Op-Ed

The Great Depression had a major impact on the screenprinting technologies. At a time when some 25% of people were without jobs, they were introduced to screenprinting posters produced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Programs. The Poster Program introduced screenprinting to millions of people and it extended around the world.

Soon, according to scientists from IIT Delhi and others we may have a fabric that can be washed with sunlight. The drudgery of laundering clothing...

I love stories. I love that Mister Rogers used to say, “It’s hard not to like someone once you know their story.” At the end...

A recent blog discussed what the author called the “Expert Opinion”. The author claimed that screenprinting was not a formula, that perhaps we might be...

I have met some amazing and interesting people in my life, and had some truly wonderful and intelligent conversations with them. However, one of my...

Screenprinting is very much like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece must fit perfectly with the next. And, if you lose just one piece you can never have a complete finished project that is admired.

In the screenprinting industry, we are in the reproduction business and we should be able to reproduce our best efforts time after time. However, in fact, for many this is impossible. They cross their fingers each time a job to press. One shop that I visited has a full sized statue of Jesus mounted on the wall above their press, hoping that His presence will look over the job on the press! However, it is not necessary to go to such extremes to guarantee your success.

As screenprinters, we often rely on our intuitions to help us make decisions. And while intuitions have some basis in business, we must look a little deeper. In business, it’s quantification – the numbers – that prove (or disapprove) our feelings. Quantification fuels innovation!

All too often, debates continue until both sides are dead! Or, at least until one gives up. The Internet flourishes with debates on every issue imaginable and the novice forums are ripe for those who care to join in and lose!