Impressions - August/September 2021 - 32
t hink .
mak e .
d o.
SHOP TALK
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Printing the Dream
Justin Vu is a 'screen-printing jack of all trades'
who's on a mission to build a legacy.
BY DUSTIN SHRADER, MANAGING EDITOR
A lot can be said for hard work, a concept with which Justin Vu is
all too familiar. A first-generation Vietnamese American, he was
raised in Southern California by his single mom, who moved to
the United States despite not speaking English or knowing any
of the nation's customs.
" I think I received a lot of my work ethic and resilience from her,
in that regard, " Vu says. " Currently, I own a one-man screen-printing
shop in Huntington Beach, California. I've had the business
for about four years now, and I don't have any intentions on
stopping anytime soon. "
The Grind
At age 20, after returning to college following a brief hiatus, Vu
started working at a local print shop. During this time, he was
desperately trying to decide what he wanted to pursue in life.
" I kept hearing about this magical thing called a 'passion' and
how you'll never work a day in your life if you can find it, " Vu
says. " Eventually, I figured out you don't simply just find that
After starting California Shirtsmiths,
Justin Vu opened the shop's doors
with a rock 'n' roll edge in Huntington
Beach, California.
type of stuff. You must develop it. There
were many points where I thought about
quitting and looking for a regular [day job].
It took me four years of blindly running
my business to be able to safely say that I
would rather do nothing else in the world. "
The owner of the shop in which Vu
worked was a young, Vietnamese selfstarter
whom Vu greatly admired for creating
something for himself. Watching the
entrepreneur run a stable print shop led
Vu to his own passion.
" I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, "
he says. " I wasn't even sure if I completely
enjoyed doing it. I didn't know how to
talk to clients, how to create a pricing
chart, how to design graphics or any of
the things that are essential to a standard
screen-printing business. All I knew was
how to print very basic designs and the
fact that I didn't want to work for someone
else for the rest of my life. "
After parting ways with his boss, Vu took
his basic screen-printing knowledge and
ultimately started his shop, California
Shirtsmiths. With the new business, Vu
leaned into his own unique style and continued
his journey to perfect CMYK-process
prints.
" It has more or less changed the entire
way I approach every single aspect of screen
printing, such as film output; mesh and
screens; emulsion; ink; printing technique;
etc., " Vu says. " At this point, for the first
time in my life, I felt like I had a sense
of direction and I was ready to make it. "
The Shirtsmith
Currently, California Shirtsmiths is one
of the only small screen-printing shops in
the Huntington Beach area using a manual
press to offer high-quality process prints.
P.32
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Impressions - August/September 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - August/September 2021
Impressions - August/September 2021 - CT1
Impressions - August/September 2021 - CT2
Impressions - August/September 2021 - Cover1
Impressions - August/September 2021 - Cover2
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 1
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 2
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 3
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 4
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 5
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 6
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 7
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 8
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 9
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 10
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 11
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 12
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 13
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 14
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 15
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 16
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 17
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 18
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 19
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 20
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 21
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 22
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Impressions - August/September 2021 - 24
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 25
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 26
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 27
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 28
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 29
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 30
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 31
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 32
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 33
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 34
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 35
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 36
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 37
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 38
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Impressions - August/September 2021 - 47
Impressions - August/September 2021 - 48
Impressions - August/September 2021 - Cover3
Impressions - August/September 2021 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202012
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019fall
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201809
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201806
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20170607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20160607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20150607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201503
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20140607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014spring
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_sportsfanretailer_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20131011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20130607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20121011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20120809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_20120607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_teamspirit_2012spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201202
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