Impressions - January/February 2024 - 39

One of the best things about mobile
decorating is it can be done from
anywhere, including outside! Photo
courtesy of Barrel Maker
Live printing is a great way
to connect with clients. Photo
courtesy of Barrel Maker
Live printing is ideal for any
event, baby showers, kids'
parties, you name it! Photo
courtesy of Barrel Maker
since opening their doors in 2009, Barrel
Maker now has hubs all over the United
States ready to bring their fun-filled mobile
printing to any event.
" We have activations consistently each
week all over the country, " says Moore.
" There are a ton of unique events and ways
to decorate apparel, making it a great fit for
a wide variety of events. "
For anyone looking to expand their brick
and mortar with mobile decorating, Moore
says there are great benefits to be had. He
suggests setting up outside your shop before
venturing out into the public to work
out any kinks. Once you are fully prepared
with the proper supplies and equipment,
the next step is to hit the road.
" For the decorator the main benefit is
exposure, " Moore says. " If you are a company
that offers live printing as a core business,
then getting out there increases the amount
of people who know about you. Or if you
are a screen-printing company, then printing
at a local street fair might be a good way to
put yourself out there. Just keep in mind
that if you are printing for another brand
you don't want to steal their thunder with
too much shameless self-promotion. For
the consumer it's a good way to get to pick
from various designs, ensure you get the
size or color you want, view an interesting
process, and support small businesses. "
Of course, as convenient as mobile printing
is, it doesn't come without its possible
snafus. Limitations arise in what you can
offer onsite compared to the bigger machinery
living in your shop. Crowd sizes
and want and demand are important factors
especially when it comes to staying organized
and prepared for the particulars of
each individual event. Barrel Maker burns
its screens prior with very little tolerance
since the presses have very little wiggle
room. Moore says it is highly important to
have a thorough list of everything needed,
as well as what each team member's specific
role is during the event.
" Since we are doing events all over the
country on a weekly basis, we've customized
equipment to be more portable and easier
to ship, " says Moore. " Shipping equipment
is extremely expensive and often impacts
the life of the equipment greatly. It's hard
to ship out presses and have them come
back unscathed. Also, flights and hotels add
up fast. If you aren't a company that sells
live printing as a core service, it makes the
most sense to stick to your local area within
a 50-mile radius. You can load equipment
and supplies into a van and really put in
that extra care in padding and protection.
Don't forget to bring a dolly! "
After figuring out what works best for
Barrel Maker's business model, the company
now works with customized equipment that
has been modified for seamlessly setting up
onsite without tools. " For a screen-printing
press we can setup in about 10 minutes. That
said, our presses aren't great at multi-color
printing because we sacrificed some of the
heavy-duty qualities in exchange for ease
of travel. Because of that, it definitely helps
to use high meshes and one layer of ink,
so that you can effectively cure garments
faster in less time. " 
Stay tuned for Part 2 as we travel to visit Equipment Zone and
STAHLS' for all things digital decorating and heat pressing.
Jan./Feb. 2024
P.39
Impressions - January/February 2024

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