Y

ou might be living the dream by running

your own screen-printing shop, but your shop
layout is … well, a bit of a nightmare. Equipment
ill-suited to your needs, excessively convoluted
workflow and a shop space more disjointed than
a conversation with Gary Busey. “In my experi-
ence, I have been in more shops that have made
some fundamental mistakes than I have been in
shops that got most of it right,” says David C. Zimmer, textile products
manager for M&R who has seen more than his fair share of shops.
The reasons, he says, may often be out of the shopowner’s control – a
simple lack of experience, or no financial flexibility to buy the space
he or she really needs. He adds: “If you were starting with a blank
slate, that’s one thing …”
That’s exactly what we did with our Dream Shop project. We at Wear-
ables have set out to construct the ultimate small- and medium-sized
screen-printing shops, in addition to the perfect screen room. With the
help of our venerable experts and leading equipment companies, we’ve
created an optimized workplace that is efficient, productive and tech-
nically sound. And with room for growth. “People always forget office
space. They always forget where they’re going to stick the inventory.
They don’t think about what’s going on three to five years down the
road,” says Marshall Atkinson, COO of Visual Impressions. “When you
have to knock a wall out and expand, do you have land for that? Let’s
say you landed that 60,000 piece order – where’s that inventory going?”
For this project, we’ve taken a quasi-realistic approach. We don’t
have hundreds of automatics to deploy and tens of thousands of empty
square feet waiting to be filled. We do have cutting-edge equipment
that highlights how technology is fundamentally changing the needs for
apparel decorators. “Over the years, the configurations have changed
based on the equipment that’s available,” says Charlie Taublieb, a long-
time industry consultant and educator. “Back when I had my first shop,
we all used cameras. Well my dark room was 800 square feet. That’s
bigger than half the shops I design.”
Our Dream Shop can’t cover the endless permutations of shop set-

Where can you ups and equipment payloads. But combined with case studies of thriv-
ing decorators and the most unique qualities of their shops, we want

find cutting-edge this project to serve as a handy best practices guide – and inspiration to
make your own shop a dream come true.

technology with OUR EXPERTS

an ideal shop Charlie Taublieb, Taublieb Consulting

space? Our dream Screen-printing veteran and expert educator with decades
of experience has seen it all – the good and the bad.

scenario makes it David C. Zimmer, M&R

Product expert for the global screen-printing equipment

a reality. leader helps shops big and small optimize their layout and
equipment.

Marshall Atkinson, Visual Impressions

By C.J. Mittica Noted industry consultant and chief operating officer of
a large contract decorator knows how to run an efficient
operation.

wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 37

 Most companies can get away with one loading
DREAM SHOP dock, since incoming and outgoing shipments come in
and out at different times of day. But two loading docks DZ: “A logical set-up starts
is a luxury that helps even more with workflow. with this: you don’t have clean
blanks anywhere near ink until
they’re on the press.”
LOADING
DOCK

MEDIUM-
SIZED SHOP CT: “I would say 80% of the com-
panies have too much space between
I NVE NTORY
Size: 14,000 square feet their press and their dryer. Ideally, if

RECEIVING
This shop is set up for robust you’re going to be efficient, you twist

DESK
production now and future to put a shirt on the dryer but your
feet don’t move. Usually I like to have
growth over the next few years. 18” from the takeoff to the dryer.”
We’ve extended the typical
6/c TABLE
medium-sized shop (usually
10,000 square feet and under)
14/c MANUAL
OVAL AUTO
to accommodate high-end
equipment and additional support
personnel as the company ramps
up its e-commerce footprint. DTG DRYER

DZ: “To me, choosing between a

manual and an automatic is a really TABLE
MA: “With the
simple, simple question. People will
say ‘Well, automatic presses cost Kornit Paradigm II, 10/c
five times as much.’ Absolutely it you can have the AUTO
does. And it’s 10 times as productive." full CMYK range DRYER
of a direct-to-
garment print with
a lower underbase
cost, but you can 6/c
EMPLOYEE
ENTRANCE

also add really MANUAL

CT: “I find it difficult to tell cool applications
clients to buy less than an eight- to make it more
color or a 10-color automatic, even retail friendly.”
on their first one. I know the cost
of going to more heads is higher,
but if you’re going to make the
jump anyway, you’ve added a huge
amount of flexibility to your shop.”
PRODUCTION
2ND FLOOR
STAIRS TO

OFFICE

SCREEN ROOM

DRY WET
CT: “The reason I love to
put a production office on a
SUPPLIES
second floor is that they can
see workflow, and they can
see where things are jamming
up and work out how to get
around those things.”
CONFERENCE

OFFICE OFFICE
OWNER’S
OFFICE

BREAK
ROOM

ROOM
MA: “The questions people don’t OFFICE OFFICE
think about – we’re adding sales-
people, where do they sit? We’re
adding artists, where do they sit?”

38 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com

 MA: “For people who do the work like shipping and
receiving, use a stand-up desk with no chairs. When they’re
standing up and using bar code scanners and technology to
bring the interface to the work, it is so much better.”
EMBROIDERY
SUPPLIES
Heat presses can be used to
cure DTG shirts, but con-
veyor dryers are still the
best option, particularly with
PC industrial printers.
TABLE
DTG
CT: “Once you go to an automatic,
you definitely want a gas-fired
dryer. The ability to control the
PC heat is that much greater. The cost
of gas is considerably less than
electricity. I think one of the big
TABLE
mistakes that people make is they
buy big electric dryers. The cost of
your electricity is going to kill you.”
As a general rule, longer dryer
heat chambers enable quicker
production. But to determine the
correct length, companies like M&R
crunch the numbers for you.
W
INK
STORAGE
& pre-fab metal buildings.”
MIXING
M
M M/W
RECEPTION
CUSTOMER SERVICE,
SHOW ROOM
ENTRANCE
This shop’s workflow is simple: start-
ing on the left, through production in
the middle and then exiting on the right.
Another option is to arrange production in a
big circle, so goods end where they started
SHIPPING LOADING – back at a single loading dock.
DESK DOCK
High ceilings are easier to keep a
shop cool and eliminate claustrophobia.
But consider your local climate: shops
in cold regions will be much harder to
heat during the winter.
NECKTAG
PAD PRINTER
Staging is essential to having
TABLE
a productive shop. With space
PC
TABLE
not at a premium, there is plenty
of room to stage the day’s (and
the next day’s) orders.
DRYER
HEAT
6/c PRESS
This shop’s modern touches: A
MANUAL
paperless system with job tracking
through PCs or even tablets. LED
1-HEAD lights with motion sensors. And at
least three-phase electricity with
PC
panels that can be easily added to.
TABLE
MA: “What you want is as
much natural light as possible
8-HEAD so you don’t have to use as much
EMBROIDERY indoor lighting. Just put a bank of
windows at the top of a wall. It’s
not that difficult to do, yet most
shops these days are windowless
W
Take the guesswork out of
mixing inks with an automated ink
dispenser, like PolyOne’s Wilflex
ARTWORK,
DM4. Better yet, you can reduce
your ink inventory by half.
MARKETING
& DIGITAL
wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 39
DREAM SHOP

SCREEN ROOM
Size: 1,060 square feet
Technology is rapidly changing the screen room. Computer- CT: “I like big screen rooms. I like to
to-screen systems, LED exposure units and automatic make room for potential growth. You
screen coaters and washers have turned one of the more need to have about three days’ worth
labor-intensive facets of the craft into a machine-driven of screens. As you get busier, you have
to add screens to that. Jamming things
operation. Nevertheless, more-than-adequate space and into a screen room is just ridiculous.”
organization are crucial for efficient production.

COATED SCREEN STORAGE

PC
SCREEN DRYING

The most advanced

computer-to-screen
systems expose screens
& STORAGE

too, which might make

(DRY ROOM) a standalone exposure
unit redundant. But if
your CTS is off line or
needs fixing, an LED
exposure unit will keep
the presses humming.

CTS
SYSTEM
LED
DEHUMIDIFIER EXPOSURE
AUTOMATIC UNIT TABLE
COATER

Maintaining humidity in CT: “I would keep my DZ: “For

CT: “I like heated drying cabinets.
a screen room is crucial, metal halide lamp as shops that do a
Whether you buy them or build your
particularly during those a backup, but I would significant number
own is not an issue to me. The thing
hot, sweaty months. Run spend my money for an of screens in a
with heated drying cabinets is you
a dehumidifier to keep the LED system right off day – 50-100 – a
can force dry your screens very
moisture under control – the bat because it will computer-to-
quickly, both after you coat them
30% is a good target. pay for itself.” screen system is
and after you wash them out.”
a no-brainer. It
would be difficult
to justify doing
it the old way
when you see the
potential savings
doing it this way.”

40 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com

 CT: “There’s always a wet
and dry room, which I don’t
think enough shops actually
separate, but they should. If
you don’t have an automatic
washer, ideally you’d like to CT: “If you have a floor
put in two sinks – one for drain, that’s great. Some shops
reclaiming and ink degrade- actually cut through the cement
ment, the other one for to create a floor drain so as
developing and degreasing.” things spill out, which they will,
they can just squeegee them
into the floor drain.”

WASHOUT
DRIP
BOOTH
DRY AUTO WASHER & RINSER
RACK
C U R TA I N

FLOOR DRAIN

STRETCHING
(WET ROOM) &
RETENSION
TABLE

M TAPE
SCREENS
TABLE

SCREEN & FRAME STORAGE

CT: “I like to
have curtains
between my rooms
instead of doors
cause you can just
push right through
the curtains. They
should be like the
curtains you see at
a loading dock.”
Why the extra square foot-
age? Large automatic machines
(particularly the industrial-sized
autowasher) take up a lot of space.
In addition, extra space enables
plenty of storage, and the ability
to stage jobs for the day.

wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 41

DREAM SHOP
MA: “Shops of all sizes
need workspace, they need
tables. We have tons of tables
around our shop where people
lay out stock to do stuff.”
DZ: “We don’t always have an open
space ready to lay out the way we want.
Oftentimes there are irregular shapes or
the dimensions of certain machines dictate
certain placements in the shop. You have

SMALL to deal with the space that you have.”

SHOP

LOADING DOCK
Size: 875 OFFICE
square feet SHIPPING
& &
CLOSET

Shops this size don’t

offer much flexibility, ART DEPT. RECEIVING
which underscores
the need to arrange
things precisely. There
is room to maneuver
around the shop and
yet still have space REST TABLE
for a second manual ROOM
press in the future as

PACK
the business grows.
SPOT
CLEANING
WASHOUT
&
CT: “I don’t want SCREEN
to go and move
CLEANING
DRYER
plumbing. I design
from where the water Small shops
is and work my way have their limits.
from there. Pulling Another manual
SCREEN

I N V E NTORY AR E A
plumbing lines and press will eas-
sewage lines – pretty
expensive. Wherever
ROOM ily fit, as will
additional small
the water is, I’ll items like a heat
start from there.” press. Want an
automatic press?
STRETCH You need to find
a bigger space.
COAT
DRY
EXPOSE 6/c MANUAL FUTURE
PRESS PRESS
DZ: Whether it’s a
small shop, or a large FLASH
shop, goods such as
screens, T-shirts, any- INK DRYER

thing have to get to

the work area without
AREA Even in a
small shop like
significant obstacles.
Unless you have a wide SHELVES STAGING AREA this, you can
still keep ink
aisle, you typically and inventory
don’t want everything separate to avoid
going in and out the By keeping the
CT: “Never buy less than a six-color, ruining a per-
same aisleway. equipment in the middle
four-station manual. The four-color fectly good cart
with room to maneuver,
just doesn’t give you the flexibility you of shirts. For a
jobs are still able to
want. In general, most small shops do one or two-
be staged, which will
one-, two- and three-color work. With person show,
keep presses humming.
less than six colors, you have to set up it’s important
the whole thing to do one shirt.” to be even more
vigilant about
staying clean.

42 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com

EQUIPMENT LIST
Productive essentials for a small shop.
▲Electric Dryer
When space is at a premium in small shops, a compact-but-
capable electric dryer is a must. The RileyCure conveyor
dryer from Ryonet (asi/528500; circle 116 on Free Info Card)
features a four-foot tunnel and 24-inch wide belt to accommo-
date jobs from multiple presses – up to 220 shirts per hour.
MAKE A MOVE
Your dream site has been selected, the layouts have been determined,
even the furniture is picked. “Now you have to move there,” says Judy Kel-
lem, founder of FRC. “You have to make sure the phones are working, the
equipment is working, everything is laid out, and all the contents have been
moved.” There are a thousand little details to be attended to as you move
into your new space. You can do it all yourself, or you can make it easy and
hire a Facilities Relocation Consultant (FRC). Regardless of the industry,
Kellem says, “a move is a move is a move,” with similar needs for any com-
pany moving into a new space. Here are three tips from Kellem and her
white paper, “10 Steps to a Smoother Move” (available at FRCmove.com):
1. Give plenty of notice to your communications vendor. Make
sure that your vendor is working closely with your office manager to iden-
tify the equipment needed for the space that you have defined. Your of-
◄Flash Cure Unit
It’s OK to let your dryer do most of the
work, but a flash exposure unit is still
an essential part of your arsenal. The
Riley Hopkins 18” x 24” flash dryer
from Ryonet (asi/528500; circle 116
on Free Info Card) can be easily posi-
tioned thanks to its heavy-duty stand
and casters. It features tilt-control
adjustment knobs and a built-in heat-
ing control unit.
◄Six-Color Manual Press
For a shop growing into consistent business, look
to the RileyROQ from Ryonet (asi/528500; circle
116 on Free Info Card). The six-color, six-station
manual press features tool-free adjustments,
aluminum pallets and standard micro registration.
Available in 6-6, 8-8 and 10-10 configurations.
fice layout may change during this process. IT and telecommunications
needs sometimes dictate where things need to be set up.
2. Check your existing lease to determine “close out” condi-
tions. This is simply the condition in which you are required to leave your
current space. It should be clearly spelled out in your lease. If you did
not occupy your space too hard, meeting your close-out conditions may
involve as little as leaving the space “broom clean.” On the other hand,
some leases require that spaces be repainted after you move out.
3. Make arrangements for the new space to be cleaned before
you move in. If nothing feels quite as good as moving into a clean work-
space, nothing feels quite as depressing as moving into a dirty one. You
can make arrangements to have a housekeeping staff clean the space
completely before the first day for you, your staff and your customers.
wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 43
DREAM SHOP

EQUIPMENT LIST
Top-of-the-line machines for a medium-sized shop.
SPLURGE!
▼Dual Unit Heat Press
Keep your heat press productivity humming with the Dual Air Fusion
heat press from Hotronix (circle 84 on Free Info Card). Press one gar-
ment and prepare another at the same time with dual pallets and an
upper platen that glides between each station. Touchscreen controls and
laser alignment system for each station are the cherries on top.

▲Necktag Pad Printer

Custom private label necktag prints are an enticing option
for any client. Shops can certainly use a sleeve pallet and
press to print them, but a dedicated option like the tagless
system pad printer from Inkcups Now (circle 119 on Free
Info Card) offers cost savings and turnkey functionality.

▼Automatic Press
Versatile automatic presses are still a growing shop’s bread and butter.
The ROQ YOU auto from Ryonet (asi/528500; circle 116 on Free Info
Card) is available up to 18 colors and 20 pallets, and includes a central
control panel with LCD touch screen as well as independent control
panel on all print heads.

SPLURGE!
▲Screen Printing DTG Add-On
Want to add exciting effects like foil or flock to DTG
prints, or simply trying to save on ink costs? The Para-
digm II from Kornit Digital (asi/14972; circle 117 on
Free Info Card) attaches to any automatic or manual
press (even ovals) with no setup.

44 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com

SPLURGE!
►Industrial Direct-to-Garment
Printer
As direct-to-garment technology continues to
evolve, a DTG printer is essential for short runs
and meeting increased demand for personal-
ized garments. The Avalanche Hexa from Kornit
Digital (asi/14972; circle 117 on Free Info Card)
offers a high-production solution with advances
like increased color range and large print area for
XXL and cut piece garments.

◄Gas Dryer
The venerable Sprint gas dryer
series from M&R (circle 81 on
Free Info Card) has been upgraded
with the Sprint 3000, which offers
a color touchscreen control center
SPLURGE! and high-capacity circulation and
►Oval Automatic Press exhaust blowers.
Once a forgotten relic, the oval press
has been reinvented to rousing results.
Options like the Alpha 8 from M&R
(circle 81 on Free Info Card) are modular
and expandable – which means they can
be configured to fit any production space
(unlike its circular brethren). Expandable
up to 50 colors and 38 stations ... you
know, if you ever need that sort of thing.

◄8-Head Embroidery Machine

For versatility from small orders to large contract
orders, the Tajima 8-Head embroidery machine
(TMAR-KC) from Hirsch (circle 118 on Free Info
Card) is a strong solution for decorators looking to
grow into embroidery quickly. It features innovations
like a digitally controlled presser foot that adjusts to
the fabric thickness (making it easier to sew on sheer
and dense fabrics) and a newly designed middle
thread guide that allows for setting tension in half
the time as on a conventional thread guide.

wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 45

DREAM SHOP

EQUIPMENT LIST
Cutting-edge automated
machines for a screen room.

◄LED Exposure
Unit
For those without a
CTS exposure sys-
tem, LED units offer
lightning-fast exposures
with minimal electric-
ity. The Lumitron LED
Exposure Unit from
Workhorse (circle 120
on Free Info Card)
offers 50,000-hour
bulb life and a com-
pact, tabletop design.

SPLURGE!
►Computer-to-Screen ▲Automatic Screen Coater
and Exposure System If consistency is the name of the game, an
Say goodbye to storing and printing automatic screen coater removes the element
films as well as pinholes with the of unpredictability that comes with coating by
i-Image STE II system from M&R hand. The UNI-KOTE automatic screen coat-
(circle 81 on Free Info Card). ing machine from M&R (circle 81 on Free Info
This computer-to-screen system Card) offers front and rear coaters to work in
automatically prints and exposes tandem or independently, and offers a Job Recall
screens, and uses a second UV button to save up to five jobs.
light pass for ultra-fast exposures.
Perfect for busy automatic shops,
this CTS system can produce at
least 150 screens in an eight-hour
shift with one printhead.

◄Screen Stretcher
Screen quality is the first
(and perhaps most impor-
tant step) to print quality,
which makes a screen
stretching table essen-
tial. The Newman Roller
Masters stretching table SPLURGE!
from Stretch Devices, ▲Automatic Screen Washer
Inc. (circle 122 on Free Like a car wash for your screens, the Gruning
Info Card) offers four-way GWash 170XS from Kiwo (circle 121 on Free Info
simultaneous stretching Card) washes, degreases and rinses two screens
that enables rapid reten- at once with an in-line chamber. Integrated tanks
sioning with less effort and allow for recycled water and minimal loss of chem-
more uniform results. icals. Never manually wash out a screen again.

46 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com

CASE STUDIES
MORE THAN A DREAM
Shops around the country are doing things with their equipment and facilities that
would be the envy of their brethren. Here are eight examples of how these
screen-printing shops differentiate themselves.
Dream Up A …
HIGH-TECH
EQUIPMENT UPGRADE
FIEL (asi/53509) was started 25 years ago, but despite its success,
the Canadian supplier felt compelled to add in-house decoration
at the beginning of this year to grow its American business. “In the
U.S., in order to really succeed, you need to be a one-stop shop,”
says Asif Bandeali, the company’s VP of sales and technology. With
an established business, the supplier didn’t want to settle for a
budget solution. Bandeali and FIEL spent the better part of 2014
researching its options before investing in an auto and manual press
and a gas tunnel dryer (all from ROQ) in addition to an automatic
screen coater and a computer-to-screen imaging system. Says
Bandeali: “We’re a company that strongly believes in technology …
so we wanted to start off with the best of the best from day one and
minimize the manpower needed to run an efficient screen-printing
shop.” The supplier hired an experienced production manager, but
also used several long-time employees who had no knowledge of
decoration, but were able to learn quickly given the equipment’s
technology and ease. Currently, a quarter of client purchases utilize
the company’s in-house screen-printing, and the supplier isn’t stop-
ping there; Fiel has also added heat transfer in the last month and
will add embroidery by the end of this year.
Dream Up A ...
FOOL-PROOF
FLOOR PLAN
Shirt Lizard (asi/700524) previously occupied a 6,000-square-foot
facility with two presses and embroidery machines. “We were all
on top of each other, and the workflow was horrible,” says Owner
Toby Peltier. “We were at work until 8, 9 o’clock sometimes because
it was very difficult to move product in and out.” Not so in the
Charlotte decorator’s current location, a 16,000-square-foot facility
it moved into in 2012. The central feature is a 10,000-square-foot
warehouse that has no columns or support beams. “It just makes
it so much easier to arrange our equipment exactly where we want
it,” Peltier says. Working with M&R, Peltier considered six to eight
floor plans before finding the right layout, a modest semi-circle that
houses the contract printer’s four autos, one manual and two dry-
ers. The presses are far enough from the back wall to avoid the ink
and screens (the “dirty” side of the shop), allowing Shirt Lizard to
keep a cleaner production floor and easily stage the jobs for the day.
“Even with the same equipment, just the efficiency alone increased
20-30%,” says Peltier. Plus, the decorator had space to double its
equipment, which allowed Shirt Lizard’s workforce to go home at a
reasonable time.
wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 47
DREAM SHOP

Dream Up A …
SHOW-STOPPING
WORKPLACE
Hey Monkey! Design + Print is the fruit of a life reinvention for
Dream Up A … do-it-all founder Lenny Terenzi. A former graphic and digital Web
designer, the Durham, NC, resident spent 15 years cooped up in
SNAZZY SHOWROOM his home office before deciding his work should be devoted to mak-
Black Duck Embroidery and Screen Printing’s brand identity ing something tangible. “If I have a day of printing,” he says, “the
is punctuated by the BAM! and POW! of a retro comic book theme, chance to get up and be up on my feet and doing stuff for six, seven
and the decorator carries that over into its lively showroom. The mid- hours, and actually hurt a little bit when I go home – kinda nice!”
century aesthetic is peppered with unique features like an old gas Three years ago, with
pump fitted with a video display and a Black Duck emblazoned retro no knowledge of the
deli case stocked with promos. The Albuquerque, NM, decorator craft, he learned how
has categorized display areas to screen print and
geared to certain markets opened a boutique
(workwear, sportswear, school creative design
and athletic wear, and apparel company to brand
for medical professionals). On and “print others’
the back wall is a rotating col- cool stuff.” The
lection of the company’s best one-man company’s
prints that also “are specifi- signature feature is
cally chosen to help explain its lived-in studio,
printing processes, specialty which features
materials and other options design flourishes
to our prospective custom- like reclaimed wood,
ers,” says Erich Campbell, Edison lights, exposed ductwork, theater seats and much more. The
the company’s e-commerce 1,750-square-foot warehouse space was a featureless white brick
manager. Additional touches and concrete box before Terenzi sketched out his vision, and a crew
include a dedicated confer- of 30 friends and family helped him transform it. Now, Terenzi holds
ence room with Black Duck workshops and events for others to learn about screen printing, or
murals splashed on the wall simply opens his doors as a gathering place for other creatives. “If
and a central atrium accented with handpainted hot air balloons (a I’ve got to go somewhere to work and have a commute again after 15
local pastime) and distressed wood signage. “Black Duck provides years, I want to walk into an inspiring space,” he says. “A place that
an attractive, comfortable and creative space,” Campbell says, “that makes me inspired to create. And I want other people to walk in and
allows our customers hands-on time with our apparel and acces- go ‘Holy s***, this is amazing.’”
sories as well as space for interactions of every scale with our sales
and design staffers. Clean space, informative displays and consistent
branding make our showroom one of the best in the business.”

48 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com

Dream Up A … Dream Up A …
PLACE TO OWN DIY SOLUTION
Relik Apparel was growing and its needs were changing. The T Productions Owner Tony Kozlowski believes there is no screen
Naples, FL-based screen printer was ready to add an automatic printing without screens – a motto the Mishawaka, IN-based decora-
press, but something was standing in its way. “In our case, we just tor proudly exhibits in its custom-built equipment. “In relying on
didn’t have the room,” says President Dany Ochoa, “but we knew screens as a bridge between artwork and printing, large-scale shops
where we were heading [as a business].” The company’s 1,200- will need some special equipment to house and dry screens on a large
square-foot space was too small, so when it came time to find its level,” Kozlowski says. Take the company’s custom designed and built
next space, Ochoa decided to build something from the ground up. dry cabinets. Each features an industrial dehumidifier and air handler,
After purchasing a parcel of land, it took about a year to plan and and uses a sliding rail
have contractors build Relik’s new facility, with 3,000 square feet of system that advances
space. By doing so, Ochoa was able to tailor the plans specifically the screen in front of
for his operation, such as ample power (400 amps) and carving out it. For reclaiming, once
enough space for additional equipment. Since moving in this Janu- 25 screens are inserted,
ary, Relik has tripled its produc- they exit the cabinet into
tion with a new ROQ automatic the darkroom totally dry,

“ It’s just
press it purchased, and has room where they are automati-
to add additional equipment cally coated and inserted

like in your (such as another auto) in the

future. Ochoa says building a
into a different cabinet.
The same technique is

personal life, facility is not the ideal solution

for everyone (land costs can
used after the screens
are developed, and all screens dry in the proper orientation – horizon-

where you seriously strain a budget), but it

made sense for Relik’s long-term
rent a place or growth. “It’s just like in your per-
sonal life, where you rent a place
decide to buy or decide to buy your own,” he
tal and stencil side down, which eliminates water streaks, runs and
other mishaps. “By adding these types of drying cabinets,” Kozlowski
says, “you can reduce your movement, increase productivity and, most
importantly, increase screen quality.” The decorator has extended its
custom touch elsewhere by outfitting a typical shirt cart with a 25-slot

”
says. “You’re going to be paying
your own. rent for somebody else or paying
a mortgage for something that
Dany Ochoa, Relik Apparel will eventually be yours.”
screen rack. As a result, screens effortlessly move from press to press,
and “our screen casualty has also gone way down due to screens not
being stacked under the cart, or being carried two or three in each
hand by a person,” Kozlowski says. In the future, each cart will have
its own iPad with the job pulled up in its system.

wearablesmag.com • OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES 49

DREAM SHOP

Dream Up A …
Dream Up A …
RETAIL PRESENCE
PATH TO GROWTH Precision Imprint is an anomaly when it comes to its location.
A&P Master Images (asi/702505) Owner Howard Potter set a “It’s an industrial-type building in a downtown area,” says Owner
goal of increasing his screen-printing business by $300,000 this Randy Shoup. It’s an asset for the Athens, OH, decorator, which
year. Additional equipment was necessary, but it had to fit within is one street away from Ohio University and all of its fraternities,
a 1,200-square-foot space the Utica, NY, decorator allocated for sororities and groups. Since 1983, Precision Imprint has occupied a
screen printing (part of a new location it moved into in 2014). “We 6,000-square-foot
always try to buy our equipment as compact as possible within rea- building with a
son to maximize what we can produce per square foot,” Potter says. sizable basement
Finally having space for an automatic press, A&P purchased the that houses all of
Workhorse Sabre with the decorator’s
a 16x16 footprint. The equipment and
company outfitted its production. Mean-
dryer with an extension while, on the top
to increase production floor, Shoup has
while maintaining belt operated a retail
speed. A second expo- store that peddles
sure unit streamlined the company’s
production. A converted custom-printed
plywood box became a tees. The store has
second drying cabinet a local bent, with
(one to hold cleaned dozens of apparel
screens, the other emulsified screens) to avoid cross-contamination. items and acces-
Lastly, the decorator purchased a second washout booth to dedicate sories featuring
one to cleaning and the other to spraying out screens. “Before,” says Athens prints, uni-
Potter, “we would have to stop cleaning screens so the person could versity gear and
use the washout booth to spray out their screens that they just shot. other items that
Sometimes the screen would get ruined because the person that was attract tourists
cleaning screens didn’t clean the booth out the night before, and you and locals. “We
got backsplash over it.” Potter says A&P is not even close to maxing have more street presence,” says Shoup, who has run the business
out its production as it tries to grow its overall business by half a since 1978. “It’s like good advertising to have a storefront. … Now
million dollars next year: “We have more than enough equipment to people can see where we are.”
accommodate that.”

50 OCTOBER 2015 / WEARABLES • wearablesmag.com