I THINK IVE LOST IT

[jason-23]

1000 shirts on a manual by myself, two color front one color back. I started at 6:30 this morning, due to the heat, and stopped for lunch at 12 and  realized that im half way through the 1000 shirts and i really wasnt moving fast just keeping a good flow going. I was not looking foward to this job either but now im thinking its not that bad but i sure wish i had an auto.

[sweetts]

Been there

Sent  from samsung gem(the worst smart phone ever)

[Screened Gear]

1000 shirts on a manual by myself, two color front one color back. I started at 6:30 this morning, due to the heat, and stopped for lunch at 12 and  realized that im half way through the 1000 shirts and i really wasnt moving fast just keeping a good flow going. I was not looking foward to this job either but now im thinking its not that bad but i sure wish i had an auto.

White shirts? You can print fast on a manual its just the wear and tear that makes the last 500 shirts suck, well and the next day.

[JBLUE]

Thats why you contract that out. Then it leaves all that time you are spending on it to do another job or make sales calls.

[jason-23]

1000 shirts on a manual by myself, two color front one color back. I started at 6:30 this morning, due to the heat, and stopped for lunch at 12 and  realized that im half way through the 1000 shirts and i really wasnt moving fast just keeping a good flow going. I was not looking foward to this job either but now im thinking its not that bad but i sure wish i had an auto.

White shirts? You can print fast on a manual its just the wear and tear that makes the last 500 shirts suck, well and the next day.

California blue shirts black and white ink one hit each.

[jason-23]

Thats why you contract that out. Then it leaves all that time you are spending on it to do another job or make sales calls.

this is a contract job...

[3Deep]

We did about 3000 shirts once on a manual four color front, two color back took all week, and dude I was hurting big time even work a full time job during the day.  Back them I would take anything I could we were just getting in the biz back then.

Darryl

[Screened Gear]

When I was getting started (like I am much past that part now) I would take and do just about anything. To this day I have not contracted any job out. Part of this is my turnaround time was 5 days then. Many contract guys want 2 weeks or at least 7 days. When your small you work. If you can't do it in 40 hours you do it in 80 hours a week.

My first month in business I got a 1750 2/2 white shirt order. That order paid off my first press and most everything else I bought to do screen printing. The experience alone was worth not contracting it out.

[Shawn (EIP)]

Anything needing a flash 1500 and up gets contracted.

[Nick Bane]

I feel the pain, ive been in this spot myself several times as well.  Not always fun, but when the work has to be done so the bills can be paid, we do what we have to to get it done.

[jason-23]

trust me im not complaining.

[inkstain]

I'm so over pushing the squeegee.
But, it has made me money.
 

[Admiral]

A few months ago I was shown a device that automatically pulls the squeegee on a manual press, I didn't know that existed.  A lot more setup would be involved but it turns a manual almost into a semi-automatic.  Obviously only useful if you don't have an auto though...

[mk162]

my dad did a 4 color job on white, 25,000 pcs, front only.  It was one of our first big jobs for Turner Broadcasting.  Crazy.  He managed to get it done though, out of a 10x12 shed.

[Doug S]

I feel your pain.  My first larger job was 4350 pc white shirts with 4 color process and 1 spot color on a 6 color workhorse manual "Every morning I felt like I'd been in a car wreck the day before".   It took a week and a 1/2 to get a little over half of them done because it was just me and my wife trying to print, answer the phone and deal with walk-ins.  I was bound and determined to finish them no matter what it took.  While we were approaching the 3/4 mark, we received another order for 3800 more.  I thought "no way" and that's where the first automatic came in.  It was a large investment, but I haven't looked back.  It seems that the business has picked up significantly and it's definitely paying for itself.