The Ink Kitchen

It’s all about gross, COGs, margins, and expenses.  Mike Chong, of Merch Monster, gets to the bottom line on pricing at Shop Talk Impressions Expo Long Beach 2020…

If you are growing your business from a hobby or a small side gig, there will come a point in time when you need to get yourself set up as a legitimate business– to get a bank account, establish accounts with distributors, and file and pay taxes. In order to do any of this, you’ll…

I would rather be writing about the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa and all that, than thinking about nylon. We always avoided printing on nylon, but eventually we somewhat embraced it. Nylon shrinks when you heat it and ink doesn’t really want to adhere to it and nobody technical gives you any consistent information, other…

We sent out inquiries about Corona Virus Covid-19 to the best and brightest in our industry, and most of the CEO’s in the decoration and garment and promotional products industry responded. In all we made inquiries to the management of almost 100 of the top companies. The best response was also the shortest response. One…

This Just in, FESPA 2020 EVENTS POSTPONED The negative repercussions of Corona Virus (Covid-19) on our industry are mounting.  FESPA dropped the following press release this morning: In light of the rapidly evolving situation regarding COVID-19 in mainland Europe, and in close dialogue with its national Associations and exhibitors, FESPA has today taken the decision…

Milissa Clark, of US Blanks, joins Shop Talk at Impressions Expo Long Beach 2020 to discuss the why, when, who, and how of custom apparel sourcing and manufacturing…

Do you ever have that problem where a print randomly comes out of registration?  You make adjustments to your micro registration and just keep chasing the problem in circles.  Maybe a screen ripped?  Go ahead and make all new screens, that might solve the problem…. Wellllll, actually it could be a much more simple solution. …

ThreadX 2020: Inspiring, Visionary, and Learning a Few Things The 2020 THREADX conference was the third annual. This year was sold out and it was an amazing opportunity to hear not only the best and brightest folks in our garment industry, but also have incredible folks from outside the industry. Everyone I spoke with had…

There are a few basic principles involved in the process of drying screens after they have been coated. You can make a “drying closet” out of very simple materials. Lack of sophisticated materials is not a problem when drying screens, but violation of certain principles IS a problem. I have been in beginner’s shops and…

Justin Lawrence, Owner of Oklahoma Shirt Company, delivers a tour de force on Social Media Marketing at Shop Talk Impressions Expo Long Beach 2020…