and accurately is one of the most important things you can do to keep a client happy. They move fast, rely on accuracy and are always working under pressure. Most bands will depend on the counts you give them when they submit their own counts to the vendor. If your numbers are off, they look like fools, and it makes their lives that much more difficult. There’s no sooner way to lose a good client than to mess this up. If a box says it has 72 size-medium T-shirts inside, it better not be 71.

It’s also worth considering providing your own internal delivery service for your clients. Being able to control delivery times is huge. When a band is on the move and playing its most valuable shows on weekends, cutting out third-party shipping services and adding an extra layer of control can go a long way for everyone involved. Clients appreciate direct delivery, because it avoids them having to hunt down a bunch of packages that were, say, received by the venue’s cooking staff via some back-alley kitchen entrance. Who knows where those boxes ended up? Having a service that can bring the order straight to the client, at a specific time and place is invaluable and will only serve to strengthen your relationship and reputation.

Committing to Custom T-shirt Printing for the Music Industry

Being able to meet the demands of the music industry will ensure you have a long line of customers seeking the services you provide. Mastering these difficult processes will make you the company the industry wants to work with. It’s easy for bands to find shops willing to print for them, but long-term satisfaction can be very hard for them to come by. If you can provide that, it becomes the marketing message in and of itself.

In a grand sense, screen printing can sometimes to feel like a thankless endeavor, jumping through endless hoops just to get a quality shirt on someone’s back. When it comes to printing for bands, though, knowing you’re printing a shirt that has a higher likelihood of becoming a person’s favorite can provide a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. People often associate the tour shirts they buy with a great night out with friends, a first date or a band they’ve always loved and finally got to see. As printers for the music industry, we get to indirectly tap into the allure of the rock ‘n’ roll gods in all their glory.

Enjoying what you’re doing by creating products that are symbolic to a customer makes for a truly more meaningful experience. It takes a lot of focus and risk, but it’s a win-win to work on orders that both make sense to the bottom line and are satisfying for your team to produce.

Dennis Condusta currently serves as the production manager at Axelrad Screen Printing in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (axelradarmy.com). In addition to screen-printing, Axelrad provides a host of other services, including embroidery and design. Condusta is also a regular Impressions conference series presenter.

Updated 4/24/25

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Heat-press decoration and direct-to-transfer, or DTF, in particular, have been taking the decorated-apparel business by storm of late. That said, until recently the process has remained an overwhelmingly manual one. Even when using an auto press, an operator is still required to, among other things, place the transfer and then remove the backing medium when the process is finished.

Enter the ROQ PEEL, an automatic heat transfer peel-off device designed to remove DTF backing sheets from T-shirts reliably and efficiently. In conjunction with the ROQ FEED automatic DTF transfer placement machine and the ROQ IMPRESS multi-platen heat press, the ROQ PEEL closes the loop on a fully automated T-shirt heat-press system. All an operator need to now is thread the blank shirts on a platen and then remove these same shirts when they’re finished being decorated, that’s it!

With adjustable speed, stroke length and an integrated laser pointer for maintaining a precise pick-up position, when paired with ROQ IMPRESS, the ROQ PEEL can process up to 500 garments per hour, increasing productivity in high-volume production environments.

According to the company, “Once synchronized with the ROQ IMPRESS and the ROQ FEED, you just need to be prepared to load T-shirts and reach production speed cycles up 500 (pieces per hour) with guaranteed precision and consistent results.”

For more information on the ROQ PEEL, click here. For more on ROQ and its complete line of screen-printing, decorated-apparel packaging and direct-to-garment (DTG) equipment, click here.

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In this Shop Talk discussion, host Rick Roth, founder of New England’s Mirror Image Screenprinting & Embroidery and the Ink Kitchen, talks with Ty Kain of Crafted MFG and Jenna Sackett of STAHLS’ Transfer Express about: 1) the business sourcing blank hats 2) some of the latest technologies available for decorating hats for customers of all kinds using a heat press and 3) the opportunities the sale of custom-decorated hats can provide screen printers, embroiderers and heat-press decorators of all kinds.

Rick’s conversation with Ty and Jenna was recorded at the 2023 Impressions Expo in Fort Worth, Texas. For more on the Fort Worth event as well as the other two annual Impressions Expos in Long Beach, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, click here. To see some more videotaped Shop Talk sessions from over the years, click here.

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