screen printing > Newbie

Still a Newbie (Just made it to 3 years)

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Screened Gear:
I just made it to the 3 year mark. I can’t believe I have been doing this for 3 years. I started out knowing nothing about printing shirts. I didn’t even know what a shirt printing press looked like. I burned my screens with a 500W shop light for the first year and a half. 13 minutes per screen is a long time. I slowly bought new equipment as I had the money. I worked in 113 degrees in the summer in my 2.5 car garage. (I’m in Arizona) I had a minimum of 6 shirts when I started. A 100 shirt order was a big deal then.

Now 3 years later and I burn screens in 30 seconds and own one of the best auto presses on the market. I work out of a really nice 2800 square foot shop. Now even a 500 shirt order does not surprise me. I have everything paid off because of amazing deals I got on my equipment.  I am still a one man operation. I still feel like I need to learn a ton more. (A Man that feels like he knows everything has given up.)

Here is to the next 3 years.

jason-23:
Good for you! I wish I could say the same, still stuck in the garage but it is ok for now.

alan802:
I'm on my 5th year.  The first year I was just a reclaimer and dryer bitch, the second year I was just trying to keep our head above water and printing the only way I knew how and get jobs out the door.  I've always been lucky enough to have good equipment to work with.  The past 3 years I have tried to move our shop into the upper crust of print shops in town and I've tried to soak up as much as I can about the process.  The first year I was printing was a nightmare, I didn't know anything but what I had seen from the other side of the shop.  I did spend some time trying to learn things but that year was basically a wash when it comes to growing as a printer.  I know I've learned a lot over the past 3 years, but I've got way more to learn to become a master printer.  Our first printer that was here when I started had been printing for over 20 years, he was one of the most respected printers in town and it took me about a year to surpass his quality and printing knowledge so this industry will give what you put into it that's for sure.  Some people just figure out how to get ink to stick to a shirt and with enough quality that the person will pay for it and that's it, but "I ain't ever satisfied", I want to be the best at what I do. 

blue moon:
funny you say that. I will be at three years in about a week or two. The difference is we spent about $25k out of pocket and another $50k worth of loans to get going. So totally different approach and they both seem to work well. As Alan said, it can be done (but damn it is a lot of work).

CONGRATS!

Screened Gear:
It is true you get what you work for in this industry. It’s not easy. I have to say it’s more fun to buy stuff then to do the day to day printing/business stuff. I love finding a deal. Three years is not really that long. But if you try to improve every day you can get somewhere. Alan made a good point you can stop getting better at anytime. It’s the guys that keep trying to get better that make it. Experience is not measured by years in my book. Experience is measured by performance. I hope everyone has a good year.

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