Impressions - May 2019 - 25

it was up to her to print orders, which included lots of trial and error.
Always humble, Moore admits part of being successful is learning from mistakes. Clearly, it works because her shop prints on all
kinds of difficult substrates, and also uses mostly water-based ink.
Moore says she loves printing and tries to make time once a month
to intensely focus on honing her craft. She revels in the efficiency
of laying ink down and creating something with her own hands,
and she's proud that her journey has led her from knowing nothing
about decorating, to now being able to crank out good-looking shirts.

Dominic Rosacci
Superior Ink Printing,
Denver

Rosacci has been screen printing since high school - 12 years and
counting - and he still loves it. Running one of the more eco-friendly
shops in the country, he probably is the most aware of what isn't green
in his shop and our industry, at large. He knows his business is far from
perfect but has the drive to continuously improve it.
Rosacci is driven by his ambition to be ethical in his printing methods and sourcing practices. "Inspiration fuels creation," he says, noting
that pushing forward on the ethical front attracts good employees who
care about the business which, in turn, attracts dedicated customers.
Like many young printers, he started as a snowboard and skateboard

enthusiast. He established his own brand, Neovolt, and contracted
out the printing, but was driven to learn more about the process.
Rosacci eventually started his own shop in 2010.
He never wants to stand still and can be found experimenting
with discharge bases and plastisol top prints. One of his favorite
projects is Allmade, which manufactures T-shirts that are ethically
produced by workers making a living wage in Haiti. Rosacci says the
initiative is pushing the industry toward more ethical production,
which stokes his motivation.

Stephen Till

ASPS (A Small Print Shop),
Denver
In 2004, Till decided to stop touring with bands. Needing a creative
outlet that he could pursue from home, he got a kit and started printing shirts in his basement. He went through many years of intense
trial and error, often quitting after failures, then getting drawn back
in after thinking about ways to overcome the challenges.
Till eventually got better and pushed through moments of lamentation, he admits. The experience forged someone who now loves
what he does.
His "small" shop features two automatic screen-printing presses,
and he invests in technology and systems to crank out orders with a
small staff. Till may be more into
technology than some printers, but
This design, printed by Superior Ink
he realizes he is in the vanguard
Printing, includes a discharge base,
of an industry that sees directplastisol overprint and metallic ink.
Despite being a big image, it's not overly to-screen (DTS) technology in
heavy, says Dominic Rosacci. small shops and investments in
software for customer service and
scheduling.
"I love printing, particularly
hands-on [printing]," Till says.
"There's something so satisfying
about it."
In the past 18 months, he has
been focused on making beautiful
presentations so that not only do
customers know what they're getting, but he also can sell them on
making better shirts. He also has
successfully experimented with multiple printing techniques, including
discharge underbases (for softness)
paired with plastisol overprints (for
color brightness and accuracy.) 
Rick Roth is the owner of Mirror Image,
a company known for decorating innovation, promotion of charitable work
and ethical standards. He is the publisher of inkkitchen.com, a social-media
company that provides free information
on apparel decoration. He also hosts
Shop Talk sessions at the Imprinted
Sportswear Shows. For more information or to comment on this article,
email Rick at rick@inkkitchen.com.
MAY 2019

P.25

http://www.inkkitchen.com

Impressions - May 2019

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