If you're in the screen printing business, you know how frustrating it can be when a customer places a huge order, you bust your back printing the designs, and when it's all said and done, the customer says the shirts look bad. This can be very depressing, especially for newcomers to the screen printing industry. As discouraging as this can be, it's important to remember the age-old business maxim: "The customer is always right." While it's harder to accept this in a made-to-order business like screen printing, there are some strategies you can keep in mind to make this process a little easier. Without a doubt, this will ensure that you'll be able to prevent it from happening in the first place, but also, you'll know what to do in the worst case scenario.
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Summer is just around the corner and many of you are probably busy keeping up with orders in your print shop. When workers have to work in print shops that are typically very hot in summer months, it can have a very negative effect on employee attitudes. Keeping a good rapport with workers can be done at little or no cost. It's a proven fact that is retaining workers is easier (and more effective) than having a turnaround problem. There is a multitude of businesses out there selling screen printing supplies. As with all things in this world, some suppliers are better than others. Many screen printing suppliers and equipment manufacturers offer terrific service and advice while others are nothing more than order-taking robots. If you are a new screen printer or even a veteran screen printer you may have wondered "is my screen printing supplier the best I can find?" This article discusses some of the key points of this useful topic. This article is for those of you who offer digital transfers, either inkjet or CLC (color laser copy) transfers. As you know, some customers consider digital and transfer printing negatively and have preconceived notions that you are selling them an "iron on." This is especially true with customers who may have bought digitally imaged shirts that were produced with older generation technology or may have tried to do it themselves at home. The ideal shirt color for ink jet and CLC transfers is white. Light colored and ash gray t-shirts can also be used. Regarding choices of shirt colors for transfer printing, it is ultimately up to you to decide whether you feel the "visible transfer window" is objectionable. American Screen Printing Association is searching for a new owner. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced person or group with a screen printing and business background. The business is well established (over 19 years of operation) and has been profitable every year of operation. The purchase price is affordable and financing is available. Training and consultation support are included in the purchase price. Learn more about this excellent opportunity. All inquiries are completely confidential. IMPORTANT NOTICE: It's important for all ASPA members, schools and vendors to know that ASPA will continue to operate as usual while new ownership is being sought. All daily business activity will operate the same as it has for the past 19 years. We do not intend to close down or cease operation. Training support, member listings and ads will not be affected. If you were to ask a hundred businesses whether they would prefer a flood of business one quarter of the year, or less spectacular but consistent work every month, 90 of them would opt for the slow but steady way. Unfortunately, many industries suffer from extreme seasonal variation. This “feast or famine” cycle will strain most conventional business strategies, but think about the 10 other businesses in the example above. Are they simply stupid or crazy, or have they discovered something most managers don't know? There are actually several strategies you can employ to make sure your doors are open when things pick up again. Some of them are a little out of the box, but so is a large part of the custom T-shirt business. Here's some to consider... Buying used screen printing equipment can be a real money saver or turn out to be a nightmare. When it comes to buying used equipment, if you are an experienced screen printer and have purchased new equipment over the years, you will definitely have an advantage over someone who has never printed before. If you are new to the business and have no idea how a piece of equipment is supposed to work, it is highly recommended that you take along a friend who has some screen printing experience to see if the equipment works as it should. Direct to garment printing is a process that utilizes a special ink jet based printer that uses special textile inks to print directly onto a garment. The advantages of DTG printing is that it is not a transfer print and will produce a high quality directly printed image on the garment for short and medium print runs. DTG printing requires no knowledge of screen printing–only a mastery of your computer, associated software, and the DTG printer itself. A disadvantage of DTG printing is the relatively high cost of the equipment and the inks. |
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