SCREEN PRINTING

Samples are a staple for marketing your screen printing business, attracting customers and nabbing new orders. However, there’s a fine line between samples increasing your business and overdoing samples and eroding profits.

As a screen printer, some of your daily operation is sure to include creating artwork for customers. Keeping as much of the screen printing process as possible under your control is the key to getting good results – you have plenty of variables to deal with. However, your clients will often want to provide the artwork for their orders themselves. If your customers know what they’re doing, this can save you some time. But more often than not it can cause a big headache.

No matter the reason – customer demand, a desire to cut costs and waste, or a sense of personal responsibility – more and more businesses are doing what they can to lessen their environmental impact. When it comes to the eco-friendly trend, the screen printing industry is no exception.

Schools can bring a lot of business to your screen printing shop, from team uniforms and warm-up gear to student uniforms and school “spirit wear”. If you can contract with a school, or a school’s supporting organizations, you can find a steady flow of work for your screen printing shop.

Screen printing involves so many different variables, it can be difficult to make sure you’re getting good results every time. Some issues may not even show up until after you’ve delivered the garments to the customer. It’s not always easy, but in order to keep your customers happy you must make every effort to control the quality of your prints.

When it comes to screen frames, there are loyalists in all camps. Some screen printers love the old-school feel, low price and sustainability of wood. Others rely on the light, sturdy technology of aluminum frames, and still others swear by the control and print crispness that come with retensionable screens.

Screen printing customers love fleece, whether it’s hoodies for a school team or a trendy zip-up with a great art print. Screen printers’ affection for fleece, however, tends to be a little more limited. Getting good results on fleece can be a challenge, and a misprint can be a costly mistake because of the much higher cost of fleece garments compared to t-shirts.

Have you noticed an overreliance on your flash cure is slowing down your production? A flash cure can be a helpful tool or it can be a waste of time; you have to know when it’s necessary and when it isn’t.

Running a screen printing business means making big purchasing decisions. In addition to choosing a press, a dryer and perhaps a flash cure unit, you’ll need to choose a screen exposure unit.

Athletic apparel, primarily team jerseys and workout gear, has long been the bread and butter of screen printing shops. With “performance” fabrics, favored for their lightweight feel and quick-drying properties, becoming more and more popular for weekend athletes and everyday wear, screen printers are seeing more and more requests for use of these fabrics.

When it comes to your screen printing production, a flash cure can either be your best friend or your worst enemy – it can be a big help or it can slow you down. Understanding the different types of flash units and their appropriate uses will help you get the most out of them.

Most screen printers who open their own shops don’t come from a management background, and the hiring and retaining of good employees can be one of the most intimidating aspects of owning and operating your own business.