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°FAI: Task Manager From Conversation Transcripts

I run projects across multiple businesses, a screen printing company, a media organization and others. The action items live everywhere. In people’s heads, in transcript files, in meeting notes. Nowhere centralized. I needed to make something everyone on specific teams could access and edit from any device, no app installs, no logins. So I built…

TBT: Hard-Won Pricing Wisdom

A reader, James McCready, left a comment on our Hard-Won Wisdom post that deserves more than a reply in a comment box. He wrote: “If we’re being honest, pricing in our space is becoming a race to the bottom, and it’s hurting everyone.” He’s right. Custom screen printing in the U.S. is a $12.8 billion…

°FAI: Turning Handwritten Press Logs Into Actionable Data

We have about 300 handwritten press log sheets sitting in binders. Every job that runs through the shop gets logged by hand,  date, order number, screens, setup time, run time, comments. The problem isn’t the logging, the operators are thorough. The problem is that once it’s on paper, it’s dead. You can’t search it, you…

TBT: Emotional Intelligence an Employee Retention Strategy

If you run a shop, you know this feeling. You invest time training someone, get them up to speed, build a rhythm, and then they’re gone. Research consistently shows that only about 30 percent of employees are truly engaged at work. That means 70 percent of the people on your floor could walk out tomorrow.…

°FAI: Two AI Tools That Changed My Workflow

I’ve been talking to my computer instead of typing for the past few months. Once you start, it’s hard to go back. Not every app lets you dictate into it. So I’d been talking into one app that does, copying the text, and pasting it where I actually need it. It works, but it’s clunky.…

TBT: This Guy Started the Modern Garment Industry

On this date in 1851, This Guy Started the Modern Garment Industry: Isaac Merritt Singer was granted U.S. Patent No. 8,294 for his “Improvement in Sewing Machines” and the garment industry as we know it was born. As with many famous inventors (Edison, for example), Singer didn’t really invent what we think he did. He…

TBT: Hard-Won Wisdom for Garment Decorators in a Rapidly Evolving Industry

Custom screen printing in the U.S. alone is a $12.8 billion industry. Business is good, but growth doesn’t mean we’ve solved our fundamental problems. Here are some Hard-Won Wisdoms for Garment Decorators worth remembering. The Lies “You can save $5 a gallon on cheaper emulsion.” Evaluate emulsion by your production numbers and ease of use,…

Throwback Thursday: Made in the U.S. A.

For this Throwback Thursday: Made in the U.S. A., Let’s take a look back and a look forward at Apparel Made in the U.S. A.: Unionwear: Thriving in a New Manufacturing Landscape Unionwear, located in Newark, NJ, remains the real deal in union-made, USA-made hats, bags, and accessories. Their president Mitch Cahn continues to be…

ISS Long Beach 2026: AI, Embroidery & Print Innovation

I had a snowy homecoming after a sunny week at ISS Long Beach 2026, and wow, what a contrast. I traded sunshine and mild California weather for roughly 30 inches of snow at home. Long Beach was a great reset, and the show itself was really busy and seeing everyone was excellent. I saw AI…

Avoid Scams

Stahls sent out a notice today warning people to be careful with emails. First to note is that scams impersonating your bank, suppliers or customers are rarely meaning that entity is compromised. It usually means some thief is just impersonating them and has nothing to do with them. The advice in the Stahls email is…

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