The Ink Kitchen

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…

We received a panic inquiry from a supplier that we work closely with. They had a customer who claimed that they could not get their prints to cure on a canvas bag. We field many questions for our vendors, since printers love to blame the substrate for printing problems, so our vendors use us to…

In my approach to t-shirt design, the first consideration is the blank or base-product as this informs so many of my decisions (color, techniques, ink selection, print placement, etc.)  throughout the design process.  I’ve done it this way for so long that I’m virtually incapable of working on a t-shirt design without this critical piece…

Perhaps the most experienced and knowledgeable three minds in DTG formed this all-star panel to discuss the future of garment decoration.  It’s Shop Talk with Jacob Edwards (Jakprints), Alex Phelan (OvalJet), and Kevin Tsukahara (DTG Expert)…

Nobody loves a side hustle better than I do. At one point I had four going simultaneously while working my full-time job. Now I’m down to three. I kept two of the old four, dropped one because it stopped being fun, and picked up a new one. You might wonder, “Why a side hustle? Shouldn’t…

Bayside is the pre-eminent maker of USA made and union made apparel in the country. I have visited their facilities over the past couple years. They are vertically integrated, taking cotton and other raw materials and turning them through all the steps to a finished garment. They have come a long way from their start…