1 Step Self Weeding Color Laser Heat Transfer Paper

Reblogged from Screen Printing Blog: How To Screenprint Tee Shirts:

Here’s a video about a new product made by RhinoTech. I really wish I had a digital thermostat on my heat press because I think it would have helped me out a little in working with this paper but overall I liked the results very much. It’s nice to be able to do a self weeding process in one step rather than having to do the adhesive sheet at a different temperature and the pressing at a higher temperature like most 2 part self weeding…

Read more… 259 more words

An addendum: SingleStep™ is rapidly becoming the most requested heat transfer laser paper due to its natural self-weeding capability that transfers the toner, not the background film; for the fact that a final design appears as if it were screen-printed onto the fabric. And it uses a one sheet process to print on white and light colored t-shirts, hats and other products.   To decorate DARK fabrics, SingleStep™ can be used with Textile Metallic Foil to add texture;the color and design pop. This step offers immediate, value-added highlights.   SingleStep ™ can be used on most color laser copiers or color laser printers (both the older low temperature color laser copiers/printers that use fuser oil and the newer high temperature color laser copiers/printers that do not use fuser oil). It will not work on ink jet printers.   RhinoTech will demonstrate SingleStep ™ at ISS/Long Beach, Jan. 18-20, 2013 on Booth 255. Jonathan Monoco of Catspit Productions will be available to share his experiences with this product and other RhinoTech products/equipment. Contact information: www.rhinotechinc.com info@rhinotechinc.com 888.717.4466 651.686.5027 youtube.com/rhinotechcompany facebook.com/rhinotech twitter.com/rhinomitemn Pinterest rhinoblast.blogspot.com  

HERE’S YOUR FREE REGISTRATION CODE TO ATTEND SGIA/LAS VEGAS from RhinoTech.

See this system and more on BOOTH 4635

 SGIA/Las Vegas Convention Center, 10/18-20/2012

Click here to REGISTER using VIP PASS CODE: 69372

Pre-Show Special! 10% Discount w/on-line order using Code: SGIA101712  on all screen cleaning chemicals including eco-friendly RhinoClean Green², super Haze Remover HR 2800. 

Offer Expires: 10/17/2012

 check out FREE SHIPPING options w/minimum $50 order

888-717-4466

info@rhinotechinc.com

651-686-5027

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A New Blog

Stumbled upon this new blog from Thread Skull. The team that built it says that “this brand new blog is all about amazing artists and designers, showcasing Great T-shirts and art in the theme of Zombies, Skulls, Monsters, Horror and other such works.”

Nice work!

 

A SingleStep™ to Radical Heat Transfer Printing by RhinoTech

RhinoTech has introduced SingleStep, a new heat transfer laser paper. The video demonstrates how fast, easy and incredibly simple it is to use this new system and produce professional “looks like it was screen printed” fabrics.

RhinoTech offers this explanation of SingleStep™ that works as a self-weeding paper. Use a single-sheet process to transfer a solid image without the background. Only the toner with colors that are 30% or darker on the grey scale (the image) transfer, not the background film. The image appears as if it were screen-printed onto the textile.

SingleStep™ can be used on most color laser copiers or color laser printers (both the older low temperature color laser copiers/printers that use fuser oil and the newer high temperature color laser copiers/printers that do not use fuser oil).  SingleStep ™ will not work on ink jet printers. SingleStep ™ can also be used with Textile Metallic Foil to decorate DARK or light fabrics!

RhinoTech has extended the following: a 15% discount – 8/7/2012 using Code: SS8712 with your on-line order @ http://www.rhinotechinc.com. Check out Free Shipping options with a $50 purchase.

Contact information: 888.717.4466, info@rhinotechinc.com; Facebook

More “How to Screen Print” training videos @ youtube.com/rhinotechcompany

 

 

Powerful Business Tools Learned from a Book on Child Rearing

How to handle the irate customer? Check out How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk  by Adel Farber and Elaine Mazlish (the teen version is equally excellent). This bible of child rearing is one of the best non-business books that makes perfect sense in the business world. Read it and you will believe.

One of the best take-aways from the book was how to use the following expressions Uh-huh, Oh, Interesting, Really? I See and Mmm, along with sympathetic silence, during a customer rant. It was astonishing at how powerful these simple little words made it possible to diffuse/resolve a situation with the irate, unreasonable, emotionally charged, often loud, unhappy-and-wanting-justice customer in the calmest, most peaceful way possible. Speaking from experience, these practical tactics (and some appropriately interjected humor) help to restore sanity and harmony in a tough customer/workplace situation. Though we might fantasize about strongly articulating, why you gotta be so mean?, logically, we know that a defensive posture will just be a lose-lose situation. In the end, what we really want is to retain a customer who will remember that we tried hard to solve a problem to his/her satisfaction.

Here is an excerpt from a summary of the book …..The more I move through life and the business world, however, I am struck how the same techniques enhance communication between adults in all aspects of life. This book should also be listed in the Business/Management section. It says all the same things the high-priced consultants say — treat people with respect, do not deny their emotions, state the facts (only) and shut up and listen. This book also talks about giving praise and recognition, which makes it another reason to use it in real life, inside the family AND outside in the “real” world.

Some tips with tactics from the book:

Apologize and Listen. Immediately respond to the customer problem with, You do sound unhappy, my apologies. Let me help you. (or)  I’m so sorry, I want to try and turn this around (or)  if all else fails, It sounds like we owe you an apology.

Then…let the customer talk and respond at intervals with, Oh (or) Interesting (or) Uh huh (or) Really? (or) Mmm (or) I See (non-judgmental words) so that the customer knows you are listening.

Treat people with respect: actively listen, acknowledge with short bursts of Oh (or) Interesting (or) Uh huh (or) Really? (or) Mmm (or) I See. If appropriate, throw in a that does sound frustrating. As the customer is able to air the complaint, he/she should start to calm down.

On the other hand, if the customer is just becoming increasingly angry and/or abusive, try to retain integrity and calm and say something like,  I understand that you’re very unhappy and I want to help you, but at this point I need to put the president of the company on the phone (or) I need to ask for your name and number so that the president of the company can call you back. 

State the facts back: Ask yes or no questions, only, to get the full details  of the complaint. And to reach a resolution. Once you think you  have it, remain sympathetic. State back the problem and resolution. Gain agreement that the resolution you’ve discussed is understood by the customer. Say something like: So that we’re both comfortable (another good word from the book), we’ve decided that our company will fix the equipment and you will pay to have it shipped to our location (or) Just to confirm, you understand the step-by-step set-up instructions and you are now comfortable in completing the set-up?

Thank the person for calling; document the conversation point by point.

And be awed at the huge impact of Oh (or) Interesting (or) Uh huh (or) Really? (or) Mmm (or) I See!

Hope this was helpful. Thanks for reading and subscribing!

How To Photograph Your Screen Printed Tee Shirts 101

Wanted to share this blog by Jonathan at Catspit Productions. It’s well done and answers the question for many of us who are often frustrated with the process. The Catspit Forum is a great place for Q and A.

Thanks for checking out this video and subscribing.

 

 

Sustainable Screen Printing – Motion Toward Functional Harmony.

This small, screen printing shop strives to offer sustainable, fairly-traded t-shirts and other products that are screen printed. Check out their website at www.sustainablescreenprinting.com. It’s a great source with lots of practical information besides showcasing their products and business.

This is their Modus Operandi that is: We print t-shirts! (among other things).

We seek to work with businesses, organizations, musicians, artists, crafts-people and anyone who would like to see their vision become an amazing screen-printed reality. We are here to promote beautiful situations and empowering surroundings for whole living.

Sus•tain: v. 1. To keep in existence; maintain. 2. To supply with necessities or nourishment. 3 To keep from falling or sinking. 4. To support the spirits or resolution of; encourage. 5. To endure or withstand: sustain hardships. [< Latin. sustinere, hold up.]–sus-tain´a•ble adj. -American Heritage Dictionary

Sustainability- “…meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet there own needs.” -1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development

What does it mean to use sustainable practice in screen printing?

Small is Beautiful~ 1st we are a small shop. Being small allows for great efficiency in the use of resources and materials, such as water, electricity, ink, and  other tools of the trade, while still being able to handle large volume orders.

There are several other practices we use to bring our products closer to an ideal of sustainability.

•We use water-based inks, which have a much lower environmental impact than the pvc-based industry standard.

•We print on garments made of 100% certified organic cotton.

•We print on garments that are sweat-free, either American-made or in foreign facilities using fair-trade standards.

This does not mean our products and our process is perfect. We are always researching and tuning our process to provide a product that creates the least possible impact on our home, the Earth.

Hope you enjoyed this information as we all strive to consciously be sensitive to Mother Earth.

 

 

 

A Late Night Blog…

Beware of late night blog attempts to churn out “just one more”  even though you believe that you are at the top of your game despite the fact that you’ve been running on high for the previous 15 hours (with no caffeine – based beverages).  I share this fresh experience and ask that you please re-read,  the MUST DO blog completed in the early hours of 5/23 that now includes the CORRECT link to the American Screen Printing website. Please click HERE to check out this site.

I offer sincere appreciation!

MUST DO!

There is a wonderful publication in Sarasota, Ft. Myers and Naples, Florida, and probably others that are similar throughout the country, that specialize in providing the broadest possible amount of information regarding the local area attractions. “Must Do” targets arts venues, festivals, restaurants, the best beaches (#1 Siesta Key Beach)

natural attractions, family fun, single fun, night life, shopping, accommodations and more. And it includes a plethora of coupons from 2 for 1 meals to rent one kayak, get the second for half price. The publication is a “Must Do” for both tourists, part-time residents and local residents.

So…in the fashion of this magazine, here is a short list of “Must Do” items for screen/graphics printers:

Attend a trade show. This is where you get revved up. Learn about the latest technologies and techniques, see hands-on demos, meet manufacturers, attend seminars at, for example,  ISS/Las Vegas, August 12 – 14, the Chicago/Craft Hobby Association show,July 16 – 19; the NBM show in Philly, September 21-23; SGIA Expo, October 18-20 in Las Vegas.

Invest in becoming educated and involved in Social Media to up your game. Doesn’t matter your age, just get going! Start with Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest, Twitpic, Foursquare, Google+, Orkut. Figure out how to add an e-coupon to your marketing campaign that will help you engage others to learn about what you/your business has to offer.

Learn how to navigate youtube.com and watch hands-on video demos. People love to teach and post on youtube.com/screenprinting and there are plenty of screen/graphics printers out there who relish in sharing their craft and art in step-by-step educational videos or ones that are just plain hysterically funny.

Join a forum such as the one offered by Catspitproductionsllc.com (this site also offers educational videos) and talk to the experts. Reading all the Q and A’s is a great way to figure out how to formulate your own questions, find start-up business equipment and sources for products, screens, supplies, and more.

Join a trade association such as the American Screen Printing Association to read about professional screen/graphics certificate programs, printing techniques, new technology and more.

Research and then institute the use of eco-sensitive, screen cleaning products like RhinoClean Green² to help lessen your carbon footprint on mother earth. The introduction of these types of products into a shop showcases responsible business practices that have enormous advantages for employees and customers, as well.

Read/subscribe to trade publications either on-line or in the printed version. This is where you can receive guidance, read about new printing techniques, learn about all the new innovations on the market. For example, pick from any number of publications such as Sign and Digital Graphics, Impressions Magazine, Printwear, Screen Printing en Espanol. 

Follow/subscribe to this blog and others. You’ll find who/what to follow on Twitter, Facebook and all the other social sites.

Best of luck on your adventure and, as always, thanks for reading and subscribing.

Screen Printing and Pinterest

The question is: why should screen and graphic printers participate in ?

Simple put…because Pinterest is a gold mine of ideas, a prime place to display your creative genius, another avenue in which to engage and exchange with others in the screen and graphics printing worlds, to maybe even sell some of your t-shirts, hats, hoodies, pillows, invitations and more to new clients you’ve gained as a result of your involvement (pillow screen printed by Emily Chushman, Living Room Board via Pinterest).

To join, however, you must first be invited. Once you’ve been invited per email, its NBD to begin.Just follow the prompts and read everything to ensure frustration-free Board creations. Site creation begins with a series of Boards that showcase your company’s screen printing work and/or, for example, community events you’re involved in, travel, art,  adventures, fashion, fair trade clothing, architecture. From your boards, you can view all types of sites and “repin” other photos from Pinterest that pique your interest to your boards. Slowly, your repertoire will be constructed and your step into this new world of liking/repinning will evolve into fresh e-social circles. It’s motivating, too.

Uno Estudio is a great example of how this company is using Pinterest. The company has a board that displays grafica (that gives credit to the artists  – # 1 in etiquette). It also has one titled Screen Print complete with a video, a small screen printing project and more. RhinoTech recently had its RhinoBond Crystal, an adhesive catering to craftsters, jewelery-makers and hobbyists, repinned from its Jewelery Board to another jewelery designers board. And the 300 people following her will now have the opportunity to read about this product and …. on it goes from there.

This excerpt from a New York Times article, Drilling Down: What Small Businesses Should Know about Pinterest, helps answer the initial question:

Q: How do you determine if Pinterest may be right for your business?

A: Can you answer yes to these questions: One, do you have, or can you create, interesting and sharable content on your Web site? Two, do you have products to sell that can be presented visually? Three, are you willing to devote the time that it takes to market on Pinterest? Businesses are lured into social media marketing because it’s free. But the primary investment in social media marketing is time, not money. If you are not willing to devote the time to Pinterest, or any other social media, it’s not right for your business. It must be a scheduled business activity, just like opening the doors or doing payroll.

Be bold and may you reap intense exposure.

Thanks for reading and liking this!

Map invitations courtesy of Carisa Lee via Pinterest.