Light-reflecting screen print image printed by Riley Hopkins using International Coatings OptiLux ink. This really popped when the flash hit the t-shirt. Great work Riley and Valerie!
One refrain heard over and over from folks I spoke with at the SGIA show was “I’m looking for something MORE, something new, something different, my customers are asking for something more….” Pushed by their customers, garment decorators are demanding more variety, more detail, more colors, more choices, better artwork from us. They want to see what suppliers are doing to take screen printing and other forms of garment decoration to the next level. Speaking of taking things to the next level, my good friend and industry colleague Riley Hopkins and his wife Valerie surprised me with an amazing t-shirt. It was screen printed with International Coatings OptiLux ink and featured artwork of the Meisenhelder classic car that recently won second place in its class at the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach. Riley and Valerie were there at Pebble Beach with me and they thought it would make a great motif for a t-shirt. I was very impressed with the rendition of the artwork, the detail and the way the ink reflected the light. Without the flash, the print just looks like a light grey shimmer ink. Once light hits it, well, you can see what happens!
Here is a photo of the shirt that was taken without a flash. See the difference in the way the ink looks? Fantastic.
I have MORE photos and MORE to tell you about what folks were excited about at the SGIA and what you are going to have to consider when planning for your printing needs in the upcoming months. There was a huge thirst for knowledge and people were purchasing the equipment and supplies they realized they didn’t have in order to meet the changing demands of their customers…remember, the ones who are requesting MORE colors, MORE detail, MORE options and MORE flexibility from their suppliers. I’ve got MORE pictures and stories on what GroupeSTAHL is doing to provide customers with that “something more” they are looking for…like ExactPrint laser transfer paper, CAD-CUT H2O and much MORE! (hope I didn’t overdo it on the MORE theme).