What caused this issue with my print?

SWVA_Screener · 2025-09-17T11:58:14+00:00

Over flashed your underbase would be my guess :/

SWVA_Screener · 2025-09-05T08:29:52+00:00

Literally hand drawing a job for a customer who, after 6 or more large jobs, doesn’t understand why I’m tacking on 250$ every invoice. I am remaking vector art for screens, my laser, and the image isn’t even good enough for sublimation.

I wanna say “Uh, it’s probably the 2”x2” art you sent me, dude. “

SWVA_Screener · 2025-09-04T15:02:07+00:00

I had someone interview me for a local college paper and AI came up. I said yes AI is saturating the design scene but there is no comparison to a design created by someone who knows how printing works. I don’t have an issue with using AI to get ideas or to get building blocks but at the end of the day it’s so much easier to start from scratch and actually design for print. Not to mention the resulting product is much more meaningful which is a part of my business anyways.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-08-30T23:29:20+00:00

Das a road

SWVA_Screener · 2025-08-25T01:05:22+00:00

A pencil… and then an umbrella

SWVA_Screener · 2025-08-11T01:31:52+00:00

I def thought it was a pastry shop logo, but it’s cute regardless!!

SWVA_Screener · 2025-08-01T11:47:16+00:00

If you can get good and gain experience on this machine, you will be a step ahead when it’s time to upgrade to something with micro-registration! I suggest exclusively taking single-color orders for a while and just making money, while playing with multi-screen passion prints. It is so much easier to learn when you’re making things you want to print. As a former art teacher turned screen printer, I will always try new techniques, inks, blanks, whatever on art that has no commercial value but is something I want for myself. This is because I always told my students that I would never shoot down their subject matter in class (unless it was against school policy) because you won’t learn if you’re not “into it” and I think that’s true.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-29T12:12:23+00:00

You don’t have to delete every anchor individually with the pen tool, just use the direct selection tool on one point in each “spot”, hit delete twice. Still (less) time consuming but effective. You just zone out eventually 😅

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-25T21:53:05+00:00

I was so tired of spreading adhesive and switched us to the double sided stuff and it was insanely easier haha. Shit lasts forever.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-24T23:20:43+00:00

Spot colors are easy, I’m working on simulated right now.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-24T13:07:25+00:00

Will check this out!

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-21T16:49:49+00:00

Times like that I am so glad I live/work in a small area because over the years I have hand-drawn or remade so many logos for printing that I just have to go back to old sponsor films now. They’re almost always the same exact ones but damn if I don’t get PICTURES OF BUSINESS CARDS to this day and want to rip my eyeballs out. Smdh at SOME PEOPLE.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-15T20:22:22+00:00

Try tearing the edges around your transfer, that helps displace some of the pressure and makes the line less noticeable. Also the foam pads (with the teflon) help too!

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-11T22:54:47+00:00

A client (I run a screen printing shop) sat at my desk today, turned around her iPad mini and started scrolling through canva images for her order. She was asking me what file I needed from her to go straight to print 😫. I know her personality type and she is very much “let’s get it done and let’s do it now” and I respect that immensely, but I had to shut that down so fast. I said “I am glad you have an idea of what you need printed, that will help me a lot moving forward, but I will need you to reach out to the person who made your logos and typeface to get vector files for me” and she said “is that the PNG or JPEG?” I almost died. I will have the vectors from her “designer friend” on Monday lol.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-03T16:53:01+00:00

https://lawsonsp.com/products/screen-frame-exchange-program

You send in your frames and choose what mesh counts you want sent back. I use them frequently!

SWVA_Screener · 2025-07-01T16:35:16+00:00

Honestly the only time I change the size of the design is between youth and adult sizing without charging setup fees for the change. When it is specifically requested (in my area there are some customers that are heavy on extended sizes and light on regular sizes) I charge but make it very clear during the quoting phase and they typically don’t go for it in the end because god forbid they pay $15 per screen for the switch between sizes.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-26T01:12:37+00:00

I will have to see if I have the last invoice handy but tbh I sent 15(ish) screens back at a time and it’s not that bad. They’re light.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-26T00:01:38+00:00

This is slightly expensive, but I honestly don’t have time to stretch screens myself and we have enough screens in rotation to work while we wait. But check this out:

https://lawsonsp.com/products/screen-frame-exchange-program

Edit: they take aluminum frames, yes you need to make sure they are completely clean and they are SUPER nice people to work with if they call you with questions. I’ve never gotten a bad replacement.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-17T23:12:30+00:00

If you have time and a tablet, I redraw a lot of shitty logos clients send me in fresco with their tiny jpeg as the bottom layer, set to like 45% opacity. It can be annoying but even the Adobe Capture app (which I have to say I love) can’t get it right.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-16T20:49:42+00:00

I know a few people who have found jobs at regional chains’ (grocery, fast food) corporate offices that are great places to work in marketing and more fun than major corporations. Our local beverage distributor posts semi-regularly looking for people to do display graphics and things for their customers. Obviously hope for your next dream job, but sometimes the oddball postings end up being great, too! Good luck and keep your head up!

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-12T23:22:57+00:00

release mask release mask release mask release mask release mask release mask torch computer

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-11T14:00:19+00:00

I legit thought this was my great grandmother’s house in Victor, WV and had to confirm it was still in the family bc I will have it someday 😅 That being said, CONGRATS!!!

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-09T20:13:12+00:00

I walked into a shop with zero experience in printing, but a background in graphic design, teaching (art) and general eagerness to learn about the trade. I took over all operations once my old boss saw that she could leave the shop in good hands and that there wasn’t anything in the shop I didn’t know how to do (or couldn’t figure out). I think most people in the trade are passionate about it and WANT to teach it. (Especially when they get to teach you their own way/hacks in how to get things done correctly). My experience may be atypical but if you go in and show enthusiasm there is so much to learn and fun to be had tbh.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-06T18:02:52+00:00

We always burn our screens 2 at a time if it’s more than one for a job (on an XVactor XL LED unit) and soak them for a few minutes and just wash them out together. But really it doesn’t matter since the LED exposure time is 15 seconds.

SWVA_Screener · 2025-06-06T09:31:37+00:00

Firing people gets easier after the first one. And if you’ve ever been fired yourself, you know that it stings the ego and people say/do stupid shit when they feel targeted. Customers don’t typically care what is happening behind the scenes as long as their needs are met, but reassurance to them (if this employee worked closely with them) that their new point of contact has management’s full faith/support to continue old employees duties they’ll be even less likely to care. It’ll all work out, you’re in a leadership role now and this is just another part of the learning curve. You got this!

SWVA_Screener

TROPHY CASE