by Michael Best | Aug 31, 2023 | General interest
I received a marketing email yesterday that got me wondering why I don’t see Canadian textile screen printers using email for marketing. If you’re already doing so, feel free to put me on your mailing list and I’ll give you some coverage. If I were in the market for what they’re offering, I would have been curious enough to contact them.
Anyway, here is that email (with identifying details and link removed); perhaps it will spark an idea . . .
Greetings,
I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out from Eon Sports based out of New York. We produce all kinds of custom sublimated team apparel for all sports. We own 2 factories in South Asia and can produce any type of garment. All our products are 100% customizable. Our team has complete fabric knowledge and size expertise. Our products can be totally customized with your logos, designs, and color combination.
Our team have complete fabric knowledge and size expertise of producing all kinds of team uniforms – Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Football, Flag Football, 7v7, Lacrosse, Soccer, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Track, Wrestling, Rugby, Cycling, Cheerleading and Cricket team Uniforms.
Note: We will also provide you free designing services for the mockups.
Thank you for your time, and we look forward to hearing from you soon. Wishing you well!
Please click here for: Product Catalog
Regards,
Team Xxxxx Sports
Contact: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
XXth St, Xxxxxxxx,,
XX XXXXX, United States
by Michael Best | Aug 28, 2023 | General interest
Spot cleaning. Sooner or later even the most careful of textile printers needs to do it. In fact I’ve known printers try to remove entire prints in an attempt to recover garments – but that is another story for another day.
A few years ago Tekmar posted one of the best spot-cleaning instructional videos you’ll see. I don’t have to add anything at all, except that it’s worth visiting again, so click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugKrRK1X–k
If you need more information or need any of the equipment shown in the video, any one of the Stanley’s branches can help: Cambridge at 1 877 205 9218; Calgary at 1 800 661 1553; Edmonton at 1 888 424 7446; and Richmond at 604 873 2451
by Michael Best | Aug 24, 2023 | General interest
Local authority Health and Safety inspectors, or whatever they call them where your screen shop is located, can cause you headaches. This is especially so if they find that you have not been maintaining your MSDS sheets properly.
Proper maintenance of MSDS sheets means not only having them for all the inks, emulsions and chemicals that you use in your shop, but also making sure that they are current. A good start would be to have a binder for the MSDS of each brand of product that you use (e.g. one for Wilflex, one for Ulano etc.) and arranging them by product number within the brand binders. Once you have it set up in this way, maintenance of the binders is relatively easy.
Better manufacturers not only have current MSDS available for their products but also have them available for downloading from their web sites. Those that cannot be obtained directly from a manufacturer’s web site can be obtained by a quick call to Stanley’s.
Now might be a good time to check your MSDS records. Make it a project. Even during busy times someone in the shop may have spare time here and there to work on this project. You don’t need an inspector driving you crazy when you are under the gun to get orders out of the door.
Any one of the Stanley’s four branches across Canada can help you with obtaining an MSDS if you are unable to download it from a manufacturer’s web site. You can call: Cambridge at 1 877 205 9218; Calgary at 1 800 661 1553; Edmonton at 1 888 424 7446; and Richmond at 604 873 2451.
by Michael Best | Aug 21, 2023 | General interest
You or your staff could be working away for the shop for any number of reasons. It could be just a regular work-from-home arrangement, a business trip, or a vacation (though nobody should work on vacation, but that’s another topic for another day).
If anyone is going to go online while away from the shop, there are a number of precautions to take, or at least consider, depending upon the circumstances:
- Ensure your devices are pass-word protected and have the latest security updates installed.
- Secure your home network.
- Use a VPN if you’re out and about using public Wi-Fi networks.
- Be aware of phishing attempts that tend to be more numerous during holiday periods.
- Install a security suite on your laptop. It should include antivirus, anti-malware, and firewall protection.
- Backup your data regularly.
- Use encrypted messaging apps, particularly if you’re sharing sensitive information.
- Avoid public charging stations.
- Use a password manager; it’s easier than relying on your memory when out and about.
You can’t be too careful in today’s online environment.
by Michael Best | Aug 17, 2023 | General interest
Here we go again! But in the next few lines I could be saving you many hours, thousands of dollars, and a lot of anxiety.
Just a month ago I posted a suggested 8-step emergency plan.
In light of the tragic and destructive fires in Yellowknife, Kelowna, and few other places even as I’m writing this, please, please, scroll down and read it.
And then do it!
by Michael Best | Aug 14, 2023 | General interest
So let’s say that you’re considering DTG printing but you’re not sure of of everything you should be taking into account. After all, it’s a big and expensive step if you’re considering anything more than a basic desktop printer.
You have research to do and should be consulting well-informed people other than the guy trying to sell you the equipment, for obvious reasons. In the meantime and for starters, here are some of the considerations objective experts will bring to your attention:
- The machine’s productivity
- Warranties
- After sales service
- The chemistry of the ink and whether it meets the regulations under which you operate
- The cost of ink waste
- Consumable costs
- Printable area
- Platen options
- Machine footprint versus the workspace you have available
- The need for additional equipment for example, for drying prints
- Power requirements for the printer and additional equipment
- The application of pre-treatment
- How white ink is managed, given it’s troublesome nature
That’s a good start. But it needs much more research before you jump in boots and all.
