I was exchanging emails with a fellow decorator about the issue of garment twisting/torquing affecting the outcome of the final printed product. This is a challenge many of us face when working with fashion blanks and tri-blends. How do you avoid crooked or off-center prints? How do you manage customer expectations? This conversation reminded me…
Aaron Draplin, Andy Mac, and the Surfrider Foundation Aaron Draplin is a bearded Midwesterner and genius designer with a presence only to be overshadowed by his booming voice and epic wit. Andy MacDougall is a bearded Canadian and legendary flatstock printer with a presence only to be overshadowed by his kindheartedness and willingness to share…
Talking Shop at Shop Talk The Decorated Apparel Community had historically been plagued with misinformation, suffered a lack of communication, and had fallen prey to hucksters and snake oil salesmen. We looked to experts and gurus to solve our problems. We were afraid to share with one another and learn from each other. We turned…
What’s all the RuckUs About? If you came of age in the 90’s (as I did) you know that it was a sometimes glorious, sometimes hideous, and nearly always a confusing time to be alive. With the huge exception of the Gulf War, we weren’t really at war. Hubble launched and so did the WWW. …
Alphabroder has acquired Golden State Activewear it was announced today. Some key Golden State employees will be staying on and insuring no interruption of service to their existing customers. There was no initial word on if and when the Golden State warenhouse might close down. Owners Scott and Laurie Prestine have operated Golden State for…
The Show Floor There are so many good reasons to attend a trade-show: Learning, networking, socializing, talking shop, happy-hours, fancy dinners, parties, bars, etc. Ok, ok, let’s not forget why we are there in the first place: the show floor. Companies expend tremendous resources to exhibit at a trade-show. It’s not just the cost of…
Veni, Vidi, Vici… We saw new things and old friends and then made new friends. We drank beers with Andy Mac and then he showed us all how to print posters like the OG poster printing machine that he is (thanks Andy). We raised money for a great cause and had fun in the process…
Northeastern researcher Xue Lin has invented a t-shirt that won’t make you invisible to humans, but it can confuse a video surveillance system, basically rendering you invisible to the system. The images on the shirt basically confuse and overwhelm the surveillance system and it can’t “see” you. The bright crazy image on the shirt is…
Our friend, Beppe Quaglia, of Virus, teaches about water-based special effect inks, and the results you can achieve using a little creativity, and the capabilities of special effect inks…
Jesse Martinez, of Matsui, explains the differences between various water-based inks and the printing techniques that are achievable. Get insight into the major requirements for integrating water-based inks into a production workflow…
