Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 29

Michael Wright, co-owner of Signworx and MEWStar Designs,
exemplifies that blend of determination and imagination that only
entrepreneurs have. He once took apart the shop's AnaJet MP5i DTG
printer to install a platen for printing Converse shoes.

and then I'd put out a flyer to them and they'd contact us.
They'd bring us what the screen printer did, and they were
disappointed in the fact that they weren't able to get the same
colors." With DTG, the limitations are very few, Wright adds.
"'What does your logo look like? I can print it exactly like that.'
"My selling point is to try and help people understand that
I can do as many colors as they want on just 10 shirts," Wright
says. Signworx's average run size is about 20 shirts today, and
orders of less than 10 are common. The day he spoke with
Screen Printing, Wright was working on one run of six and another of 22 for the same client, a tractor-puller who was looking
for a proof of concept that he could sell his own line of T-shirts.
Another job in the works was an order of five women's shirts
and three onesies. Disney vacations and family get-togethers
are huge drivers for orders of that size, Wright says.
Of course, big T-shirt orders will always exist, business no
shop wants to simply turn down. Wright learned that it pays
to have good business relationships. He refers large orders to
a local screen printer that, in turn, farms out pesky short runs
back to Signworx.
One trick to managing a direct-to-garment business is
thinking about inventory in a different way. Signworx doesn't
keep many shirts stocked onsite - just a selection of random
sizes and colors, Wright says. It's a thought that might terrify
many a traditionalist, or raise alarm about turnaround times,
but Signworx ships most orders out in just three days. The
request comes in; they order the blanks, which are delivered
the next day. Day Two is for pretreatment; Day Three, the
order is printed and shipped.
What happens when someone needs shirts, today? That's
where being willing to go the extra mile is an essential part
of the Signworx business model. It's rare, but Wright cites a
recent example: "I had an email at 7 o'clock in the morning
saying 'We need shirts now'" from a group running a 5K. The
team was able to run down to the local A.C. Moore, pick up
15 shirts, and print and deliver them by 6 p.m. "Now," Wright
says, "we have a client that's definitely happy and is going to
be coming back to us."
The on-demand mentality also helps keep the machine
busy - which in the world of DTG decoration, also means
clog-free. Signworx has become something of a beacon for
new DTG users, hosting YouTube videos on AnaJet's website
and representing the supplier at tradeshows. But they built
their expertise on trial and error. One weeklong vacation and
a clogged white printhead was enough to teach the essential
lesson of direct-to-garment: Maintenance is a must. Wright
says they run the machine every other day at a minimum.

june/july 2017

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