Call customer service to

open an account today at:

Tel. +1 (213) 488-0226
Option 2
Fax. +1 (213) 488-0334
email us at:
csr@americanapparel.net
You Can
Order Mill
Direct!
americanapparel.net/wholesale
American Apparel
brings you Swimwear
for Sublimation!
Our new sexy string
bikini top and bottom,
designed especially
for custom sublimation
printing. Featuring
durable black ribbed
binding that is sublimation
friendly and will offer
a clean, nished look.
NT301S TOP

S / M / L
Nylon Tricot
(80% Polyester / 20% Elastane)
Fabric Weight: 6 oz/yd = 203 g/m
NT307S BOTTOM

S / M / L
Nylon Tricot
(80% Polyester / 20% Elastane)
Fabric Weight: 6 oz/yd = 203 g/m
American Apparel
Factory HQ USA
747 Warehouse St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
White / Black
7541 U / Neutral Black U
White / Black
7541 U / Neutral Black U
s
c
r
e
e
n
w
e
b
.
c
o
m
June/July 2012
THE GARMENT ISSUE

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JUNE/ JULY 2012
Volume 102 / Number 3
About the Cover
Our annual
garment-themed
issue examines
grayscale seps,
team wear, print
management,
and more. Cover
photo courtesy of
Stahls ID Direct.
Cover design by
Keri Harper.
CONTENTS
FEATURES
18 Step Up Your Game with Team Wear Cara Cherry
Discover profitable niches in the growing sportswear market.
24 Boosting Garment-Printing Efficiency Dawn M. Hohl-Nowlin
These expert tips describe how to control the variables commonly encountered in garment screen printing.
28 What Printers Think About RIP Software Dan Naumovich
Learn what RIP software can do for screen and digital printers.
32 Direct-to-Garment Site Preparation and the Environment Paul Borucki
The author talks about the importance of environmental controls in getting the best results from DTG printing.
COLUMNS
PREPRESS WI RE
10 Digital vs. Screen and the Dilemma of Process Improvement Mark Coudray
Coudray reviews how digital has changed the economics of what printers do and the way graphics are purchased.
EXPERT APPAREL
12 Grayscale Magic Thomas Trimingham
See how to use graphics software to separate images and make them pop on garments.
DEPARTMENTS
4 NEWSWORTHY
6 NEW PRODUCTS
34 INDUSTRY UPDATE
35 SHOP TALK
36 CLASSIFIEDS
38 DISTRIBUTOR/DEALER DIRECTORY
39 AD INDEX
40 EDITORIAL INSIGHTS
SCREENPRINTING
Online Communities
screenweb.com/
news-trends/mesh-blog
B
SCREEN PRINTING (ISSN 0036-0594) is published bi-monthly by ST Media Group International Inc., 11262 Cornell Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. Telephone: (513) 421-2050, Fax: (513) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions
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STUDY: IN-STORE MARKETING
GUIDES MOST PURCHASE DECISIONS
Big news for those who print P-O-P and other types of retail displays: A recent
study conducted by the Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) indi-
cates that 76% of purchase decisions are made in store.
POPAIs 2012 Shopper Engagement Study used EEG, eye-tracking technol-
ogy, and in-store shopper interviews to arrive at that figure. According to POPAI,
nearly one in six brand purchases are made when a display with that brand is pres-
ent in store. POPAI also notes that effective marketing captures buyers valuable
attention and, in doing so, converts that interest into purchases.
Published findings
report that 13% of eye
fixations were made on
in-store displays; 66% of all
observed grabs resulted in
a purchase, which POPAI
says underscores the im-
portance of capturing the
shoppers attention and
getting them engaged with
the product.
The study involved
the use of auditors who
took inventory of in-store
display materials present
in each store each morning
prior to the start of interviewing. Data included display type, location, placement,
other variables, category and brand the display is advertising, static vs. motion,
product vs. no product, whether it is interactive or not, and whether it has video or
audio.
Even as other emerging mediums and technologies alter the path to pur-
chase landscape, this study underscores the importance of planning the in-store
experience to win over shoppers where it matters mostthe point of purchase,
says Richard Winter, president of POPAI.
For more information about the study, or to view complete findings, visit
www.popai.com/engage.
SCREENWEB POLL
How many garment screen presses do you own?
NEWSWORTHY
www.screenweb.com
Steve Duccilli
Group Publisher
steve.duccilli@stmediagroup.com
Gregory Sharpless
Associate Publisher
gregory.sharpless@stmediagroup.com
Gail Flower
Editor
gail.flower@stmediagroup.com
Ben P. Rosenfield
Managing Editor
ben.rosenfield@stmediagroup.com
Keri Harper
Art Director
keri.harper@stmediagroup.com
Mark Coudray, Rick Davis,
Tim Greene, Andy MacDougall,
Rick Mandel, Thomas Trimingham
Columnists
Linda Volz
Production Coordinator
linda.volz@stmediagroup.com
Business Development Managers
Lou Arneberg East and Midwest
US, Eastern Canada, Europe
lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com
Ben Stauss West and South US,
Western Canada, Asia
ben.stauss@stmediagroup.com
Andy Anderson, Jeff Arbogast,
Albert Basse III, Reynold Bookman,
Bob Chambers, Don Curtis,
Dean DeMarco, Michael Emrich,
Craig Furst, David Gintzler,
Ryan Moor, Bob Roberts,
Jon Weber, Andy Wood
Editorial Advisory Board
Jerry Swormstedt
Chairman of the Board
Tedd Swormstedt
President
Kari Freudenberger
Director of Online Media
Customer Service
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SCREENPRINTING 4

25%
2
31%
3
12%
4
8%
5
+

24%
Call customer service to
open an account today at:
Tel. +1 (213) 488-0226
Option 2
Fax. +1 (213) 488-0334
email us at:
csr@americanapparel.net
You Can
Order Mill
Direct!
americanapparel.net/wholesale
American Apparel
brings you Swimwear
for Sublimation!
Our new sexy string
bikini top and bottom,
designed especially
for custom sublimation
printing. Featuring
durable black ribbed
binding that is sublimation
friendly and will offer
a clean, nished look.
NT301S TOP

S / M / L
Nylon Tricot
(80% Polyester / 20% Elastane)
Fabric Weight: 6 oz/yd = 203 g/m
NT307S BOTTOM

S / M / L
Nylon Tricot
(80% Polyester / 20% Elastane)
Fabric Weight: 6 oz/yd = 203 g/m
American Apparel
Factory HQ USA
747 Warehouse St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
White / Black
7541 U / Neutral Black U
White / Black
7541 U / Neutral Black U
new products
screenprinting 6
Small-Format Press
Inkcups Now recently
unveiled the R160, a
screen-printing machine
the company says fills a
void that has long existed
in the specialty
printing mar-
ket. The R160
is a small-for-
mat, semiautomatic,
one-color press that
supports image sizes
up to 4.75 x 7.75 in.
(120 x 197 mm). Ac-
cording to Inkcups
Now, it addresses the
challenges of print-
ing images that fall
between the
traditional
ranges of
screen- and
pad-printing
equipment, while enabling
better utilization of larger
screen-printing machines. The ICN-R160 features six platens
and a part detector to prevent printing on an empty platen
automatically. It is equipped with a dual flash cure unit. The
press supports printing speeds up to 1800 impressions/hr.
Fabric for Direct-Disperse Printing
Fisher Textiles (www.fishertextiles.com) recently added
styles DD 2300 Satin and DD 7908 Suede (FR) to its line of
fabrics for direct-disperse printing. This fabric line is com-
patible with d-Gen Teleios, DuPont Artistri, Durst Rhotex
320, Jeti 3324 AquaJet, Mimaki JV5-320DS, Mimaki DS-1600,
Mimaki DS-1800, Mutoh Viper TX, Roland HeatWave, and
Roland Hi-Fi Express printers. DD 2300 Satin is 100% poly-
ester, 4.3 oz/sq yd, and 72 in. (1829 mm) wide. It can be used
for roll-up banner stands, trade-show exhibits, and more. DD
7908 Suede (FR) is 100% polyester, 7.0 oz/sq yd, 122 in. (3099
mm) wide and passes NFPA 701.
Plastisol Inks
StarTex plastisol screen-printing inks from GSG (www.gogsg.
com) are formulated for high productivity, wet-on-wet print-
ing. According to GSG, the inks have a creamy viscosity that
does not shear excessively. They offer a satin finish and are
compatible with 100% cotton, cotton/poly blends, 100% poly-
ester, and some synthetics. GSG notes that a low-bleed white
underbase is required if printing on fabrics with polyester
content to reduce dye migration. The company also recom-
mends an underbase when printing on white cotton. The
inks are designed to gel at 230F (110C) and cure at 320F
(160C).
Screen-Printing Packages
Workhorse (www.workhorseproducts.com) recently recon-
figured its start-up shop packages and now offers four new
options. Starter Pack #1 features an Odyssey one-color/one-
station bench printer with a Luminator exposure unit and
the Super Seca 16 x 16-in. (406 x 406-mm) flash cure. The
package has the capacity to print up to 36 one-color prints
per hour. Starter Pack #2 adds on to Pack #1 with a vacuum
platen that makes it possible to print transfers, signs, and
similar flat substrates. Starter Pack #3 starts off with a four-
color/one-station bench-model Odyssey, the Lumitron screen-
exposure unit, an 18 x 18-in. (457 x 457-mm) Super Seca flash,
a 20-in. x 5-ft (508-mm x 1.5-m) dryer, and platens for youth
apparel, oversize garments, and sleeves/legs. This combina-
tion is capable of producing up to 36 multicolor prints per
hour. Starter Pack #4 features the Odyssey four-color/four-sta-
tion floor model, a Lumitron screen-exposure unit, an 18 x 18-
in. Super Seca flash, a 20-in. x 5-ft dryer, and a washout sink.
inkcups
now
Fisher textiles
gSg
Workhorse products
june/july 2012 7
It also comes with the same platens as
Starter Pack #3. Production capacity is
up to 72 prints an hour.
CAD-Cut Material
Imprintables Warehouse (www.
imprintables.com) now offers CAD-cut
materials with school-mascot themes
for spiritwear. Spectra Patterns can be
custom printed using mascot artwork
and turned into a heat-sealable material
with a repeating pattern. The mate-
rial comes on a 15-in.-wide (381-mm)
roll and, according to Imprintables
Warehouse, can be heat applied to any
garment made of 100% cotton, 100%
polyester, or a cotton/poly blend. The
company says Spectra Patterns is very
durable and wash-fast.
Signage Kits
Neschen Americas (www.neschena-
mericas.com) recently debuted its
Signage Application Kits. Theyre de-
signed for window, floor, and anti-graf-
fiti signage. The window kit includes
SolvoPrint Paper 240 Satin and Gudy
Window by Seal. A kit with SolvoPrint
Paper 240 Satin and Blox-Lite 10-mil
Blockout paper is available for window
graphics that are printed on both sides.
The floor-graphics kit includes Print
Shield Floor Guard with SolvoPrint
MightyGrip Removable SAV, designed
for slip and scuff resistance. The
anti-graffiti kit includes Print Shield
Anti-Graffiti, engineered to protect im-
ages from chemicals, paints, permanent
marker, and acrylics. Products in the
kits are offered in widths of 36-54 in.
(914-1372 mm) on rolls measuring 50 ft
(15 m) long.
Inkjet Canvas
Sihl Digital Imaging (www.sihlusa.com)
has developed what it calls a premium
inkjet canvas for use with aqueous inkjet
printers for the most demanding pho-
tographers, artists, and print shops. Sihl
Illumina Semi-GlossCanvas - 3185 is a
19-mil material with a 2:1 structure and
a microporous coating engineered to
dry instantly. According to Sihl, Illumina
Semi-Gloss Canvas supports maximum
ink loading for unparalleled density and
color gamut. The material is designed
to work with solvent or aqueous liquid
laminates, and it can be professionally
stretched, folded, and gallery wrapped.
Imprintables Warehouse
new products
screenprinting 8
It comes in 40-ft-long (12-m) rolls and in widths of 24, 36, and
44 in. (610, 914, 1173 mm). Onboard print settings for Epson,
Canon, and HP printers are available from the companys
Website.
Dye-Sub Ribbon Appliqu
Dalco Athletic (www.dal-
coathletic.com) now offers a
dye-sub ribbon appliqu for
cheer uniforms and spiritwear.
The design incorporates a
script typeface that resembles
ribbon to form a team name.
Underneath it is a word such
as football, cheerleading, or all
starsor the product can show
the team name alone. A variety
of foreground and background colors are available, and the
appliqu can be backed with a permanent, heat-applied adhe-
sive or finished for sew-down with an embroidery machine.
The appliqu measures approximately 5.5 x 11 in. (140 x 279
mm) and is made of 100% polyester twill.
Heat Press
Stahls Hotronix
(www.hotronix.
com) bills its
new Air Fusion
as the most
technologi-
cally advanced
heat press in
the world. The
auto-open, auto-
swing press is
powered by an
air compres-
sor and supports the programming of up to four different
pressure and time settings. The press features a fully thread-
able lower platen, swing-away design, and adjustable stand,
touchscreen control, dual time settings for two-step applica-
tions, a production-cycle counter, and more. Its 0.75-in.-thick
(19-mm) heat platen measures 16 x 20 in. (406 x 508 mm).
Dalco
Athletic
Stahls
Hotronix
www.stmediabooks.com
The best resource for books,
videos, and CDs for the for the
visual communications industries.
BRIPD-12067_FR_HQ.indd 1 5/22/12 5:10 PM
SCREENPRINTING 10
THE PREPRESS WI RE
In the February/March issue of Screen Printing, I talked
about whats really driving the relentless contraction of run
length. For those that missed it, the quick difference is that
the old graphic-communication model was based on mass
production of printed units. To get the cost per unit low
enough to justify a campaign, the run length was increased to
lower the proportional cost of the prepress and set-up.
To remain economically viable, screen has been
focusing on reduced setup times and heightened production
efficiencies. This has been the way weve always handled it
we simply look for ways to reduce non-billable or non-value-
add time within the overall transaction. We arent alone here.
Every other analog printing method has looked to this model
as well.
Back in the early 1990s, Total Quality Management
(TQM) sought to create flexible manufacturing cells ca-
pable of producing very small lots. This was extended in
Lean Manufacturing as a method to eliminate all waste. This
includes any time thats not directly buidable into the value of
the final product.
Like TQM, Lean aims to create an economic value unit
of one. This is consistent with the convergence we see with
the digital model. So far, so good. Were all on the same page
when it comes to getting rid of waste. So why wont this work
moving forward for screen printing?
The real issue is the total cost of operation. There are
two components here, the first being the material cost of set-
up. This includes all the prepress costs: image prep, ripping,
film (if not direct), screens, and screen prep labor. It also in-
cludes the labor to set up the press and the associated run-up
costs of getting the press sheet dialed in for color and fit.
We cant do much about the prepress costs other than
skipping the film portion and going direct to screen. The
screen and mesh amortization, emulsion, and imaging costs
are limited. We might be able to save some exposure time by
using pure photopolymers, but this is a relatively low savings.
On the set-up side of things, the more control we have
over ink flow and press set-up, the faster well come up to
color and fit. The work to achieve this was done way back
in the mid 1980s with high tension mesh and thixotropic UV
inks. Ink shear became a very predictable model. Sadly, many
companies are still fighting this battle when it should have
been history two decades ago.
Optimization
What has kept the screen-printing industry from succeeding
at optimization has to do with resistance to change. The old
model is based on years of experience being rewarded in a
high hourly wage rate. This high labor cost caps how much
we can save through increased efficiency.
Color management was introduced as a method of
control to combat this problem. The result is that ICC color
management has commoditized output quality. If youre us-
ing a digital printer, and have properly profiled the press, ink,
and substrate, the results will be the same if the operator is
paid $25.00/hr or $2.00/hr. This means whoever has the low-
est labor cost is going to get the work, unless you can change
the equation. This will be a very important part of what I will
address shortly.
When a market is growing theres little motivation to
curb costs or to optimize. When the market plateaus and
begins to decline, the focus is on cutting costs and improving
efficiency. This is an effort of diminishing returns. For screen
printing the problem is that the expensive, experienced tech-
nicians (pressmen) have an analog paradigm. It has always
been hard to get them to embrace controls and standardiza-
tion at the core of ICC, G7, or any other standards-based
system.
The reason is simple, once a system is controlled,
the value of having skilled technicians diminishes. Look at
what has happened to litho. It has so focused on setup and
cost reduction that its now able to compete with screen,
especially in large format. The run sizes have dropped to less
than 1000 sheets on presses fully capable of running 18,000
In this installment, Coudray looks at ways in
which screen printers can take a leadership
role in improving quality and integrating into
a more digital-oriented advertising world.
Mark Coudray
DIGITAL VS. SCREEN AND THE
DILEMMA OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Mark A. Coudray is president of Coudray Graphic Technologies,
San Luis Obispo, CA. He has served as a director of (SGIA)
and as chairman of the Academy of Screen Printing Tech-
nology. Coudray has authored more than 250 papers and
articles over the last 20 years, and he received the SGIAs
Swormstedt Award in 1992 and 1994. He can be reached
via e-mail at coudray@coudray.com.
the prepress wi re
june/july 2012 11
impressions/hr all day long. Electronic
prepress, direct-to-plate, and full color
management have driven the cost and
economic run length (ERL) down,
down, down. But this industry segment
is still collapsing. Why? Because they
need to be competitive at a unit of one.
Measuring as
compared to digital
Digital has fundamentally changed the
underlying economics of what we do
and the way graphics are purchased. It
is doing this in the same way it ravaged
the television, music, video/motion
picture, and publishing industries.
While this is a grim reality, it does not
mean we have to fully accept it as our
inevitable future.
Understand the entire graphic
communication industry was based
on mass produced advertising volume.
It is push based, where the industry
pushes advertising out to the market
and bases its value on cost per thou-
sand (CPM) views or units produced.
It cannot be measured effectively. The
only metrics are aggregate metrics for
the entire campaign.
Digital is different. It is based
on a personalized unit of one. Every-
thing about digital can be measured.
As a result, the underlying production
model we have used for the last 150
or more years is no longer relevant. It
doesnt matter how efficient you are if
you cant deliver graphics that fit into a
metric-driven, analytic, ROI model.
This is a huge difference. Push
based marketing is considered an ex-
pense, hence the focus is on reducing
costs. This is something you cannot
win. Digital is a pull-driven market
where every individual instance is mea-
sured for an increase in ROI. Hence, it
is an investment-driven model.
This is where screen printing
loses the game. When advertisers can
measure results down to the individual
location, they dont care what the cost
is, as long as the return on their ad-
vertising investment meets or exceeds
their expectation. Theyre able to cus-
tomize the graphics to each individual
store, location, demographic, ethnicity,
inventory item, and preference. It is as
close to 1:1 marketing as we can get
with this model.
This means the inevitable is
variable-data printing (VDP), where the
graphic content is determined based
on rules merged from disparate and un-
connected databases. The direct-mail
industry has been doing this for years.
Its not a new concept. The granular-
ity, or the resolution, of the offering is
whats new. New opportunities present
themselves as computation speed in-
creases and data move increasingly to
the cloud. Whether we can take advan-
tage of them or not will depend on how
open our industry is to new ideas.
As I see it, the problem is one
of vision and willingness. I dont hear
many people talking about this. Its as if
owners and management are in denial
with their heads stuck in the sand. Its
been easy to blame poor performance
in the last few years on a crappy
economy. But that isnt totally to blame.
Times are changing and with them, so
is our need to adjust.
We have some transition options
available for now, but they are becom-
ing increasingly limited. Run length will
continue to decrease until only what is
needed to drive the sale is produced.
We cant stop that. Its an inevitable
outcome. Our future lies in understand-
ing whats really going on and develop-
ing meaningful and effective solutions
that add value for our customers.
The future of screen will be
about integration. It relies on how we
integrate into a digital economy and
how we integrate with other digital pro-
cesses. Its foolish and nave to think
we will remain a viable option because
we have better outdoor durability, size,
or substrate variety. These were all his-
torical values that have been eclipsed
by digital. We still have a small speed
advantage on longer runs, but as we
have seen, that is increasingly irrel-
evant as well.
So what are the options? What
can we do to add value? Clearly, there
are no simple answers. We are a ma-
ture industry with established relation-
ships. Our customers have come to
know us and trust us. Sure, they are
focused on cost, but that is what has
driven everyone in the past. The vision
and willingness I spoke of earlier have
to do with stepping up and providing
leadership.
Our customers look to us for
leadership. When you take a total
customer perspective, you have a
responsibility to present solutions that
maximize your customers potential
through the use of what you sell them.
That is the living definition of value.
Willingness means moving off
the current model you are using within
your company. This is scary and a
big risk. Nobody wants to make a
costly mistake. No one wants to move
away from what they know into the
unknown. But think about this for a
minute.
Your new competitors dont
have that irrelevant, historically based
model holding them back. They dont
have the internal friction of a mature
workforce resisting change. They also
dont have the customer base and the
relationships you have.
That being said, if you fail to
step-up and provide the vision and
leadership to your established relation-
ships, youve just opened the door.
Youve opened the door to a new, ag-
gressive competitor whos more agile,
lower cost, and is now competing with
you head-to-head. Youve just handed
over the one advantage you had.
What has kept the screen-printing
industry from succeeding at optimization
has to do with resistance to change.
EXPERT APPAREL
Thomas Trimingham has worked in the screen-
printing industry for more than 15 years as an artist,
art director, industry consultant, and head of R&D for
some of the nations largest screen printers. He is an
award-winning illustrator, designer, and author of more
than 45 articles on graphics for screen printing. He can
be reached at ttrimingham@yahoo.com.
SCREENPRINTING 12
EXPERT APPAREL
GRAYSCALE MAGIC
Thomas Trimingham
Trimingham describes how to build incredible
looking grayscale prints on dark garments that
are light and detailed.
There are lots of ways to create separations for prints on
dark shirts, but very few really make the graphic jump off of
the garment with the least amount of work. The best prints
on dark garments use the garment to a degree to darken the
shadows in the image, and it always is a bonus if the printed
area feels light to the touch.
Without printing discharge or water-based inks, the
best way to create a softer feeling shirt is to change the print-
ing order on some of the separations so that there is less ink
going down and still a sense of brightness to the image. It is
possible to achieve both of these objectives by using a style
of printing and separation that many printers tend to avoid.
This style is very useful particularly when printing and sepa-
rating grayscale images on dark shirts because it can really
help to create the deep shadows in an image with having the
colors all be completely under printed with a white ink. The
lower ink volume is what really gives the shirt its incredible
look and feel.
The trick to building an unconventional grayscale print
on a dark garment is to follow a simple three-step process.
First, you extract the grayscale base part of the image. Sec-
ond, you decide if you need a bump plate or color overlay.
Finally, you pull out the highlighted white areas and review
the work in a digital proof.
Before you start
The same process that is used in high-end, detailed separa-
tions in multiple colors when you begin the file preparations
is also used for quick grayscale separations. It is critical to
check the file to make certain it is the right size (actual size
of the final output) and a decent resolution (at least 150-300
dpi) prior to starting the separation process. If you need to
adjust other things about the file, it is always better to do so
prior to separationexamples include typography, edge qual-
ity in the design, and the overall tonal range. Once everything
is adjusted or clarified, then the separations can be started.
Probably the most common problem with submitted
files is that they tend to be low in resolution and in edge clari-
ty. The reason this is a concern for images that will be broken
into halftones is that without a clear definition to the edges
in an image, the ink tends to wander past where it should go
and the whole graphic can begin to look fuzzy or indistinct.
A lot of times this is something that wont be caught until it
is being printed as well, because the computer simulation
FIGURE 1 A digital picture with poor edge quality
FIGURE 2 Use the Lasso tool and then the Color Range tool to cre-
ate an extra layer on top of the original image and edit areas for
better edges.
FIGURE 3 Copy the original, paste and invert it, and title the
channel My Gray Channel.
expert apparel
JUNe/JUlY 2012 13
will show a clear edge to graphics. This is because it doesnt
simulate the degrading of the halftones on the edges and the
tendency for low end dots to become lost in the screen mak-
ing process.
Remember, a 5% dot on the computer screen that
creates an edge in a dark garment will likely not hold on the
screen unless you use a very controlled process. Most print-
ers are lucky to hold 10% dots in, especially with film. In the
example image (Figure 1) the digital picture looks fine from
a distance, but on closer inspection the edge quality is poor.
The likely result of this is that the fur texture and eye would
mash together in the final print and cause a very muddy ap-
pearance.
The solution for this issue is to carefully check the
density of your edge defining areas in the image and to make
adjustments for areas that are too low and will probably
be squeezed out in the screen creation process. A filter in
Photoshop can aid this process, so I took the wolf image and
created a duplicate layer of the wolf, used the Curves menu
to increase the contrast of the image slightly (deepened the
blacks and brightened the whites), and then ran the Poster
Edges filter on a light setting of 1 edge thickness, 0 edge
intensity, and 6 on posterization.
The next step was to select just the fur areas of the
wolf quickly using the lasso tool (this is called a pre-selec-
tion) and then use the Color Range tool and extract just the
black areas (or the edges created by the poster edges effect).
I could then create an extra layer on top of the original image
and fill just these outlines with black and then edit them to
create better edge quality where I needed it and erase extra
shapes where I didnt need them.
These steps create little outlines in the image that will
aid in keeping the edge quality sharper and help to make the
overall print lighter by allowing the black of the shirt to come
through the image in those areas (Figure 2).
Now that the image had all the quality to a decent level,
it was ready for separation for grayscale printing on dark
shirts. If you were going to image on lighter shirts, you would
have to reconstruct the background or go back and edit out
areas to create a border for the design to blend properly.
Steps for separation on dark shirts
Extracting the grayscale underbase The first step of
creating the grayscale underprint is deceptively easy when
the image is created on a black background. I just created
four extra alpha channels after the image channels and
named the first one shirt channel and changed the Channel
Options color to black. After this was completed, I copied the
original file, pasted it into the next channel, and then inverted
it and titled this channel my gray channel (Figure 3).
Initially, this pasted graphic will appear too heavy, but
all it takes is a little bump of the contrast to make it right on
target. The major concern is that the image may have quite a
few areas that are very light in halftone density and may not
Figure 4 I added two color bumps.
Figure 5 Use a smooth curve in the Curves menu to blend colors.
Figure 6 The newly created image
Figure 7 Poor edge quality
expert apparel
screenprinting 14
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hold onto the screen for this color. A simple solution for this
is to ramp up the gray base to compensate for this possibil-
ity. The easiest way to do this is to use the Curves menu and
push over the black point toward the middle of the graph
while keeping it on the edge. You are just looking at increas-
ing the lowest level of dot to at least 12% or so and then the
heavier areas will need to be higher as well to compensate
for the ink being gray instead of white.
Determining the need for a bump plate or overlay color
A bump is most commonly used when the grayscale image
has a strong color cast to it. For example, I added two quick
color casts to the wolf image that required two color bumps
(Figure 4). If there is not a color cast to it, then it really
doesnt apply. If there is a color cast to the image, then it is
important at this point to create a color-overlay plate.
One of the best ways to do this is to find the most
saturated area of the color and use either Color Range or pull
a selection that you can convert into a channel using the Im-
age Mode split method, where the image is split into a CMYK
image from an RGB image and then the closest channel that
has enough color information in it is used as a bump plate
or color overlay on top of the gray color. Typically, the ink is
reduced a lot so it stains the color underneath without creat-
ing too much opacity.
Figure 8 Six simple steps can boost edge quality.
Figure 9 the underbase was colored slightly to add to the
color cast.
june/july 2012 15
expert apparel
C
M
Y
CM
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Creating the white plate As you can see for these
styles of images, the gray screen becomes the underbase
screen and the white can be printed on top of the gray
(flashed, of course). The huge advantage to this is that both
inks can then be run through much higher mesh counts than
they would normally be. The gray will be brightened by the
white on top of it, and the white will be underbased, thereby
allowing the use of a reduced ink that can flow through a
higher mesh count. The gray can be a 200-thread/in. mesh and
the white can be a 190-thread/in. mesh using a 55-dpi dot.
These settings allow the highest quality print in this
style with the least amount of ink buildup. To create the
white, all you have to do at this point is duplicate the original
image and then Curve out the lower end and save the high-
lights. Make sure to use a nice, smooth curve in the Curves
menu so both colors blend well together (Figure 5). That
way, the transition between the gray and white screens will
appear very smooth and clean.
Practice with this style of separation can become sec-
ond nature and extremely quick once you master the subtle-
ties of it. Lets look at a new image that will be created using
the same method (Figure 6). The file had to be prepared
properly, because again, in a close view, the edge quality was
poor (Figure 7) and there were a few other issues. The leop-
ard looked a little bored, so I copied the lower jaw, moved it
up and closed its mouth and then duplicated the eyebrows
and tilted them slightly in so the cat would look a little more
intense.
The process of boosting the edge quality was almost
the same as what I used for the wolf: I increased the contrast
using Curves, then I sharpened the image using the Unsharp
Mask dialog (amount 78 / radius 2.7 / threshold 1), and finally,
Figure 10 The final product is bright, detailed, and still has a soft
feel on the shirt.
screenprinting 16
expert apparel
I duplicated the layer and ran the Post-
er Edges filter (same settings) and then
Color Range selected the black, created
an extra layer, and filled in just the
black and quickly edited it. This may
seem like a lot of steps but it was only
seven or eight minutes of work, which
is a lot less than redrawing things or
creating shapes or paths with the brush
tool to define edges (Figure 8).
The separation followed the
same method, except there were two
overlay plates that were added to the
grayscale image. These colors were
reduced inks that were to be printed
over the white and the gray at the end
of the printing sequence. So the print
was executed on press using this print
order: gray, flash, white, flash, pale
gold, gray blue.
The separations were produced
in this order with first copying the im-
age and placing it into the first alpha
channel and then bumping it to make
the gray underbase. This underbase
was colored slightly to add to the color
cast, so it wasnt a pure gray, but more
of a blue-gray underbase (Figure 9).
The next step was to again
duplicate and then squeeze the origi-
nal image using the Curves menu to
produce the white screen, and this
image was added to the next channel
in the print order. The final colors were
pulled using the CMYK method, where
a duplicate of the image was split and
then pieces of the resulting channels
were merged back into the separations
as a gray-blue and a pale-gold channel.
This process was fully completed in
less than 30 minutes, with the separa-
tions and final design all ready to print.
The final product was bright, detailed,
and still had a softer feel because it
used less ink volume on the dark shirt
(Figure 10).
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SCREENPRINTING 18
Read on to see how to grow your team sportswear printing business.
Cara Cherry
Stahls ID Direct
FIGURE 1
Performance
T-shirt features
digitally printed
and heat applied
CAD-PRINTZ
number effects.
june/july 2012 19
Apparel decorators know that one
of the most profitable niches for them
is in the sports market. Team uniforms,
jerseys, spirit wear, fan wearthe op-
portunities are practically endless. With
lots of dealers and decorators for con-
sumers to choose from, how do you get
ahead of your competition and stand
out? Its not a secretoffering great
prices, a wide selection of athletic and
teamwear (Figure 1), and keeping up
with the latest trends will keep your
business booming!
Getting started
It doesnt matter what the season is or
what time of year it is, there is always
a need for decorated team apparel and
fan wear. If youre a garment decora-
tor just getting into team wear, then
make certain that you take the time to
do your homework. Understanding the
market, the needs of the players, the
coaches, and the parents will help you
get ahead.
Teams tend to stick with a famil-
iar supplier and arent always willing to
consider switching to a new vendor un-
less they see a valid reason for making
the move. Get to know the team that
youre targeting and what theyre look-
ing for. Sometimes it can be something
as simple as the fit of a uniform or the
style of jacket. If a team isnt happy
with their current vendor, then it opens
the door for you to try out your gar-
ment printing expertise. If their shirts
dont fit right, then find them ones that
do. If a jacket is too short, show them
a longer one. If youre able to offer a
better product, lower price, different
materials, special effects, or faster
turnaround then youve got a great shot
at winning their business.
Suit up
Lightweight fabrics, special effect
materials, and unique graphic place-
ment are all extremely popular when it
comes to uniforms. Technical fabrics,
while still considered a trend, are
becoming more standard. Athletes are
looking for materials that dont hold
them back and that offer moisture man-
agement (Figure 2) fea-
tures, antibacterial proper-
ties, and UV protection.
Performance wear has to
be soft and stretchable.
Basic cotton or polyester
blend garments are being
reengineered and restyled
to meet these demands.
Tapered/form-fitting
jerseys in smaller sizes are
also very much in demand
for women. Girls are no
longer forced to buy mens
jerseys in small sizes or
order youth-size uniforms,
since most manufacturers
offer a ladies fit (Figure
3). One of the best ways to
cater to women is to stock
what they want. Spe-
cifically, carrying womens
uniforms and showing a va-
riety of fashionable options
for female athletes is key.
Top manufacturers
are also fighting for their
share of the market place.
In January, Nike unveiled
its Hyper Elite Platinum
series, which was worn
by nine teams during
the NCAA Basketball
Championship this past
March. The uniforms are
made from 100% recycled
polyester and are tailored
for optimal efficiency and
movement. The uniforms
feature prominent accent colors, laser cut logos,
and reflective numbers as well as side panels for
increased breathability and lightweight fabric.
The NFL recently debuted new fall uniforms,
which were also designed by Nike. The new uni-
forms are designed to be lightweight, contoured to
fit the body, and breathable. In terms of the designs,
most of the uniforms received small tweaks for a
more modern and sleek appearance.
Adidas recently introduced TECHFIT.
Worn by players in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game it
features strategically placed thermoplastic poly-
urethane powers bands that align core muscles and
boost power to key muscle group for more efficient
movement. Ultimately, TECHFIT is designed to
FiGure 2 (TOP)
Ladies pink softball jer-
sey with moisture man-
agement polyester fabric
featuring pre-spaced text
in CAD-CUT Glitter Flake
heat transfer material.
FiGure 3 (BOTTOM)
Volleyball jersey features
a streamlined ladies cut
with moisture wicking
properties, decorated
with a custom cut team
name and number
featuring Premium Plus
heat transfer material.
screenprinting 20
increase acceleration and a players
endurance.
Pro sports and college sports
influence trends in active wear in
the same way that celebrities influ-
ence consumer clothing choices. High
school teams and recreation leagues
are sure to be excited for the new jer-
seys and will most likely start demand-
ing uniforms similar to the pros.
Name/number-decorating
options
Long-term decorators are familiar with
the traditional methods of decorating
including screen printing, heat print-
ing, embroidery, and sublimation. The
advances in team uniform fabrics are
growing and so is the technology avail-
able for decorating. Applying durable
materials and choosing the most cost
effective method will give dealers an
edge. When it comes to putting names
and numbers on jerseys, there are a
variety of options to consider. Each
method comes with advantages and
disadvantages.

Seeing through the screen
Screen printing is one of the most pop-
ular methods when it comes to decorat-
ing large quantities of garments. Most
team dealers will put custom logos and
mascots on jerseys, team wear, bags,
and fan wear. However, screen printing
names and numbers can become com-
plicated. Since screen printing requires
different screens for every number and
name, some shops may limit the colors
and font choices.
Tackle it
Appliqu is the most expensive method
and commonly used on professional
and replica jerseys. Its more time con-
suming which is why it costs more. A
polyester-based fabric is usually treated
with a heat transfer adhesive and then
cut from a roll either with a knife, laser,
or water jet. The name or number is
then positioned and heat applied onto a
garment. Next, they are sewn onto the
jersey. There are two ways to affix the
names and numbers manually on a
sewing machine or with automated em-
broidery equipment. Different stitches
such as satin or zigzag can also be used
to sew down the appliqu.
Do or dye
Sublimation is another method of deco-
rating that is seeing a lot of growth.
Dye sublimation is a heat transfer pro-
cess that uses specialty inks to embed
colors and graphics into fabric. Since
the inks actually fuse with the garment,
this results in a smooth print that is ac-
tually a part of the garment. Since the
dyes are less dense than other meth-
ods, sublimation can be used as an all
over decorating technique and applied
over seams and in odd places.
Sublimation lettering and num-
bering is also available. Various manu-
facturers are now offering sublimated
letters and numbers in a wide variety
of colors and fills. Decorators can even
order custom colors or create multi-
layer looks that are more lightweight
than twill lettering.
Hot options
Heat printing is probably the easiest
and most economical option when
it comes to decorating uniforms.
Small- to mid-sized shops can add
heat transfers to their business with a
minimal investment in equipment and
supplies. Every decorator should have
a heat press.
Heat presses (Figure 4) are
available at different price points
depending upon budget, volume, and
space availability. They range in size
from portable presses that start out
around $500 for mobile decorating to
Figure 4 (TOP) A 16 x
20-in. heat press equipped with
touchscreen technology that features
patented draw and swing-away for a
heat-free workspace.
Figure 5 (rigHT)
Stock die-cut letters and numbers featuring thermo-FiLM heat transfer
material applied onto a mens moisture-control polyester jersey.
june/july 2012 21
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air-operated presses for commercial
use that can run up to $4,500. Heat
printing offers great benefits includ-
ing the ability to produce personalized
apparel, short runs with quick turn-
arounds, and even print on demand.
With minimal education and training
and patented technologies such as
touch screens, automatic open presses,
and digital pressure gauges, heat
presses are faster and easier to use
than ever before.
Team orders typically range
from ten pieces for a team to several
hundred for a league. Heat-applied
transfers are ideal for the short-run
orders, especially those that require
personalization. They are especially
popular for teams on a budget. Simple
names and numbers can be applied for
a very low cost.
Heat transfer materials are
available in a several different formats.
Decorators can choose from stock let-
ters and numbers (Figure 5), custom
cut options, or they can purchase mate-
rial by the roll and cut it themselves.
Most manufacturers ship stock letters,
numbers, and even custom graphics
within 24 hours, which allows for a fast
turnaround. Keeping an inventory of
stock letters and numbers on hand also
allows for fast, on-site personalization.
Heat transfer materials are avail-
able in a wide range of textures and
finishes. Decorators who own vinyl
cutters can purchase rolls of materials
and cut designs for quick custom ap-
plications. There is also a high demand
for neon, reflective, metallic, glitter
flakes, and other special effect types
of material, especially in the cheer
market. Durability is another important
factor and many heat transfer materials
are guaranteed not to crack or peel and
are designed to withstand tough on the
field action.
Ken Chadwick, GroupeSTAHL
representative in New England, has
been advising team dealers who own
a cutter to offer player numbers on
cleats, gloves and bat bags. It makes
it much easier for players to find their
bags or cleats in the locker room.
screenprinting 22
Trying to gain more business from an
existing customer is also much easier
than trying to cultivate a new one.
Another method that is catch-
ing on in heat printing, thanks to pro
teams and big name brands like Nike,
and Under Armor, is digitally printed
names and numbers. This method uses
digital printed heat transfer material
and eco-solvent or thermo-resin print/
cut systems to print full color images,
fills, or effects directly onto the digital
media. Decorators can offer custom
fills featuring school mascots or sport-
specific patterns like footballs or soc-
cer balls in the design.
Sign cutters who already have
print/cut systems need to purchase a
heat press and the digitally printable
material, and they can add garment
decorating to their range of services.
Decorators who arent ready to invest
in the equipment can also order direct-
ly from manufacturers. Online ordering
and fast shipping options make it easy
for decorators to offer custom person-
alization with fast turnarounds.

Add-on sales
Today, more dealers offer complete
outfits and are becoming full-service
providers. In addition to customizing
the uniforms, they are increasing their
add-on sales by sup-
plying coordinating
bags, jackets, sweats
and caps. With the
advances in full-color
digital printing, deal-
ers can also profit
with banners, wall
graphics, window
decals and custom
helmet decals. The key
to add-on sales is to
provide your custom-
ers with ideas and
solutions designed to
help them stand out
and get noticed.
Backpacks, tote bags, and travel
bags are ideal add-on sale items plus
they offer tons of opportunities to per-
sonalize. New options in heat transfer
vinyl as well as digital transfers created
from solvent inks allows decorators
to customize virtually any type of bag
from woven nylon to polyester. These
materials even allow for decoration to
run down the straps, around zippers
and even over seams.
Showing samples to customers
is one of the easiest ways to increase
sales. Anytime you sell a piece of ap-
parel such as a jersey, be sure to create
additional pieces that demonstrate
what you can do. Customers generally
arent aware of all the products avail-
able that their logo (Figure 6) can be
applied to or that can be customized
for them.
A great example of using samples
to increase your add-on sales is to cre-
ate something extra for the coach or
the person who places the order as a
thank you. If they ordered little league
T-shirts, then include a jacket, duffle
bag or cap with the logo heat applied
on it for the person who placed the
order. If you take the time to find out
their size and give them something
specifically selected for them then it
gives them another product idea and
demonstrates your appreciation for
the sale. It can also lead to increased
opportunities for creating fan wear.
Once they wear it to a game, parents
and grandparents might like to order
one too.
According to Patrick Seward,
company representative for New
York and New Jersey, knowing what
is popular locally is what helps him
determine which products are im-
portant to show to team dealers. For
example, team names, graphics or
player numbers on the back window of
cars is very popular in New Jersey. He
often takes samples into the dealers
and suggests they offer them to their
customers. It makes for another great
add-on sale as well.
Regulations and resources
Knowing what does and doesnt work
on uniforms is a critical element in
team decorating. Schools, associations
or teams usually dictate the uniform
style, colors, materials, and accessories
that are worn. The National Federation
of High School Associations (NFHS)
and the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) both publish
rulebooks that contain policies associ-
ated with uniform design. In addition,
league rules may vary, so its important
to check with the appropriate organiza-
tion in terms of logo placement, letter-
ing sizes, or name layout.
The opportunities and options
that are available in decorating team
uniforms are virtually unlimited. Keep
these methods in mind and youll find
that decorating team uniforms and ap-
parel can equal big profits.
Cara Cherry is a PR manager for Stahls ID Direct,
manufacturer of heat-applied graphics and equip-
ment. She has a Master of Arts degree in Public
Relations and Organizational Communications and is
a member of the Public Relations Society of America
(PRSA). She has written articles for various industry
publications.
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Eliminating problems and managing
variables in garment screen printing
lead to real improvement in quality
and efficiency. This article focuses on
five top culprits that slow the process
down: screen tension, stencil expo-
sure, stencil drying, squeegee quality,
and flash curing.
Screen Tension
Screen printing is next to impossible
to control without proper and consis-
tent screen tension. To deal with ten-
sion at all, you need to use a calibrated
tensionmeter as part of a daily routine
of managing tension on screens. Ten-
sion should be measured on every
screen every time you stretch, reten-
sion, or pick out a screen to enter into
the production cycle.
Higher tension levels produce
better print results, improve registra-
tion, and increase production speeds.
Appropriate tension levels for a par-
ticular mesh count and thread diam-
eter vary based on the fabric strength,
frame type, andin some cases
stretching device. Most meshes used
for garment printing can be tensioned
easily to 25 N/cm and higher. Tension
should not be considered a goal unto
itself. Choose tensions that that can be
consistently achieved and maintained
given your shops conditions.
High-tension screens have less
resistance to knocks and pokes and will
break more easily, and therefore need to
be handled with more care. Off-contact
distances must be reduced when higher
screen tensions are introduced to the
press. Failure to lower off-contact
accordingly can result in the mesh
breaking on press. When raising tension
levels, it is a good idea to increase op-
Boosting
Garment-Printing
Efciency
SCREENPRINTING 24
Use the following tips to control the
variables most commonly encountered
in garment screen printing.
Dawn M. Hohl-Nowlin
erating tension gradually, and establish
timely communication with the press-
room so appropriate adjustments are
made.
Screen-tension uniformity refers
to consistent tension within one screen.
Maintaining tension uniformity is im-
portant for preventing image distortion
and registration problems. Uneven warp
and weft tension can create inconsistent
registration, unpredictable ink deposit,
and destructive moir. For best results,
variations should be within 1.0 N/cm.
Tension measurements should
be taken in at least five places on the
screen. This is known as a five-point
measurement method. To establish your
measurement locations, divide the screen
into four equal quadrants, each with a
corner joining at the center (Figure 1).
Measurements are taken in the center of
the four quadrants and in the center of
JUNE/JULY 2012 25
the screen. Warp and weft measurements
should be taken in all five points.
For multicolor prints, selecting
screens with similar tensions will help
ensure consistent printing results. This
issue is especially important when
printing four-color-process work or on
any job where the quality requirements
are high. Tension differences screen to
screen can result in inaccurate registra-
tion, as well as different printing effects
on the image. As a rule of thumb, varia-
tions of no more than 1.5 N/cm screen
to screen will help ensure registration
and print quality on multicolor work.
Stencil exposure
Underexposure is one of the most com-
mon problems in the industry today.
Incorrect or inconsistent exposure can
create costly problems in production,
including stencil breakdown on press,
excessive pinholes, sawtoothing, loss of
detail, inaccurate image reproduction,
and reclaiming difficulty.
An exposure calculator simulates
between up to ten different exposures
with incremental neutral-density filters,
all on the same piece of film (Figure
2). A single exposure can give us all
the information we need to determine
the correct exposure for a given set
of conditions. Chances are you have
an exposure calculator in your screen
room right now, and chances are it is
rarely used.
Successful screenmaking requires
the use of this tool on a regular basis.
Each stencil/mesh combination must be
tested. Exposure times vary with stencil
thickness, stencil brand/type, mesh
count/thread diameter, exposure lamp,
and exposure distance. Each combina-
tion will yield a different result. Even
after establishing a correct exposure
time, regular tests should be made to
double check accuracy and confirm
exposure-lamp operation.
Screen drying
Shortcuts taken to rush a screen to
press lead to improperly dried screens
being exposed, creating a whole host of
problems on press including pinholes,
stencil breakdown, poor edge defini-
tion, and reclaiming difficulty. Conse-
quently, the so-called shortcut becomes
a costly, long delay. Consider the fol-
lowing tips for optimizing screen-drying
conditions.
Increase air temperature with
a heater. Evenness of the heat is also
important. The heater must be directed
properly inside the cabinet or drying
space to minimize hot spots and wide
temperature swings. Do not exceed
temperatures of 105F (40C) as higher
temperatures can pre-harden unex-
posed stencils.
Install a dehumidifier in the dry-
ing area. At a relative humidity of 100%,
the air can hold no more water. Once
the maximum drying temperature is
reached, the only way to reduce relative
humidity is with a dehumidifier. This
should be standard equipment in every
screen room.
Create an air exchange system
for effective airflow. Moving the air
around with a fan is not as effective as
exhausting the wet air and providing an
intake of new air into the dryer. Blow-
ing the same humid air around will do
little to improve drying times. Creating
the proper airflow conditions can be
much more effective than just increas-
ing temperature or reducing humidity to
dry the screens. Dont use a dirt-caked
fan directed at the screen to create
airflow. In this case, instead of airflow,
you create a dirt blower that will create
pinholes in great quantities. Installing
air filters over all air exchanges can
help keep the dust down (furnace filters
work well).
A screen vacuum can help speed
the screen-drying process along consid-
erably. They can easily be assembled
by purchasing a wet/dry shop vacuum
and adding a specialized aluminum
screen vacuum nozzle in place of the
regular vacuum nozzle (Figure 3).
These screen nozzles are available from
screen making suppliers and are de-
signed to eliminate damage to stencils
and mesh. Vacuuming off excess water
on degreased mesh and exposed sten-
cils makes for faster dry times. Note
2
3
4
5
1
Five-Point Measurement Method
Figure 1 Divide the screen into four equal
quadrants, each with a corner joining at
the center, to establish reliable tension
measurements.
Figure 2 An exposure calculator enables you
to conveniently evaluate the effectiveness of
several exposure times.
Figure 3 A specialized vacuum nozzle
on a wet/dry vacuum can help speed the
screen-drying process along considerably.
screenprinting 26
that stencils must be exposed properly
and the screen nozzle must be kept
clean and free of dings and burrs.
Squeegee quality
The squeegees importance cannot
be understated. Its interaction and
interdependence with screen tension
is absolute. Without a quality squeegee
and a properly tensioned screen, the
ink transfer will not happen correctly,
resulting in a whole list of problems.
A square squeegee blade is
preferred for most printing, and the
edge of the blade is critical to a good
print. While a dull squeegee will still
push ink through the screen, it requires
excessive pressure and a slower stroke
to do so. Poor edge quality can also
cause print streaking and uneven ink
deposits.
It is impossible to keep your
squeegees sharp without a basic squee-
gee sharpener (Figure 4). The edge
of the squeegee wears down during
the friction of printing, and needs to be
sharpened on a regular basis. Replacing
squeegee material is costly, so putting in
a new blade in place of sharpening is not
a cost-effective option. Here are a few
squeegee-sharpening recommendations:
1. Always allow the squeegee to
rest for 12-24 hours before attempt-
ing to sharpen. Swelling from inks
and solvents will soften the blade and
can cause it to get chewed up during
sharpening.
2. Use an appropriate grinding grit
for the amount of material that is to be
removed. In other words, select a coarse
grit for removing a lot of material, and a
fine grit to just polish the edge.
3. Remove as little material as
possible at a time so as not to melt
and distort the polyurethane squeegee,
and to extend the useful life of the
squeegee blade. Use multiple passes on
grinder type sharpeners, using smooth
slow motion with minimal pressure.
4. Make sure the squeegee edge
is straight and that free height is even
to the handle along the squeegees
entire length.
5. Always sharpen new blades
after they are inserted in a squeegee
handle/holder. In most squeegee hold-
ers the blade becomes distorted from
the clamping screws and uneven place-
ment. The new blade must be sharp-
ened to ensure the length is trued and
parallel to the holder.
6. Implement a regular schedule
and procedure for sharpening squee-
gees. Dont wait until print problems
stop production to address this critical
maintenance issue. Also, maintain your
squeegee sharpener according to manu-
facturer recommendations.
Repeated sharpening will slowly
shorten what is called the free height
of the blade. This refers to the dimen-
sion of the blade extending out of the
holder. As the free height is reduced, it
cannot flex as well and becomes stiffer
to print with, regardless of durometer.
A squeegee in this state will act like a
harder (higher durometer) blade, mak-
ing it more difficult to print with and
changing ink deposit and print quality.
Inks, solvents, environmental
conditions, and time will slowly harden
the squeegee material, increasing its
durometer and reducing its suppleness.
The increase in stiffness will neces-
sitate excessive squeegee pressure and
will lead to poor print quality. Squeegee
replacement should be scheduled on a
regular basis and the cost factored into
your operations. As a rule of thumb,
polyurethane squeegee blades have a
useful life of one year or less depend-
ing on their formulation, use, and
maintenance.
Thoroughly cleaning your squee-
gees (and holders) immediately after
printing will minimize ink contamina-
tion during printing. Having streaks of
other colors show up in white ink dur-
ing printing creates misprinted shirts
and will cost valuable production time
as you stop the press to deal with the
problem. Having some squeegees desig-
nated for only white can help avoid this
situation as well.
A buildup of ink from inadequate
cleaning can also lead to squeegee
marks and streaks from dried ink stuck
to the squeegees edge or flaking and
falling into the ink during printing. Do
not allow squeegees to soak in any
type of solvent for extended times. The
polyurethane will swell and can perma-
nently lose its resilience.
Figure 4 You need at least a basic squeegee sharpener to maintain
the edges of your squeegees.
Figure 5 Some non-contact thermometers feature lasers that help
ensure proper surface-temperature readings.
june/july 2012 27
Flash curing
Flash or spot curing is used to set or
dry to the touch one or more ink layers
before printing the next. Flashing is nec-
essary for creating an underbase layer,
controlling dye migration, printing light
inks on dark garments, printing multiple
colors on nylon, solidifying multicolor
prints, and printing special-effect inks.
Flashing is also a crutch for
many printers, used to compensate for
improperly prepared artwork, incorrect
color/print order, poor registration, poor
ink preparation, incorrect mesh counts,
and poor screen tension. Ink problems
such as screen buildup and smearing
with butt-registered colors are often
addressed with flashing as well. In these
cases, flashing simply bandages the
problem and can be an efficiency killer.
Flash time, distance, and tempera-
ture are the primary control points with
a given flash unit. Together, these three
variables dictate the heat exposure
on the ink. Finding the most efficient
balance can help a printer save count-
less hours, reduce scrap and improve
production speed.
Flash time or dwell is the main
adjustment for flash curing inks. Once
the flash distance and heat level are
setup, the flash time is the fine tuning to
bring the ink just to gel stage. The term
flash curing is misleading because the
goal of flashing is not to cure the ink.
Flash curing is only used to bring the
ink to 160-275F (71-135C), depending
on the ink.
While common practice, exces-
sive flashing not only wastes produc-
tion time, but it also can create other
problems. Over flashing, or fully curing,
an underbase layer can hinder adhe-
sion of the subsequent colors. It will
also overheat the platens, which can
cause ink to start gelling in the screens.
The high heat can make fabrics shrink,
scorch, and cause the platen adhesive to
melt. Additionally, over flashing synthet-
ics can trigger dye migration into the ink
film, and some inks may shift color if
the flash heat is excessive.
Flashing plastisol ink is influ-
enced by the same variables as fully
curing the print and is not a one-time-
fits-all situation. Variables include
fabric type and weight, shirt color, ink
color, ink thickness, ink modification,
room temperature and relative humid-
ity, and platen temperature. As these
change, your flash dwell will need to
be adjusted accordingly to maximize
efficiency.
Flash distance is measured from
the bottom of the panel to the surface
of the garment. The closer the distance
is set, the higher the cure efficiency
and production rate. It is also impor-
tant to level the panel over the platens
and to ensure the platens are leveled
one to another.
Flash temperature can be con-
trolled, provided the flash unit has a
heat controller/regulator. Those flash
units without this option run at the
same temperature all the time. Gener-
ally, temperature is not frequently ad-
justed unless the fabric type is sensitive
to heat. The distance and dwell time
are the chief means of regulating flash
exposure.
Measuring flash temperature
Measuring ink temperature during
flashing is best achieved using a non-
contact infrared thermometer immedi-
ately after the print exits the flash unit.
These hand-held devices measure the
infrared radiation coming off an object.
Aimed a few inches away, they report
readings as surface temperature. La-
sers are available to ensure the sensor
is properly aimed at the desired object
(Figure 5). Small, inexpensive models
with lasers sell for less than $50 and
are quite effective.
To get a good reading on the
flashed ink, set the thermometer to
max temperature mode, then simply
aim the reading sensor on the ink im-
mediately after you rotate the platen
from under the flash unit. Units with
lasers are particularly useful to confirm
you hit the ink itself and not just the
shirt. The display will show the highest
temperature read on the ink. Because
ink will cool very quickly after being re-
moved from the flash unit, the reading
can not reflect the true temperature the
ink reached. However, if the reading
remains at or below 275F (135C) the
ink is usually not being over flashed.
Best practices are to first adjust
the flash settings so gel just occurs
on the ink, then use the non-contact
thermometer to measure the ink tem-
perature as it comes out of the flash.
This becomes your baseline for that
set of conditions. Many variables come
into play, so this temperature will be a
bit different for each circumstance. Fi-
nally, check ink temperature during the
run and adjust the flash time so the ink
does not drastically exceed the base-
line temperature originally measured.
Press platens progressively heat
up as a run continues when flash units
are in use. Warm platens preheat the
plastisol ink before it is flashed, reduc-
ing the needed dwell time. Until the
platens warm up, a longer flash time
will be required during starting up. The
best option is to pre-heat platens under
the flash with four revolutions. If this is
not possible, the flash time should be
checked and adjusted once the platens
are warm.
Conclusion
The five issues we have discussed
here are just some of the variables that
influence the garment-printing process.
Perform an audit of these areas in your
operation. Dont assume they are run-
ning effectively. Take action to imple-
ment solutions to any problems you
find. I guarantee you will see improve-
ments in your print quality, efficiency,
and production flow.
Dawn Hohl-Nowlin is a technical trainer and consul-
tant on screen printing. Her industry experience in-
cludes 18 years with SPTF/SGIA, overseeing screen-
printing workshops, developing training resources,
and conducting process-related research. She is a
member of the Academy of Screen Printing Technol-
ogy. She can be reached at uellc@comcast.net.
When a new technology is intro-
duced into an industry, there is usually
a small band of innovators who hop
on board first. They invest their time
and money in hopes of leveraging it
to improve productivity and gain a
competitive advantage. Over time, as
the technology becomes increasingly
accepted in the industry, the competi-
tive advantage largely disappears and
new users must adopt it simply to keep
pace. As an example of this, Mark
Bagleya consultant and owner of
Digital Marketing Solutions in Orlando,
FL believes that RIP software is
currently in that life cycle stage where
screen printers need to have it simply
to exist.
The screen printers who are
have been in business for more than
a couple of years are being forced to
bring on more technology that will al-
low them to compete with direct-to-dig-
ital market. New screen printers may
still limit themselves to printing one or
two colors, but in time it will make it
tougher to survive. After that, they start
to look into RIP software, he says.
A generation ago, a small mom-
and-pop shop could get by simply of-
fering simple one- or two-color prints.
With the rise of the digital age, artists
and consumers have become aware
of the options available online for
customized, limited run products that
feature multiple colors and even photo
reproduction. When they visit their
local screen printer, theyre expect-
ing similar quality and price points.
RIP software is a critical tool towards
achieving that capability using afford-
able inkjet printers.
RIP technology
For those unfamiliar with RIP technol-
ogy, its function as commonly used in
the screen printing industry is fairly
basic. An acronym for Raster Image
Processor, the software takes files
from graphic programs by running
them through Postscript and convert-
ing them to halftone dots that can be
recognized by an inkjet printer, while
also allowing the user to dictate the
screenprinting 28
What PRInteRs
thInk about
softWaRe
Learn what rIP software can do
for screen and digital printers.
Dan naumovich
june/july 2012 29
number of passes the jets will make.
(Inkjet printers are designed to print
everything in color and absent a RIP, it
would likely attempt to print the half-
tone as a shade of gray.) It has allowed
screen printers to move away from
expensive image setters and gives them
ability to print high-quality films using
affordable inkjet printers, rather than
pricey laser printers.
Bagley has been closely involved
with the development of RIP software
over the years. In terms of recent incar-
nations of the technology, he says that
many of the advancements have arisen
in an attempt to achieve results similar
to direct-to-digital printing. On such
advancement is the ability to use the
software to choose the size of ink dot
that the printer lies down on the film.
The reason this came about is
because of the direct-to-garment (DTG)
side of things, and theyre able to print
smaller dots. Theyre going directly on
the shirt, and it doesnt have to sit on
the emulsion thats on the fibers of the
screen, so theyre able to fire smaller
dots. In the screen print world were
trying to get them closer to a similar
type of output. By using the FM screen-
ing, it gives the user control over what
dot theyre using, depending on which
screen mesh they have, and be able
to get rid of some of those standard
rosette patterns that youll see. This
improves the quality, Bagley says.
Another fairly recent develop-
ment is the ability to use black ink in
multiple cartridges on certain printers,
resulting in higher quality films and
faster output.
Most of the RIP software gives
you the ability to choose exactly how
many channels of ink you can pull
black from. For example, you could
choose from one to eight, depending
on how many ink channels you have,
he says.
User friendliness has become a
focus, especially in terms of being able
to select default settings. For example,
users can dictate their desired angle
and have the setting hard-coded into
the software. With some products,
Figure 1 Buyarip Epson 1400 package
Figure 2 T-RIP
the settings can be controlled in the
graphic software during output. The
proprietary nature of RIP software
has also given way to a more universal
solution.
In the past, a lot of the RIPs
were focused to specific distributors
of equipment and supplies. So the
RIP would come with a density curve
specific to the film that was being sold.
Now a lot of the RIPs come with mul-
tiple types of density curves already
built in to it. So it gives users the ability
to source different types of film and
figure out which one truly works the
best for them, Bagley says.
While RIP allows for the use
for small, inexpensive inkjet printers,
users with more money to invest might
be better served with a hybrid printer
that can output a greater amount of
work. Hybrid printers allow for the
use of two different types of ink, so
that it can print both film positives and
other mediums such as dye sublimation
transfers. To maximize the benefits of
these printers, Bagley developed the
concept for MultiRIP Hybrid software.
The hybrid RIPs allow users
to take advantage of more expensive
or industrial printers, instead of the
smaller printers that require smaller
cartridges, or a bulk feed ink system
which can be a challenge to maintain,
he says.
RIPs In T-shIRT PRInTIng
Scott Fresener has been involved with
screen printing since 1970. Today, Fre-
sener says the challenge for RIP devel-
opers is keeping up with the changes
in other technologiesthe graphic
programs and operating systemsthat
the software must integrate with to
produce a high-quality output.
RIPs dont really get better; they
just keep up with technology. When
[graphics-program developers] bring
out new software, guys like me cringe.
We know they will dish out sloppy
code. The RIP will choke, and the
customer will blame us. RIPs have a
pretty basic functionto make a cheap
printer with no brains produce a thing
of beautybut RIP developers have
to keep one step ahead of the latest
and greatest software and operating
systems, he explains.
Changes In RIP
An additional challenge is keeping up
with the latest and greatest in printers,
a product line that seems to evolve
even faster than the software side.
Most RIPs work on Epson print-
ers (Figure 1) and you know Epson,
they arent happy if they cant roll out a
new printer every six months, he says.
Freseners current product is
called T-RIP (Figure 2). The Windows-
based application is compatible with all
screenprinting 30
versions of CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustra-
tor, and Adobe Photoshop. It works
with a variety of inkjet films and offers
a complete workflow for film output. A
free, 15-day trial version is available at
www.T-BizNetwork.com.
At ErgoSoft, whose TexPrint RIP
is optimized for high-end digital textile
production, improving workflow is
always a priority when they upgrade
their software offerings.
What we have been focusing on,
and what well continue to focus on,
is automating work flows. Using the
processing powers of computers with
multiple gigs of RAM allocated to RIP
servers, the user can drive many wide-
format printers off of one RIP station,
says Jonathan Read, manager of North
American sales for ErgoSoft.
High-quality output is obvi-
ously the biggest selling point of RIP
software, but Read believes that user
friendliness is one important way that
his software distinguishes itself with
some of the other products.
The biggest thing is usability.
If its too convoluted, its not usable.
Weve always had the mindset that if
you make something simple, people
will use it. So something as basic as re-
linearization, which is critical to color
consistency, we have a very stream-
lined work flow and customers can
go in there and do re-linearization in a
matter of minutes, he notes.
Dan Reid, president of RPImaging
and a color-management consultant, sees
the integration of G7 into RIP software
as a significant development. G7 is a
print-calibration process recommended
for sheet-fed printing, but it is also being
used successfully in screen printing.
Most of the improvements in re-
cent years have been incorporating the
G7 calibration method as part of the
RIP-calibration routine. Also iterative
color calibration has improved consis-
tency in printing and color match to
reference print processes like GRACoL
and SWOP.Screen printers are slowly
adopting the G7 method with success.
Of course those with higher end clients
and budgets for improvements are the
first adopters, Reid explains.
Reids company is a dealer for
Caldera, Onyx, and EFI software. He
believes that future upgrades will
impact the use of color in direct-to-
garment printing.
Improvements on the horizon
are better color measurement devices
that record color with improved ac-
curacy. The current crop of measure-
ment devices does not measure optical
brighteners accurately to predict how
the substrate will shift color under dif-
ferent light sources, he says.
In terms of future innovations
in the ability to print film separations,
Bob Drake doesnt see much in store.
This isnt because the software is
being edged out by other options, but
because it is doing its job about as well
as it possibly can.
Drake is the owner of Per-
formance Screen Supply located in
Manalapan, NJ, and is a dealer of
AccuRIP software (Figure 3). While
RIP software must keep up with new
technologies in terms of compatibility,
he believes that improvements in print
quality have become almost immate-
rial as it applies to the needs of screen
printers.
Epson is coming out with new
printers all the time, but the resolu-
tion these printers print at is so much
higher than well ever use or need, its
really immaterial for screen printers. I
just had a customer; I sold him an $89
Epson Workforce 1100 factory refur-
bished printer. He puts that together
with the right ink, the RIP and the film,
and hes printing imagesetter-quality
work. And printing beautiful film posi-
tives, he says.
At this point in time, Drake
doesnt believe the screen printing
industry is impacted by a digital divide
when it comes to RIP software. Not
only has it become more of a necessity
than a luxury, but weve also entered
the age where just about everyone
entering the industry grew up in the
computer generation, and have little
problem adapting to new technologies
As the old generation of screen
printers move on, all of the new guys
who get into it are up on computers.
Its very easy and were able to talk
people through it. Set up takes just a
few minutes and then theyre up and
running, he says.
If RIPs have indeed reached
optimal performance, then software
providers will need to find new ways
to differentiate their products. The
demand for RIP software is strong and
many developers will be looking for a
piece of the pie.
RIP is my number one, fastest
growing product segment. Im shak-
ing my head at how fast this market is
growing. People are converting over to
inkjets with RIPs at an amazing pace.
A lot of that is because we finally have
inexpensive, large-scale printers. Thats
huge. Entry cost is the driving factor
for the screen printing market. The
large printing shops will always have
the best and greatest stuff, but these
small print shopsand there are tens
of thousands of them out thereits all
about how affordable it is to get this
RIP software, he says.
Dan Naumovich is a freelance journalist and copy-
writer. He contributes stories to newspapers and
trade publications, and also provides marketing copy
to businesses and organizations. Before embarking on
a career as a writer, Naumovich had spent ten years
working in a family-owned screen-printing shop. He
can be reached at dan@naumo.com
Figure 3 Accurip
vmsd.com
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near zero, to the rainy months of
spring when humidity can be almost
100%. These abrupt climatic changes
directly impact the printing ability of
DTG machines.
Controlling the environment
starts with intelligent planning as to
where the equipment should be placed
within a printing operation (Figure 1).
Consistency in the environment is key
when finding the best location for the
machinery. This is especially impor-
tant in multi-shift operations, where
conditions can change to extremes
from noonday direct sun to no sun late
at night. Wide variations of conditions
can explain why the machinery can
operate flawlessly and then be incon-
sistent from one shift to the other.
Many desktop models can be
placed within a confined space where
humidity, temperature, and airflow can
be controlled. Larger models may need
to be situated in a much more substan-
tial manufacturing area, where condi-
tions are difficult to control. When
placing a smaller DTG machine, even
in an office-type environment, you still
must be aware of simple issues that
can cause changes in the environment.
Beware of the open door. If a
Direct-to-Garment
Site Preparation
and the Environment
screenprinting 32
This article points out the importance of humidity
and temperature control when using DTG printers.
Paul Borucki
Kornit
door is left open, the air moving across
the printheads can lead to ink dry-
ing on and in the printheads. This is
especially important in an industrial
situation where large overhead doors
sometimes remain open. This will
eliminate any control over the envi-
ronment and ultimately result in poor
print quality.
Many people assume that the
area is being controlled already, but
open doors, open windows, heaters,
and fans are all culprits in causing con-
ditions that can harm a DTG machine.
A machine placed by a door that is
being opened and closed throughout
the day will change the temperature
and level of humidity near the machine
by allowing the moist air to escape
and then slowly change back to your
desired humidity range settings as the
humidifiers work to add moisture to
the air.
Unless the machines are kept in
a controlled atmosphere with limited
access, where the humidity is no less
than 40% and up to as high as 80%,
the dry surrounding air can cause the
ink to dry inside the piezo printhead,
causing it to plug, resulting in streaks
in the printed image. In the worst case
Direct-to-garment (DTG) print-
ing can be integral part of a garment
decorators production process when
operators maintain necessary envi-
ronmental conditions for optimum
operation. To shed some light on the
delicate nature of DTG machines, each
machine manufacturer can use a wide
variety of printheads to apply ink to
a garment.
These printheads use piezo
technology to deliver drops of ink
measured in picoliters. A picoliter is
one trillionth of a liter. The drops of
ink can range from a small, 3.5-pl drop
on an Epson printhead to a large (by
industry standards) 85-pl drop used
on the Dimatix Spectra Nova 256 print-
head. This information is important
as we try to understand the impact
that the surrounding environment has
on these minuscule droplets of ink.
What to control
There are three simple, but important,
issues to control in DTG operation:
humidity, temperature, and airflow.
As we make the change from winter
to spring, everyone can feel the change
in the weather from the dry and cold
air of winter, when humidity can be
Direct-to-Garment
Site Preparation
and the Environment
Manufacturers of
Direct-to-Garment
Inkjet Printers
AnaJet Inc.
anajet.com
Arakis
arakisinkjet.com
BelQuette Inc.
belquette.com
Brother Intl
brother-usa.com
ColDesi Inc./DTG Digital
Garment Printers
swfeast.com
dtgdigital.com
Durafos
durafos.com
Kornit Digital
kornit-digital.com
Lawson Screen
& Digital Products, Inc.
lawsonsp.com
M&R
mrprint.com
Makki USA
makkiusa.com
OmniPrint Intl
omniprintonline.com
scenario, a damaged printhead cannot
be recovered by purging or cleaning
after being plugged with dried ink. The
goal is to provide controlled moisture
surrounding the printheads to keep the
inks moist and flowing.
First signs of low humidity
The first signs of low humidity and
other less than perfect conditions may
be when the unit produces a less than
sharp print, where the piezo inkjet
nozzles are firing but may be partially
blocked, resulting in the ink being
projected on angles and not projected
perpendicular to the print surface. The
best practice to get into is to print a
nozzle test each day to see how each
head and nozzle is firing and if any is-
sues are beginning to develop.
Whether in an office area or on
the shop floor, heaters and fans can be
the death knell for a digital printhead.
In an attempt to keep your employees
warm, a machine located underneath
or near a heater will have hot, dry air
flowing down on the machine. On the
opposite side of operator comfort, in a
less than perfectly controlled area, an
operator who moves a fan in front of
the machine to keep cool has now cre-
ated a condition that will also dry out
the printhead as the flow of air moves
across the machine.
Where a large conveyer belt
dryer is being used, be sure the dryer is
not forcing hot, dry air into the work-
ing area. Adjust the dryers exhaust
system so it has ample airflow to
remove the hot air from the dryer to
the outdoors with little or no impact
to the work area. Many high-volume
operations build special rooms where
the infeed of the dryer extends into a
controlled room that contains the digi-
tal printers and the heat sections and
outfeed are in the large shop area.
One of the best investments a
digital garment decorator can do is
purchase a data logger to get a real
time record of temperature and humid-
ity surrounding the machine. A data
logger can be inexpensive and still
record thousands of data readings so
you can see exactly what is happening
24 hours a day around the machines.
This information can mean thousands
of dollars in additional profits from a
properly controlled environment.
Paul Borucki is V.P. of operations at Kornit Digital.
JUNE/JULY 2012 33
FIGURE 1 Careful placement of a
direct-to-garment inkjet printer is critical to
the machines operation and overall print quality,
particularly when combining screen and digital print-
ing in a production workflowor adding inkjet technology to
a screen press, as shown herebecause many screen shops
prefer open floor plans to smaller, isolated workspaces.
screenprinting 34
i ndustry update
Neschen Americas Socializes on Facebook
Neschen Americas is now on Facebook in an attempt to
increase its ability to interact with new and existing custom-
ers. Product announcements, training information, videos, and
more will be showcased to demonstrate Neschen Americas
latest products.
Incorporating more social media into our marketing
strategy allows us to enhance our customer relationships and
gives us the ability to monitor and manage our brand, says
Angela Mohini, VP of marketing, Neschen Americas.
RhinoTech Moved Production and Shipping
Eagen, MN-based RhinoTech has moved its production and
shipping facility to an expanded space, while retaining its cen-
trally located headquarters. The new base of operation also
offers an area where customers, instructors, students, and
dealers can practice hands-on training and product demos.
EFI Recognized by PostNet
EFI has received the 2011 Outstanding Supplier honor from
PostNet, a neighborhood business center.
EFI was selected to receive the award because of
the educational support their staff has provided at PostNet
regional meetings and annual conferences. The award is given
annually at PostNets Thrive Conference to the supplier that
best supports PostNets franchisees. PostNet uses EFI Fiery
technology for digital printing.
EFI offers world-class technology, and their com-
mitment to educating PostNet franchisees has allowed our
INX International Ink
Co. appointed Ken Fergu-
son as technical manager
for distributors nation-
wide. Kent, OH-based
KAPCO added Suresh
Murugesan as senior
chemist and new prod-
uct development manager. Lawson Screen & Digital
Products, Inc. appointed John Cook sales manager. Xaar
added Richard Barham as sales and marketing director.
centers to utilize those tools to provide quality digital print-
ing to our business customers, says Brian Spindel, PostNets
president and COO.
MACtac Receives UL Recognition
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) recognized MACtac Printing
Products for Flint Group inks when used with its durable film
product line, including 3.4-mil white vinyl, 2.6-mil white poly-
propylene, 2.0-mil white and clear polyester, and 2.0-mil bright
silver polyester labels. Upfront UL Recognition reduces con-
verters cost and time spent qualifying substrates with UL and
allows customers to enter new markets faster, MACtac says.
Prep Underway for Print Forum
The Integrated Print Forum, held in October 29, 2012, at the
Printing Industries of Americas (PIA) headquarters in Se-
wickley, PA, has begun engaging attendees with the Integrated
Print Forum Blog and social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, and
Facebook). Printers will get together at the event to discuss
how to integrate printing effectively into the market mix of
social media. Digital marketing has become one of the top
priorities and one of the top challenges for printers in light of
new technologies like tablet computers, smart phones, and
other mobiles devices. For more information, visit www.print-
ing.org/integrated print.
Screen USA Opens Technical Center
Rolling Meadows, IL-based Screen USA has created a new
technical center for performing printing demonstrations
and process testing. The 1817-sq-ft facility is housed within
Screens software engineering division in Irvine, CA. The
intention is to complement the recently expanded demon-
stration center at Screens corporate headquarters in Rolling
Meadows.
The technical center is designed to help print-service
providers acquire high-level technical knowledge about
Screen Truepress inkjet presses, as well as deliver customer
solutions under different operating condition s on a wide
range of substrates, says Sean Dawson, large-format and
workflow-production manager.
The technical center consists of 1400 sq ft of demon-
stration space, in addition to a separate conference room and
spare office totaling 417 sq ft for use by customers and visiting
Screen team members. It also has the Truepress Jet2500UV, a
hybrid printing system that accommodates roll-to-roll media
up to 98.4 in. wide and rigid materials up to 1.96 in. thick.
Earham Murugesan
SENd US yOUR NEwS!
Please send your news releases and photos announcing new products,
changes in your business, awards, appointments, and other noteworthy
developments to: gail.flower@stmediagroup.com.
JUNE/JULY 2012 35
I didnt have to look very far to find examples for this
column. My desk is covered with them. Can you say ubiqui-
tous? There are two pensone from a telecommunications
company, the other a gift from the local collegea pin from
ASPT, a sticker from SGIA, a dispenser from a private inves-
tigator, some guitar picks. Theres my coffee in a mug from
Theime. I have a whole wall covered with metal and plastic
beer signs and a shelf stuffed with Canucks paraphernalia.
What are these screen-printed things? Promo products!
ASIs Website says that promotional products, make up
a nearly $18 billion per year industry and are used by every
business in North America, as well as schools, organizations,
and governments. Why? Items like mugs, pens, stickers, and
T-shirts are memorable, usable, and provide a better cost-per-
impression for advertisers than most major marketing efforts.
Early graphic and industrial screenprinting grew out of
the pennant industry, which sprang up in the 1890s provid-
ing a mobile North American public a collectible array of
colorful promotional items touting colleges, sports teams,
special events, and tourism destinations. More than 100 years
later, the promo industry is still going strong worldwide and
still using screenprinting, pad printing, digital printing, laser
engraving, subdye transfers, and hot stamping to mark an
array of items.
According to ASI surveys, the most commonly owned
promotional products among U.S. respondents are writing
instruments (46%), followed by shirts (38%) and calendars
(24%). Bags produce the highest number of impressions in
a month (more than 1,000). In our community, where many
of the stores dont give out plastic grocery bags, the switch
to reusable shopping bags with logos all over them is in full
force. Males are more likely than females to own shirts and
caps, while females are more likely to have bags, writing
instruments, and calendars.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of respondents from Great
Britain have received and kept a pen in the last 12 months.
In the U.S., writing instruments are used the most often, an
average of 18.2 times per month. Los Angeles has the highest
average number of promo items owned, at 12.7 per person.
In the U.S., at $0.005, the average cost-per-impression
(CPI) of an advertising specialty item is less than nearly any
other media. According to data obtained by ASI the CPI for a
national magazine ad is $0.045; for a newspaper ad, $0.029; for
a prime-time TV ad, $0.018; and for a spot radio ad, $0.058. The
beauty of a logoed promo product is it isnt a one shot deal.
They get used over and over, and recycled and passed along.
Unlike other advertising, most promo items actually have a
function, so they deliver a benefit to the customer, along with
an advertising message, creating a positive brand impression.
Andy MacDougall is a screen-printing trainer and consultant based on Vancou-
ver Island in Canada and a member of the Academy of Screen Printing Technol-
ogy. If you have production problems youd like to see him address in Shop
Talk, e-mail your comments and questions to andy@squeegeeville.com.
As a screenprinter, theres a good chance you may be
already involved in this industry if you run a textile shop. If
you are a graphic printer, most of the work printing adver-
tising specialties goes to one of the ASIs member supplier
companies, who then sell to the thousands of dealers in their
network. If you want to break into this supply chain, as a
manufacturer or a distributor, you can contact the ASI and
join up. Any printer looking to expand their product range
can start selling thousands of different items immediately.
Some of my most memorable printing jobs were pro-
motional. We were pretty good at building jigs and had a rep
as the place of last resort for weird print requirementsi.e.
3D items that wouldnt fit under or through a normal offset or
flatbed screenprinting press. With no magic digital machines
available, we did what screenprinters have done since the
early 1900s: we put a durable image on a hard-to-print surface.
One day, I got a call from a print broker. He had some
fancy Italian wine openers, and tried hot stamping them,
which wouldnt hold up to washing. Now they were stuck
with thousands of openers and a client who turned out to
be one of the bigger winery distributors in western Canada.
We did a test to check adhesion, and our inks stuck great.
Next we figured out how to jig up to hold the opener so we
could print it. We had to unwrap and open each device to
expose the print surface, but it all worked fine, and the wine
company loved the end result. The main issue after that was
matching what we needed financially to print the thing with
what the customer was willing to pay. This was complicated
because a price had already been set for the hot stamping,
which was less than the price for screenprinting.
Negotiations brought up the idea of cash plus barter,
which led to the back door of a warehouse filled with thou-
sands of cases of some of the best wines I have ever tasted.
Our wine company client was enthusiastic as he stuffed car-
tons with special reserve estate wines, recommending certain
ones and filling our van with enough boxes of wine to keep us
stocked for more than a year.
After 20 years, I still have that corkscrew. The print has
survived the ravages of the junk drawer in our kitchen, and
I remain loyal to their brands when I buy a bottle of wine.
Score 3 out of 3 for promotional advertising!
Andy MacDougall
ProMotionAl Printing
shop talk
CLASSI FI EDS
KAREN JONES karen.jones@stmediagroup.com 843-697-3802
VICTORIA WELLS victoria.wells@stmediagroup.com 513-263-9393
SCREENPRINTING 36
We are buyers of your pre-owned flat bed
graphic presses, cylinder presses, 4-post
presses, longstroke presses, uv dryers, cutters,
die-cutters, sheeters, slitters & all equipment &
items relat ed to the screen printing industry.
Top dollar Paid.
305-551-0311 800-383-2649
www.ezscreenprinting.com
PLC Repair Services
PLC Servicing and Repair available for
most American screen printing equipment.
PLC conversion kits available.
773-725-4900 or
sales@gpiparts.com
OEM Replacement Parts
Specializing in replacement parts for Ameri-
can, M&R*, SIAS and M&M equipment.
773-725-4900 or sales@gpiparts.com
(*Not affiliated with M&R)
UV Dryer Replacement Capacitors
More than 75 different capacitor sizes avail-
able - most in stock for immediate delivery.
773-725-4900 or sales@gpiparts.com
SVECIA Parts
Manufacturing a complete range of SVECIA
machine parts. Vacuum tables, etc.
Call us for a quote.
773-725-4900 or
sales@gpiparts.com
Overstock Mesh Available
10-25% Below Your Cost
Top-quality, Swiss, Italian and Japanese
meshes.1000s of yards available.
773/777-7100 or
sales@awt-gpi.com
Saturn/Atlas Rack Parts
GPI/AWT has acquired
Saturn Rack Co. & has all
Drying Rack Parts
773-725-4500 or sales@gpiparts.com
ALUMINUM FRAMES
Overstocked! Extruded and
self-tensioning; 1000s to choose from
huge discounts! All clean of inks.
773/777-7100 or
sales@awt-gpi.com
SIAS Parts
Manufacturing a complete range of
SIAS machine parts. Fast delivery,
high quality. parts Call for quote.
773-725-4900 or
sales@gpiparts.com
Roller Frames - Used.
100s in stock, many VERY large. Ask for
quote & list before buying new. Save $100s.
A.W.T. World Trade
at 773-777-7100 or sales@awt-gpi.com
Overstock Mesh. Reduced!
Top quality, monofilament polyester
mesh available Swiss, Italian,
Japanese immediate delivery.
773/777-7100 or
sales@awt-gpi.com
Infrared Panels
Manufacturing infrared panels for
most textile dryers. Most panels and
sizes instock. Call for quote.
773-725-4900 or
sales@gpiparts.com
SPE PARTS
Squeegee holders/floodbars, vacuum
tables, infra-red panels, conveyor belts,
UV lamps, motors, 1000s more.
Quick delivery on most parts.
773-725-4900 or sales@gpiparts.com
Aluminum Vacuum Beds
Manufactured for all screen printing equip-
ment. U.S. or imported. Better quality and
lower prices than the OEM.
773-725-4900 or
sales@gpiparts.com
American Cameo Presses
New and rebuilt with warranty;
many sizes and options available.
773.777.7100 or
sales@awt-gpi.com
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screenweb.com
April/May 2012
Digital Finishing Updates: Hardware and Software
p. 18
Growth Applications with Inkjet
p. 22
Understanding
UV LEDs
p. 26
w w w . s c r e e n w e b . c o m
February/March 2012
Displays Go Deep with
Lenticular Printing
p. 20
Special-Effect
Finishing
p. 24

Plastic Substrates
p. 28
MARKETPLACE
A Paid Advertising service of SCREENPRINTING magazine.
BOOKSTORE.STMEDIAGROUP.COM
SCREEN PRINTING
TODAY: THE BASICS
Second Edition
by Andy MacDougall
This clear and
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NEW NON-CONTACT COLOR MEASUREMENT
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JUNe/JULY 2012 37
Equipment / Materials / Services
An advertising service for local or regional screen printing distributors/dealers and national companies with branches and/or
distributors. The Products & Services (P&S) Codes and the Business Classification Codes in each listing are defined as follows:
1 Art, Photography, Cad Graphics
2 Curing & Drying Equipment
3 Finishing Equipment
4 Printing Equipment & Accessories
5 Screen and Stencil Making Equip. & Supplies
6 Inks, Coatings & Chemicals
7 Board & Paper, Foam Center board, Block Out Board.
8 Garments & Piece goods
9 Glass & Containers
10 Nameplates, Dials & Sheetmetal
11 Plastics, Rigid & Flexible
12 Pressure Sensitive Materials
13 Misc. Substrates: Magnetic, Binders, Banners, etc.
14 Testing & Instrumentation
15 Computers, Color matching/Business, Hardware & Software
16 Embroidery Equipment & Supplies
A Distributor
B Dealer
C Branch of National
Manufacturer
U.S. Distributor & Dealer Directory
For Directory Rates or Information, please contact Victoria Wells
E: Victoria.wells@stmediagroup.com P: (800) 925-1110 ext. 393 F: (513) 744-6993
SCREENPRINTING 38
INDIANA
Atlas Screenprinting Equipment & Parts, Inc.
31 N. Davis St., Dublin, IN 47335. (765) 478-9481.
(800) 533-4173. Fax: (765) 478-9462. E-mail: atlasckg@
skyenet.net. Website: www.atlasckg.com.Marketing
area served: National. Product Codes: 2,4,5.
LOUISIANA
Reece Supply Co. of Louisiana, Inc.
1017 Dealers Ave., Harahan, LA 70123. (504) 733-
7799. Contact: Ronnie Garic. Marketing area served:
Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5, 6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
MASSACHUSETTS
Garston Screen
Printing Supplies, Inc.
8 Parkridge Rd., Haverhill, MA 01835. (800) 328-7775.
Fax: (978) 374-9777. Contact: Dean Garston. Business
Class: A,B. Marketing area served: Regional. Product
Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
MINNESOTA
St. Paul
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
45 E. Maryland Ave., 55117. (651) 489-9999. (800)
328-6592. Fax: (651) 489-0202/ Fax: 800-328-6599.
E-mail: midwest@midwestsign .com. Contact: Jason
Knapp, Dan Fleming, Pete Weinberg, Ryan Warner,
John Hermes, Kevin Wood. Business Class: A. Prod-
uct Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
Rhinotech
2415 Pilot Knob Rd., Mendota Hts., MN, 55120. (651)
686-5027. (888) 717-4466. Fax: (651) 686-9745. E-mail:
rhinotech@isd.net. Website: www.rhinotechinc.com.
Contact: Todd Michaels. Business Class: A,B,C. Mar-
keting area served: National. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6.
MISSOURI
Kansas City
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
1806 Vernon St., Kansas City, MO 64116.. (816) 333-
5224. (800) 233-3770. Fax: (800) 233-3771. Fax: (816)
333-5446. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign .com. Con-
tact: Junior Costigan, Patti Fairchild. Business Class:
A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
St. Louis
Lawson Screen Products Inc.
5110 Penrose St. 63115. (314) 382-9300. (800) 325-
8317. Fax: (314) 382-3012. Contact: David Landesman.
Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served: National.
Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6.
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Advanced Screen Technologies, Inc.
619 S. Hacienda Dr. #5, Tempe, AZ 85281. (480)
858-9804, (877) 509-7600 Website: www.advanced-
screen.com. Contact; Tom Bays. Business Class: A,B.
Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:
1,2,3,4,5,6,14.
CALIFORNIA
SaatiPrint
15905 S. Broadway, Gardena, CA 90248. (800) 992-
3676. (310) 523-3676. Fax: (310) 523-3610. E-mail:
info.US@saatiprint.com. Website: www.saatiamer
icas.com. Business Class: A. Marketing area served:
Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
Los Angeles
NuSign Supply, Inc.
1365 Darius Ct., City of Industry, CA 91745. (626) 961-
7688. Toll Free: (877) 6NU-SIGN. Fax: (626) 961-7225.
Contact: Tony Le. Business Class: A,B. Marketing
Area served: Local, Regional, National, International.
Product Codes; 4,6,12,13.
San Francisco
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
21054 Alexander Court, Hayward, CA, 94545-
1234. (510) 732-5800. (800) 824-2468. Fax: (510)
732-7624. Fax: (800) 824-2474. E-mail: midwest@
midwestsign .com. Contact: Marilee Fox-Cichon,
Paul Louie, Kevin Todd, Steve Michel. Business
Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product
Codes:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
COLORADO
Denver
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
5301 Peoria St., Unit F, 80239-2319. (800) 332-3819.
(303) 373-9800. Fax: (800) 332-3820. Fax: (303) 373-
9700. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign.com. Contact:
Al Menzie, RAMON FONTANES, Aaron Remsburg.
Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional.
Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
ILLINOIS
SaatiPrint
2050 Hammond Dr., Schaumburg, IL 60173 (800) 368-
3243. (847) 296-5090. Fax: (847) 296-7408. E-mail:
info.US@saatiprint. com. Website: www.saatiameri-
cas.com. Contact: Jan Bill. Business Class: A. Market-
ing area served: Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
NEBRASKA
Omaha
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
9313 J St., 68127. (402) 592-7555. (800) 228-3839.
Fax: (402) 592-5267. Fax: (800) 228-3886. E-mail:
midwest@midwestsign .com. Contact: Trish Nelson,
John Schnackenberg, Dan Thomas. Business Class:
A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:
1-2-4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
NEW YORK
SaatiPrint
247 Route 100, Somers, NY 10589.. (800) 431-2200.
(914) 232-7781. Fax: (800) 829-9939. E-mail: info.US@
saatiprint.com. Website: www.saatiamericas.com.
Contact: Paul Cylenica. Business Class: A. Marketing
area served: Regional. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
New Hartford
Reich Supply Co., Inc.
2 Campion Rd., New Hartford, NY 13413. (315) 732-
6126. (800) 338-3322. Fax: (315) 732- 7841. E-mail:
sales@reichsupply.com. Website: www.reichsupply.
com. Contact: Neil Reich. Business Class: A,B.
Marketing area served: National. Product Codes:
1,2,4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14.
OREGON
Portland
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
5035 N.W. Front Ave. 97210-1105. (503) 224-1400.
Fax: (503) 224-6400. 800-228-0596. Fax: 800-278-
0596. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign.com. Contact:
Karen Walker, Pat McNamara. Business Class: A.
Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
TEXAS
Dallas
Reece Supply Co. of Dallas, Inc.
3308 Royalty Row, Irving, TX 75062. (972) 785-0212.
(800) 938-8330. Fax: (972) 785-0512. Contact: Kelly
Leonard. Business Class: A. Marketing area served:
Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
El Paso
Reece Supply Co.
1530 Goodyear Dr., Suite J, 79936. (915) 592-9600.
(877) 776-0128. Fax: (915) 592-9050. Contact: Aaron
Wieberg. Business Class: A. Marketing area served:
Regional. Product Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
JUNE/JULY 2012 39
Houston
Reece Supply Co. of Houston, Inc.
2602 Bell St., 77003-1753. (713) 228-9496. (800)
776-0113. Fax: (713) 228-9499. Contact Labon Tatum.
Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional.
Product Codes:1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14.
San Antonio
Reece Supply Co. of San Antonio, Inc.
4960 Eisenhauer Rd. Ste 110 (78218). (210) 662-6898.
Fax: (210) 662-6945. (800) 776-0224. Contact: Ricky
Brown. Business Class: A. Marketing area served: Re-
gional. Pro-duct Codes: 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,11, 12,13,14.
UTAH
Salt Lake City
Midwest Sign &
Screen Printing Supply Co.
1160 So. Pioneer Rd., Ste. 2, 84104. (801) 974-
9449. (800) 497-6690. Fax: (801) 974-9442. Fax:
(800) 497-6691. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign.
com. Contact: Sean Hession. Business Class: A.
Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
WASHINGTON
Seattle
Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply Co.
401 Evans Black Dr., 98188-2912. (206) 433-8080.
(800) 426-4938. Fax: (206) 433-8021. Fax: (800)
426-4950. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign.com.
Contacts: Jeff Macey, Todd Colvin. Business Class:
A. Marketing area served: Regional. Product Codes:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
Vancouver
Ryonet Corporation
11800 NE 60th Way., Vancouver, WA, 98682. (360)
576-7188. (800) 314-6390. Fax: (360) 546-1454. E-
mail: sales@ryonet.com. Web Site: www.silkscreen-
ingsupplies.com. Contacts: Jeff Held. Ryan Moor.
Business Class: A. Marketing area served: National,
International. Product Codes: 2,4,5,6,8,11,12,13,14,15.
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee
Midwest Sign &
Screen Printing Supply Co.
16405 W. Lincoln Avenue, New Berlin, WI 53132.
(262) 641-8550. (800) 242-7430. Fax: (262) 641-8555.
Fax: (800) 242-7439. E-mail: midwest@midwestsign.
com. Contacts: Tom Robinson, Craig Gray, Marty
Campell, Fred Horn. Business Class: A. Product
Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13.
ONTARIO
Cosmex Graphics Inc.
390 Deslauriers St., St. Laurent, Quebec, H4N 1V2,
(514) 745-3446. Fax: (514) 745-3449. Contact: Enzo Di
Gneo. Business Class: A,B. Marketing area served:
National. Product Codes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,12,14.
SaatiPrint
1680 Courtney Park Dr. E., Units 1 & 2, Mississauga,
Ontario L5T 1R4, (905) 564-5388. (800) 567-0086.
Fax: (905) 564-5391. Contact: Alfred Guinness. Busi-
ness Class: A. Marketing area served: Regional. Prod-
uct Codes: 2,4,5,6,14.
Markham
Sias Canada Ltd.
3400-14th Ave., Units 37 & 38, L3R OH7, (905) 305-
1500. Fax: (905) 305-1501. Contact: Karl Bakker.
Business Class: A. Marketing area served: National.
Product Codes: 2,4.
Canadian Distributor
& Dealer Directory
June/July 2012
FREE INFORMATION FROM ADVERTISERS
www.screenweb.com/productinfo
Advertiser Page Advertiser Page
Air Control Industries Limited 23
Alpina Manufacturing LLC 37
American Apparel LOC, 5
Brother International 9
Douthiff Corporation 1
Dynamesh Inc. 7
FESPA 23
Franmar Chemical Inc. 17, 37
George Knight & Co. 21
Gran Adell Mfg. 21
Hewlett-Packard IFC
Lawson Screen & Digital Products OBC
Mimaki USA 17
Mutoh America Inc. 14
Northwest Screen Systems Co. 8
OKI Data Americas IBC
OYO Instruments 16
Roland DGA Corporation 3
Screenweb.com 31
ST Book Store 8, 37
Tricor Systems Inc. 37
Ultrafex Systems 15
EDI TORI AL I NSI GHTS
Editor
gail.flower@stmediagroup.com
SCREENPRINTING 40
This has been a great issue to put together. Every article
had something to say about printing garments for sports or
pleasure. Working on it made me think about where logos,
sayings, and printed images have come from.
Remember the rattlesnake image that Benjamin
Franklins Pennsylvania Gazette printed? Franklin suggested
that the colonists should ship a cargo of rattlesnakes to St.
James Park, Spring Garden, and other places of pleasure in
England. In 1778, the same paper printed the picture of a
snake as a commentary on the Albany Congress. The snake
was divided into pieces, each one marked by the initials of
each colony. Below the image of the snake, the warning,
Join or Die, said it all.
Later, the first Navy Jack flag adapted the rebellious
stripes created at the time of the Stamp Act with a rattle-
snake stretched across it diagonally and a logo at the bot-
tom: DONT TREAD ON ME.
Logos and mottos have been popular for lots of
reasons. Today its not a newspaper print or flag that flies
so much as an image on a T-shirt that we wear like a human
signpost. When Bella, my grandchild, first said, Just do it, I
thought that she had repeated a phrase that her mother used
when trying to get her to pick up toys. Then I noticed the
Nike logo and realized that it represented the indomitable
spirit required to compete in sports.
There are lots of reasons why people like T-shirts
with pictures and printed words. They can identify a group
or loyalty, a memory, a sense of humor, or some aspect of a
persons personality.
I visited Austin, TX, last month and found a certain
tolerance that made me feel as if Id slipped back into the
1960s in some strange time warp. Let me give you some
examples. While I walked down a clean, tree-lined neighbor-
hood one morning, a man trotted past me on a horse. Im
drunk and Im not getting another DUI, said his T-shirt. So
Im driving a horse.
It gets better. The music coming out of Austins
multiple festivals, such as South by Southwest, Austin City
Limits, Armadillo Bazaar and others, is fabulous. The food
at Central Market and Whole Foods headquarters cannot
be more upscale, fresh, and hip. Theres also a collection of
bats that have settled in the area and you can take a boat
to view them under a bridge. All of these are promoted in
T-shirts of every description.
The more I learn about Austin, the more I like it. The
University of Texas and being the state capital probably
contribute to the intelligent diversity and tolerance. Before
hopping on a plane to leave, I bought two T-shirts that read,
Keep Austin Weird.
One of my favorite T-shirt success stories is that of the
Life is good Inc. (www.lifeisgood.com), a private company
out of Boston, MA, founded by brothers Bert and John
Jacobs. In 1989, the brothers design and sold their first T-
shirts in the streets of Boston out of an old van at colleges
and street fairs. In 1994, after one of these roadtrips, they
threw a party. On the walls of their apartment, the brothers
asked their friends to comment on the drawings and sayings
posted on their walls. The one drawing that got the most
attention was a beret-wearing stick figure, much like a child
would draw in grade school, with a smiling face and the
phrase, Life is good written below it.
Now, Life is good sells T-shirts, hats, PJs, and all types
of printed garments and souvenirs. More than 4500 stores
carry the merchandise. The firm raises money for childrens
charities and other events. Theres a quiet optimism, a soft
sense of humor, and a wonderful printed image of Jake, the
contagiously optimistic stick figure, having fun on all of
their merchandise. I have a few of their T-shirts, too.
Printed T-shirts can identify a group or
loyalty, a memory, a sense of humor, or
some aspect of a persons personality.
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