Printer Wear Feb 2018 by fitnesswearinc

PRINTWEAR

FEBRUARY 2018

PRINTWEARMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2018

For the Business of Apparel Decorating

• JUNIORS’ APPAREL

• AWESOME ARTWORK

• E-COMMERCE SOLUTIONS

• THE TEAM SALES REPORT PW_FEB18 FC.indd 1

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T hi sI s s ueo f Pr i nt we a r i sBr o ug htt oY o uBy :

Al s oI nT hi sI s s ue : T heT e a mSa l e sRe po r t201 8

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ED ER IT F M F LI E O M TI

CASHBACK

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR

CASHBACK REBATE

PER PIECE ON TEES*

PER PIECE ON ALL FRENCH TERRY, LIGHT TERRY & FLEECE

FEBRUARY 1ST - MARCH 31ST, 2018

ALL REBATES MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE AT 4myrebate.anvilknitwear.com * All specified products purchased during the promotion period are eligible for the rebate (single pieces included). Multiple claims for this promotion are allowed. Includes all ANVIL® 2018 apparel styles, except caps and towels, purchased from participating distributors between 2/1/2018 and 3/31/2018. Adult Tri-Blend Full-Zip Hooded Jackets (6759/L) are classified as tees. Rebate issued as check. Rebate claims must be completed online. Proof of Purchase can be submitted online at time of claim or by 1st class USPS mail following online submission of claim details and must be uploaded or postmarked by 4/30/2018. Please allow 6 - 8 weeks for processing. Valid only for garment decorators and promotional products distributors in 50 US states and DC. NOT VALID FOR CONSUMER PURCHASES. Terms and restrictions apply. Gildan Activewear SRL, Newton, Christ Church, BB17047, Barbados. Visit 4myrebate.anvilknitwear.com for details and rebate form.

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Contents

VOLUME 31 F E B R UA RY 20 1 8 NUMBER 5

F eatures 32 HEMLINES & POPULAR

CULTURE Find the latest trends in juniors’ apparel and what that means for decorators.

38 STYLE SHOWCASE:

JUNIORS’ APPAREL See the latest looks and styles in juniors’ apparel with this showcase.

40 CHECK YOUR HEADWEAR

Discover how to add headwear to your line of product offerings and what industry professionals recommend for embellishment and marketing approaches.

On Our Cover Next Level Apparel’s cover image expertly displays the cool confidence of the juniors’ market. Find more styles that satisfy the everchanging teen scene on page 38.

44 HOW TO GET AWESOME ARTWORK

Dane Clement discusses the importance of having quality artwork for any decoration job.

49 SIMULATED-

ON LI N E THIS MONTH’S

PROCESS SEPARATIONS Learn about the techniques used in simulated-process separations with Scott Detavernier.

WEB EXCLUSIVES: >>See the Pantone 2018 Color of the Year: HTTP://BIT.LY/2CQOI8V

>>Learn about a continuing edu-

cation heat printing program for adults: HTTP://BIT.LY/2ERBKIS

40 49 © 2018 National Business Media, Inc., all rights reserved. Printwear (ISSN 1522-7898) is published monthly by National Business Media, Inc., 2800 W. Midway Blvd, Broomfield, CO 80020; (303) 469-0424; Fax (303) 469-5730. Subscription rates in the US: One year, 45; Two years, $80; Three years, $108. Canada: One year, $76; Two years, $142; Three years, $201 (U.S. funds). Mexico/International: One year, $98; Two years, $186; Three years, $267 (U.S. funds). Periodicals Postage Paid at Broomfield, CO 80020 and additional mailing offices. USPS/National Business Media Automatable Poly. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Printwear, PO Box 460353, Escondido, CA 92046-0353. All items submitted to Printwear become the sole property of Printwear and National Business Media, Inc. and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Advertisers and/or their agencies, jointly and severally, assume all liabilities for printed advertisements in Printwear. Opinions expressed in Printwear may not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine, its management or its advertisers. Letters, pictures and manuscripts welcome.

>>Find out how one athletic

apparel company is designing headwear to accommodate cultures across the globe:

HTTP://BIT.LY/2CYRR5H

>>Discover how researchers

are developing natural textile dyes in the Southeastern U.S.:

HTTP://BIT.LY/2CKBBW1

FOR THESE STORIES AND MORE, VISIT PRINTWEARMAG.COM 2 || PW_FEB18.indd 2

PRINTWEAR

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Heavyweight NEW

1904 Adult Long Sleeve Tee 1905 Adult Tee with Pocket

These new arrivals from Alstyle® stand out from the crowd and make a truly memorable impression. That’s because the Alstyle® 1904 and 1905 get it right – from the 5.1-oz, 100% cotton construction to the laid-back classic fit. The dense jersey knit takes screen print, heat transfer and embroidery beautifully. Available in 10 colors in sizes S-3XL. usa 877.562.1499 / canada 866.275.7860

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Contents

VOLUME 31 F E B R UA RY 20 1 8 NUMBER 5

Columns 6

COMMON THREADS Clique

BUSINESS TRAINER Pump up your sales force

SOFTWARE TO SUBSTRATE Four-legged friends

STITCH SOLUTIONS The game has changed

ERICH’S EMBELLISHMENTS From craft to commercial

PRESSING MATTERS Knock out!

30 INTERNET STRATEGIES Content revisited

SHOP SNAPSHOT Fitness Wear

F eatures (continued) 54 DIGITIZING

IS FOREVER Ed Levy explores the necessity of understanding digitizing for successful embroidery.

64 FREEDOM

OF CHOICE Get insight on how to offer and promote ecommerce options for your shop with advice from software providers and business owners.

Departments

SPECIAL COVERAGE: The 2018

TEAM SALES REPORT

BUSINESS WATCH Watching business

THE NBM SHOW PREVIEW What to look for in Arlington, Texas

This special report from Printwear and A&E gives decorators the play book for the team market.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS Highlighted suppliers’ goods

70 THE LATEST Product reviews

Turn to page 48!

DATEBOOK Mark your calendar

“No one is good at everything, and this principle also applies to artists.

”

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DANE CLEMENT from “How to get Awesome Artwork” page 44

THE MARKETPLACE Classified ads

GET INFO SYSTEM Advertiser index

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Wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the Prom Queen? So what. You revel in being an Outsider, and we love that about you. Our new Heavy Wash Jersey is as authentic as you, in every way.

#1010 The Outsider Tee 100% Cotton 5.01 oz, 170 GSM XS-3XL Tear-away tag Vintage soft feel Heavily garment washed & pre-shrunk

Feels good to be an Outsider. F RE E S A MP L E

bit.ly/outsider-tee

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COMMON THREADS

2800 West Midway Blvd., Broomfield, Colorado, 80020 (800) 669-0424 • (303) 469-0424 • FAX (303) 469-5730

www.pr intwear mag.com Publisher

They don’t do it like my

STACY MARSHALL smarshall@nbm.com

Clique

Executive Editor CARLY HOLLMAN-LONG chollman@nbm.com

Associate Editor MICHAEL CLARK mclark@nbm.com

Digital Content Editor

hen it comes to high school, one of the first things I think of are the cliques. Blame it on my own traumatic school experiences. A clique is a group of people. Pretty much every school had their jocks, the popular kids, the goths and punks, the art nerds, the academics, the list goes on and on. Then there were the floaters. The group of kids that seemed to jump from group to group, got along with at least one person from each clique, and managed to exist on the outskirts of high school Carly Hollman-Long society. chollman@nbm.com If your business were a clique, what would it be? Would you be a jock catering heavily to those in athletics? Find your match in our Team Sales Report, starting on page 48. What about an art nerd focusing primarily on graphic creation? Look no further than page 44 for coverage on that. How about a popular kid, specializing in the latest trends and selling the hottest blanks? You’ll probably feel comfortable exploring juniors’ trends on page 32. And, finally, what about the floaters? Those that take the best from each market and make it their own. Fortunately for you, we cover more in this issue from headwear to digitizing basics to e-commerce solutions and more. Fortunately, unlike high school, you don’t have to stay in your current clique either! By diversifying your business, or even doubling down on a specific market, you can increase your presence within your community and improve your bottom line. And Printwear is here to help you through all your ever-changing needs. Consider us your coach.

ALEXANDRIA ARROYO aarroyo@nbm.com

Art Director ERIK WOGEN ewogen@nbm.com

Graphic Designer DAYNE PILLOW dpillow@nbm.com

Advertising Account Executive DESIREE DELFRARI ddelfrari@nbm.com

Advertising Account Executive DIANE GILBERT dgilbert@nbm.com

Advertising Account Executive ANNA STETTLER astettler@nbm.com

Sales Support JENNIFER ALGER jalger@nbm.com

Vice President / Events SUE HUEG, CEM, CMP susan@nbm.com

Senior Trade Show Sales Manager KATIE DITALLO kditallo@nbm.com

Education Manager ANTOINETTE VERNON avernon@nbm.com

NATIONAL BUSINESS MEDIA, INC.

Quick Lessons from this issue: >> Masks

>> When digitizing, as a

>> While various companies

will help

rule, you want to start with

built out archaic versions of

keep separa-

larger areas and work towards

online stores in the late 1980s,

tions clean

smaller areas, and you want to

most business experts typi-

and manage

work from the center towards

cally point to 1995, the year

stray dots.

the outside. This technique

Amazon officially opened shop,

(PAGE 49)

places the least amount of

as the starting point for what

stress on the fabric and helps

e-commerce has evolved into

reduce distortion. (PAGE 54)

today. (PAGE 64)

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President & CEO ROBERT H. WIEBER JR.

Vice President / Integrated Media JOHN BENNETT

Vice President / Publishing & Markets DAVE POMEROY

Vice President / Finance KORI GONZALES, CPA

Vice President / Audience LORI FARSTAD

Director of IT WOLF BUTLER

Please recycle this magazine

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Business Watch Badger Sportswear Acquires Two Athletic Companies STATESVILLE, N.C.—Badger Sportswear announces the acquisition of Alleson Athletic. The Rochester, New York-based Alleson manufactures sportswear uniforms and sublimated garments while Garb manufactures custom-tailored sports uniforms. Through the acquisition of Alleson, the businesses offer apparel and fulfillment for team dealers, decorators, and collegiate bookstores. “Both Badger Sportswear and Alleson Athletic are known for affordable, high-quality sports apparel that have enabled athletes to perform at their best and fans to show their team spirit,” says John Anton, CEO of Badger Sportswear. With the transition, Anton leads the combined company and Todd Levine, president of Alleson, reports to Anton. Through the Garb acquisition and its proprietary digital technology, team dealers and coaches design custom uniforms with decoration options such as twill, embroidery, and sublimation through an online platform that features a pre-populated school logo database which reportedly includes virtually every school in the U.S. “The Garb acquisition is entirely consistent with our stated mission to provide all athletes and fans with superior performance apparel at accessible prices,” says Anton. “By leveraging our broad dealer network, coupled with Garb’s best-in-class digital technology, we will make it easier for every high school and middle school team in the country to design truly custom, affordable hand-crafted uniforms.”

S&S Activewear Opens Doors on Fort Worth Distribution Center BOLINGBROOK, Ill.—S&S Activewear officially opens its Fort Worth, Texas distribution center. The new location also marks the largest distribution center in S&S’s lineup at 493,000 sq. ft. and boasts the company’s proprietary distribution technology. “Our team was challenged to complete this project before the end of this year and we were determined to get it done,” says Mike Mannucci, director of operations at S&S. “Let’s just say I couldn’t be more impressed with the collaborative effort that went into this production.” The distribution center provides one-day shipping to major Texas hubs like Dallas, Austin, and Houston, as well as neighboring states like Oklahoma. With shipping and receiving fully functional, the company says it aims to bring will call online for local customers in the first quarter of 2018. The Fort Worth opening marks continued nationwide expansion for S&S along with an Atlanta location which it plans to open in the second quarter of 2018.

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alphabroder Forms Merger with Prime Line TREVOSE, Pa.—alphabroder forms a merger with promotional products supplier Prime Line. The merger integrates alphabroder’s apparel products with Prime Line’s inventory of goods that range from gifts and drinkware to accessories and mobile tech goods. “Our big news is that alphabroder and Prime Line are coming together to make one new company,” states Norman Hullinger, CEO of alphabroder in a video announcement released by the company. “We think [this company] is very well-suited to meet the needs of the industry both today and going forward.” Structurally, the two companies note a handful of transitions. Jeff Lederer, CEO and president of Prime Line, joins the alphabroder senior management team as president of the Prime hard goods division. Touting the merger under the label “Woven Together,” both companies explain that the agreement interweaves existing management, staff, and company cultures. With the merger, Prime continues to operate independently and maintains its company name. Geographically, both companies continue to operate offices in their respective cities; alphabroder with its Pennsylvania offices, and Prime Line with South Carolina and Connecticut offices. All alphabroder distribution centers also remain fully functioning.

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Come on into Comfort Colors® and get casually cool in the 79 garment dyed shades of our 1717 Adult Tee. Every natureinspired hue - from Aloe to Yam - combines lasting quality with the gently worn-in look of a long-time favorite tee. This 6.1 oz, 100% ring spun cotton tee comes in sizes S-4XL so everybody can be cooler in the shade.

1717 Adult Tee

Adult Tee

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Business Watch PRINTWEAR PEOPLE Alternative Apparel (Atlanta) announces Emma Williams as the company’s new account executive. Williams focuses on the company’s customer base in the Northeast. “We’re extremely excited to have Emma on our team and look forward to great success for her and our customers,” says LeAnn Rankin, director of strategic accounts. Williams In her role as account executive, Williams works with the sales team to serve Alternative Apparel clients in New York and New Jersey. She joins the company with a background in technical design and screen-printing sales. Penn Emblem (Philadelphia) welcomes Tyler Joseph to the company’s family leadership ranks. Joseph marks the fourth generation of the Joseph family at the company. He comes to the team with prior intern experience at Penn Emblem and a background in global media, advertising, and communication fields. Prior to his new position at Penn Emblem, Joseph served at multiple media agencies including Mediavest and The Joseph Omnicon. “I am committed to the challenge of a changing industry and look forward to working together as a member of the Penn Emblem Company team,” states Joseph. “In my world, speed of delivery and commitment to serving the customer is crucial to the success of our business.” Joseph adds that he sees the importance of robotics, automation, and sustainability as a way forward for the organization. Brenden Prazner, marketing manager at DecoNetwork (Atlanta), announces his departure from the company. Prazner holds nine years of service with the apparel decoration e-commerce and business solutions designer. “DecoNetwork has been a very rewarding challenge,” states Prazner. “Taking a small product of a few clients to a global product with thouPrazner sands of subscribers has been an experience I will treasure.” Prazner began his career with the organization in 2008 when the program was a Wilcom product. In 2012, he moved from Wilcom to DecoNetwork when it established itself as an independent company. With his departure, Prazner shifts back to Wilcom as senior product manager.

INDUSTRY UPDATES IRVING, Texas—OKI Data Americas names Johnson Plastics Plus as its preferred partner for the company’s print-for-pay franchise market in North America. The partnership combines the company’s equipment with Johnson Plastics’ line of heat-transfer products. Johnson Plastics Plus provides North American franchises with service, support, and training. More information on the program is available at www.oki.com/us.

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Fruit of the Loom Earns Corporate Social Responsibility Award from FUNDAHRSE BOWLING GREEN, Ky.—Fruit of the Loom receives the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Seal from Fundación Hondureña de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (FUNDAHRSE). The annual award marks the ninth consecutive time the company has earned this distinction. Based in Honduras, FUNDAHRSE annually awards the CSR seal to recognized companies for their efforts in community relations and business practices related to operations and labor. Fruit of the Loom notes these attributes are “an integral part” of the company’s business strategy in the Central American country. “We are proud to be recognized as a FUNDAHRSE CSR seal recipient,” says Melissa Burgess Taylor, CEO of Fruit of the Loom. “Corporate social responsibility is a key focus of our company and to be awarded for these efforts shows we are on track to continue significant, responsible, and sustainable growth in Honduras.” The company’s contributions to the local community include programs such as health fairs for more than 50,000 employees and families, education services for local children, and an annual walkathon that benefits the area’s public hospital, Mario Catarino Rivas. Fruit of the Loom also participates in reforestation programs in the region.

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YOUR PERSONAL BUSINESS TRAINER

BY V I N C E D I C ECCO

So you want to pump up sales?

Pump Up Your Sales Force

ecently, a well-established manufacturer’s rep agency in Atlanta hired me to find “a hard-working, enthusiastic, top-producing sales rep” to help them reestablish, stabilize, and expand a sales territory in two neighboring states. I was careful to accurately describe the opportunity and the company’s expectations in the job posting. To my delight, response to the ad was swift and numbered in the hundreds. After sifting through the tall stack of resumes, I narrowed the search to two dozen “best fit” candidates and prepared to conduct phone and face-to-face interviews. I settled on asking each person the same set of questions designed to draw out, among other traits and thoughts, the candidate’s attitude toward the selling profession. Frankly, a somewhat disappointing revelation befell me. Most of today’s sales professionals exhibit a lackluster opinion of the art and science of selling. If the very people that are charged with representing your company, product line, and themselves are not proud and passionate about their chosen profession, I wonder how they can successfully inspire prospective customers to feel good about buying from your business? Maybe it’s a good time to inject some energy among the troops by pumping up your sales force.

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Vince DiCecco is a dynamic and sought-after seminar speaker and author with a unique perspective on business development and management subjects, primarily in the decorated and promotional apparel industries. With over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and training, he is presently an independent consultant to various apparel decorating businesses looking to improve profitability and sharpen their competitive edge. Visit his new website at www.ypbt.com, and send email to vince@ypbt.com.

TAKING THE PULSE OF PASSION The sample population of my mini-study was slightly biased. They were all seeking a new employer either because they were let go from their last position—perhaps because they weren’t that proficient—or they were disenchanted with their current sales job and were looking elsewhere. But, shouldn’t you think that someone trying to “sell” themselves to a prospective employer would be bubbling over with enthusiasm about their vocation? They weren’t. Here were some of the questions I posed to the job candidates:

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• On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate the sales profession against other occupations in terms of being respected and admirable? • What are some things that top-flight sales professionals do that average sales reps can’t do, don’t think to do, or aren’t willing to do? • Why do you think customers buy goods and services from one company and not others that offer similar things? The average response to the first question was 7.2. Not bad, but only three of 22 applicants gave the sales profession a nine or 10 rating. I had to withhold my shocked reaction when two candidates boldly answered “three” to the question. Most respondents qualified their answer by making sure I was asking them for their opinion of the profession and not the public. Had I phrased the question “how

would today’s consumer rate the sales profession against other occupations in terms of being respected and admirable?” I am sure I would have received a much lower average response. When I asked what separates the top dogs from the rest of the sales pack, over half the answers dealt with the individual’s drive and work ethic. I would agree with that to some extent, but I was disappointed that most made no reference to the role of the customer in most accomplished salesperson’s success. Larry Steinmetz, author of many books on the art of successful selling, conducted a study of worldclass sales professionals and what sets them apart. He found the top three behavioral characteristics of the consummate salesperson are superior listening skills, the consistency of keeping promises, and the ability to build genuine personal and professional relationships with clients, all of which involve the customer.

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YOUR PERSONAL BUSINESS TRAINER

If you’ve read this column in the past, you would expect the answer I was hoping to get to the third question would be “people buy from people who they like, trust, and with whom it is convenient to do business.” I would have been happy with anything close to that from the group of people I polled. Instead, the most popular answers were customer service, name brand recognition, product quality, and price. Let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture for a moment. You could break down a business into five basic departmental components: management/admin, marketing, production, technology, and sales. If you ever took the time to compare your company to competitors in terms of potential attack points, you probably reach the conclusion that your management/admin structure, policies, and strategies are likely very similar. In this litigious world in which we operate, there is little room for creativity and differentiation here. Likewise, the way you market is not that different. Generally, the same holds true for the way products are made, packaged, delivered, and how technology is incorporated to make, apply, or use them. Understandably, you may argue that your business is completely different from your competitors. But why are prospective

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customers so willing to tell you “Look, I can have the same screenprinted T-shirt made down the block,” or “I don’t see the difference in your embroidery and somebody else’s.” If all those components are fairly equal, the only thing remaining is the strategy a business engages to win the favor of its customers—vis-à-vis the way it sells. In your company, how high do you prop up your sales people? How much do you empower them to make smart business decisions in the field, face-to-face with customers? Perhaps the first question should be, “How well have you prepared them to represent your company?”

MOTIVATE WITHOUT THE HYPE One of the most basic principles of leadership and management is that an organization will repeatedly get the exact behavior that it reinforces, recognizes, and rewards. Let this concept guide you as you pump up your sales force. Not long ago, I was fortunate to be part of a project that studied the factors that led to job satisfaction among sales people. The focus group was asked to list the most important factors that contribute to the ideal job. Here is the top 10 list in the order of most frequently given answer:

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e s s

d ”

d s o

1. A sense of achievement/making a difference 2. Money 3. An open, honest work atmosphere 4. Increased opportunity/empowerment 5. The challenge of the job itself 6. An increased sense of self-worth 7. Job security 8. A good boss 9. Formal recognition/awards 10. Team spirit/camaraderie/esprit-de-corps How many of these factors are present or available to your sales force? Not sure? Surprised that awards and recognition are so far down the list? I was. Could you introduce and capitalize on more of this list with your sales force? Probably. Here are some suggestions on how to bolster the morale of your sales effort easily: • Hold all-employee meetings and bring in your sales people to share a success story about how your products and services solved a problem for or delighted one of your customers. Don’t try this without first approaching the salesperson well ahead of the meeting so they have time to prepare their thoughts. Have them present the case. There is a strong possibility the sales rep will use the opportunity to publicly thank other colleagues that made the achievement possible. • Share your financial statements— e.g., profit and loss statement, balance sheet—with your salespeople. Point out where you would like to see improvement in certain line items. Generate sales reports of profitability by customer account. Salespeople can be myopic when it comes to their day-to-day activities. Some business owners are reluctant to divulge the contents of the books. The smart owners use this valuable information to draw insight, educate salespeople, and inspire them to act entrepreneurially. • Annually, sit down with each sales representative and together set stretch goals using the acronym SMART— specific, measurable, actionable, reachable, and time sensitive. Don’t reduce

the goals to only hitting the sales numbers. Some great areas for goal setting include profitability, expense control, number of referrals or testimonials from clients, attrition control, and closing key target prospects. • Invest in training your salespeople in the soft skills of selling— listening, interpersonal relationship building, and promise-keeping, to name a few. In my experience, the hours dedicated to sales meetings are typically spent on product knowledge and addressing or solving internal problems. Brainstorm with your sales folks to identify the specific, observable behaviors of good listeners, leaders, and high integrity individuals and discuss them. Incorporate role plays and case studies to stimulate the discussion. You may want to consider bringing in an outside subject matter expert to facilitate the short but powerful training. The potential return on your efforts to pump up your sales force is limitless. Don’t be surprised if a brief intervention into this arena yields bountiful, immediate results. Good luck!

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FROM SOFTWARE TO SUBSTRATE

BY LO N W I N T E R S

Four-Legged Friends

e recently began setting up online fundraiser stores for clients. Nothing is easy the first time, and we learned hard lessons from this particular project tied into a fundraiser store. The client was The Doberman Rescue of Nebraska. They are a non-profit organization that rescues Dobermans from shelters, owners who cannot or will not provide for them, and strays whose owners never try to locate them. Our contact is part of the family, and this is where our mistakes began. We’ll call her Charlotte, because that’s her name. She has an extreme passion for this breed and has owned and rescued several over the last few decades. We love dogs too and had difficulty setting limitations and boundaries on what we would offer. And so, the struggle began.

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Lon Winters learned screen printing from the bottom up, starting his 20-plus-year career reclaiming screens. He has won nearly 50 international industry awards and honors, published numerous articles, and led several industry seminars and workshops. Currently, he is president of Colorado-based Print This, Inc./GraphicElephants.com, an international consulting firm specializing in technical advances, plant design, layout, troubleshooting, productivity, quality analysis, and complete garment-embellishing solutions. Visit www.graphicelephants.com for more information. Contact Winters at lonwinters@aol.com.

TO THE RESCUE The Rescue requested several versions of the design because they liked the concepts so much and couldn’t pass any of them up. We built designs with dobermans in full color and black and white. Our layout wasn’t complicated, but we sure made it that way when we agreed to three versions. We first set up the text in Adobe Illustrator without the Dobermans and dropped in a comp of the dogs to get sizing and proportions. Since the word rescue implies a sense of urgency, red was chosen What should with that context in mind. That, and this is have been a Nebraska (Go Big Red!). To be clever, we straightforadded a dobby silhouette in the R. ward online We then imported the layout into Phofundraiser toshop where we would work on the dogs. site design Charlotte provided us photos of rescue dogs turned out including Dean, who was adopted by Charto be comlotte a few years back. He was an unofficial plicated with mascot for the rescue while there. In honor too many opof his love and friendship, we included him tions. (All imin the design on the right. We used the lasages courtesy so tool to pull the dogs off the background the author) and created a path with the pen tool around the image area we would keep. Dobermans have a distinct look about their markings and the way the color breaks up around their faces and muzzles. They are sleek and a bit shiny. We used seven colors to get the range of color and the tonal areas. Yes, seven, plus white printers and red type, so more like 10 screens. We didn’t want anything to be easy on this project. Black was the most dominant color, and we used lighter tones in darker areas in the markings. Some portions were almost fully knocked out of other colors, and in other

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FROM SOFTWARE TO SUBSTRATE

Top left: This original design from The Rescue was in need of some serious updating. Top center: We started with photos of dogs from The Rescue, including Dean, its unofficial mascot. Top right: We used the lasso tool to pull the dogs off the background and created a path with the pen tool around the area we would keep. Above and right: We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t communicate properly, so The Rescue offered full-color, black and white, and even grayscale options to their volunteers on everything from tanks to hoodies of all colors.

plates, there would be some influences of colors either under or over to get softer transitions. We used a combination of channels created from both CMYK and RGB Modes. Based on their differences, it gave us options for pulling out tones for separation. We used the black channel as is with modifications to define contrast in shadow and shape. We opened each channel and made adjustments so dot gains wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trample on each other. For a little drama, we ran a filter over the composition to give an illustrative look using poster edges and some rough pastel from the Filters menu. Because we let The Rescue do both color and black and white, the seps were easy. Instead of doing two different separations with two very different color modes, we took the same separation and

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changed the colors of the values so that all contrasts managed to look almost identical. Of course, in hind sight, we could have used the exact separations for ease of set up, but alas, we did not. They wanted to print this on a variety of colors, garments, and fabrics. Of course they did. So, like any printing done on multiple substrates, our white printer was a major player in making sure the tones stayed reasonably close from garment to garment while keeping the text bold and opaque. Not so easy on this many colors. Balancing the whites, colors, and blacks was tricky to say the least. Little did we know that it was going to get worse on press. The final imagery was designed as a full color, a black and white, and black and white with red type. These would be printed as full fronts

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Top left: Since we let The Rescue do both color and black and white, the seps were easy. We took the same separations and changed the colors of the values so that all contrasts managed to look almost identical. Top right: Along with the name and graphics of the dog, the website was also included at the bottom of the design. Bottom left: Black was the most dominant color but we used lighter tones in darker areas of the markings. Some portions were almost fully knocked out of other colors. Bottom center: In total, we used seven colors plus white printers making it more like 10 screens. Bottom right: The final result was an online store full of various options for The Rescue’s fundraising missions.

with a one-color web address on the back. Everyone loved the full color, but some wanted the black and white or gray scale and some wanted red type. Ugh! Because we didn’t communicate well enough, the difficulty in offering this many items on this many garments with this many colors, The Doberman Rescue went crazy and offered all versions to the volunteers for Christmas. They ordered all the color combinations and mixed multiple garments from tanks to full-zip hoodies. We just didn’t have the heart to say no. We did our best to plan accordingly on ink changes and color rotations, but some fabrics were cotton and others polyester and tri-blends, all with three sep-

arate sim process set ups. We can’t even do the math to figure out how many screens we made for the project. On the spec, we just put “many” for screen count. On top of that, we made one more bonehead mistake. We didn’t outline the type. Strategic taping was used to make it work. Moving forward, we are working up the screens to work with outlined type and logos on all colors with one set of seps that crosses over all three designs. Simple enough if we had thought it through in the first place. But, at the end of the day, The Doberman Rescue of Nebraska Fundraiser store is now open, and, with any luck, they will raise some serious coin for a serious cause. 2018 FEBRUARY

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STITCH SOLUTIONS

BY J E N N I F E R COX

The Game Has Changed …and what to do about it

elling anything, even embroidered and decorated apparel, is more difficult than it ever has been because the rules of the game have changed. Yet, not many companies have evolved their sales process to keep up with the new game. Years ago, when you wanted to buy something, you would go to the store and talk with a salesperson about it. You trusted what they told you, and if it was a more expensive purchase, you probably went to more than one store to learn as much as you could before you made your purchase. We needed the information provided by salespeople to make an informed buying decision. In today’s world, we can research practically anything in just a few minutes on the internet. We collect information and frequently make purchase decisions without ever talking to anyone that knows anything about that particular product. It is not that people are that much smarter now than they were 20 years ago; people simply have access to much more information and feedback via

Jennifer Cox is the president and co-founder of the National Network of Embroidery Professionals (NNEP), a professional organization for apparel decoration business owners. NNEP supports the success of NNEP members with best practices, ideas, sources, solutions, volume-buying benefits, and services. Cox was recognized as a Top 50 Small Business Influencer and Community Choice Leader by Small Biz Trends in 2013, is recognized as one of the industry’s “Most Creative Thinkers,” and repeatedly ranks in the top 40 on the industry’s “Power List.” Reach her at jennifer@nnep.com or go to www.nnep.com.

the phone in the palm of their hand. Still, we approach the sales process the same way as we did 20 years ago. Why? Prospects begin a conversation with us about their need for some decorated apparel or products after probably doing at least a basic

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search online, giving them some information. That information may or may not be accurate, but they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know that yet. To successfully sell decorated apparel, you need to address the buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top three concerns. First, they must believe that your products are of a good quality and will work for their needs. Second, they must believe that you are a good salesperson and apparel decorator, and will create good quality work. They need to trust that you will give them good advice on products and design decisions and create good work on the products they select. Third, they must believe that your business is solid and that you will stand behind whatever you sell. Think of these three areas as a points system. Each area has a maximum value of 10 points and a minimum value of one point. Each potential customer has a minimum total score that they need

to move ahead to make a purchase. Your job is to score as many points as possible, as often as possible, with as many people as possible. For example, Bob needs 24 shirts with his logo on them for his company. Bob comes to you for a quote, and he decides that the shirts you show him in a catalog will work. He gives you nine points there. He decides that your work looks good on the samples he sees, so you get eight points there. But, he goes online and only finds negative comments about your business, so he gives you two final points. Ultimately, he does not purchase from you. Here is another possible scenario. Bob wants to get the 24 logoed shirts. He gets the quote from you. You score well. He then needs to replace the tires on his vehicle so he has to wait a bit before he can continued on page 80 2018 FEBRUARY

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ERICH’S EMBELLISHMENTS

BY E R I C H CA M P B E L L

From Craft to Commercial What the craft and commercial markets can learn from each other

ith so many machine manufacturers, software suppliers, and materials vendors realizing the potential of the hobbyist and home decorator market, we aren’t only seeing an expansion of professional products moving into the craft side of the market, but also an influx of increasingly capable and well-appointed small shops working their way into the professional embroidery market. As a digitizer who has worked and taught both in the commercial and home embroidery spaces, I think that both sides stand to gain from the exchange. It’s easy to understand why some commercial embroiderers don’t get the home embroidery market. I started my machine embroidery adventure firmly in the commercial world, operating “vintage” 12-head machines with a forest of thread cones bristling from their backs and nary a feature beyond color change. From boxing shirts between classes at university to operating machines by teaching myself to digitize on an ancient system, I never dipped into the craft market. Though I worked to develop my aesthetics and experimented with the medium on my own time, I was constantly aware that designs must be efficient as well as attractive and that profit must be served.

Erich Campbell is an award-winning commercial embroidery digitizer with more than 15 years of experience as well as a long-time e-commerce manager, currently the partner relationship manager for DecoNetwork. A constant contributor to the industry's content landscape through webinars, podcasts, social media, and more, Erich is an evangelist for the craft, a stitch-obsessed embroi-

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dery believer, and firmly holds to constant, lifelong learning and the free exchange of technique and experience through conversations with his fellow stitch-workers. As a current industry and fiber-arts blogger and once medievalist-in-training turned tech-obsessed embroidery designer, Campbell brings his varied experience and interests to bear as an editorial author for numerous industry publications, a member of editorial boards, and a consultant for product support groups.

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Machine embroidery hobbyists and artists deciding to enter the business sphere have a very different initial experience. They usually run on slower, single-needle machines, changing colors manually throughout designs, running one piece at a time, spending hours as entertainment rather than employment. They dedi-

Left: I never worked in a shop running less than 36 heads of embroidery. There are many successful shops smaller than this, and some much, much larger. Even so, it’s a very different world than what you find in the craft market. (All photos courtesy the author) Right: The smallest machine I ran until a few years ago was this nine-needle commercial single-head. As weathered as it was when I first saw it, this machine was a constant companion for years of my career.

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cate themselves diligently to self-education and experimentation, largely focusing on the look of the work. They are natural artistic experimenters and wizards of multimedia, as the journey of doing the work is as rewarding as the result, and their early work is more concerned with what they can make their machines do rather than how it was achieved or how long pieces take to create. In short, commercial-only embroiderers tend to be efficiencyminded and production-focused, but that focus can sometimes lead us to standardize settings and materials and stay close to the looks and materials we know. Home embroiderers tend to be experimenters and mavericks but may spend more time on a piece in the name of its appearance than a commercial job can afford. If we take the best of both worlds, we can make ourselves embroiderers who relish experimentation and creativity, but know how to make it efficient and easy to produce, all while making the money it takes to keep us doing what we love. To my commercial contemporaries, my greatest tip for you is to keep playing. Take at least one hour, if not a few hours, to try something new, experiment with a wild idea, or even lurk in some home embroidery and fiber arts circles just to get in-

spired. For my crafty converts, your tips are little more explicit. As a writer and educator, I’ve been privy to hundreds of questions from erstwhile embroiderers making their way from a love of stitches to a lifetime in the business. Those Q&A sessions reliably bring out some of the same tips. Take them to heart as you start your commercial adventure.

BE READY TO DO BUSINESS If you don’t like talking about or handling money matters, can’t stand sales or marketing, don’t like serving people, and never take a second glance at the calendar, you’ll either need to find out how to like this very necessary work or find and pay a partner who does. Making money means shuffling some paper in the process. You may not need to be a “biz-dev” wizard or memorize the tax code, but the off-the-cuff costing, pricing, and money management that often happens when you only do occasional commissioned craft projects isn’t a long-term strategy for running a business. Do your research, look for resources that help people starting small businesses, find mentors in your local community, and be ready to hire out the critical things you can’t do.

With proper digitizing and operation, home machines even in the lowest price range are still accurate enough to produce detailed and precise embroideries like this five-color blend.

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ERICH’S EMBELLISHMENTS

FIND YOUR FOCUS You can be pulled in myriad directions by each creative project’s possibilities. Though experimentation is good, not every project, product, or technique is meant to be part of your business. Define the needs of your target customer, play to your strengths, and focus on things that fit that mold, especially while you are establishing yourself in business. Always question new ventures requiring an equipment purchase. If you aren’t profitable with your existing equipment and the market for the new process is unclear, give some attention to your core work before taking on the expense. Adding equipment or processes can enhance your offerings and profit. It’s just more common that we’ll be dazzled by a new creative toy than we’ll need to buy a new item to bolster business. You must know to whom you’d sell a new product or process well before you buy in. I know scores of embroiderers with dusty collections of unnecessary equipment who wish they had been more purposeful with their growth.

These samples were created and sampled on a home machine to show that standard commercial work is possible, even if it’s not feasible to do production for a business on these small machines. Everything from patch-making to appliqué is still possible, albeit at a smaller scale.

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KNOW YOUR COSTS Many early commercial embroiders underprice their work because they feel unsure of their skills, doing so at the peril of their businesses. This is especially true when they’ve made capital investments and have regular lease payments looming. When setting your price, you need to know what it costs to run your machine, keep a roof over your head, and roughly know the cost of your materials. You must be able to estimate how much time is involved in a given job and calculate a price that not only accounts for costs but pays you a wage for the work you do and includes profit for the business. You can’t do that adequately if you don’t know your costs in materials, overhead, and time.

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ASK FOR WHAT YOUR WORK IS WORTH Truthfully, it’s not audacious, but you’d think it was from how reticent new embroiderers often are to ask a fair price. Don’t undervalue your labor or discount it randomly. Value your work and expertise; you are exchanging your expert technical knowledge, creativity, dedication, service, and the use of your uncommon and expensive machinery and supplies for the price you are asking. Add to that your time spent in thoughtful sales consultations, responsive customer service, careful presentation, and reliable execution, and you are offering real value that deserves real compensation. Price on more than the material value and time spent laboring. Price on the value you provide and the value your customer perceives. It’s the money that makes it possible to keep doing what you love. continued on page 77

Whether in a large-sale facility or smaller craft-based home or garage business, this should not limit your creativity or capability to produce a variety of goods. 2018 FEBRUARY

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PRESSING MATTERS

BY J OS H A N D ZAC H E L L SWO RT H

Knock Out! A New Process for Knockout Designs with Heat Transfer Foil

eat printing with heat transfer foil is a process that decorators love. New adhesive-only rolls of heat transfer film are sold to cut graphics in quantities as little as one on a vinyl cutter. The ensuing process of removing the excess, heat applying, and then covering and heat applying again with foil creates a bright, shiny, metallic finish that sells well for a variety of applications. Sometimes, a finish like foil can sell a T-shirt all by itself. Additionally, it’s often been said that artwork can sell a T-shirt as well. Imagine the possibilities when combining the best of both. In speaking with many apparel decorators, it’s clear that a knockout design style still sells extremely well. A knockout design combines a clipart element as part of a text graphic with that clipart conforming to the same shape as the text. Typically, the clipart element is a simple silhouette such as a basketball, heart, dancer, cross, megaphone, etc., depending on the market that it is designed for. While basic materials sell well with knockout designs, materials like glitter, foil, and reflective add extra appeal. When trying to learn how to properly set up artwork for this type of design, there’s little doubt that it is complicated and requires some level of skill. Plus, time and expense can quickly add up when taking into account the process of completing a knockout design with heat

Josh Ellsworth is an industry expert on apparel customization and General Manager of Stahls’ CAD-CUT Direct. His portfolio includes a YouTube site (youtube.com/ joshellsworth) with more than 50 educational videos, a blog (joshellsworth.com) that is updated regularly and consulting visits that have been made to some of the largest apparel-customization businesses in the U.S. You can reach Josh by email at josh@cadcutdirect.com and you can find him here, on the hot spot, talking about customization beyond the basics in every issue. Tune in for marketing strategies and sales tips in the heat-applied graphics discipline. Zach Ellsworth is a lead educator at StahlsTV.com and manages equipment sales for STAHLS’. He has helped thousands of business owners successfully start and grow their decorating business. You can reach Ellsworth at zach.ellsworth@stahls.com.

transfer vinyl, which includes cutting, weeding, and heat applying two or more colors. However, it can be done. In this month’s column, you’ll learn to reduce labor and art time using the knockout process while also creating looks that are second to none.

Knock out designs allow for multicolored and multiple finishes in a heat transfer design. The process just takes a little learning. (All images courtesy STAHLS’)

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Above: To start, load your heat transfer adhesive material into the cutter. Right: Choose simple text and clipart designs to minimize weeding and mistakes with this technique. Below: Next, take the non-stick cover sheet and apply it evenly to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;sticky sideâ&#x20AC;? of a heat transfer mask. Load the non-stick sheet and mask the piece into the vinyl cutter and send your clipart element to cut.

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PRESSING MATTERS

Weed the clipart knock out to be applied.

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The clipart knock out is then applied to the text.

DESIGN CREATION To start the process, let’s review the supplies needed to create a knock out print: 1. Roll of heat transfer adhesive 2. Two colors of heat transfer foil 3. One non-stick cover sheet often called Teflon 4. One roll of heat transfer mask 5. One squeegee In your graphics software, type in the word art that you wish to be the primary design. Knock out designs tend to work best with bold, thick font and text that is grouped tightly. Stacked text with two lines also works well. Additionally, create your clipart element. This process is best completed with a solid piece of clipart or a silhouette; try to avoid intricate details in the clipart.

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Next, load your roll of heat transfer adhesive into a vinyl cutter and cut your text design in a mirror image. After cutting, remove the excess material away from your design. Most heat transfer vinyl products such as adhesive can be prepared faster by heating the back of the material. Specific tools are available to help this process. Once the design is prepared, it is ready to be heat applied. Now we must create the knock out element. To do this, first prepare the non-stick cover sheet to be cut-able. If you have a craft cutter with a sticky mat, simply place the cover sheet onto the mat and cut. If a larger roll style cutter will be used, then take the non-stick cover sheet and apply it evenly to the “sticky side” of a heat transfer mask. Use a squeegee to remove any excess wrinkles or air bubbles to achieve a flat surface and good contact between the two materials.

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Above: A second foil is laid down to complete the look. Right: The result of this knock out work is a two-tone metallic design with text and an appropriate and fun graphic embedded in it.

Load the non-stick sheet and mask the piece into the vinyl cutter and send your clipart element to cut. It’s important that the cutter blade and downforce be adjusted to properly cut through the non-stick sheet and not through the mask. Once complete, remove the clipart piece from the backing. Now you have the three key materials needed to complete the heat application; the text design from adhesive, the nonstick clipart cut out, and two colors of heat transfer foil. At the heat press, load the garment of choice and heat apply the adhesive text graphic. It’s recommended to heat apply this layer with a very light pressure. This will ensure that the adhesive does not penetrate the fabric too deeply causing fibrillation and pinholing in the foil layer. With the adhesive applied, place the non-stick clipart cutout over top of the design in the desired location on the text. After placing, lay a sheet of foil in the desired color for the primary text. Any adhesive not covered with the non-stick cutout will receive the foil color being placed. Heat apply with a firm pressure for 10–15 seconds. Wait for the design to cool and then peel away the foil and the cutout. The resulting design will be the foil text with a void, knockout area for the next color. Be sure to save the non-stick cutout as it can repeatedly be used for future shirts and the process of cutting this piece will not need completed again. Now, lay another sheet of foil, ensuring that the remaining adhesive is completely covered. Heat apply this foil layer with a firm pressure for the same amount of time as the previous layer. After application, peel away the foil once it has cooled off completely. The completed look is a two-color foil, knockout design that is sure to sell. 2018 FEBRUARY

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INTERNET STRATEGIES

B Y K E L LY “ R A G S ” R A G L A N D

Content Revisited “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the internet, just as it was in broadcasting.” — BILL GATES, 1996

‘‘C

ontent Is King.” Internet marketing experts have agreed with that for more than two decades now, and, in fact, have used the phrase so many times online it has become a staple when it comes to organizing and optimizing your website for success. Not only do I agree, but in addition, I feel it applies to social networking strategies. Let’s face it. Creative, attention-grabbing Tweets and/or Facebook posts are going to win re-tweets, click throughs, shares, and likes over stale and boring content all day. But how do we as business owners and apparel decorators define great content? We know how to present our products and services professionally. We know how to sell our business reputation and proudly boast about our successes. We can provide referrals and testimonials, samples of our work, and maybe even display an award or two. But what exactly makes great content for our target audience?

CONVENIENCE Let your website visitors know how convenient it is to do business with you. Whether it is your brick and mortar location in the downtown square or the easy to use, secure shopping cart on your website, let people know the benefits that they will receive in terms of convenience when they choose your business over the competition. Position yourself to cater to today’s mobile-friendly audience. If you can act from your cell phone, that is the definition of convenience.

Kelly “Rags” Ragland is the owner and operator of Rags to Stitches Productions, a holistic advertising specialty company that provides a range of services, from Web design and development to customized apparel. Read his blog at http://a-stitch.blogspot.com/.

ATTRACTIVENESS As apparel decorators, the internet and image-driven sites like Instagram and Pinterest provide us a great opportunity to simply showcase our work and let the products sell themselves. Make sure your site uses sharp, attractive images from your branding and buttons to your products and portfolio. Be sure to share them over the social networks and add to the relevant networks regularly (Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook). Not only are we providing content to a text-driven internet, it is also a very visual internet when consumers discover that content. EMOTION Creative content that can generate an emotional response is wide open territory, and clearly going to be something for you to decide when applies to your target audience. Examples could include how exciting and wonderful it was for the High School Varsity Team to have a victorious season wearing custom apparel from your shop, or even something as simple as a funny cat picture captioned to say, “Call us today, so my owner will let me use the computer for a while.” You know your target audience the best. Try to tap into things that will generate a wholehearted response from them within your online content.

RELEVANCE What makes your business the best choice for your target audience? If you have a niche, share your expertise in that niche and refer to how you’ve serviced that market successfully, for how long, and include testimonials from happy customers. If you’re more of a full-service apparel decorator, provide a bullet list of the challenges you’ve overcome. Highlight some of your greatest work, success stories, and achievements.

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TRACK YOUR RESULTS Schedule a few moments with your Saturday morning coffee to check in on the results of your efforts. A quick look at your website traffic, social media engagement, likes, shares, re-tweets, and variables in gaining a larger audience gives you insights as to what is working and what is falling flat. Remember, the more you know about what content your audiences want, the more you know how to market to them. Creativity is in all of us in this industry, and getting creative with the content we present can be fun just as well and yet another open door to the pathways leading to online marketing success.

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Hemlines & Popular Culture BY

A L E X A N D R I A A R ROYO

ast-paced and ever-changing. These are the two words that make their way into conversations about juniors’ apparel and the market as a whole. This is due, in large part, to the need for the market to stay on-trend and fashion-forward. It’s driven by popular culture and the needs of its end users. Understanding the ever-evolving trends, as well as who’s buying and sellings these pieces is vital to your success in the market, no matter your stake in the teen scene.

SHAPING THE WAY Maybe you’re a wholesale distributor looking for the hottest juniors’ styles to offer your clients who are buying in bulk, or maybe you’re a decorator offering fan wear to your local high schools. No matter what your position is in the market, you can’t ignore that teens want to stay up on the latest happenings, and their fashion-sense is no exception. Over the last several years, juniors’ apparel has evolved from merely offering juniors’ sizing to offering specific styling and shapes to the young wearers. According to Louise Beasley, PIMA APPAREL, “It’s anything that has some kind of a shape. It’s all about the hemlines.” This includes everything from high-low to curved, asymmetrical, and shark bite hemlines. Additionally, things like side vents, unisex bodies, and sleeves with small and large cuffs are also being seen in the juniors’ apparel market. Beasley adds that anything with an updated and modern fit is what’s taking the spotlight. These garments take on a more relaxed fit as opposed to the tighter styles the market has seen in the past. She attributes this shift in fit to the more active lifestyle people are living. According to Valerie Schopmann, LAT Apparel, styles like boxy silhouettes and dolman sleeves are trending big right now. These styles, as well as off-the-shoulder necklines, are considered trend-right basics, or “basic garments

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Opposite: Anything with an updated fit and modern hemline is taking the spotlight. (Image courtesy PIMA APPAREL) Right: Trend-right basics work well for the dayto-day needs of juniors. (Image courtesy LAT Apparel)

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JUNIORS’ STYLES

There’s a decline in fitted juniors’ garments as casual and comfy styles are at the forefront of the market. (Image courtesy Kavio!)

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that serve many purposes, but also address what is trending in retail fashion,” says Schopmann. Looking ahead, Ivy Mai of Kavio! says she sees the dolman style, as well as burnout garments, phasing out in coming years. Beasley and Schopmann aren’t alone in their apparel insights. Amit Gupta, MONAG Apparel, highlights purposeful and relaxed garments, stating that the classic styles such as raglan and basic round bottom Ts work well for the day-to-day needs of juniors. Gupta says, “Raglans Ts are comfortable, simple, and stylish. Performance and basic round bottom Ts in cotton/ poly in vintage colors are also popular in juniors’ apparel as they provide style for busy juniors and easy designs for decorators. As casual and comfy styles are preferred by juniors now, there is decline in fitted styles in juniors.” As far as fabrics go, 2018 will bring in some new retail-inspired fashion trends. Mai says decorators and distributors should expect the market to feature “fabrications that include cotton/poly blended knits and new trending fabrics like slub jersey.” She notes that the “uneven characteristics in the yarn” and the “irregular textures” offer an appealing modern look, feel, and fit. She adds that bold and bright colors in collegiate wear will see growth in the market and supports both Beasley and Gupta’s comments regarding what’s hot in the market with hemlines. “Key touches like flowy finishes cut in a high-low hem and raglan-sleeved styles brings a polished contemporary look,” says Mai. She adds that soft fabrics are best for the decorated apparel market. Although some hemlines and styles are moving and changing at a fast pace in the juniors’ sphere, the classic V-neck, crewneck, and scoop neck will always have a stronghold in the marketplace according to Beasley. She adds, “They’re never really

Left: Paying special attention to evolving styles will help keep your offerings on-trend and your customers buying. (Image courtesy MONAG Apparel) Right: A relaxed raglan T is a stylish go-to option for teens living an active lifestyle. (Image courtesy Kavio!)

out of style, they’re just not as trending as the other items.”

WHO’S BUYING All this talk about what’s hot and what’s not, and you might be wondering who’s buying into this market and if you should be exploring it yourself. Because juniors’ apparel is so versatile when it comes to the type of wearer it can serve, it’s not hard seeing the potential earnings. According to Schopmann, “anyone looking for a trendier basic and a smaller fit” is a good candidate for the wholesale juniors’ apparel market. From small mom and pop shops to largevolume printers, juniors’ apparel fits a need that a variety of people are looking for–to address the junior body. Beasley says decorators, printers, embroidery houses, and

sportswear brands and labels, as well as customers in the team sports realm are top clients. Gupta agrees, noting that the typical juniors’ apparel customers are mostly printers and embellishers in the school and college wear markets. These are just a few of the specific markets that juniors’ apparel can serve, but with the need to cater to the juniors’ body, decorators and distributors have some serious opportunity for sales. With that said, it’s important to remember that it’s not just about having the goods to offer, it’s about marketing them appropriately.

HOW TO SELL What’s in style one season may be out the next, which presents a challenge for those selling juniors’ apparel. Paying special at2018 FEBRUARY

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JUNIORS’ STYLES

Above: Fashion-forward hemlines such as high-low, asymmetrical, and shark bites are popular in the juniors’ apparel market right now. (Image courtesy PIMA APPAREL) Below: While some hemlines and styles are constantly evolving, the classics such as the V-neck, crewneck, and scoop neck will always have a place in the market. (Image courtesy MONAG Apparel)

tention to evolving styles will help keep your offerings on-trend and your customers buying. With that in mind, Schopmann encourages distributors to do their market research to guarantee you’re offering the latest silhouettes. Communicate when styles are updated as customers want to stay in the loop when stock changes. She also urges suppliers and distributors to take advantage of any unique elements that might entice a customer to buy. This not only includes new styles and hemlines, but Gupta says distributors should continually update their garment options with new fabrics and colors. “Any specific design details that are unique or address a trend in the market will be a great selling feature,” says Schopmann. When it comes to marketing and appealing to the style desires of juniors, there is one main influence that takes the lead–popular culture. Beasley advises decorators and distributors to go online. Surf social media accounts, watch YouTube videos, tune into TV, music, etc. to see what the celebrities are sporting. She adds, “That’s what we watch. You figure that’s what the kids are watching, so if they see it and it’s relevant, then that’s what the customer is going to ask for their customers.” In addition to watching pop culture, it’s equally as important to dive into the world of the end user and hone in on their specific wants and needs. Mai says the key to marketing in the saturated juniors’ apparel world is to understand who the buyer is fully. “There is a junior buyer for every niche, interest, and hobbyist, ranging from the athletically inspired, the collegiate student, fast-fashion fashionista, the laid-back concert goer to the computer pro who enjoys spending plenty of their time on their favorite consoles and games. A good way to start is to follow their daily interests, hobbies, likes, and dislikes,” says Mai.

DECORATION CONSIDERATIONS As far as putting designs on these fashionforward styles, decorators can utilize the same

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tools to educate themselves and determine what’s hot in the graphics world as distributors do to determine the latest styles. Beasley says, “I know it’s all about the body style, it’s important, but honestly it’s the graphics that sell.” She mentions that foils, large-area prints, as well as front and back prints, are popular right now. Something from a simple message to a sports-inspired design can complement a juniors’ style. Mai agrees with Beasley’s comments, saying, “Juniors love edgy designs that feature trending details and unique prints that represent their interests and who they are. Quality in fabrication is not necessarily a priority.” Conversely, Gupta tells decorators to use a

variety of fabrics from polyester to cotton/ poly and tri-blends when using the latest printing techniques. This is where that knowledge of the end-user comes into play, to ensure you’re truly appealing to your juniors’ market. Mai also tells decorators to consider brand licensing, “Licensing has lots of benefits, such as increased traffic flow and many opportunities to connect with the young consumers. Whether it be their favorite sports team, cartoon character or music label, etc. It can help your image stand out from the rest.” One thing to remember when applying these graphics is the smaller decoration

field. Schopmann points out that “necklines tend to be deeper and or wider. Bodies are slenderer and sometimes boxier.” This is not only important when decorating and aligning graphics, but should be mentioned to customers when processing orders to ensure a proper fit. As the juniors’ apparel market continues to grow and styles evolve, decorators and distributors need to make it a habit to sit down, do some recon, and determine what’s trending, what’s phasing out, and what that means for their business’ inventory. Keeping the end user consistently happy and engaged is the key to success in the face-paced juniors’ apparel world.

2018

7 GREAT STYLES 36 EXCITING COLORS Available through Citadel Brands

www.citadelbrands.com

Citadel Brands | 800-229-1240 sales@citadelbrands.com 2018 FEBRUARY

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Hip Happenings

JUNIORS’ APPAREL SHOWCASE

Get up to speed on the latest juniors’ trends and staples with these stylish silhouettes and hip hemlines. For more on the products featured here, see supplier’s website and telephone information following each showcase item.

RAGLAN T-SHIRT The DT6211 District 3/4-Sleeve Raglan Juniors Very Important Tee, available from Transfer Express, features a slightly curved hem and a tear-away tag. The white body, black sleeve color combo is made of 4.3-oz., 100 percent ring-spun combed cotton. Most of the heather and frost colors are 50/50 ring-spun combed cotton/polyester, and the light heather gray is made of 90/10 ring-spun cotton/polyester. They can be machine-washed and tumble-dried low. Style DT6211 comes in sizes XS–4X. Visit: www.transferexpress.com Call: 800-622-2280

VARSITY JACKET BAW Athletic Wear offers style B7000Y, the Youth Letterman Varsity. The 9.0-oz. 55/45 cotton/polyester style features a detachable hood; full snap closure and slash pockets; and 2 X 2 rib knit collar, cuff, and bottom. Visit: www.bawonline.com Call: 800-493-3745

COTTON/POLYESTER FLEECE Style 3120CMO, the Camo Fleece Raglan w/Pouch Pocket, from Royal Apparel is a 7.5-oz. fleece made from 50/50 cotton/polyester. Styling details include a kangaroo pocket, set-on rib sleeve cuffs and bottom band, raw edge collar, and a satin label. 3120CMO is knit, dyed, printed, cut, and sewn in the USA. Visit: www.royalapparel.net Call: 866-769-2517

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HOODIE DRESS Independent Trading Co.’s midweight Special Blend Hooded Pullover Dress PRM65DRS, is made from 8-oz. cotton/ polyester fabric. It features a crossover neck, thumbholes, and two drawcord colors. It comes in carbon, nickel, and black in XS–XL. Visit: www.independenttradingco.com Call: 877-366-9911

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JUNIORS’ DRESS Carolina Made carries Next Level’s 4.3-oz., Tri-Blend Racerback Tank Dress. The 32-singles style is a 50/25/25 polyester/combed ringspun cotton/rayon blend. It comes equipped with a tear-away label and is available in heather colors vintage black or indigo in sizes XS–2X. Visit: www.carolinamade.com Call: 800-222-1409

SHORT-SLEEVED T MONAG Apparel’s Round Bottom Vintage Tee is a short-sleeved cotton/polyester blend, fine jersey knit. It features binding on the neck and enhanced round bottom. It is available in six colors in toddler and youth sizes. Visit: www.monagapparel.com Call: 877-966-6624

HEATHER HOODIE The Velvet Stripe Hoodie from Pennant Sportswear is a cotton jersey hoodie. The lightweight white heather style features twin velvet sewn-on stripes and velvet neck tape. The style comes in six velvet stripe colors in youth sizes YS–YL, as well as adult sizes XS–2X. This style is exclusively available from Pennant. Visit: www.pennnatsportswear.com Call: 800-648-6505

LIGHTWEIGHT T LOOSE-FITTING STYLE Cotton Heritage’s Boyfriend Tee features a looser silhouette and a unisex look. The style is side-seamed, tightly knit, and offers printability, according to the company. The T is available in 100 percent combed ring-spun cotton, softwashed 80/20 cotton/poly heathers, and an 85/15 cotton/viscose athletic heather. It’s offered in sizes XS–2X with a tear-away label. Visit: www.cottonheritage.com Call: 323-722-5592

Style 6360, the Roll Sleeve Dolman from Next Level Apparel is a lightweight combed ring-spun cotton and poly blend. It features a 4-oz., 30-singles construction. Styling features include a 1 X 1 baby rib set-in collar, rolled sleeve with snap-stitch in three locations, a curved hem, side seams, and a tear-away label. The style comes in five colors in XS–2X. Visit: www.nextlevelapparel.com Call: 310-631-4955

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Check Your Headwear Headwear Trends and Marketing Techniques

H BY

MIKE CLARK

ats are a promotional staple of virtually every market segment. Whether it’s a utilitarian-style beanie to keep your head warm, a baseball cap sporting the logo of your favorite team, or an intricately decorated flat-front hat by a lifestyle brand, all are mobile advertisements and golden opportunities for apparel decorators to grow their business.

While headwear can be decorated with multiple disciplines, embroidery is still a classic and common request. (Image courtesy Outdoor Cap)

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THE LOOK Certain styles of headwear stand the test of time, while others have fluctuated through the decades. Popularity of each type, says Tina Liu, OTTO International, truly varies with demographic. “For the older population, your classic precurved baseball cap [sometimes referred to as the ‘Dad Hat’] style is what they prefer,” Liu states. “When you move on to the younger population, it’s flat visor caps 80 percent of the time.” Bill Patterson, HTT Apparel, notes that professional PGA players started showing up on camera wearing this style of hat in recent years. As popularity grew, the look transitioned from a hot trend to a must-have item for decorators. Like other wearables, the emerging trend of corporate social responsibility and sustainability has yielded hats manufactured with recycled goods. Ben Roberts, Outdoor Cap, says he’s seen caps with a heathered or “recycled” look requested in response to this trend.

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BETTER THAN VELLUM (just uglier.)

Caseys’ Translucency™

Caseys’ Translucency, is a vellum-like material especially designed for you — the screen printer — to make inexpensive positives direct from your laser printer or copier. Why so ugly? Our Translucency appears yellow because we’ve taken out the brighteners that create the white color, and also block ultra violet light from penetrating the paper. It’s uglier, but it’s better.

™

Trial

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Caseys’ Laser Film™

This is a high-quality polyester designed for laser printers and copiers. Screenprinters use Laser Film when they need to tile large areas which require the physical strength of polyester. Pad Printers use Laser Film as an inexpensive alternative to using a camera. Spraying the image with Caseys’ Ultra Black will darken the image.

Caseys’ UC InkJet Film™

Caseys’ Ultra Chrome Film is compatible with Epson® printers using (UC) Ultra Chrome Ink and will also accept Dye based inks. This film is also waterproof.

Caseys’ Clear InkJet Film™

This is a high-quality polyester film designed for liquid ink (InkJet) printers using Photographic Dye-Based ink. Screenprinters use InkJet Film as a positive for burning a screen. Note: InkJet Film is over three times as expensive as our Translucency. If you have a choice, use a laser printer for printing screen positives.

Caseys’ Translucency distributed by…

U.S.A. — Alabama (Tubelite), Arizona (Tubelite), California (Mc Logan Supply), Deleware (Wiper Supply Co, Inc.), Florida (Rutland, Tubelite, TW Graphics), Georgia (Nazdar), Illinois (Atlas Screen Supply Company, Nazdar), Indiana (Tubelite), Kansas (SPSI), Kentucky (One Stroke Inks, SPSI), Michigan (One Stop), Minnesota (Northwest Graphic Supply, SPSI), Missouri (Nazdar), New Jersey (Nazdar), New York (Viking ESP), North Carolina (Nazdar, Rutland Plastic Technologies, Texsource, Inc., Tubelite), Ohio (Nazdar, Rutland Plastic Technologies, Tubelite), Pennsylvania (Wild Side North), Puerto Rico (Carribbean Sign Supply), Tennessee (Tubelite), Texas (McBee Supply, SPSI, Texsource Texas), Washington (Shur-Loc Fabric Systems/JSMD Key Products LLC), Wisconsin (SPSI, Valley Litho Supply)

International — Canada (INK 4 U Ltd., Halifax, Montreal, Toronto), Philippines (FUM International, Inc., Manila), Puerto Rico (Carribbean Sign Supply, San Juan)

http://www.caseyspm.com/

Order online at

www.caseyspm.com 800-544-5620

or 303-220-1463 • fax 303-220-1477 Caseys’ Page Mill, Ltd. • 6528 South Oneida Court • Centennial, Colorado • 80111-4617 • USA

20160521

Since 1986

CaseysPageMill_Insert.indd 1

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BETTER THAN VELLUM (just uglier.)

Caseys’ Translucency™

™

Trial

Pack

Caseys’ Laser Film™

Caseys’ UC InkJet Film™

Caseys’ Ultra Chrome Film is compatible with Epson® printers using (UC) Ultra Chrome Ink and will also accept Dye based inks. This film is also waterproof.

Caseys’ Clear InkJet Film™

Caseys’ Translucency distributed by…

International — Canada (INK 4 U Ltd., Halifax, Montreal, Toronto), Philippines (FUM International, Inc., Manila), Puerto Rico (Carribbean Sign Supply, San Juan)

http://www.caseyspm.com/

Order online at

www.caseyspm.com 800-544-5620

or 303-220-1463 • fax 303-220-1477 Caseys’ Page Mill, Ltd. • 6528 South Oneida Court • Centennial, Colorado • 80111-4617 • USA

20160521

Since 1986

CaseysPageMill_Insert.indd 1

4/26/17 8:51 AM

Most sources agree that of all popular hats on the market, the five-panel is a commonly-requested look within various niches, including millennials. Whether it’s decorative fashion-forward prints or more muted earth tones for outdoor lifestyle brands, the panel style lends itself to markets that span urban, rural, young, and old crowds. Meanwhile, the hat that tends to keep coming back is the trucker cap. Rising to popularity in the 1970s, the nostalgia has come full circle, and the hat is a common request for everything from promotional events to band merchandise. The soft front makes it versatile enough for both heat printing and screen printing with the right platens and temperature settings. Plus, the breathable, mesh back lends itself to warmer weather and active lifestyles.

The precurved baseball cap, often referred to as the ‘Dad Hat’ maintains popularity in older crowds. (Image courtesy OTTO International)

“If you only have a six-head embroidery machine, but someone is willing to give you a 5,000 piece order with a tight deadline, you don’t necessarily have to give up on the order just because you can’t handle the load based on your own capacity,” Liu contends. PRODUCTION APPROACHES When a shop lands a mixed-media decoration job, this is ofAs with any new service or product line, a decoraten cause for contracting the work out also, says Patterson. tor needs to make sure that headwear is truly The challenging nature of mixing decoration methods something they can accommodate. For together can complicate production calendars and the shop looking at an easy entry into call for more labor hours than a mid-to-smaller the market, contracting may be an shop might be equipped for. option since it sidesteps the challenge If a shop does choose to offer in-house cap of having to purchase new tools and decoration, Roberts stresses that shops make budget for additional time. sure they are proficient in embroidery. While Liu suggests the decision starts by hats are decorated with multiple disciplines, looking over a shop’s current busiembroidery is typically one of the most ness model and making decisions on commonly requested methods, and a case-by-case basis from there. She decorators need to ensure they can recommends decorators look into the deliver the quality and detail their referral network dynamic, for example, customers expect. offering an embroidery shop screen-printing servicRegarding decoration methods, pares if they can cover your headwear embroidery ties generally tend to agree that the best methand vice versa. Liu points out that decorators Because of the position of headod for each client truly varies on two main can look to peers if an order size is out of their wear on the body, caps have rethings: the amount of detail in the design and normal capacity as well. A smaller embroiderer mained one of the most sought afthe timeframe in which the client needs the orpartnering with a larger, industrial embroiderer ter promotional products. (Image der. While embroidery will typically be one of for high-volume jobs can be beneficial, she says. courtesy HTT Apparel) 2018 FEBRUARY

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HEADWEAR TRENDS

Above left: Lifestyle brands that cover markets like outdoor recreation and offroad sports can be a lucrative client for decorators. (Image courtesy HTT Apparel) Above: Breathable, meshback hats are common choices for active lifestyle and fitness brands. (Image courtesy OTTO International) Left: Because of the vast number of teams, clubs, and organizations schools promote, shops can add headwear to these existing apparel clients. (Image courtesy Outdoor Cap)

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the most classic forms of decoration for a cap, screen printing, sublimation, and heat printing are also options. However, you have to be careful not to offer too much, but rather what makes the most sense for the consumer’s budget and their time frame states Roberts.

MARKETING AND MAKING MONEY To market headwear, Roberts says it’s more important to realize it’s not necessarily marketing tactics that have changed, but the dynamics between decorator, manufacturer, and end customers. With the advent of the digital revolution, decorators and manufacturers now have a much closer line to each other, and that’s affected both parties’ decisions and approaches. And, because a shop can now reach out directly to a manufacturer through channels like social media and email, those manufacturers can establish a more detailed twoway discussion with decorators on specifics like fabric type, sourcing information, sizing, and other key details their customers ask for. Tapping into the right markets for headwear can often start with existing customers. As many decorators may already work with schools and colleges, adding headwear to the product lineup for these accounts can be a lucrative move. Because these customers already order in larger quantities, a shop can easily suggest a corresponding cap or beanie that pairs with the season and sport. “Within a school, you have many sports teams to work with, and each has its own logo,” states Liu. “If you expand that into the local school district, you have a good set of customers that would need hats each season and year.” In addition to sports teams, schools yield other groups like booster clubs, debate teams, and drama clubs, amongst others as customization windfalls. Patterson also suggests corporate clients

as an option, especially fast food or fastcasual restaurants with a cap and polo shirt uniform. Some field research can benefit decorators looking to tap into this market. Simply by stopping into local establishments and taking note of what employees are currently wearing, and finding out if that business is happy with their current line of workwear, he says, can help open another door with decorated hats. Lastly, Roberts recommends decorators interested in carving out a spot in the headwear market to pay close attention to the emergence of lifestyle brands. While many of these companies are smaller and on the boutique level, they often have an

extremely loyal customer base willing to pay a premium price for limited edition goods. Outside of style and market considerations, decorators should note that headwear remains a profitable option simply because of where it’s worn on the body. While T-shirts will most likely always be a popular advertising tool, headwear stands on its own as a strong contender as well. “The good thing about hats is that they are at your eye level,” says Liu. “It’s usually the first thing other people see.” A walking billboard with a much smaller footprint, the market for headwear is sure to continue to be rife with opportunity.

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O d a p q f c a e p p o

How to Get

Awesome Artwork Exploring your options for finding good artwork to run your decorated apparel business BY

DANE CLEMENT

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Dane Clement is president of Great Dane Graphics, a company specializing in preseparated artwork specifically designed for use by screen printers, embroiderers and digital decorators. He is also the digi digital direct-to-substrate printing application specialist for Minn.-based SPSI ((www.sps-i. com). Clement has been in the industry for more than 20 years de designing artwork, is a frequent speaker at industry events, a regular contributor to industry trade publications, and author of T-Shirt Art Artwork Simplified, a full-color, step-by-step guide to creating artwork with Adobe and Corel graphics programs. Contact Clement at dane@ greatdanegraphics.com or visit www.greatdanegraphics.com.

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Opposite: At level 3, artwork may have more detail and more colors. If you are asked to do a series of designs for an awards program, preprint line, or something similar, that will require more time and coordination and therefore cost more to have created. (All photos courtesy Great Dane Graphics) Right: This is an example of a folk art style. Encourage a client needing artwork to either bring in examples of art he likes or have him look at examples in your shop so you can narrow down the options before doing thumbnail sketches.

hile you may have stateof-the-art equipment and experienced, professional employees, if you do not have great artwork, your business will still lack a key component to succeed. One of the greatest obstacles for newcomers is figuring out this piece of the puzzle, especially when they have no art background themselves. Another challenge that shops face is increasing pressure to get jobs out quickly. When a customer wants something in only a day or two and has no artwork, this further complicates a shop’s ability to fulfill an order.

COST VS. QUALITY Time is money and artists are selling time. How much a piece of artwork costs is more or less dictated by how much time it takes to create it. Experience is a close second. A more experienced artist is going to charge more per hour than a less experienced one. However, this higher cost may be offset by the more experienced artist being faster and able to produce a higher-quality design that better satisfies the customer. So those are the tradeoffs to consider. The more specific the customers are and the more unique the look and style that is wanted for a design, the more time it will take to create. It is easy to lose money trying to figure out exactly what customers want and going through revision after revision until you finally have a piece with which they are happy. To avoid this trap, ask lots of questions, show lots of examples, and force the customer to approve artwork in writing. You should also limit how many “free” revisions you will do. A common policy is to limit the number of revisions for the included price, and, after that, they will be charged at the normal hourly rate. 2018 FEBRUARY

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FINDING GREAT ARTWORK

f t c D c u w f s n s

Above: Colored pencil is another medium used by many artists to create original artwork. Not all artists are proficient in all mediums so that is another piece of information you should acquire before beginning a search for an artist. Top right: In the second echelon of artwork, you combine line art with more than one color. It also may have slightly more details. For this level, it is easy to choose a clipart image, add type and colorize it, and you’re done. Right: Oftentimes, half the battle of creating artwork for a client is figuring out what is wanted. Artwork is created in many mediums, such as this piece, which is an oil painting. It can be helpful to show examples of different mediums to help narrow down options.

THE ECHELONS OF ARTWORK Creating artwork for jobs can range from creating a simple black-and-white baseball to a full-color replication of a piece of museum artwork. These categories are intended to broadly represent the different levels. They can be used as a guideline to indicate what level of artist you may need and how much artwork might cost. Category 1: This is the category under which your most budget-conscious clients are going to fall. It consists of simple line art for a one-color design. Examples would include a soccer ball for a rec team, a wrench for a plumbing business, or a firefighter’s cross for a local fire station.

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Whenever a design is needed for decorating, the first question is what process will be used? If it’s a single-color vinyl design, then simple vector line art is needed, and this takes the least amount of time to create than any other type of artwork. If the design is going to be screen printed, there are more options of what you can do with the artwork. For example, even simple black line art can be created with halftones to create the illusion of more colors. This gives it the perception of greater depth by varying the grayscale. It can be faded out at the edges or have a texture or effect applied to it. Distressed is a good example. It allows you to add variety and interest to a

single-color design without driving up the price. For digital direct-to-garment, I don’t recommend doing a one-color design. It is possible when printing digitally that banding may occur in the print with large areas of solid color, which is common in color vector designs. If you use full color, texture, or gradients, the banding may still be there, but it will be camouflaged, which could save the piece. The type of fabric and garment color also affects how artwork is prepared. Vinyl can go on any color, but for screen printing or digital direct-to-garment, if it’s a dark shirt, then an underbase must be printed first. Many types of heat transfers can go

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Above: Highly sophisticated artwork—with lots of detail and process colors— falls into level 4. This category will take the longest to create and therefore be the most expensive of the four categories. Depending on the decorating process, it may also require separations, which will increase the cost. Top right: Digital artwork has a distinct style and look. It can be created using only a computer. Fractals and algorithmic art are two examples. Or it can be created using a scanned photograph or an image created using vector graphics software along with a mouse or a graphics tablet. Right: Black and white line art falls in the easiest and least expensive category. It often is sufficient for clients such as a recreational sports team needing T-shirts for players or a small business such as a landscaper or plumber needing shirts for employees. If using stock art, you can choose an image and add type to it in minutes.

on any color or fabric, but dye sublimation must be on a light-colored polyester garment. Category 2: The next level up from onecolor vector line art is multicolor. This level may include more detail than the first level as well. If the artist is asked to draw something like a specific car model or an animal like a tiger, time must be invested in doing research and finding reference images to use as a guideline. In the case of vinyl cutting, this involves adding one or two more colors of vinyl. Each color has to be cut and applied one at a time, so more time is involved with this process, and the design has to be separated

into its respective colors. For the screenprinting process, it means the artwork has to be separated, and two or more screens are made. Digital direct-to-garment is ideal for this category as it does not require screens, and the separations are automatically generated by the machine’s driver or a raster image processor (RIP). Even if line clipart is used, the design might be colorized. Color schemes must be selected that work in harmony with the design and the color of garment it is going on. Other details might be added such as type indicting the name of the event, date, location, etc. When this is the case, it is imperative that the artist be given all the

elements prior to starting a design because space decisions can’t be made without it. Category 3: Taking Category 2 to the next level may involve creating a series of designs or multiple versions of the same design. Examples might be a preprint line or a program for a corporation or school where all designs would be different yet related. More time is needed to coordinate a variety of designs as well as determine if they are going on the same style and color of shirt or a variety. It might also involve more detailed artwork or even multimedia. Category 4: This category represents the highest, most sophisticated level of artwork 2018 FEBRUARY

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FINDING GREAT ARTWORK

ART STYLES AND TECHNIQUES

o one is good at everything, and this principle also applies to artists. Most artists have a few styles in which they are most proficient. Examples include cartoon, realistic, abstract, folk art, art deco, retro/ vintage, contemporary, digital grunge, Victorian, psychedelic, and many more. When creating artwork for a client, one of the most important things to find out is the art style the customer wants. In many cases, the client is not going to know, so having examples to display of past jobs that are similar or that show a range of styles will be helpful in narrowing down choices. In addition to art styles, artists usually are proficient in a variety of mediums but not all mediums. Examples here might include digital art (the entire design is done on a computer), colored pencils, pen and ink, oils, acrylic paint, airbrush, charcoal, etc. When creating an original design, the artist may first create it in one of these mediums and then scan it into the computer to convert it into the format needed for the chosen decorating process. So, when you look at an artist’s portfolio, be sure to look to see if the artist is proficient in a medium that is going to work for the type of artwork you are looking for. A third consideration is that some artists specialize in drawing, some in designing and some are what is commonly called a “production artist.” Just because an artist is proficient in painting and drawing does not mean they will be good at design and vice versa. In many shops, you will need to have both skill sets, so this may mean having more than one person. If you are a contract decorator who always gets ready-to-go artwork, perhaps you will need only a production artist. This is someone proficient in the graphics software who can process designs but may not necessarily be all that skilled at drawing or designing.

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Realistic artwork features a lot of detail, which makes it one of the most time-consuming types of artwork to do. It is the style used when a client wants a specific model of car or animal and usually research must be done to find reference photos to use in creating the piece.

that is going to take the longest to do. Most likely, it will have fine details and require separations if it is screen printed. It may have more colors or require color matching. Realistic artwork generally takes the longest. An example might be a portrait or a full-scene illustration. It might also entail more sophisticated multimedia such as screen printing or digitally printing a background image and then overlaying it with embroidery, appliqué, or vinyl. This is the type of artwork where digital direct-to-garment printing really shines, and this type of design is much easier to execute using digital printing versus screen printing. More than any other process, digital printing is great for a design with lots of colors, fine detail, and photographs. However, for high volume, screen printing may still be the better choice. In your search for finding the best solution for your business, knowing what you need and how fast you will need it is critical to choosing the best option.

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A special supplement to Printwear and A&E magazines

CONTENTS INACTIVITY EPIDEMIC 04 THE Mike May explores the culture of

physical inactivity in America and its adverse effects on school sports.

THE CUT 12 MAKING Learn about common issues, quick tips, and advice for working with team apparel in each major apparel decoration discipline.

MENTION 20 HONORABLE Discover the possibilities of com-

memorative awards for sports and team markets with Wendy Bergan.

BY PLAY 24 PLAY Survey findings and results

from the team sales market.

TEAM! THE TEAM 27 GO SALES REPORT SHOWCASE Find all your team sales needs in this showcase featuring apparel, accessories, and awards.

PUBLISHER

Stacy Marshall

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Carly Hollman-Long

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Michael Clark

DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Alexandria Arroyo

ART DIRECTOR

Erik Wogen

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Dayne Pillow

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Desiree Delfrari

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Diane Gilbert

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Anna Stettler

SALES SUPPORT

Jennifer Alger

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FASHION / COMFORT / UNMATCHED VALUE

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THE INACTIVITY EPIDEMIC BY

MIKE M AY

hile the recent obesity news from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was attention-getting for some people, it was not surprising for many. The report found that: • More than 70 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese • Almost 40 percent of American adults are obese • Overall levels of physical activity in the U.S. have decreased in recent years The theme of the CDC’s recent study may have been obesity, but the real culprit is physical inactivity, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (www.SFIA.org) and PHIT America (www.phitamerica.org), two organizations dedicated

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to increasing the level of physical activity and health among all Americans. The statistics are simply a reflection of the ‘inactivity pandemic’ in the United States right now. According to the Physical Activity Council (PAC), 81.7 million Americans are physically inactive. This means more than 27 percent of Americans do not participate in any of the 118 sports and activities covered by the PAC study, which includes everything from individual pursuits (walking, running, swimming, bicycling, etc.) to team sports (baseball, softball, basketball, football, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, etc.) to outdoor activities (camping, hiking, fishing, rocking climbing, mountain biking, etc.) to fitness activities (fitness machines, lifting weights, group fitness classes, etc.).

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THE INACTIVITY EPIDEMIC

According to new statistics, more than 27 percent of Americans do not participate in any of the 118 sports covered by the Physical Activity Council (PAC).

Sadly, only 29 percent of youth reportedly meet the qualifications to join the U.S. military.

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While provocative and attention grabbing, the conversation is now shifting from the ‘byproduct’ to the ‘cause’ of America’s physical inactivity crisis. As a result of current circumstances, PHIT America, SFIA, and the U.S. Army are sounding the alarm. Unless America changes the declining fitness and levels of physical activity among its youth, there will not be enough qualified recruits for all the branches of the U.S. military. “A lack of physical activity amongst today’s youth does cause significant challenges for the U.S. Army. Only 29 percent of youth meet the qualifications to join the military, and obesity is the leading disqualifier,” says Major General Jeffrey Snow, commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky. “Poor diet and a lack of physical activity can lead to injuries and other health issues that can take a soldier away from his/her duties.” Recruits and soldiers who are not physically fit are costing the taxpayers a great deal of money every year. “The military spends more than $1.5 billion annually treating obesity-related health conditions and replacing those discharged because they are unfit,” says Major General (Ret.) Mike Repass, a member of Mission: Readiness and former Commanding General of U.S. Army Special Forces Command. “It takes years, not months, to build a strong, healthy body and the foundation for good fitness is laid in childhood and young adulthood.”

2018

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THE INACTIVITY EPIDEMIC

Low-income households have double the levels of physical inactivity.

The Percent of Children Active ‘To Healthy Standards’ Keeps Dropping The Percent of Kids Who Are Active 3 Times A Week In Any Activity

THE EMPHASIS ON P.E. CANNOT BE OVERSTATED One of the big issues with the lack of physical activity in children is the lack of physical education classes in U.S. schools. The U.S. education system is not giving P.E. the attention and respect that it needs and deserves. “In America, 48 percent of all high schools have no P.E. The average budget for physical education in schools is $764 per year for an entire school,” explains Jim Baugh, founder of PHIT America. “Let’s be real, when you take physical education out of our schools and parents allow their children to be so sedentary, this leads to health and fitness issues that are significant. Electronic devices are keeping kids sedentary.” The Physical Activity Council data also verifies that individuals who have P.E. in school are nearly two to three times more likely to participate in some physical activity as adults than individuals who do not have P.E. in school. In short, if children are

These charts show recent data reflecting the decline in both physical activity in children and the instances where play was provided. (Charts courtesy the author)

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Another worrisome trend is the impact of household income discrepancies on levels of physical activity. Low-income households have double the levels of physical inactivity. More than 40 percent of individuals from households with annual incomes of less than $25,000 are physically inactive, compared to only 18 percent of those from households with annual incomes of more than $100,000. Low-income households have also had the greatest gains in physical inactivity, growing by 14.3 percent on average since 2012.

2018

1/11/18 4:09 PM

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THE INACTIVITY EPIDEMIC

“Being active is a way of life,” states Dr. Carrie Jaworski, Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Director, North Shore University Health Systems.

One of the biggest culprits for the low level of activity in children is the lack of P.E. and its funding in schools.

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educated about the power of physical activity while in school, they are far more likely to remain active throughout their lives. “For children, the foundation of an activity-led lifestyle starts with daily physical education in our schools,” states Dr. Tim Church, Adjunct Professor of Pennington Biomedical, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “Being physically active is a way of life,” agrees Dr. Carrie Jaworski, Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Director, North Shore University Health System, Glenview, Illinois. “We as physicians need to instill this belief in our youngest of patients and nurture it throughout their lives. There is no better option to good health.” The significance of physical inactivity has been supported by Dr. Steven Blair, a professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, who has proclaimed that “physical inactivity is the biggest public health problem in the 21st Century.” Do you think it’s time for you to start being physically active, working out, and playing sports? Do your part by reaching out within your community and encouraging those around you to get moving. TS

Mike May is communications consultant with the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. He can be reached on email at mmay@sfia.org.

2018

1/11/18 4:09 PM

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Quick Tips for Tackling Common Team Apparel Decoration Disciplines

MAKING THE CUT

Sublimatable garments that offer sun protection like this UPF50+ hoodie pictured add value to teams that spend time in the sun. (Image courtesy Vapor Apparel)

MICHAEL CLARK

he team apparel market can be a lucrative arm for decorators of virtually any discipline depending on the size of the order and the garments or accessories the school, club, or group approaching your shop is interested in. And since personalized team sports wear is a market that has multiple seasons and categories, shops can add everything from baseball to football to cheer and track to their list of specialties, keeping the production calendar full almost all year-long. Whether it’s screen printing, embroidery, heat printing, direct-to-garment, or sublimation, businesses will want to approach

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this market right the first time to secure long-term clients. For this year’s Team Sales Report, Printwear checks in with a few industry experts on some key tips for each decoration discipline. SCREEN PRINTING LON WINTERS, GRAPHICELEPHANTS.COM

Know the fabric construction. Typically, garments for team screen-printing jobs will be either a partial polyester-based garment or fully polyester. Printing on these fabrics can often lead to ink bleed, so screen printers will want to pay close attention to their ink options.

Once fabric is established, the proper ink can be chosen. Top considerations for team apparel in particular, Winters explains, are: Plastisol: Some of these inks contain bleed blockers, blowing agents, and, in some instances, peroxides or bleaching agents. However, these inks may be temperamental since they usually need to reach 325 degrees F to cure, and dyes may become more active at lower temperatures. Low-cure (plastisol and silicone): Printers will need to keep their dryer and flash temperatures in the 280–380 degrees F range for plastisols, and approximately 250 degrees F for silicone inks. Silicone inks

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MAKING THE CUT

Decorators can use the naming/numbering function found in most embroidery software programs to produce efficient, accurate team orders. (Image courtesy Erich Campbell)

With any decoration discipline, making sure correct sizes are organized is essential for team apparel. (Image courtesy Heat Transfer Warehouse) Above: Tools like this custom order form with all the core specs for embroidered team apparel can help minimize confusion with the client. (Image courtesy Erich Campbell) Left: Embroiderers can take advantage of revenue streams from higherend team garments like varsity jackets which often demand more intricate name/ number customization. (Image courtesy Erich Campbell)

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work well with stretchy, smooth fabrics. Carbon blockers (water-based and plastisol): Typically available in gray or black, these inks physically block the dyes of fabrics. Using carbon blockers may also require multiple flashes and multiple lowcure inks or plastisol whites may be necessary for a successful print. Controlling temperature and chamber times are crucial. Follow the recommended times from each ink manufacturer closely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This can sometimes be as much as three minutes in the chamber,â&#x20AC;? notes Winters. Stretch additives may be necessary to prevent ink from cracking. For extremely stretchy fabrics, silicone can be a good solution.

2018

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HEAT PRINTING AJ MCALEER, HEAT TRANSFER WAREHOUSE JENNA SACKETT, STAHLS’

Choose garment materials that work best with heat transfer vinyl (HTV). Be aware of potential issues with athleticspecific apparel. Garments like sports jerseys are often dyed with materials that may bleed through upon the first wash, explains Sackett. In the worst-case scenario, “the customer washes the uniform, and all of your white numbers are now pink.” Decorators can avoid this issue by using HTV that blocks dye migration. Watch the temperature. Similar to other ink-based decoration disciplines, the time and temperature for heat-printed apparel is crucial. With team apparel, many fabrics are subject to scorching if you use too high

of heat. Sackett recommends choosing HTV that applies as low as 275 degrees F to avoid fabric burns or scorch marks. If you have to print on a specific material, make sure your HTV works with that material. “There is nothing worse than getting your designs cut and weeded and pressing your first garment only to have it cause scorching or the material won’t adhere at all,” notes McAleer. For apparel that requires more active use and flexibility, consider corresponding material like stretch HTV. For breathable mesh garments, use sport material to help with breathability. Avoid customer-supplied garments and use a trusted supplier for apparel blanks whenever possible. “Mistakes happen,” adds McAleer. “Using a garment a customer

gave you can be very stressful if a mistake is made on that garment.” DIRECT-TO-GARMENT BRIAN WALKER, IMAGE ARMOR/RTP APPAREL

Pretreatment is key to quality in all directto-garment (D2) jobs, including team apparel. Consider a pretreatment machine to ensure an even application on each garment. Learn the process and properly maintain the equipment. Since D2 differs from other printing methods like screen printing, take time to learn the process correctly (including its differing requirements for artwork, production time, etc.) and ensure the printer has a routine maintenance and cleaning schedule. “It takes a little bit of time to clean your machine daily, but

2018

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MAKING THE CUT

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS While each decoration discipline has its unique set of considerations, there are a few things that apply across the board. Our experts weighed in on what you need to think about whether printing, stitching, or heat pressing for the team market. • Get familiar with school uniform regulation sizes and measurements. Specific sports will have standard number and letter sizes for their team uniforms, explains Jenna Sackett, STAHLS’. Knowing these industry standards in advance will save a decorator time and improve the confidence their client has in them regarding the team apparel decoration market. Shops can use online tools like The National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) website to find out regulation sizes (www.nfhs.org). • What’s more, some teams have specific colors. Colors such as Carolina Blue and Texas Orange are non-negotiables for many teams, and difficult to achieve in certain disciplines, says Chris Bernat, Vapor Apparel. These Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) colors are clearly defined by the association. Many blank manufacturers make uniforms in these colors to adhere to the guidelines, but it’s important to talk to your ink, thread, or transfer supplier to ensure that the decorations match as well. • Build a comprehensive order system. “Often, the most difficult part of any team apparel order has less to do with the execution of the decoration than it has to do with the collection and organization of the information,” says Erich Campbell, DecoNetwork. “Team apparel is synonymous with individual personalization, and with that individuality comes the increased possibility for errors.” Things like a custom order form, a catalog/flyer combination, and sales call script can help minimize confusion. • Prearrange garments. Grouping garments by size simplifies the decoration process and ideally reduces the chance of a mismatched set for a team uniform. In addition to sorting the physical garments, Campbell recommends running back down the data one last time before heading to production. Before a decoration ever touches a garment, make sure you have a cross-checked and customer-approved spreadsheet with associated sizes, names, and numbers , Campbell adds. “Make sure that every name’s spelling has been signed off on and that the size combinations, thread colors, and any other details have been signed off with a full digital preview of each combination.” • Think outside of the uniform. Bernat stresses the importance of practice apparel and accessories within the team market. Goods such as sleeves, socks, and less expensive T-shirts for practice days are all lucrative and often overlooked items. • Establish a return policy. While it’s important for apparel decorators of any discipline to have customer service protocol dialed in, Campbell stresses the importance of a clear return policy for ill-fitting garments. “With garments that must be individually personalized, you have to make sure your customer understands that you can’t return or exchange garments after decoration,” he states. “To avoid the problem before the return stage, either offer to lend a sizing set to the team for try-ons before the order (billed to the team if any garments are lost, damaged, or unable to be used for the order), and/or host a team try-on event on-site or in your shop to ensure that everyone gets the proper fit.”

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the rewards of a running machine outweigh the downtime associated with a dirty machine,” states Walker. “Keeping wiper blades, capping stations, encoder strips, and other components clean and in tip-top shape make the ownership of a D2 printer more enjoyable.” Have a business plan in place. “D2 can be profitable, but you need a plan,” says Walker. “Have a niche market where you can exploit the capabilities of your D2 printer.” Part of this plan also means pricing D2 jobs accordingly. EMBROIDERY ERICH CAMPBELL, DECONETWORK

Keep names organized. Since most team wear involves player names and numbers, keeping each one organized with its respective size is crucial. Many software programs have a team-naming function that creates a file to use on a multi-head

Inset: The fabric construction of team garments will help determine the best type of screen-printing inks to use. (Image courtesy Fitness Wear) Above: Screen printers will want to pay close attention to manufacturer-recommended drying times, which can be as much as three minutes in a dryer chamber depending on the ink. (Image courtesy Fitness Wear)

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machine and decorators can run multiple personalized pieces in one set. “Even if you don’t have team-naming software, you can mount a full run of garments on your multihead machine, and stack your names in your embroidery file,” adds Campbell. “Place each name in exactly the same spot, creating a color change for each one. This will allow you to turn off all heads but one for each color change, stitching one garment at a time with the name.” For dropping names under or over a logo, Campbell explains that you can simply move the logo back to the beginning of the file and then stack your names under the logo. Again, turn off all but one head after the logo runs, run the first name, switch to the next head after turning off the last, and run the next name, repeating this process

for each head. All you have to do in this instance is break up the file into groups by the number of heads on your machine so that each mounted set starts with the logo. Color is incredibly important to team sales. Though it can be tempting to use a stock set of colors for every order from a certain school or team, always verify the thread color in person if at all possible before running. Despite having a stock color set, you may find that different sports, teams, or groups have variations or are matching existing items. Though it is imperative that you record the colors used on every order and know the standards as set by the school, never run without confirmation from the buyer. On that note, always make sure that your clients know that any digital means of approval will not be

100 percent accurate for colors. Monitors, phone screens, and room lighting vary, and, moreover, most digital preview images that simulate three-dimensional stitching can tend to shift the color somewhat in the attempt to show highlights and shadows. Only live samples are foolproof. When planning for pre-cut appliqué numbers and names for uniforms, it’s worthwhile to plan for and pre-order extra numerals and text so that you can handle spelling changes or number swaps on the fly. If you need to create a budget option for customers who can’t afford fully embroidered names and numbers for jerseys, you can offer heat-applied cut films for the cheapest option, pre-cut faux-stitched appliqué for the middle range, and then a fully zig-zag or satin-stitched embroidered

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MAKING THE CUT

edge or even a fully-filled embroidered option. No matter which option you choose, make sure to follow the application instructions that your vendor offers for any of these appliqué materials. SUBLIMATION MARK HUEBNER, HOOKFISH MANUFACTURING

Left: Sublimation is a popular decoration solution for athletic arm sleeves. (Image courtesy Vapor Apparel) Right: Sublimation-certified, heathered ash garments are a common request for team apparel. (Image courtesy Vapor Apparel)

Beware of banding. These troublesome vertical lines, referred to as “banding” are a common problem in sublimated apparel decorating, including team apparel. Usually this is caused by dried ink or dust in the print head. To avoid this issue, decorators should maintain a consistent maintenance and cleaning schedule with their sublimation printer. This will help cut down on the frequency of the lines, but also improve the life of the printer.

Right: For high-performance apparel fabrics that require extreme flexibility, heat-printing decorators will want to use stretch heat transfer vinyl. (Image courtesy Heat Transfer Warehouse) Far right: Heat-printed numbers are a common request for team apparel decoration. (Image courtesy Heat Transfer Warehouse)

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Ghosting is also a common occurrence with sublimated apparel. This typically occurs when still hot (or “cooking”) textiles come out of the press, land on themselves and “ghost” an image. This usually happens when dark inks “ghost” into a light ink area, and ruins that part of the print. Huebner points out that sports apparel with a partial or full-spandex construction is prone to this issue. “Good ways to help avoid this are try not to let pieces fall on themselves and also be aware of the spandex content,” he notes. “It seems to me that the higher the spandex content, the more likelihood there is for ghosting.” Buy the right materials the first time. Decorators can certainly “bargain shop” for sublimation supplies, but that can come at a bigger cost to their bottom line with pro-

duction slowdowns, low-quality print jobs, and unreliability of suppliers who don’t have a well-known reputation. Huebner encourages sublimators to do the homework, and buy paper and ink based on their quality over price tag. “Cheaper definitely does not always mean better,” he adds. “We spend more on paper and inks than many operations of our size, but benefit on the back end of much richer colors and far less lost pieces due to uneven pressing etc.” Print room condition. While maintenance is key to any decoration equipment, one major component of successful sublimation is a print room with proper humidity. To ensure inks perform at their maximum capacity, Huebner suggests shops keep their sublimation room at roughly 3040 percent humidity.

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Regardless of discipline, all sources urge decorators to pay close attention to a manufacturer’s recommended settings for both materials and garments used in team apparel. Be it time and temperature for a stretch heat transfer vinyl, the dwell time for screen-printing ink on a conveyor dryer, or the recommended cure time for a direct-to-garment print, following instructions correctly the first time will save a shop money. Once a team apparel client is secured, sources recommend always checking back in periodically with that account to see if they are satisfied with their existing lineup of team products. Occasionally suggesting new techniques, approaches, and even addons or upsells can turn repeat team apparel clients into a revenue stream that rarely slows in demand. TS

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Large handmade cups are great awards for national titles or other large-scale victories or events. (All images courtesy JDS Industries)

HONORABLE MENTION

Commemorative Awards and Plaques BY

WENDY BERGAN

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ommemorative awards and plaques are used as a memorial or mark of an event or person that has made a significant impact. There are many types of materials that can be used to create a commemorative award. One type that is seen most often around the world is the historical marker, usually made of metal or stone. However, there are many additional ways to recognize special events and people, and you are really only limited by your imagination. One profitable niche that commemorative awards works well for is the sports and team market. BIG DEAL It is important to consider the sport, event, venue, participant level, price of the award, and availability of the product when deciding on a particular commemorative award. For example, if the coach of a soccer team were going to retire, a very snazzy crystal soccer ball award would be a fitting choice for this presenta-

2018

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tion. Choosing a special gift for the college coach with the most football wins would warrant a one-of-a-kind selection. Picking something like a large resin-based trophy with a silver or gold finish would be the perfect choice to show the importance of this milestone. Some of these awards can even be autographed with a permanent marker, allowing the team members to sign this impressive gift. A less traditional award could be a photo of a special event, sports activity, or athlete enlarged onto a photo panel. A plate could be made to explain the significance of the photo, or text could be added to the photo before sublimating the image. An example

of this type of recognition may be to recognize one or several stand-out athletes. A historical display of these awards could be created to showcase significant milestones or players in high school basketball using photo panels and jerseys, balls, etc. This would make a creative and eye-popping hall of fame display. A display case made of acrylic can be used to keep and protect a special ball like those used for professional balls. The ball could be signed, and a plate could signify the celebration. Representing a different side of the commemorative market would be something along the lines of a perpetual plaque. This

could be done many ways, from a plaque with multiple plates to an artglass or crystal vase on a pedestal base with multiple plates on it. These awards could be used for a special golf tournament representing the winning team each year. A classy way to recognize a national collegiate golf championship would be to utilize a high-end large handmade metal cup that would symbolize the special achievement of the team. The cups come in a variety of sizes, shapes, materials, and price points. NON-ATHLETES Heading toward more non-traditional sport awards, there are some very creative ways

2018 THE TEAM SALES REPORT

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COMMEMORATIVE AWARDS & PLAQUES

Awards for coaches, donors, and sponsors are a huge market.

to exhibit recognition of special people or events. Clocks would be a great way to commemorate timehonored people such as a coach who has been with a team for a milestone number of years, a referee who has refereed a certain number of games or years, or a volunteer coach who has given her time for the past 20 years. The clocks would have a special plate created to commemorate the award. A wood plaque and a photo plate could be used for a picture of a team, then add a plate to express gratitude to the coach or sponsor for their participation in a successful season. This style could also be used as a perpetual plaque recognizing many people or events over the years. Finally, one unique type of commemorative award may be used to recognize donors. Many nonprofit organizations conduct youth

Left: Player phoographs and text can be sublimated onto a plate or glass award for a commemorative high school career or game. Above: An acrylic display case can be used to keep special event balls safe.

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2018

1/15/18 10:13 AM

e r r

o a

a d

Clocks are great commemorative gifts for coaches, refs, or volunteers who have offered their services for a touchstone number of years.

sports, and many times there are people that donate to help construct a building for those programs, create new program areas, purchase equipment, etc. Some examples of these donor walls have been made of sublimated tiles, acrylic plates, metal, and wood to name a few. Take plaques that look like a cut piece of a tree branch. This type of plaque could be a creative way to signify a special name of a building or area at a hunter’s training program for kids. Many times the buildings in these venues are named after special people who have made a significant contribution to the youth program. This type of plaque would enhance the venue style and show appreciation for a person or company’s contribution. And, being from repurposed wood, it would work as an environmentally-conscience award as well. Don’t underestimate this market. The nonprofit sector probably has more uses

and continuous need for this type of recognition. There are many creative and unique ways to recognize special people, places, or events. These are just a few ideas, but with the growing ability to customize products, the opportunities are endless. TS

Wendy Bergan is the Marketing Manager for JDS Industries. She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing and development world. She received an MBA from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and has proven experience in marketing, strategic planning and implementation, process improvement, along with extensive coordination experience with shows and events. Bergan works at the JDS World Headquarters in Sioux Falls, SD. 2018 THE TEAM SALES REPORT

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PLAY BY PLAY

2018 TEAM SALES SURVEY

he Team Sales market is crucial to many apparel decoration and awards shops. To help better understand the nuances of this category, Printwear and A&E surveyed those who service the countless teams, clubs, and leagues across the country. This survey was conducted via electronic mail through SurveyMonkey.com and complied with all CAN-SPAM act laws and NBM privacy policy as found

65% of responding businesses report that they sell Team Sales products all year long. 35% sell only seasonally, with the third quarter boasting the highest numbers. 1st quarter:

15%

2nd quarter:

33%

3rd quarter:

38%

4th quarter:

14%

at www.nbm.com/privacy-statement. Respondents were selected from Printwear and A&E subscriber databases and all survey recipients were provided the same version of the survey. A total of 358 responses were received and no less than 116 responses were received on any one question. We hope that these findings can help you better understand this segment of the business, as well as gain the confidence to tackle this market.

Team sports that have seen increased growth are: SOCCER (indoor or outdoor)

BASKETBALL BASEBALL

64%

82%

FOOTBALL (flag, touch, or tackle)

SOFTBALL The majority of respondents reported that a portion of their business can be directly related to Team Sales (64%).

(fast pitch or slow pitch)

82% said that the market is important or very important to their business. 24

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Top awards and ID products included: Awards/ Trophies

The top apparel products sold in the team market were:

Bumper Stickers

38% 34% 81%

T-Shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

81%

Sweatshirts/Hoodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Plaques

74%

34%

Headwear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64%

Uniforms/Jerseys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

63%

Water Bottles

33%

Where can your screen printing business take you? With advanced technology - anywhere. Travel teams

33% Recreational teams

38%

The survey also reports that sales from both travel and recreational teams have increased in the last year (33 and 38 percent respectively).

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TEAM SALES INDUSTRY SURVEY

The preferred decoration techniques for team sales products are (in descending order):

The majority of survey takers (62%) prefer to order online through suppliers. Only 13% do not complete business purchases online.

62%

13%

• TRANSFERS/HEAT-

APPLIED GRAPHICS

• SCREEN PRINTING • EMBROIDERY

57% of respondents recog-

• SUBLIMATION

nized an increase in sales due to social media. The top social media platforms for decorators (in descending order) are reportedly:

• LASER ENGRAVING • DIRECT-TOSUBSTRATE

• ROTARY

ENGRAVING

Respondents’ top frustrations were budgetary concerns (66%), availability of products (35%), and timeline for finished order (31%).

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• FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • LINKEDIN • TWITTER

57% 20%

20% of respondents do not use social media for business

The main decision makers for team sales purchases are parents, coaches, TS and educational institutions.

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GO TEAM

THE TEAM SALES REPORT SHOWCASE

Properly outfitting a team doesn’t just mean finding the right apparel. Other major aspects like the graphics and equipment used, as well as field-side accessories, play a role in the game as well. For more on the products featured here, see supplier’s website and telephone information following each showcase item. TEAM UNIFORMS SOFTWARE GroupeSTAHL offers Easy Teams software for creating art for team uniforms to speed. The program, offered on CadworxLive.com, the GroupeSTAHL online design website, automates the process of applying team and player names and numbers. Select a font, type size, color, and effect, and apply it automatically to every name/number on the team roster you’ve imported. Create a custom style or choose one from Easy Teams’ Quick Style gallery. Arrangement options allow grouping of names and numbers for space during heat application. Artwork can be previewed for each player. Easy Teams also allows you to create front and sleeve numbers and generate number ranges or individual numbers. The program includes many popular fonts and text effects and features a “size to fit” option. It also allows you to export to vector formats, send to the VectorCut option, and make use of arrange and export tools. Visit: www.cadworxlive.com Call: 800-478-2457

BLEEDBLOCKING UNDERBASE Guardian Gray 7043 from International Coatings is a bleed-blocking underbase that protects against dye migration (bleeding) on polyester and performance fabrics. These include highly volatile sublimated polyester substrates such as camouflage prints. Guardian Gray’s formula uses hybrid technology to combat dye migration, says the company. In addition, Guardian Gray has a curing range of 275 degrees F to 320 degrees F. Guardian Gray works prints well through 86–160 t/in screen mesh. Guardian Gray 7043 is available through International Coatings’ network of distributor companies. Visit: www.iccink.com Call: 562-926-1010

NUMBERING SYSTEM Short Stop Athletic Numbering from Brown Manufacturing Group Inc mounts on any manual carousel. With the carousel kit, decorators can print two-color and teen digits. It includes registration plates for 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch twocolor numbers. This unit has a multi-position screen locator that allows for loading of two screens at one time and printing both without flashing. This unit operates just like Brown’s Slider system. The product includes 40 single-digit frames and 16 double-digit frames that mount into a Master Frame with pin locators and linear motion bearing system. Additionally, an artwork file is emailed and includes 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch two-color athletic block PDF files. Visit: www.brownmfg.net Call: 616-249-0200

Custom Rhinestone Heat Transfers by CustomRhinestone S hirt.com 281.259.6818 or 832.489.8229 Spangle transfers 2/3 day turnaround in USA

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TEAM SALES PRODUCT REVIEW

POLYURETHANE HTV QuickFlex heat transfer vinyl, offered by The PAS Store, is ideal for creating shapes, letters, and numbers for teams, spirit wear, and corporate logos, per the company. Made of a 3.4 mil polyurethane heat transfer film. It is designed for use on cotton, polyester, cotton/poly blends, acrylic, and other similar fabrics. It features a matte finish and applies in five seconds. It is peeled hot and comes in more than 30 colors. Rolls are 15" wide and come in 1-yard or 5-yard increments. Visit: www.brothermall2.com Call: 877-850-7179

NUMBERING SYSTEM SPORTS GRAPHICS Great Dane Graphics offers Team Sports Designs including football, basketball, and hockey. Stock art includes action poses, equipment, a wide range of balls, and more in a range of art styles. Some graphics also incorporate banners and scrolls for customizing. It’s suitable for any type of spirit wear, fund-raising projects, fanwear, decals, banners, or creating printable team schedules and banners for a team’s Facebook page, says the company. This full-color stock art can be used alone, or elements can be combined to create unique graphics. All artwork is royalty-free and can be used for screen printing, signage, sublimation or digital transfers, embroidery, and cut vinyl designs. Visit: www.greatdanegraphics.com Call: 800-829-0836

SIX-PANEL CAP Available from Kati Sportcap & Bag, the Richardson Surge Adjustable, style 514, is a 100 percent polyester, performance poly-surge cap. It’s structured, with midprofile and features a six-panel construction. The precurved visor has a contrasting gray undervisor and the cap comes equipped with an adjustable hook and loop closure. It’s available in 25 colors in sizes 7"–7-3/4". Visit: www.katisportcap.com Call: 800-392-5559

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Workhorse Products offers the N-Series Screen Print Numbering System, a patented design that facilitates placement and allows screens to be installed and removed without adjusting or clamping. Each screen is fitted with a precise ruler and three steel rails to allow it to slide over the N-Series head assembly. The aluminum system features industrial magnets to secure the screen. The number to be printed is aligned with the ruler for left, right, and center placement and accommodates reduced spacing for printing the No. 1. After the head is installed, screens can be mounted, dismounted, and adjusted for changes in fonts and sizes. The N-Series Numbering System is available in three package levels: the N-1 for doing one color on a single-head manual press, the N-2 is a dual head for doing two-color numbers, and the N-2 Four-Head Professional can do one- and two-color numbers. Ready-to-print screens are offered in 2- to 12-inch sizes in a variety of number fonts, with custom fonts available upon request. Visit: www.workhorseproducts.com Call: 800-778-8779

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INFLATABLE BALL PRESS Hotronix offers the Sports Ball Heat Press, designed to customize or personalize a wide range of inflatable sports balls for use as awards, commemorative items, or promotional giveaways. The ball cradle with a curved upper platen and adjustable lower cradle accepts balls of assorted sizes (minimum 20-inch circumference), letting decorators print school names; player IDs; team, sponsor, and corporate logos; and more on basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs. Print single- or full-color graphics up to 1.5" X 4" on nonleather, synthetic surfaces using recommended standard, printable, or reflective transfer material. The ball printer is spring-loaded and has auto-open, digital temperature and twin timer features. It comes with a 6-inch by 6-inch Flexible Application Pad. It has been tested successfully on a selection of brand name sports balls, says the company. Visit: www.hotronix.com Call: 800-727-8520

COTTON/POLY HOODIE Independent Trading Co. offers style IND45UVZ, the Varsity Full-Zip Hoodie. The hoodie style is a classic award jacket look offered in unisex sizes XS–3X. The solid color portion is made of 10-oz. 80/20 cotton/polyester and the heather portion is 55/45 cotton/polyester. It’s available in two traditional color combinations: charcoal heather/ black and gunmetal heather/ charcoal heather. The blend face yarn is made of 30 singles, and it has 1 X 1 jacquard rib-knit cuffs and waistband. The zipper is a No. 5 YKK nylon kissing zipper and the neck is twill taped. Screen printers are encouraged to test before printing, and this style is not suitable for discharge inks. Visit: www.independenttradingco.com Call: 877-366-9911

SPORTS KNICKERS The Knick from A4 is made from polyester warp knit. It is woven to provide two-way stretch and features piped seams. The YKK brass zipper and two-snap waistband are also features of the knickers. Available in 15 color combinations in youth (NB6003) and adult (N6003) sizes, the garment pairs with A4’s Full Button Jersey and MultiSport sock for a complete uniform. Visit: www.a4.com Call: 323-585-0550

TEAM STORE SOFTWARE InkSoft offers software for building online team stores. InkSoft’s Online Stores software offers tools to build e-commerce websites for teams to do fund-raising, offer spirit wear, and even order the team’s uniforms. It allows decorators to create a modular layout with customizable sections; adjust fonts, colors, and settings for individual team stores; designate pickup locations; and add products other than apparel. Additional features include the ability to edit the design using the visual editor, and it has a mobile-friendly checkout. Visit: www.inksoft.com Call: 800-410-3048

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TEAM SALES PRODUCT REVIEW TEAM NUMBERS Transfer Express adds new colors to its Elasti Print Transfer Numbers. These transfers are specifically designed for decorating a team uniform, practice jersey, or spirit wear made of polyester performance fabrics. As of Feb. 1, the company adds six one-color options and 12 two-color options. The six one-color choices include maroon, purple, gray, Columbia blue, orange, and Vegas gold. The two-color combos are black/ white, gold/white, navy/white, red/white, royal/white, white/black, gray/white, orange/white, red/black, white/red, red/navy, and Vegas gold/white. The transfers apply at 300 degrees F for 15 seconds. Number sizes include 4", 6", 8", and 10". Transfer typefaces include avalon, champ pro, euro pro, and rex pro. The inks are phthalate free. Because numbers are printed with high-opacity inks, they work equally well on light and dark garments, says the company. Visit: www.transferexpress.com Call: 800-622-2280

TRANSFER FILM GSG offers Digicat Ultimate Print Turbo Soft 4036 Matte Textile Transfer Film. The printer-cutter film offers a matte finish and soft hand on a variety of textiles. Applying at 302 degrees F, the 10-mm, cast polyurethane film works with cotton and polyester as well as poly/cotton and poly/acrylic blends and uncoated nylon. Opaque white, Turbo Soft 4036 Matte can be used on light and dark fabrics and is compatible with all current printers using eco-solvent, solvent, and latex inks. It features PU hot-melt adhesive and a top coat that provides wash resistance. Finished transfers can be machine washed inside out and tumble dried. The raw materials in Turbo Soft 4036 Matte are ecologically inert and do not contain PVC, plasticizers, or heavy metals in accordance with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class I. The film is sold by the yard in 20-, 30- and 60-inch widths. Visit: www.gogsg.com Call: 800-366-1776

TANDEM EMBROIDERY/ CHENILLE MACHINE The Tajima TCMX-61202, offered by Hirsch Solutions, features two embroidery heads and two chenille heads on the same chassis. It features six colors of chenille and 12 colors of embroidery. Features include automatic tie offs, frame backward/forward control, threadlocking system, automatic trimmers, thread break detection, automatic needle height, and adjustable tension device located close to the needle. This flat-bed bridge machine has a control panel and other automatic functions. Visit: www.hsi.us Call: 800-394-4426

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COLOR-BLOCK JACKET Pennant Sportswear offers the Trident Jacket. The style is a color-block design, full-zip jacket with mesh lining. It features windproof and water-resistant soft polyester dobby, as well as on-seam side pockets, windproof toggle hood, raglan shoulder, and elastic cuffs and waistband. The style is available in six team color-block combinations in sizes XS–4XL. Visit: www.pennantsportswear.com Call: 800-648-6505

RAGLAN ¾ T Cotton Heritage offers the Premium 3/4 Sleeve Baseball Tee for the team sports and spirit wear market. Provided as a unisex garment, it is side-seamed and offers printability. Its 3/4 raglan sleeve is available as a solid color or as a two-tone look. The T comes in 80/20 cotton/poly graphite heathers, 85/15 cotton/viscose athletic heathers, and 100 percent combed ring-spun cotton. It’s offered in sizes XS–3X with a tear-away label. Visit: www.cottonheritage.com Call: 323-722-5592

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DECORATION KIT STAHLS’ offers the Team Decoration Sports Sample Pack. This introductory assortment of products for adding names and numbers allows decorators to cusThe Puma 20" Duffle, style PSC1031, availtomize jerseys and caps, says the company. Included able from Sportsman Cap & Bag features an are samples of pre-cut numbers, pre-spaced text, adjustable shoulder strap, top carry handles, SimStitch numbers, CAD-PRINTZ Number Effects, and an end carry handle. It is available in and CAD-PRINTZ Full-Color Digital Logos. navy/black, black/black, and dark gray/black. Visit: www.stahls.com Visit: www.sportsmancaps.com Call: 800-478-2457 Call: 913-541-0901 GSW_Printwear 518 Half Pg Ad_v3.0_Layout 1 1/12/18 4:54 PM Page 1

SPORTS BAG

50/50 JERSEY T Alternative Apparel’s Slapshot Vintage Jersey T-Shirt is a retro hockey jersey style with contemporary color blocking. It’s made of naturally worn-in 50/50 cotton/ polyester. The style is available in six color combinations in sizes S–2X. Visit: wholesale.alternativeapparel.com Call: 678-966-4223

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TEAM SALES PRODUCT REVIEW LASER EMBROIDERY MACHINE The Proel LaserBridge, offered by BITO, uses a high-speed galvanometric laser that moves along a beam positioned above the embroidery heads. Combined with Proel’s software, the LaserBridge can be integrated with any make or model of embroidery machine. The laser can be built to span as far as 120 ft. across embroidery machines or other workstations. The newest units feature PLC logic controller technology. The LaserBridge can cut, engrave, etch, or mark hooped embroidery garments, allowing the user to create appliqués, reverse appliqués, and multilayer appliqués that can be further personalized with laser etching on the fabric’s surface. Multiple layers of fabric can be kiss cut simultaneously. The machine has a variable cutting area of 200mm X 200mm (8") to 600mm X 600mm (24") for each embroidery head. It is PC controlled via two interface cards. Visit: www.bitousa.com Call: 866-248-6872

WHITE INK Ryonet offers Wilflex Epic Top Score White Plastisol Ink. The ink is designed for printing polyester and heat-sensitive performance fabrics for the team market. Flashing at 220 degrees F and curing at 290 degrees F, the non-phthalate ink is formulated with bleed resistance, opacity, and stretch in mind, says the company. It can be used as an underbase or with Wilflex Epic Top Score premixed athletic colors to achieve accurate colors and a matte finish. Other features include low-tack and printability. Epic Top Score White is CPSIA compliant and ECO PASSPORT certified. It comes in quarts and 1- and 5-gallon containers. Visit: www.screenprinting.com Call: 800-314-3690

PATTERNED TRANSFER The Stars and Stripes pattern offered in Dalco’s Athletic Thermo Image digital transfer series is ideal for creating lettering or numbers for any type of team uniform, activewear, or spirit wear, says the company. Transfers come with a beveled border in two layouts: script name with tail or arched in adult and youth sizes. Customers can also email or fax a custom design that is created to their specifications. The minimum order is 10 pieces and increments of five thereafter. Numbers zero to 99 are available. This transfer will adhere to cotton, poly/cotton, polyester, and fleece at 325 degrees F for 17 seconds. Visit: www.dalcoathletic.com Call: 800-288-3252

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HAT PRESS Insta Graphic Systems’ 418 Digital Cap Press is a multi-purpose heat press. Its curved platens are molded to mirror the curves of a hat and are designed to apply heat transfers onto cap brims and bills. The 418 is ideal for printing logos and backneck labels onto flat garments, says the company. The press is portable and features a cap hold-down mechanism which snaps into place to hold the body of the hat taut for application. The lower platen can be changed out with a larger-sized one for printing on hats with larger brims. The larger lower platen (4.5" x 6.75") is available separately. Additionally, the press features a cast-in tubular heating element. Visit: www.instagraph.com Call: 562-404-3000 TS

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a e . c e .

Masking your image when creating separations will help create clean files and manage stray dots. (All images courtesy the author)

Scott Detavernier Scott has been doing color separations for screen printing for over 20 years, and currently operates the freelance color separation service MySeps.com. For tutorials and color separation discussions, visit his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/scottdetavernier.

SimulatedProcess Separations Masking and Calculations

here are many different ways to color separate an image. Whether it’s four-color process, index, simulated process, or something in between, the color separation plays a big part in the results of the print. Here, I’ll go over some of the techniques that I use for separations, specifically masking your image and using CMYK channels and calculations in Photoshop to create a custom simulated-process separation.

MASKING Start the separation process by creating masks for each color range. You can include black and white in each mask, but try to keep the true colors in a separate mask. I

S C O T T D E TAV E R N I E R

recommend about five masks, depending on the artwork, in blues, greens, red/yellows, pinks/purples, and gray. The masks will help keep the separation clean and manage stray dots in areas they shouldn’t be. Mask channels should be set to “masked areas” and 50 percent opacity. I recommend changing the default red color of the mask to a bright green for better visibility. There are several ways to make a mask. Here are three methods that I commonly use for creating custom masks: Manual cut—Using your lasso tool, loosely draw a shape around the area you want to mask. Once you have a selection, click the “save selection as channel” button (located at the bottom of your Chan-

nels window). Then, click the “eye” on the Mask channel and the “eye” on your CMYK channels. This will give you a live preview of your mask as you edit. Using your lasso tool, continue to cut the mask, adding or removing black until the mask is complete. Masking from layers—Starting with your top layer, select the layer, then click the “save selection as channel” button (located at the bottom of your Channels window). Repeat the process until all your layers have been converted to channel masks. Next, go to your channels and start from the last channel you made (on the bottom). Select the channel and create a selection (command— click) on the channel above it. Then, add 2018 FEBRUARY

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COLOR SEPARATIONS

Using “calculations,” you can mix and locate certain colors.

To start, create a channel titled “background.” This will be your shirt color. You can use Photoshop in a number of ways to separate an image. Depending on the design, masks should be made in blue, red/yellows, pinks/purples, and grays.

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Three common ways to create masks are manually, from layer, and from color range. To clean up separations with masks, delete the areas you want to remove to white. You can also do this to adjust halftones for each channel.

to the selection (shift—command—click) on all the masks above it. Once you have the selection, you will fill it to black on your mask. This “knocks out” any layers that were on top. Repeat this process for the remainder of the channels. Once you have completed all the knock outs, combine the masks that belong together. Masking from color range—Using color range (select—color range), you can create masks for the standard colors, or you can use the eyedropper to select colors that are not on the default list. When choosing a custom color, I recommend starting the fuzziness at 50, then adjusting as necessary. Choose a color with color range to create a custom selection, then click the “save selec-

tion as channel” button (located at the bottom of your channels window). Repeat this process for each mask you wish to make.

USING CALCULATIONS FOR SIMULATED-PROCESS SEPARATIONS You can use Photoshop in many ways to separate your image. Here, I’ll go over a method using “calculations” in order to mix and locate certain colors. Creating your working channels—First, create five channels (spot color, 100 percent solidity). These will be for locating your color and will eventually be deleted once your separation is complete. Name the channels C, M, Y, K, T. Change your document to

CMYK and copy the channel cyan and paste it into C; copy magenta and paste it to M; copy yellow and paste it to Y; copy black and paste it to K. The T channel is your “target” working channel. Leave that empty for now. Creating your separation channels— Next, you will set up the channels for your separation. First, create a channel (spot color, 100 percent solidity) and title it “background.” This will be your shirt color and will be located under your color channels. Next, create a new channel and change the color by clicking on the color box and selecting a new color with the eyedropper. I recommend having a second image open for grabbing colors. Make sure 2018 FEBRUARY

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COLOR SEPARATIONS

Once you have added information to all the channels, click the â&#x20AC;&#x153;eyeâ&#x20AC;? for a preview. Open a copy of your original image and compare it side by side. From here you can make final adjustments. Right: Using color range, you can create masks for standard colors or use the eyedropper to create custom colors not in the default list. Far right: You will use data from K to find your black channel. To find cyan, copy the data into channel T. Then, knock out M,Y, and K. This will leave you with only cyan. Repeat this process with M, Y, and K to find these respective channels.

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the color indicates “spot color” and adjust the solidity to 20 percent for most colors, 100 percent for the underbase and black, 50 percent for gray, and 70 percent for the top white. These percentages will help give you a more accurate preview of how the separation looks in the actual print.

FINDING BLACK You will be using data from K for your black channel. Adjust levels or curves to make sure the darkest black is 100 percent solid and that there are no 1 or 2 percent dots in the lightest area. You can use your “info” window to check the percentages. FINDING CYAN, MAGENTA, YELLOW For this group of colors, I take each color then knock out (command—click—delete) the colors that don’t belong. To find cyan, copy the data in channel C, and paste it into channel T. Then, knock out M, Y, and K. You’ll be left with only the cyan areas. Copy and paste the data to a new channel for your cyan. Do the same for M, Y, and K to find each respective area.

USE YOUR MASKS TO CLEAN UP THE SEPARATION After you’ve located all the colors, use your masks to clean up any stray dots that may be in areas they shouldn’t be. Do this by selecting your mask, then delete the areas that you want to remove to white. You can also use this selection to adjust the halftones for each channel. I prefer to use levels (image—adjustments—levels) or curves (image—adjustments—curves) to fine tune each channel. SPOT OUT PANTONE COLORS Choosing the correct Pantone color is key to matching the artwork to the final print. Use your color picker in your channel to match the desired color as closely as possible. Then, click “color libraries,” and Photoshop will automatically find the Pantone

color that matches closest to your choice. Use this as a starting point, although you may need to adjust the color once you see it on-press.

THE FINAL TOUCHES Once you have added the information to each channel, click the “eye” on the channels for a preview. Open a copy of your image and place it side by side with the separation for comparison. Here you can make color adjustments or adjust the print order until you are satisfied with the results. There are several different ways of manually locating colors in Photoshop. These are just a few of the techniques I’ve found that work for me. My advice is to explore all the features of Photoshop to see which method works best for you.

FINDING GREEN, PURPLE, RED For this group of colors, I’ll be using calculations (under image—calculations). To find green, go to calculations, and choose Source 1: C; Source 2: Y; blending: screen; Result: new channel. Knock out M and K. To find purple, go to calculations, and choose Source 1: C; Source 2: M; Blending: screen; Result: new channel. Knock out Y and K. To find red, go to calculations, and choose Source 1: M; Source 2: Y; Blending: screen; Result: new channel. Knock out C and K. FINDING GRAY For gray, copy your full-color CMYK image and paste it into T. Then, knock out K and the rest of the colors that you have previously found. You’ll be left with only the gray areas.

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Digitizing is Forever Breaking down digitizing

basic understanding of digitizing is more than a skill; it is a necessity. All too often I watch new entrepreneurs enter the embroidery industry and place zero emphasis on digitizing. I have heard every rationale possible from “I don’t have the time to learn,” to “It is too complicated,” but the most popular one is, “I can get great deals by outsourcing.” While each one of those statements has merit, it is not enough to base an entire decision. What happens when you have a rush order, and you can’t reach your digitizer? What happens with a very easy design that you could do in less time than it takes you to send the order to your digitizer? Simply put, if you purchase software without digitizing capabilities, you are incurring an expense. If you purchase digitizing software, you are investing in the capability of providing a fast ROI.

ED LEVY

ALL IN ORDER Ed Levy is the director of software products at Hirsch Solutions Inc. and owner of Digitize4u, an Outsourcing is great. It embroidery and digitizing operation. A 23-year frees up precious time industry veteran, Levy has owned screen printing, and allows an expert with embroidery, and digitizing businesses. In 2001, Levy a specific skill to produce began consulting and founded EmbForum, a profesdesigns for you. However, sional Tajima DG/ML by Pulse software users group. it is not an all or nothing scenario. Outsourcing 80 percent of all work and quality. Sometimes you have to give up a producing 20 percent in house is an atlittle efficiency for quality. tainable percentage for most embroiderers. Let’s take a look at the digitizing process. Embroidery software closely resembles The following design may look complimost graphics programs. You use a series cated for a beginner, but with a little unof tools to create objects on the screen derstanding and practice, most everyone that translate into stitches upon output. should be able to do a design like this The difference between artwork and without any issues. embroidery is that the digitizer for emFirst, we need to look at sequence. There broidery is also responsible for how the are some guidelines for determining semachine runs. quence that are wise to follow. As a rule, The first part of digitizing is studying the you want to start with larger areas and work design and understanding exactly how you towards smaller areas, and you want to will create it for maximum efficiency and

T T a

For this design I chose to do the red first as that is the largest area. Next will be the dark shading followed by the gold areas. After this, I would do the black borders and then proceed to the background of the arrow, the arrow, outline of the arrow, and then the text. (All images courtesy Hirsch Solutions Inc.)

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Top left: When dealing with shapes that are broken up by other objects (such as the heart), use a run stitch to connect the objects to avoid the use of a trim. Top right: After doing the heart, the next step would be to trace the shape of the shading. Above left: Accents such as the highlight and banner will be stitched according to layout and size. Above right: The black border ties everything together while also covering up any travel stitches used to connect elements.

work from the center towards the outside. This technique places the least amount of stress on the fabric and helps reduce distortion. That said, there is no right or wrong thought process if the result sews and looks beautiful. For this design, I chose to do the red first as that is the largest area. Next will be the dark shading followed by the gold areas. After this, I would do the black borders and then proceed to the background of the arrow, the arrow, outline of the arrow, and then the text. The next step is to begin the digitizing process. In most cases, digitizing the shape is a matter of tracing the shape with the

appropriate digitizing tool. When dealing with shapes that are broken up by other objects (such as the heart), use a run stitch to connect the objects to avoid the use of a trim. After doing the heart, the next step would be to trace the shape of the shading. To achieve the shading and soften the effect, lighten the density of the shaded area so that some of the stitching from the previous layer shows through. Also connect the separated shapes with a running stitch. The black border follows next to help tie everything together. Whenever there are borders involved, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go too far along without completing them. As a

design stitches, the fabric moves. If you wait too long to add the border, you can experience areas that do not line up properly by the time the design is finished stitching. The black border stitching also covers up any of the travel stitches that were used to connect the various shapes. Therefore, it is important to have the entire design thought out before the digitizing process. The next step is to digitize the top of the arrow. The arrow can be digitized in one section rather than breaking it up into multiple sections since there will be black detail to create the finishing touches. The stitch direction can be effective in showing the vertical bend at the top of the arrow. Stitch 2018 FEBRUARY

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UNDERSTANDING DIGITIZING

Top: The next step is to digitize the arrow. It can be done in one section rather than breaking it up. Right: The stitch direction can be helpful in showing the vertical bend of the top of the arrow. Bottom left: The border of the arrow will now tie all this together. Once again a trim will be needed to transition from one section of the design to another. Bottom right: The remaining part of the design is the text. Digitizing the text is also just a matter of tracing the shapes and assigning stitch type and stitch direction.

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direction is one of those subtle aspects that can end up having a strong effect on a design element. After doing the top of the arrow, the main part of the arrow can now be done. The top part was done first as that is in the background compared to the main part. Layers also help show texture and perspective. In this case, it is not possible to connect the separated shapes with a run stitch, so we must use a trim. The border of the arrow will now tie all this together. Once again, a trim will be needed to transition from one section of the design to another. The remaining part of the design is the text. Digitizing the text is also just a matter of tracing the shapes and assigning stitch type and stitch direction. The above process took us through the thought process of the digitizing. This helps ensure that we did our sequence and travel path in the most efficient manner and took the necessary steps to end up with a beautiful design. An initial look at the design might make it seem too complicated to tackle, however, one of the best kept secrets in the digitizing world is to break up every design into nothing more than a series of small shapes. Even the most complex design can be broken down into simple shapes that can take a major part of the intimidation factor away from a design. The object at the top left of this page are all the objects that are part of the heart design. If you look at each shape as an individual piece, not a single shape looks overly complicated, and without knowing what the result already looks like, you would never associate the shapes with any completed design. Once you can do this, you can then visualize much better how to tackle designs of different complexity. Taking control of a portion of your digitizing can be a tremendous asset to your business. Taking the time to learn the skills needed will enable you to provide better service, faster turnaround, and assist with editing of other digitizerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs. Learning these skills takes a little time, but once learned, these skills will last forever.

Top: These shapes show each individual piece of the design. Above: Although this design may look complex, breaking it down and coming up with a plan of action before digitizing makes it a very manageable graphic. 2018 FEBRUARY

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Arlington

Arlington Convention Center

March 8-10, 2018 Education Begins March 7

SHOW PREVIEW Exhibiting Companies

Exhibitor list as of January 2018, please visit THENBMSHOW.com for the most up-to-date list.

We’re on social! Check out our pages and like/follow us!

#THENBMSHOW /thenbmshow @thenbmshow @thenbmshow /company/the-nbm-show thenbmshow

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Indicates Featured Exhibitors Indicates Exhibitors offering Training in the Classroom Indicates Exhibitors offering Training in the Hall - Training Stop

4U Media & Displays LLC ........................109 Action Illustrated ................................700 Advertising Specialty Inst/ASI .............521 Amcad & Graphics .............................101 AnaJet Inc ...............................................608 AP Lazer .................................................525 Armadillo Photo/Graphic Supply ..............631 Arris Sign Systems..................................216 ATdesigns ...............................................417 Barudan America Inc ...............................627 Bayside Made in America ........................630 Bella + Canvas........................................620 BOFA Americas Inc ..................................413 Brown Mfg Group Inc ..............................621 Budget Inks .............................................217 CET Color ................................................304 Citadel Brands.........................................726 Coastal Business Supplies ..................601 Condé Systems Inc .............................309 CustomHappy..........................................415 Data Stitch Inc ........................................431 Denver Sign Supply Co Inc ......................201 Digital Art Solutions ............................509 Direct Capital Corp ..................................117 Engravers Network..................................125 Epilog Laser ...................................301 Epson America Inc...................................512 Equipment Zone .................................515 F&M Expressions Unlimited Inc ...............722

Fruit of the Loom .....................................808 Gemini ...............................................422 General Formulations Inc.........................104 Geneva Capital LLC .................................909 GraphicElephants.com ............................819 Grimco Inc ..............................................314 GSG ................................609, 701, 801 Heat Transfer Warehouse.........................814 Hirsch Solutions Inc ........................813 IKONICS Imaging ................................420 Image Armor ...........................................612 Imprintor Inc ...........................................529 inColor Express .......................................208 IT Supplies .........................................112 ITNH Inc ..................................................321 JDS Industries Inc ......................421 JERZEES .................................................810 Johnson Plastics Plus .............220, 221 Lind SignSpring Group ............................121 Logo Mats LLC ........................................118 MagicTouch USA .....................................531 Marco Awards Group ...............................514 Master Magnetics Inc ..............................215 Melco .................................................715 Modico US Corp ......................................528 National Azon ..........................................320 National Banner Co .................................106 Next Level Apparel .............................709 Otto Intl Inc .............................................626

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| | | | | |

Mar 8-10, 2018 April 13-14, 2018 May 11-12, 2018 June 15-16, 2018 Aug 2-4, 2018 Aug 23-24, 2018 (Thursday/Friday)

OR OH

CA CA

| Sept 13-15, 2018 | Nov 2-3, 2018

For more information, visit: THENBMSHOW.com or call 800.560.9941 Parker Davis Co.......................................108 PDS Equipment ..............................209 Peachtree City Foamcraft Inc ...................100 Pennant Sportswear ................................830 Pepco Poms Sports .................................124 PPAI ...................................................727 Professional Marketing Services Inc ........325 Rayzist Photomask Inc .......................409 Reece Supply Co .....................................229 Ricoma Intl Corp......................................821 Royal Printing Solutions...........................214 Ryonet Corp .......................................826 SAGE.......................................................729 SanMar ...................................................600 ShopWorks..............................................720 Specialty Materials LLC ...........................728 SPSI Inc ..................................................721 STAHLS’ .............................................501 Stitch It Inc..............................................731 Stouse LLC..............................................523 Sublimation101 ..................................614 TCM Signs Inc .........................................115 The Rhinestone World .....................615 Transfer Express ................................508 Tresics ....................................................820 Trotec Laser Inc ..............................401 Universal Laser Systems Inc ...........315 Vision Engraving & Routing Sys ...............205 Vista System LLC ....................................111 Wilkie Mfg LLC ........................................126 Workhorse Products ................................229 XANTE Corp ............................................300 XpresScreen Inc......................................429

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featured

e xh i b i t o r s Introducing...

March 8-10, 2018

Arlington, TX Sacramento, CA Portland, OR Cleveland, OH Long Beach, CA Greater NYC / Meadowlands,NJ Indianapolis, IN Charlotte, NC

Arlington

08 22 04 09 19 14 01 14 13 20 12 29 08 12 21 21 10 21 21 18 31 14 15 15 28 20 06 09 26

Visit us Coast-to-Coast

Booth #421 855.661.2388

www.jdssignsupply.com

Make Booth #315 Your First Stop. Quality & Leadership give your business a competitive advantage!

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featured

e xh i b i t o r s MADE-TO-ORDER. MADE TRUE.™

Epilog Laser

303-277-1188 www.epiloglaser.com Dual Source Laser Solutions from Epilog Laser Check out Epilog’s Fusion M2 dual-source systems at THE NBM SHOW Arlington! The M2 series feature two large-format lasers with dual-source capabilities, which allow users to perform both CO2 and metal marking applications from the same system. Whether you’re cutting wood or acrylic or serializing stainlesssteel parts, the Fusion M2 can tackle all your marking needs. Stop by our booth for a hands-on demo and laser samples!

Gemini

507-263-3957 www.GeminiSignProducts.com Gemini Formed Plastic Letters & Logos Form your ideas fast with Gemini’s madeto-order, deep-dimensional solution that’s versatile, affordable, durable and earth-friendly. Gemini offers 47 standard letter styles or custom formed up to 45” x 68” in as few as 8 days. UV-stable and guaranteed for life.

REDISCOVER formed plastic Letters & Logos FREE FORMED SAMPLE geminisignproducts.com/formed 800-538-8377

Arlington

Hirsch Solutions Inc

March 8-10, 2018

631-436-7100 www.hsi.us The X factor for your Garment Printing Business The Brother GTX Direct to Garment Printer redefines DTG printing. With incredible speed and a spectacular color spectrum, you’ll print jobs faster than ever before. The GTX print driver allows you to print in a single pass, even with white inks. Substrates go into the printer once and come out fully printed. Never limit your prints. The Brother GTX is more than just a t-shirt printer. The optional versatile platens and large gap to substrate allows you to print over seams, across zippers, on pockets and more, allowing you to expand your product offering. Print shirts, hoodies, caps, coasters, tote bags, shoes and more with Brother Direct to Garment printers.

JDS Industries Inc

800-843-8853 www.jdsindustries.com Laserable Drinkware Keep your colds cold & your hots hot with these low-priced, high endurance tumblers and growlers from JDS Industries. You can now get the tumblers in 6 colors along with the popular matte black and stainless steel. Each colorful travel mug is available in 30oz. or 20oz. The 64oz. growlers are available in matte black and stainless steel. Also available are Polar Camel accessories, including an optional lid with a slide top and a handle for the 30oz. size.

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featured

e xh i b i t o r s

8-15-16-EPILOG-NBM-showpreview-Arlington.pdf 1 1/2/2017 8:28:08 AM

March 8-10, 2018

952-888-9507 www.jpplus.com New Drinkware from Johnson Plastics Plus Newly expanded line of trending, UV-LED printable and engravable drinkware and accessories are now available from Johnson Plastics Plus. Explore our fresh, sophisticated product offerings that raise the bar for drinkware functionality and design. The new drinkware line includes copper, matte black, stainless steel, and clear plastic finishes in a variety of options including stemless wine glasses, tumblers, pint glasses, growlers and more! Order today for yourself, family and friends.

Next Level Apparel

310-631-4955 www.nextlevelapparel.com Cotton Raglan Tee Introducing our Cotton Raglan Tee. Retro style with a modern fit and timeless comfort. Fine Jersey. 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton. 32 Single, 145g/4.3oz. Contrast raglan sleeves and bound neck. Side seamed. Available in 11 color combinations in XS-3XL.

Arlington

Johnson Plastics Plus

Trotec Laser

866-226-8505 www.troteclaser.com Empower Yourself with a Trotec Laser Whether you are starting your own business or looking to grow an existing business, Trotec can empower you with the capabilities, materials and support you need. The company’s versatile CO2 and fiber flatbed lasers can cut, mark and engrave a broad range of materials at processing speeds up to 140 inches/sec., making them the fastest on the market. Combined with its new line of competitively priced engraving materials and expert support directly from the manufacturer, Trotec has everything you need to grow a business. Visit Booth #401 and see how Trotec can empower you.

Universal Laser Systems

480-483-1214 www.ulsinc.com Be More Productive - PLS4.75 System with 9.3µm CO2 Laser You will only find the advanced 9.3µm laser at Universal—compatible with all ULS platforms including the PLS4.75. Available in 30, 50 and 75 watts, the 9.3µm laser offers intricate details and cleaner cuts on wood, leather, plastic and other materials. It also processes all Stahls’® CAD-CUT® and other vendor heat-transfer materials for fabrics and textiles. Plus, ULS modular architecture and Rapid Reconfiguration™ offer users a 30-second swap of the industry-standard 10.6µm to the 9.3µm laser in any system. Visit www.ulsinc.com for more info.

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Everything you need, all in one place! Sublimation, heat transfer and UV-LED printing or engraving. Regardless of your process we’ve got the materials you need, in-stock and ready to ship. See everything we have to offer at Booths 220 & 221 at the THE NBM SHOW in Arlington.

JPPLUS.COM • 1-800-869-7800

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Training in the

Classroom Training in the

HALL Training Stop

Arlington

Amcad & Graphics .......................#101 GSG .........................#609, #701, #801 Hirsch Solutions ...........................#813 JDS Industries .............................#421 PDS Equipment ............................#209 The Rhinestone World ..................#615

March 8-10, 2018

RECOGNIZED PROFESSIONAL This Certifies That

Attendee Name Name of Class

at THE NBM SHOW

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & ACHIEVEMENT

Given This Presented by National Business Media and THE NBM SHOW P.O. Box 1416 Broomfield, Co 80020 www.NBM.com

, 2018

Wednesday, March 7

0-W1. Direct-to-Garment Printing Using the Epson F2000 Printer

10am to 4pm

Presented by Equipment Zone

Vice President, NBM Events

Participate in any of the classes from the Training by Exhibitors in the Classroom program to receive a Recognized Professional certificate. You will get one ( 1 ) certificate for every onsite class you attend. This class certificate is available exclusively to attendees at THE NBM SHOW and lets your customers know you are committed to keeping up with industry trends.

8am to 9:30am - 90 minute

2-01. What Do I Need to Start Doing Sublimation? Presented by JDS Industries Inc

2-05. Screen Print 101

2-07. New Laser Tips & Tricks: Laser System Techniques to Save Time and

Presented by GSG

Increase Your Profits Presented by Epilog Laser

10am to 11:00am - 60 minutes 2-09. The Beginner’s Guide to Photoresist and Sandcarving Presented by Rayzist Photomask Inc

2-11. Beyond Basic: How to Take Your Heat Printing Business to the Next Level

2-13. Get in Touch with Promotional Products

2-15. The Gold Mine of UV Printing

1pm to 2:30pm - 90 minute

Presented by PDS Equipment

2-17. Maximizing Productivity in CorelDRAW® for Apparel Decoration and Personalization Presented by Digital Art Solutions

4pm to 5:30pm - 90 minute 2-19. A Winning Combo: Boost Product Value by Adding Embroidery to Print Presented by Melco

2-21. Grow Your Business Using Rhinestones, Heat Transfer Vinyl and Sign Vinyl Presented by The Rhinestone World

2-23. Laser Material Processing: User Tips and Tricks Presented by Universal Laser Systems Inc

Sorry, children under the age of 12 are not admitted in the exhibit hall or classrooms

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Thursday, March 8

Presented by PPAI

Exhibitor Training Coordinator

Please visit THENBMSHOW.com for class descriptions

Presented by STAHLS’

has Successfully Completed

Presented by Action Illustrated

2018

THE NBM SHOW offers a variety of classes to help you maximize your sales, improve efficiency and custom-create a business that thrives. The Training by Exhibitors program consists of all-day workshops, 60-minute and 90-minute sessions in a classroom setting as well as 30-minute in-booth demonstrations throughout the exhibit hall.

2-03. CorelDRAW® for Beginners and Intermediate

2018 Recognized Professional Program

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100

U E H

Friday, March 9

8am to 9:30am - 90 minute 3-01. Road to Sublimation Success

Presented by Condé Systems Inc

3-03. Cracking the Pricing Code: Strategically Price Your Products with Rhinestones, HTV and Sign Vinyl Presented by The Rhinestone World 3-05. Lasers, Learn, Leverage, Lead Presented by Trotec Laser Inc 3-07. Converting Vector Artwork to Embroidery, Appliqué and Monogramming without Digitizing Presented by Digital Art Solutions

$500

Win in Buyer Bucks!

Listen for your name to be announced Thursday and Friday around around 2pm and Saturday around 1pm.

100

CKSs ction YERrulesBU and restri BUback for

See

100

DRE

HUN ONE

TX18

100 TX18

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100

TX18

100 100

TX18

BUYER BUCKS

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ONE HU NDRED

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10am to 11:00am - 60 minutes 3-09. Learn the Latest About Heat Transfer Vinyl! Presented by GSG

3-11. Profits, Potential & Possibilities with Sandcarving Presented by IKONICS Imaging

Sponsored by

3-13. Screen Printing with Just a Heat Press Presented by Transfer Express

3-15. SUBLIMATION 101 - “Back to Basics” Presented by Sublimation101

1pm to 2:30pm - 90 minute 3-17. What’s the Right Choice for Me? A Discussion on Epson’s Direct-to-Garment Technology Presented by IT Supplies

4pm to 5:30pm - 90 minute 3-19. Will Digital Transfer Systems Make DTG Obsolete? Presented by Condé Systems Inc

3-21 Mastering Multi-Decorating with Rhinestones and Heat Presented by Digital Art Solutions

3-23. Behind the Print

Presented by Ryonet

3-25. Win with Sublimation! Sublimation tips and tricks to help ramp up your profits! Presented by Johnson Plastics Plus

Saturday, March 10 8am to 9:30am - 90 minute 4-01. Hoop It Up

Presented by GSG

Please join us for complimentary beer, wine, light refreshments and lots of networking fun on Friday, March 9 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm at Sheraton Arlington Hotel. What a great opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of exhibitors and other attendees. Be sure to wear your badge – it’s your ticket in.

4-03. How to Boost Your Sales and Design Creativity with

CorelDRAW® and TRW Design Wizard™ Presented by The Rhinestone World 4-05. Adding Promotional Products to Your Business Presented by The Advertising Specialty Institute/ASI 4-07. Expand your business with Heat Transfer Print Technology… more than T-Shirts! Presented by Johnson Plastics Plus

10am to 11:00am - 60 minutes 4-09. How to Start & Grow Your Business with a Heat Press Presented by STAHLS’

4-11. Increased Profits and Success with Dye Sublimation Printing

Presented by Coastal Business Supplies, Epson America Inc

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Freedom

of Choice BY

MIKE CLARK

ERCE M M O -C E TE O M O R P D N A R E HOW TO OFF EL R PA P A D TE A R O EC D R FO S N OPTIO

hile various companies built out archaic versions of online stores in the late 1980s, most business experts typically point to 1995, the year Amazon officially opened up shop, as the starting point for what e-commerce has evolved into today. Since that year, conducting business online has changed immensely both from a buyer/seller standpoint and from a business management standpoint. In the world

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of apparel decoration, many of these standards and considerations are just as prevalent as any other industry.

A LONG WAY FROM 28.8K Since the advent of faster internet speeds and more responsive websites, the idea of running an online store has shifted from a few niche industries to virtually any business that wants to cast a wider net to buyers.

“I would go so far as to say that it has simply become commerce,” states Erich Campbell, DecoNetwork. “We may say ‘ecommerce,’ but it’s almost a given that most mainstream companies will provide some way to do business online.” To that effect, because so many buyers are accustomed to buying online, shops need to find ways to mirror what their customers enjoy with other online marketplaces. Things like a fluid mobile experience and

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jobs. “The consequence is increased competition,” explains JP Hunt, InkSoft. “Increasingly, decorators and shops are adopting a digital strategy, selling online, and interacting online.” And while creating things like a website with a shopping cart are pragmatic ways to show people in the digital sphere what your business does, sources tend to agree that there is much more work to be done to be profitable.

comprehensive shipping options are crucial to dealing with what some refer to as “the Amazon effect.” “I think the general consumer has become a lot more accustomed to making a purchase online and receiving it in a day or two,” notes Brett Bowden, Printed Threads. “Because of services like Amazon, other companies have been urgently trying to follow suit.” In addition to improving the user experi-

ence, the way in which businesses market to their customers and advertise services has shifted to meet this new buying culture. With the advent of digital business comes digital marketing, meaning shops now spend more dollars on ads on places like social media and Google. Because so many decorators are now online though, that’s also created a much broader selection for buyers to choose from when it comes to deciding where to bring their custom apparel

DIGITAL BUILDING BLOCKS At the core of any decorated apparel business maintaining a successful e-commerce program are some basic requirements and tools. Any online business will need a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate in place. This digital certificate lets buyers know that whatever sensitive information they submit to an online store during the payment process is secure. “[An SSL] isn’t just an option anymore, it’s a requirement,” adds Hunt. “A payment processor won’t even let you process payment unless a credit card transaction is encrypted.” In addition to a secure checkout process, sellers can improve that comfort level for customers by ensuring other sections of their website like a homepage or a blog are secured through these certificates. Shops can opt in for a free SSL certificate or purchase paid versions that offer features such as a website badge that informs customers how long a site has been secured and when it was last certified. Making sure the technology and personnel components of a businesses are locked down before going online is also crucial, explains Tom Rauen, Envision Tees. “Having the backend systems, technology, and staff to support it [are important],” he says. “You have to add a level of customer service, follow up, and marketing. Simply 2018 FEBRUARY

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E-COMMERCE OPTIONS putting the website up isn’t going to get the job done.” Site build makes a major difference too, sources agree. This means clear company branding across each page, and a responsive website that works across multiple devices, including mobile and tablets. “It’s extremely important for people to easily shop and pull things up,” says Bruce Ackerman, Printavo, adding that in addition to mobile optimization, shops should pay close attention to the search filters set up on their website. The easier a customer can find a product or service on their website, the more likely that site visit will convert to an actual sale. Although “the Amazon Effect” might have business owners apt to try and meet the same shipping standards as the e-commerce giant, sources caution businesses not to overpromise. Instead, approaches like

scaling pricing so the “free” shipping is already included in the final cost, full transparency with customers on turnaround time for an order, and offering a variety of shipping carrier options at checkout are feasible for smaller shops. While this won’t replace the speedy, one-click convenience of some online shops, it will still help streamline the buying process for clients.

BELLS AND WHISTLES Shops can also improve customer experiences with a few extra improvements digitally and in-house. Hunt recommends maintaining a social media presence since many shoppers use channels like Facebook and Instagram to get a grasp on a business. “They’ll do a quick, cursory glance to see how many people follow a company, and what their dialogue is like with customers,” Hunt states, adding that a company’s gen-

eral attitude and tone are a big part of what these browsers will take away. Meanwhile, Rauen and Ackerman suggest a combination of real-time support and automated features to keep businesses going around the clock. Using an in-house livechat system at the checkout stage, Ackerman suggests, helps solidify that confidence a customer may need to hit the purchase button. Since decorated apparel jobs often dictate detailed, complicated questions, he recommends starting this service onsite before considering outsourcing. For auto-responders, tools such as order confirmations, shipping confirmations, and follow-up “Thank You” emails can all be configured within a company’s ordering system. Campbell advises, however, if companies do opt in for features like live chat and messaging, that there is staff to support it. “Things like live chat and messaging are

5 E-COMMERCE TIPS FROM THE SHOP FLOOR Since the world of e-commerce gets complicated, Steven Farag, Campus Ink, shares a few tips decorators can use to navigate the basics. MAKE IT SIMPLE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

LEARN IT BEFORE YOU OFFER IT

DOMINATE THE LOCAL MARKET

With the rise of other services at the click of a button like rideshares, grocery delivery, and food apps, keep this convenience factor in mind when building out the digital arm of your business. “People want to pay for convenience,” says Farag. “That new convenience-based marketing is now tapping into other industries.”

Regardless of what platforms and software you choose, make sure everyone in-house is well-versed in the programs they’re using before you launch them. The last thing you want to do, Farag advises, is use your customers as test subjects.

Even with a digital presence, keep in mind what makes your shop a key player in your local community. Make sure your shop still offers important perks like local pickup so that your loyal customers don’t fall by the wayside.

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BE SELECTIVE If your shop offers embroidery, screen printing, and direct-togarment, begin by focusing on one service and branch out from there once you see a demand in the digital world. “If you try to do everything right away, it’s going to eat you up,” cautions Farag.

LET THE WORK SPEAK FOR ITSELF Make sure to reach back out for testimonials from happy customers, and have a spot on your website showcasing those testimonials. Those repeat clients become brand ambassadors for your work.

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great if you have staff to monitor them, but if there is never someone present, or you can’t link a service to SMS and carry it anywhere, it’s better not to implement it than to disappoint,” he adds.

SCALE IT UP Running a shop at scale is something most decorators are familiar with when it comes to walk-in clients, and considering an e-commerce plan follows many similar steps, sources contend. One common misconception, however, is that when a business opens up a shop online, the orders will start piling in. Before a business sees a major influx of online customers, they’ll need to make sure the word is getting out. To market their services and goods, shops can use a handful of ad options on Google, Facebook, and other social media channels. One tool sources also recommend is retargeting ads. This is an ad that “follows” potential buyers around after they have browsed a site or looked at a product with the aim of driving that person back to the website to purchase said product or service. Employing this feature is key, Ackerman points out, since so many users browse and shop from their phone and on the go. “People are busy, so getting them to come back to your website is important,” he states, adding that an abandoned cart email can also prompt customers to navigate back to your site and make the purchase. Most parties caution that once a business decides to open the door wider to online customers to make sure that the gears are already in place to handle the influx. Building contingency plans for things that crop up with growth, such as increased order and returns volume and larger customer support demand are crucial. “Those systems include automating as many of the steps as possible with software, and then knowing where your capacity is and being able to outsource any role, including production,” comments Rauen.

Some businesses will see merit in adding personnel, while others may have better luck at outsourcing certain parts of production to keep up with order volume. “As a business owner, it comes down to looking at the time you’re spending,” adds Ackerman. “If you’re spending a lot of time fulfilling orders when you could be paying someone a percentage of what you feel like you’re worth, you need to have someone else to go through and pick orders all day.” Bowden suggests that regardless of how much a shop hopes to scale up, to build a standard operating procedures manual. With this basic tool, new employees can blend into a decorator’s workforce much smoother and ideally grow with the business.

WHAT TO SELL As for what to offer online, most sources contend that the online sphere for apparel decorators should be a means to showcase

how much a shop can provide if a customer reaches out. Since some decoration methods require a large amount of detail both from a production and ordering standpoint, it’s a field that’s slightly more difficult to tout online than other markets. “Not everything we do as decorators translates perfectly to e-commerce,” states Campbell. “It makes more sense to provide the services that can be delivered with the best possible experience rather than trying to replicate your traditional shop one-to-one online.” Decorators can showcase their wares with online photo galleries, videos, and short descriptions of what they offer, rather than trying to design online order forms for every service available. Having multimedia content on a website also helps a decorator since it’ll improve their search engine score, and ideally help them continued on page 80

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KRUZER MANUAL TEXTILE PRESS

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The M&R Companies

800-736-6431

MONOGRAMS MADE EASY with Stahls' CAD-CUT® Templates

IF YOU HAD OUR BOYFRIEND, YOU’D NEVER LET IT GO. You design it. We cut it. All you need is a heat press.

FIND US. cottonheritage.com @cottonheritage /cottonheritageusa @cottonheritage

Create a monogram at tinyurl.com/stahlstemp

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MONAG Apparel

Infant Raglan Bodysuit

NEW

Heavy Terry. Style# 100230

Premium Quality Blanks

infant • toddler • youth • men women • maternity • sublimation • pets W W W . M O N A G . C O M | 877-996-6624

americanapparelwholesale.com

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The Latest

For more on the suppliers featured in this section, please see website and phone information following each product.

DISTRESSED CAP Carolina Made carries Adams’ Ollie Mesh Back Cap. The cap features 100 percent cotton pigmentdyed front panels, 100 percent nylon mesh back, mid-crown, distressed torn visor, and a matching color plastic tab closure. The style is available in over 16 colors. Visit: www.carolinamade.com | Call: 800-222-1409

COMPUTER-TO-SCREEN PACKAGE The Douthitt CTS30 WAX CTS30 with Xitron Rip Package, from Ryonet, is a computer-to-screen wax ink printer. The Xitron/ Harlequin RIP allows decorators to create custom workflows specific to their shop needs and applications. Offering full LPI control and the ability to choose dot shape and angle, the system can be adapted to cover CMYK, simulated process, spot colors, and other types of work. CTS30 wax ink allows for enhanced droplet shape and fidelity, as well as fully hardened screens, says the company. The CTS30 can produce 240 screens per eight-hour shift at a 600dpi resolution and up to 85lpi. The unit accommodates up to 25-inch by 36-inch screens with a maximum image size of 20" X 30". Visit: www.screenprinting.com | Call: 800-314-3690

RALLY TOWEL Q-Tees Budget Rally Towel, style T18 from Kati Sportcap & Bag is made of 100 percent cotton with terry on both sides. This towel features hemmed edges and measures 11" W X 18" H. It’s available in red, maroon, light pink, azalea, hot pink, orange, yellow, gold, lime, forest, light blue, royal, navy, purple, black, natural, and white. Visit: www.katisportcap.com | Call: 713-977-4929

ALL-SEASON WOMEN’S JACKET The 9411 Ascent from DRI DUCK Traders is an all-season softshell women’s jacket. Available through S&S Activewear, the jacket is designed to protect against wind and rain without sacrificing breathability, per the company. Four-way stretch, adjustable three-piece hood, and thumbhole cuff are all features of style 9411. Visit: www.ssactivewear.com | Call: 800-523-2155

CHILDREN’S STYLES BELLA+CANVAS launches BELLA+CANVAS Kids collection. The collection of baby, toddler, and youth styles includes an assortment of combed and ring-spun blank apparel. With over 14 styles available, customers can expect to see basics like the 3001 Jersey Tee and 3413 Triblend Tee in all youth sizing. The 3200 Baseball Tee and 8800 Flowy Racerback Tee will also be available in select sizing. The collection is available in over 35 colors across the solid, heather CVC, tri-blend, and flowy poly-viscose fabric categories. Baby sizing is 3mo–36mo, toddler sizing is 2T–5T, and kids sizing is YS–YXL. Visit: www.bellacanvas.com | Call: 855-363-2200

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CANVAS BAG Made of 100 percent cotton canvas, Sportsman Cap & Bag’s Messenger Bag features a main compartment with zipper closure, an outside zipper pocket, and a side pocket with Velcro closure. A flap closure and self-fabric adjustable strap complete this bag. Style HYB0183T measures in at 12" X 12" X 4.5". It’s available in five colors including flamingo, clover, navy, black, and neutral. Visit: www.sportsmancaps.com | Call: 913-541-0901

MEDIA RACK Imprintables Warehouse offers the Apparel Vinyl Storage Rack. The free-standing rack holds up to 44 rolls of material for organization and safe-keeping. Measuring 74.25" high X 32" wide X 19" deep, the rack features heavy-duty, no-weld construction and is powder-coated. The “arms” that hold the media are specially designed to prevent flat spots in the core or material, says the company. Visit: www.imprintables.com | Call: 800-347-0068

CMYKRG + WHITE PRINTER Hirsch Solutions Inc. offers Kornit’s Avalanche Hexa R series digital direct-to-garment printer. The D2 printer includes a new recirculating ink system, six color channels plus white, a double-bridge architecture, online backup battery unit, and a humidity system. Output is up to 180 garments per hour for light colors and up to 140 pieces per hour for dark colors. It has a 23.5-inch by 35-inch print area suitable for 2X garments, all-over prints on shirts and jeans, and cut pieces. Printable materials include cotton, polyester, cotton/polyester blends, spandex, viscose, linen, leather, denim, silk, and wool. The Hexa uses Kornit’s environmentally friendly NeoPigment ink. Visit: www.hsi.us | Call: 800-394-4426

ORGANIC T Style 95001W, the Women’s Organic RPET Blend Tee, from Royal Apparel is made of organic cotton and recycled polyester. The 4.4-oz. style features a set on rib collar, double-needle sleeve hem, double-needle bottom hem, and shoulder-to-shoulder tape. The side-seamed, USA-made T also features a tear-away label. Visit: www.royalapparel.net | Call: 866-769-2517

EMBROIDERY SUPPLIES Lawson Screen & Digital Products carries a complete line of embroidery supplies in addition to its screen printing and D2 lineup. Lawson Screen & Digital Products has partnered with Robison Anton to distribute Super Brite Polyester threads, among other embroidery supplies including thread, bobbins, scissors, organ needles, and an assortment of cutaway and tearaway backings and solvy. Lawson’s Robison Anton’s threads are available in over 450 colors, with Pantone colors available on King Spools and Mini King Spools for commercial and home sewing. All embroidery items are available on the Lawson E-store and feature free shipping. Visit: www.lawsonsp.com | Call: 314-382-9300

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The Latest HEAT TRANSFERS Howard Custom Transfers Inc. offers Vinyl Names & Numbers heat transfers. Available in a variety of options including super hold, bling, reflective, and stretch, these transfers can be applied to various fabrics. Visit: www.howardct.com | Call: 866-695-8195

EXPOSURE UNIT The M&R Companies’ patent-pending Starlight ASO (Adjustable Spectrum Output) uses three independently adjustable nanometer ranges to increase screen-exposure flexibility on screen frames up to 31" X 40". Each range can vary light output from zero to 100 percent, and operators can increase or decrease gain (intensity) to best match each emulsion. Starlight ASO is ideal for conventional exposures, and an optional CTS retrofit kit turns it into a CTS exposure system. Vacuum and exposure times can be set between 0.1 and 999.9 seconds. Job Recall enables operators to save and recall up to 24 vacuum/exposure profiles. Starlight ASOs also incorporate several strips of yellow, non-exposing LED inspection lights. Starlight ASO is compatible with most sizes of M&R’s Tri-Loc Registration System and M&R’s new Tri-Sync Pallet. Visit: www.mrprint.com | Call: 800-736-6431

HOT PEEL HEAT TRANSFERS Insta Graphic Systems’ Superflex HP is perfect for school, team and athletic logos, tagless labels, athletic names and numbers, decorative graphics as well as branded logos for non-apparel related items, says the company. Superflex HP works on athletic meshes, coarse, and textured materials like pique polos, shell nylon, and twill. Superflex HP has a short dwell time and hot peel capability. Visit: www.instagraph.com | Call: 562-404-3000

ALL-IN-ONE LASER CUTTER STAHLS’ offers the Full Spectrum Muse Laser Cutter. The machine can cut, etch, and engrave. The Full Spectrum Muse Laser Cutter is a 40-watt laser cutter that can be used for polyurethane-based heat transfer vinyl, wood, and plastics. This compact machine adjusts to cut one heat transfer vinyl design, multiple layers, or hard goods. It has a built-in camera that allows decorators to translate and cut handdrawn designs. The machine also features Wi-Fi, an LCD touchscreen, a removable floor for cutting or etching on larger products, an air compressor, exhaust fan, and RetinaEngrave v2 software. Visit: www.stahls.com | Call: 800-478-2457

INK LABELS Prism Inks and Graphics One offer an enhanced private label ink plan for its distribution partners. The enhancement allows any business partner to participate in the plan, no matter the size. The new plan has been implemented and is now being offered to customers through the Graphics One distribution channel, along with the traditional channel of Prism Inks. The plan is included at no charge and is provided on demand by Prism Inks’ packaging division. Visit: www.prisminks.com | Call: 818-260-9591

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INK SEPARATION APP RhinoTech offers a CWB Ink Separation program. The program is a simulated process to help screen printers achieve color-accurate, photo-realistic screen-printing art, says the company. The Ink Seps CWB App performs real time, nine-channel color separation in your browser using primary colors of red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and magenta PLUS white, black, and gray. Information and guidance on CWB Ink and all Ink Seps system options are no charge. Visit: www.rhinotechinc.com | Call: 651-686-5027

INFRARED CONVEYOR DRYER Ace Screen Supply Company offers the LittleRed X1-30 Conveyor Dryer from Vastex International. Backed with a 15-year warranty, this dryer features closely spaced coils, a 30-inch wide conveyor belt and a single infrared heater, which is available with either a single 240V or 120V heater. The 240V model can cure up to 130 plastisol-printed images or 45 discharge-printed images per hour, while the 120V model cures up to 90 plastisol-printed images or 45 discharge-printed images per hour. The dryerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity can be increased by extending the belt length, adding additional heating chambers, or increasing the variable speed setting of the digital belt control. Visit: www.acescreensupply.com | Call: 800-222-3468

EMBROIDERY STABILIZER American Embroidery Supply offers 3-oz. Cutaway. Product No. 3095 is composed of synthetic and cellulose fibers with a high pulp concentration and made using a wet-laid process. This moderate-grade, midweight embroidery backing features added silicone needle lubricant. In addition, it can be washed or drycleaned. The cutaway stabilizer is sold in black and white in 23- and 46-inch widths, in 150-yard rolls, and a 15-inch width in 50- and 25-yard rolls. Precut 7.5-inch X 8-inch black and white sheets are also available, as well as 15-inch X 15-inch sheets in white only, sold in 250- and 500-piece packages. Visit: www.americanembsupply.com | Call: 888-518-6522

CONVEYOR DRYER Workhorse Products offers the MD8, a gas conveyor dryer manufactured by Interchange Equipment. This compact dryer is designed to cure a wide range of printed substrates, says the company. The patented Air Deflector recycling system, which recirculates air through the heat chamber, features high-velocity jet nozzles. The standard oven size is eight feet and it is powered by a 250,000 BTU stainless steel burner. The filter drawer slides in and out and it has a side-access cleanout. An enlarged heat plenum, easy access controls, and high temp self-tracking belt are also features of this machine. It is ETL and CE approved. Visit: www.workhorseproducts.com | Call: 800-778-8779

DECORATING KITS Heat Transfer Warehouse offers four additional Silhouette Cameo Kits. These kits are ideal for someone looking to get into garment decoration or sign making, or those looking to upgrade to the Silhouette Cameo 3, says the company. Customers can choose from Starter HTV, Specialty HTV, Sign and Wall, or Rhinestone. Each kit includes Siser, ThermoFlex, Chemica, Oracal, FDC, and more. Visit: www.heattransferwarehouse.com | Call: 701-356-3160

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The Latest SEW SERVICES Dalco Athletic offers Pro Twill Sewing Services. Dalco’s services include a smooth, high-gloss, tightweave tackle twill for men’s and women’s team uniforms per your specifications. Choose from four typefaces—full block, plain block, brush script, or athletic script in 17 team colors. Poly-Pro Twill comes as a heat-activated press-on backing, pressure-sensitive backing, or (plain) uncoated. It meets CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) regulations and standards, including for children. Four package options are available and turnaround time is approximately three weeks. Visit: www.dalcoathletic.com | Call: 800-288-3252

ALL-PURPOSE EMBROIDERY MACHINE ZSK Machines offers the ZSK Sprint 6 compact embroidery machine. The Sprint 6 is a 12-needle, single head class-four style (bridge style) embroidery machine. This all-purpose machine can adapt specialty devices, such as sequins or cording, without changing any electronic board components or altering any electrical component. This machine is recommended for startup embroidery businesses as well as any size embroidery shop. Visit: www.zskmachines.com | Call: 877-724-6400

SPORTSWEAR ADDITIONS Transfer Express is now a distributor of the Augusta Sportswear line of wholesale team uniforms and fanwear. The Augusta lineup includes uniforms for baseball, basketball, cheer, and soccer amongst others. Spirit wear, activewear, and accessory products range from bandanas and beanies to visors and wicking Ts for men, women, and children. Core collection items are available in as many as 20 colors and sizes up to 5X. Visit: www.transferexpress.com | Call: 800-622-2280

SPARKLE STRIPED CREW Pennant Sportswear offers the Sparkle Stripe Crew. The cotton jersey style features sewn-on sparkle stripes and silver sheen neck tape. It’s available in crewneck and hoodie styles in women’s sizes XS–2X and youth sizes YS–YL. Visit: www.pennantsportswear.com | Call: 800-648-6505

HEATED BOTTOM PLATEN Hotronix offers the Heated Lower Platen in a 16-inch by 20-inch size. The platen is compatible with Hotronix or Maxx model clam presses. The bottom platen heat allows for a lower application temperature on the top platen, which can reduce scorching on heat sensitive fabrics like polyester and performance wear, says the company. Less pressure is needed which means that 3D and die cast emblems retain their full dimension. Visit: www.hotronix.com | Call: 800-727-8520

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SUBMIT DATEBOOK ITEMS TO: Editor, Printwear magazine, P.O. Box 1416, Broomfield, CO 80038-1416; call (303) 469-0424; or email pweditor@nbm.com. Please submit at least three months in advance. Visit printwearmag.com for upcoming dates.

FEBRUARY

Datebook

Learn to Print Dark Shirts & Heat Transfers

THE NBM SHOW

Feb. 18; Atlanta www.kolormatrix.com

April 13–14; Sacramento, Calif. www.thenbmshow.com

Embroidery Mart

MARCH

Feb. 2–3; Atlanta www.embroiderymart.com

Lawson Textile Tech Academy

Screen Print Experience

April 13; Atlanta April 13–14; St. Louis www.lawsonsp.com

Vastex University: Screen Printing A–Z Feb. 1–3; Bethlehem, Pa. www.vastex.com

Feb. 2–3; Chicago Feb. 2–3; Keller, Texas Feb. 9–10; Cincinnati Feb. 10–11; Los Angeles Feb. 16–17; Naples, Fla. Feb. 23–24; Farmingdale, N.Y. Feb. 24–25; San Leandro, Calif. www.screenprinting.com

March 2–3; Chicago March 16–17; Cincinnati March 23–24; Keller, Texas March 23–24; San Pedro, Calif. March 23–24; Shreveport, La. March 24–25; Portland, Ore. March 30–31; Farmingdale, N.Y. March 30–31; Denver www.screenprinting.com

The Rhinestone World In-House Training

The Complete Screen Printing Business Course

Screen Print Experience

Feb. 7–9; Bradenton, Florida www.therhinestoneworld.com

The Complete Screen Printing Business Course Feb. 10–11; Schiller Park, Ill. www.atlasscreensupply.com

Introduction to Screen Printing

March 3–4; Nashville, Tenn. www.atlasscreensupply.com

THE NBM SHOW March 8–10; Arlington, Texas www.thenbmshow.com

Introduction to Screen Printing April 19; Norcross, Ga. April 20; Kings Mountain, N.C. www.screenprintingsupply.com

Screen Print Experience April 20-21; Cincinnati April 20-21; Naples, Fla. April 21-22; Los Angeles April 27-28; Farmingdale, N.Y. April 27-28; San Leandro, Calif. www.screenprinting.com

AND BEYOND…

Specialty and Whites Printing

March 16; Kings Mountain, N.C. www.screenprintingsupply.com

THE NBM SHOW 2018

Feb. 16; Atlanta Feb. 16–17; St. Louis www.lawsonsp.com

Screen Printing Essentials Feb. 16–17; Miami www.mrprint.com

Learn How to Screen Print

The Complete Screen Printing Business Course June 9–10; Schiller Park, Ill. Aug. 18–19; Schiller Park, Ill. Nov. 10–11; Schiller Park, Ill. www.atlasscreensupply.com

Introduction to Screen Printing June 14; Norcross, Ga. www.screenprintingsupply.com

The Embroidery & Digitizing Conference

March 16; Atlanta March 16–17; St. Louis www.lawsonsp.com

May 11–12; Portland, Ore. June 15–16; Cleveland, Ohio Aug. 2–4; Long Beach, Calif. Aug. 23–24; Meadowlands, N.J. Sept. 13–15; Indianapolis Nov. 2–3; Charlotte, N.C. www.thenbmshow.com

The Rhinestone World Open House

Introduction to Water Based and Discharge Inks

June 20–22; Bradenton, Fla. www.therhinestoneworld.com

March 31; Bradenton, Fla. www.therhinestoneworld.com

May 18; Kings Mountain, N.C. www.screenprintingsupply.com

Screen Printing 101

Lawson Textile Tech Academy

Feb. 17; Atlanta www.kolormatrix.com

APRIL

Professional Screen-Printing Class

Vastex University: Screen Printing A–Z

Feb. 17–19; Atlanta www.kolormatrix.com

May 31–June 2; Bethlehem, Pa. July 19–21; Bethlehem, Pa. Sept. 20–22; Bethlehem, Pa. Nov. 15–17; Bethlehem, Pa. www.vastex.com

April 21–22; Phoenix www.workhorseproducts.com

All About Chemicals and Emulsion

Lawson Textile Tech Academy

Vastex University: Screen Printing A–Z

Screen Printing 101

Feb. 15; Norcross, Ga. www.screenprintingsupply.com

Feb. 16; Kings Mountain, N.C. www.screenprintingsupply.com

July 13–14; St. Louis Aug. 17; Atlanta Aug. 17–18; St. Louis Sept. 21; Atlanta Sept. 21–22; St. Louis Oct. 12; Atlanta Nov. 9; Atlanta Nov. 9–10; St. Louis Dec. 7; Atlanta Dec. 7–8; St. Louis www.lawsonsp.com

April 5–7; Bethlehem, Pa. www.vastex.com

June 15–16; Cleveland Sept. 13–15; Indianapolis www.thenbmshow.com

The Rhinestone World In-House Training

July 21–22; Phoenix Oct. 27–28; Phoenix www.workhorseproducts.com

Lawson Textile Tech Academy May 18; Atlanta May 18–19; St. Louis June 8; Atlanta June 8–9; St. Louis July 13; Atlanta

The Complete Screen Printing Business Course

2018 FEBRUARY

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Oct. 13–14; Nashville, Tenn. www.atlasscreensupply.com

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PRINTWEAR

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SCREENPRINTING EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

ERICH’S EMBELLISHMENTS continued from page 25

• • •

SCREENPRINT NUMBERING SYSTEMS

SQUEEGEES

sales@zatecinc.com | 866-880-0666

zatecinc.com

Contact Diane Gilbert 1-800-669-0424 x297 or email: dgilbert@nbm.com PRINTWEARMAG.COM/ADVERTISE

SELLING ISN’T SELLING OUT Sales isn’t a dirty word. If you are doing good work, telling people about it and how they can obtain it is a service. In fact, you are doing the world a disservice if you won’t show them what they might be missing. You provide a product and service that gives measurable value. Sales doesn’t have to be shifty when you are simply sharing a good product from which your audience stands to benefit. Show them the benefit, how it can help their lives, businesses, teams, and groups, and give them the chance to make you their friend in the industry. SET FIRM BOUNDARIES Particularly for home-based businesses, it’s hard to physically and mentally separate work and home life. Start early with dedicated business hours, using a second phone or service as well as a dedicated email address for businessonly contact channels, and by physiMy first experiences with machine embroidery cally keeping your work in a designated were on venerable old iron like the machine picspace if possible. Clock into your job, tured here. It was six needles, 12 heads, no trimand just as importantly, clock out and mers, no thread break sensors, no safeties, and recharge. It’s good to grind, and you’ll no screens. It’s a far cry from a home machine. often work long hours, but don’t let customers dominate your off-time or personal space. Though you can choose to work whatever hours you like, your early boundary setting will keep you from being eternally ‘on call’ when you should rest or slipping in chores or downtime activities during the hours you should be stitching, contacting clients, and building your business. At the intersection between the work you love to do and the money you need to survive, there’s a blessed state of existence. If you can dig in and do business, understand the needs of your market, and charge a fair but properly profit-conscious price, you’ll be well on your way to living there. Learn from the experience of commercial workers, but don’t be afraid to share your perspective, too. Together, we can be more than we could have been apart. 2018 FEBRUARY PRINTWEAR

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Advertiser Index ADVERTISER

PAGE

ADVERTISER

The Advertiser Index is intended solely as a convenience for our readers and is not a written or implied part of any advertising commitment. As such, Printwear assumes no liabilities for unintentional errors or omissions.

PAGE

1st Street Graphics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Versatrans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64A&B

A.W.T. World Trade Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

W.F. Lake Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Ace Transfer Co Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Zatec LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Alstyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Alternative Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS PAGE# PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

American Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC

American Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Anvil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Cotton Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Backpacker Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Geo Knight & Co Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Bay Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

GSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Caseys Page Mill Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40A&B

Hirsch Solutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Citadel Brands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

M&R Companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Comfort Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

MONAG Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Cotton Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

Next Level Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

FCI Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Otto Intl Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Franmar Chemical Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

STAHLS' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Freehand Graphics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Versatrans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Fruit of the Loom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Gildan Activewear SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover Tip

THE SALES PAGE# TEAM2018 SALESTEAM REPORT . . . . . . .REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

Graphic Parts Intl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

2 Dazzle U Custom Rhinestone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 27

Graphtec America Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32A&B

Ace Transfer Co Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 23

Hirsch Solutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

Anatol Equipment Mfg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 25

Howard Custom Transfers Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Augusta Sportswear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TSR 9

Inline Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Citadel Brands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 15

Lawson Screen & Digital Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

GAME Sportswear Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 31

More Sales Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Hirsch Solutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TSR 5

Next Level Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16A&B

JDS Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TSR 7

Otto Intl Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

JERZEES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TSR 2

Pacific Sportswear & Emblem Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

M&R Companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 17

SAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

MONAG Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TSR 3

SameDayTees.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Next Level Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TSR 11

Sunbelt Lettering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

RhinoTech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 29

THE NBM SHOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

RTP Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 21

THE NBM SHOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58-63

S&S Activewear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 13

Transfer Express. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

STAHLS' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSR 19

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FEBRUARY 2018

1/15/18 2:27 PM

PRINTWEAR SHOP SNAPSHOT

Fitness Wear

n the entrepreneurial world, starting young means AT A GLANCE to re-focus on finishing college. Finmore time to learn and hone your craft. Starting early kelman split ways with his partner at • COMPANY NAME: Fitness Wear also affords most business owners more of a chance to the lifestyle brand they had founded. • LOCATION: Glenview, Illinois navigate the difficult initial startup phases to reach a staAfter a short detour into the market• OWNERS: Justin Finkelman ble, lucrative point in their careers. For Justin Finkelman ing world, Finkelman says he circled • SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,500 sq. ft. of Fitness Wear, that early phase dates all the way back to back to his true calling. “I realized I • PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT: elementary school. The owner of the Chicago-area full-serhad wanted to get back into the T-shirt • One M&R Kruzer 6-color manual vice apparel decorator says his first experience in the trade business, and the place where I could screen-printing press was a school contest. “We had a space shuttle club, and make the most impact would be the • One Anatol Thunder 6-color they had a design contest to create artwork inspired by the production side,” he states. “Coming manual screen-printing press space shuttle,” Finkelman explains. The school awarded from a customer standpoint, I saw an • One Self-made 1-Color screenthe winner by screen printing their design on a shirt for opportunity to fill in a gap, especially printing press the entire student population. Finkelman won the contest, from my experience(s).” • One Self-made 4-Color screenand after seeing the translation of his design printed onto By bringing the screen-printing side printing press a shirt he was inspired to explore design for apparel. “All of the business in-house, Finkelman • Three Stahls’ Fusion heat presses throughout high school and into college I focused on desays he saw the ability to overcome the • One M&R Fusion conveyor dryer sign for T-shirts,” Finkelman adds. issues he faced as a designer. He began • One NuArc exposure unit While honing his design skills at the University of Michito search around the Chicago area for • One Graphtec vinyl cutter gan, he built his lifestyle brand for skateboarders. Partnerequipment and space where he could • Two M&R flash units ing with a fellow student in the school’s business program, put his skills to work and eventually Finkelman focused on the artwork while his partner accame across the early incarnation of quired accounts and helped grow the financial side of the company. Fitness Wear. Founder Oren Clanton had built the business up by During this phase, the duo contracted out the screen-printing comselling gym towels to local physical education programs in the 1980s ponent of the production. As the brand began to grow and Finkeland evolved into a customized apparel hub for numerous school man’s line found its way into a handful of boutiques in the Ann athletic programs, as well as other local clients. Finkelman says he Arbor, Michigan area, he found a sticking point in the production got to know Clanton’s wife and daughter in the interim. “Sadly, chain. On numerous occasions, Finkelman says he encountered unOren had passed away before I got a chance to meet him, and reliable printers and mixed quality results and considered bringing his family wanted to sell the business that arm of the business in-house. Shortly after however, he decided he had started,” explains Finkelman. continued on page 80 Left: Company headquarters is a 3,500 sq. ft. shop just outside of Chicago. (All images courtesy Fitness Wear) Right: Fitness Wear owner Justin Finkelman. Below left: The shop’s screen-printing legacy dates back roughly 30 years. Below right: Hence the name, custom-printed athletic apparel makes up a large part of the company’s clientele. 2018 FEBRUARY

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STITCH SOLUTIONS

E-COMMERCE OPTIONS

PRINTWEAR SHOP SNAPSHOT

continued from page 21

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order the shirts. You follow up with him one time, and he is not yet ready to place the order. You never contact him personally again. Each few weeks that pass without hearing from you, he is validated in not ordering from you. Your lack of communication with Bob is costing you points. Selling to Bob today requires that you reach out to him personally with a call or a text to see how he is doing and to let him know that you are ready when he is. Your job is to build a relationship with him and educate him. You need to demonstrate that you are a good person and that you have his best interests at heart. If you want to score points for your business and win new customers and more orders, you have to let potential and current customers peek behind the curtain to get to know you better and understand the range of the services that you offer. Share success stories online and include a photo of a well-dressed (by you) happy customer. Shoot a 30 second video of one of the machines in action and post it with a simple, brief description of what is happening in the video. Share a promotion from one of your suppliers that is timely to your customers. Over time, your potential customers and current customers will become more educated about all that you can do for them. They will feel more connected to you and more confident that ordering from you is a good idea. The fact of the matter is that if they cannot find your business online and on social media, you may as well not exist. They are finding other apparel decoration professionals online. People are more and more comfortable buying online. The need and desire to order “local” is being overwhelmed by people’s need for a solution now, so that they can move on to the next thing on their list. The apparel decoration professionals that take the time to have a positive, consistent, visible presence online and stay in contact with their customers are winning the sales game. Are you ready to learn the new rules and to play to win?

rank higher in search results, Ackerman notes. “Use your online content as a context to show your e-commerce capabilities,” states Hunt. “Ensure you’re speaking to people in a human way.’” From there, shops can take the conversation “offline” once they’ve built up a rapport with someone who’s contacted them with a job that is mutually beneficial for both the client and the decorator.

In 2011, the Clantons decided to sell the business. Finkelman purchased the name, equipment, and production space. Starting with a four-color manual press in a 1,500-square-foot-space, Finkelman began to dive into the production end of apparel decoration. Despite a change in ownership, Finkelman says he paid close attention to the family legacy when starting up. “In my beginning years with Fitness Wear, I worked closely with Oren’s family and learned a lot about the great foundation he built,” he adds. “I knew it was a good opportunity for me to take it further.” To build up his clientele, Finkelman continued the company’s existing strengths with team and spirit-wear clients. After a few years of building business up and upgrading equipment, Fitness Wear literally outgrew its surroundings. Finkelman purchased an adjoining space, and the company knocked down the wall to accommodate for expansion. “I’ve been confident in the fact that there’s always people out there that need T-shirts,” says Finkelman. “What really solidified things for me was when I saw customers coming back to place bigger orders.” As his repeat customers continued to bring more orders through the door, Finkelman says he noticed new faces as well. A steady stream of new clients started showing up, all essentially echoing the same sentiment; “we heard about what great work you’ve done for our friends.” Since starting with school athletics, the company has maintained its collegiate base and diversified into variety of markets. Specializing in services like jacket printing has also helped the company stay ahead of the crowd. Looking ahead, Finkelman says he sees even more growth on the horizon. That projection, he says, has a lot to do with his attitude toward long-time clients. “Make your current customers as happy as you can possibly make them, and that will get you another sale.” For more information, visit www.fitness wearinc.com.

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KEEPING IT REAL Finding a way to stay genuine and organic can be difficult in the online world, but it is possible. And for decoration businesses, it’s just as essential as keeping walkin customers happy. Sources recommend an approach that’s similar to what most good business owners do with their inperson customers: stay human and communicative, even when it’s challenging. “Don’t give in to the temptation to gloss over everything that makes you and your shop unique in order to make a uniform and ‘professional’ site,” says Campbell. “There’s no one way to communicate. Humanize yourself online, share who you are, what your shop does outside of producing products, and engage in real conversation via social media.” Both Bowden and Rauen concur, suggesting shops maintain as much of a human element as possible in all aspects of an e-commerce business. This includes full names for each department head in emails, and even personal touches like a headshot in the email signature. When an order is finalized and headed out the door, a short, personalized “thank you” note in the shipping carton is a recommended finishing touch, and occasionally picking up the phone in place of a confirmation email also pads the human element of an online business. By offering clients a positive online experience and bolstering it with excellent backend customer, art, and order fulfillment support, decorators can take their services to people beyond their local market with e-commerce.

FEBRUARY 2018

1/12/18 10:09 AM

Heavy Terry

NEW HVT4397W Heavy Terry Sport Sweatshirt Women XS – L

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LC1026 BOYFRIEND TEE

IF YOU HAD OUR BOYFRIEND, YOU’D NEVER LET IT GO. Our Boyfriend Tee is one of our best sellers. It’s a looser fit for a junior, making it more comfortable. It’s like his tee, but made for her. It’s 4.3 ounces and 100% combed ring-spun cotton. Heathers are 60/40 cotton/polyester, Athletic Heather is 85/15. Plus our enzyme wash process provides superior printability. So get this swag on you.

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