Trying to point a friend in the right direction.

[Nick Bane]

So im trying to help a friend who hasnt had much of any experience in other shops.  He wants to start stepping up his game and moving his business forward and not just be another "guy down the street who prints shirts".   So im posting this pic to see what would happen in other shops if any of you guys were to find this in your shop.  thanks for chiming in.

This is the white and black plastisol by the press.

[Nick Bane]

would this fly in your shop?  what would you do if you were to find this in your shop?  thanks.

[Gilligan]

I called my guy in to see this.  He has only been printing for a year and is admittedly sloppy and feels like if he LOOKS at plastisol, even from across the room, it will be on him.  He walked in my office and admittedly blurted out "HOLY CRAP!"  which was followed up with "Who's shop is that?!" and "I thought I was bad!"  He ended it with walking away saying "That is disgusting".

Let me also remind you that I just talked to him about our possible new shop and how it will be kept UBER clean and his reaction was "That is why we have Amber"  She was a friend of theirs that came in and did some house keeping stuff every day for a while but hasn't had the time to do it any more.  So he's certainly NOT a neat freak and our ink area isn't that great... granted we are in a TIGHT spot here, but to me, all the more reason!

I had to spot out a HUGE 3"x3" smudge of black in on a white shirt that was in a stack the other day... we both still don't know how it happened and can't find the source.

Hopefully that answers your question in a round about way.

[Frog]

I also agree that this is disgraceful. I also wondered if you had sneaked in to my place and snapped that pic especially since my new dog seems very dedicated to his security position.

[ebscreen]

I've seen huge shops that were filthy gross. Like "how do you get a single shirt in here, printed, and back out without
covering it in ink" gross. But they pumped product out all day every day. Not that it's right, just that it happens.

But yeah, that wouldn't fly here. We're not "eat off the ink room floor" clean but somewhere in between.

To be fair, we're working with highly pigmented and viscous thermoplastics that don't dry.

[3Deep]

You can look at that two ways this guy is F'ing busy and ain't got time to clean or he just don't give a rip and rolls with it...my shop isn't the cleanest but I try to curve the mess I make.

D
I'll also learn to always close or put a cap on your ink buckets unless you let it full of lint and dust, and there ain't a screen print shop in the world that do not have to control lint and dust

[dirkdiggler]

I own and paid for everything at my shop, so there is NO WAY I would let this fly.  We run a pretty tight ship over here.

[balloonguy]

I hate to admit it but we have been there, maybe worse... I have started a clean as you policy because it was out of control. We just get so slammed sometimes. I have a small crew and we have some months that are 25+ days that are 18 hours or more in a row. Sometimes that half hour of sleep is too valuable.

[tpitman]

You can look at that two ways this guy is F'ing busy and ain't got time to clean or he just don't give a rip and rolls with it...my shop isn't the cleanest but I try to curve the mess I make.

D

Reminds me of my old man's offset shop when I was in college. It got cleaned when it got moved. I asked him why his was such a mess when quick-print operations had nice places, and he said the clean shops weren't so busy.

[Sbrem]

I've been there, but it wouldn't be there for long. Sometimes you gotta do something else, but I wouldn't go home with that there.

Steve

[Nick Bane]

Thanks for the comments.  Now we'll see if they make a difference.  Keep em comin too, thanks!

[mk162]

the problem with messy shops is they slow you down.  when you have to stop and clean your hands before you touch shirts, how much time is that saving over keeping the ink knives clean in the first place?  Same with buckets?  I get livid when the outsides of my buckets are inked up.  It's carelessness, pure and simple.

[Evo]

I'm slowly, slowly getting my half of the shop clean at my new job. Well new as in 4 months. It was a lint and ink covered hell hole when I started.

If it were up to me, the place would be German laboratory clean. I use to mop my entire shop every month. The screen room once a week.


That pic...well if it were my shop and someone treated it like that: fired. Instantly.

[alan802]

Not gonna fly in my shop.  We've been extremely busy the last few months so our shop is not very clean compared to the past, lot's of lint on heads 1 and 10, lint everywhere really .  We usually have an hour or so on Friday afternoon once a month to mop the floor and wipe down the press but those opportunities are getting fewer.  Ink messes get cleaned up as we go.  Nothing worse than getting ink contamination in the white bucket...furiousness.

[Get Shirts]

I'm with Alan, no amount of busy could excuse that mess.