How did you......

[Denis Kolar]

.....end up in this business, which equipment did you start with and how much did you invest in it.

I have seen a few posts like this in another thread and I kind of decided to stat up a separate thread.

I started doing graphic/web design 5 years ago. Went to order a few embroidered shirts with my logo where I got the idea about adding the embroidery to my business. After I bought a house (with a basement) I purchased new single head Tajima with software (13.5K). That have been going good since the beginning for a single head shop.
Last year, after a few outsourced jobs, I decided to look into screen printing. In January of this year I completed my shop:
Antec Legend 6/4 (1993) in great condition, Antec Auto flash, Atlas 824 conveyor, Nuarc 40-1K Mercury exposure unit, homemade washout booth, Epson 1100
All of that for around $4250

[mk162]

My dad started printing in our garage in 1985.  I was 5, shortly after, I would help him clean the shop..sweeping and picking up the tissues that were in a lot of the shirts back then.  I worked here through my summers, and then started full time in 1999 and then bought the place 9 years later.

[tonypep]

Started in 1981 as an artist.....six months later the oval broke down so I fixed it. Next thing you know I'm the production manager.

[mk162]

HAHA, tony, that is so true.  Once they find out you can do something, you become "that" guy.  Thankfully in order to be effective in small businesses, you MUST be diversified.  I know that we don't have room for an employee that will only do 1 thing.  We touched on this with the cross training thing in another post.

I started at the very bottom.  In the beginning I wasn't allowed to clean screens or even fold shirts.  I was strictly a janitor...an unpaid janitor.  Crap, who am I kidding, I am still unpaid, my business card just has a better title. 

[GraphicDisorder]

Started with Web/Graphic Design many moons ago, had a notion to try screen printing.  Bought a crappy Ebay 1 station 4 color press.  Used it to print for just a few customers that knew we had it.  Added a single head Embroidery machine.

In 08 bought a full Vastex shop and added a 2 head embroidery machine, in 2011 we added all the M&R equipment. 

[Frog]

The short version.
back in '69, I took art courses at Merritt College on Oakland including Lithography, and "Silk Screening" We learned continuous design on yardage with hand held screens made with hand cut stencils (and touche resist and other similar artsy-fartsy techniques.)
Soon after, I got a job as the grunt in a flat stock shop.
Next school stint was graphic arts and I was introduced to camera. That turned into a short temporary gig at Rolling Stone during their move to New York, followed by a return to the same flat stock shop, now as both screen grunt and camera grunt.
Laid off, next came a much smaller and more fun flat stock shop. More fun because I did a little of everything, including printing both on a clamshell press, and one-armed squeegees on large pieces.

Good position opened up as a Union die stamper (engraver) for the next seven years, and when laid off, returned to screen printing, though this time around in apparel. First at a sporting goods-uniform shop, and then, at Andy's in Concord CA (the hot Rod king), ironically, once again, mostly as the grunt, but this time, at pressman's wages and full medical again! lol! He was tired of undependable youngn's who slowed down production with their hungover tardiness and absences. My boss recognized what is actually a very important position. Without clean screens, the cool shirts don't get printed. I, once again was reminded of the importance of  the seemingly menial tasks.

Bored silly, I started Frog Prints on the side, with my boss's approval and help, and when his accountant finally convinced him that he couldn't afford me, I was now available to answer my phone full time, and Frog Prints almost automatically really took off. I was the guy who filled the niche of small jobs and rush jobs that the larger shops didn't want or couldn't handle. Got lots of referrals  for just that. And the rest, as they say, is history.

My first equipment was an original steel head Hopkins 4/1 with no micros. Drying was with a four foot Ranar Scamp.

[Sbrem]

I needed a job back in '72, looked through the newspaper, and saw an ad that read "come learn our screen printing operation" $2.10 per hour. I ran a line of machines that produced vinyl telephone covers with advertising on them. Printed and die cut in line. After a few weeks (I always wanted to be a musician, and was  working at it then) when I realized I really like graphics, and maybe this would be better than playing in a bar for the rest of my life. I left to play music full time, starved, and went to work as a printer for one of the guys who left my first place to start a t-shirt business, and then artist and screenmaker. Stayed for 18 years, learned computer work on my own by going in on Saturdays and learning on my own time so I could teach the art dept., before getting the current place going with my partner, and we've been official, that is we incorporated, in '92. From 600 square feet with crap 4c machine to 8000 square feet with an MHM 10/12, and old Gauntlet S that just won't die, a Rototex 8c for manual work and couple of spare manuals rigged for those special projects.

Steve

I gotta start using paragraphs...

[mjrprint]

Graduated high school and needed a job. My friend worked here and got me an interview. I was 18 then 32 now. Started pulling a squeegee when there was one manual press  and now am production manager. We now have 4 autos and 5 manuals. Also two 6 head embroidery machines, one 8 head, and 2 lazers. Place has been flooded out twice and burnt down once. Its been a looonnngg road.

[3Deep]

I got in the biz with the help of Nike, started out being a T-shirt broker, then bought a shop full of equipment from a lady getting out the biz for 1,600 dollars.  Slowly ugraded to a 6 color manual, then single head embroidery machine next automatic press.  Thought I would keep it short no one wants to read my long mistyped out story one more thing we started back in 96 man some of you cats are young.

[Scobey Peterman]

My Dad has hand printed sign for over 50 years now.  When I was about 4 or 5 I would help him screen print on paper.  It was so much fun.

In 1988 we opened this shop. A local cut & sew place needed a printer and I needed a job.

Drove to Atlanta to a show and bought 13k worth of eqpt.  Been doing it ever since.

The local cut & sew went out of business about 6.5 years ago but we will keep on trucking.

[Sbrem]

I got in the biz with the help of Nike, started out being a T-shirt broker, then bought a shop full of equipment from a lady getting out the biz for 1,600 dollars.  Slowly ugraded to a 6 color manual, then single head embroidery machine next automatic press.  Thought I would keep it short no one wants to read my long mistyped out story one more thing we started back in 96 man some of you cats are young.

yeah, like you guys that started in '96...

Steve

[RICK STEFANICK]

I started back in 1980 running a progress cylinder press. I took the job because after set-up I could basicly watch it run for hours and that allowed me to continue smoking wxxd thruout the day. then I realized i loved this business and started printing apparel back in 89'.

[jsheridan]

When I was 15 (1986), I printed 72 Grateful Dead - Steal your face shirts on the dining room table with Speedball inks, and hand cut film on hand stretched screens. I went to the show a week later, sold every shirt at 20 bucks a pop.

At the end of the summer, I got a job in a real shop and now I'm posting about it 25 yrs later.

[Nation03]

Guess I'm the youngest one here. Started when I was 17 (5ish years ago). My high school teacher got me a job at a local shop. Saved up enough cash to get a small shop in my basement. My story is still in the prologue stage... I'm getting some decent work from home and I still work at the shop I've been at since high school which I might take over in a few years. We'll see.

[BeerCityInc]

I took print shop in high school and loved screen printing. Worked at some job i hated for 15 years and left there, investe roughly 90k into the shop i have now. i have an  m and r 8/10, fusion four panel, ingersoll rand 110 gallon 15 horse compressor, 2000 square feet of shop space, graphtec ce5000 plotter, hotronix fusion heat press, and some other random stuff.