2024 Women In Screen Printing Awards: Ella Vickerman

ELLA IS A YOUNG printer at Twin City Tees, who was nominated by the company’s founder and industry educator Ryan Moor. They have been very impressed with her eagerness and passion for screen printing in the short amount of time that she’s been in the industry. Ella went to school for graphic design — she loved the practical application of graphic design but didn’t want to sit behind a computer all day. So, she worked in the service industry for a year after school but wanted to get a job that pursued her passions in hands-on work and art. She applied for a job at Twin City Tees a year ago and got hired after a trial day. She quickly got experience with waterbase discharge and learned how to mix inks, register jobs, and print at high automatic speeds. She is one out of two press operators and operates ROQ equipment at a high level including doing full press setups and high-end production.

Q: Here are some examples of her community involvement:

Ella is involved in the local art community, creating murals and works with local arts at craft fairs and festivals. One example is art-a-whirl, where she introduces artists to the hands-on craft of screen printing and the printing process of T-shirts. She also volunteers to feed the homeless and, as she advances in her career, looks for more opportunity to contribute to these types of activities.

When she heard about Print Girl Mafia (PGM) at the first Imprinted Sportswear Show she attended, she immediately joined. This was her foray into making her first mark to joining an organization dedicated to advancing women in the industry. She then started the Twin City Tees’ Instagram channel and started taking videos throughout the shop. This worked so well that the company hired someone for a social video role. Meanwhile, Ella interacts with local print shops at festivals like art-a-whirl and others. Through her work with those, she keeps in touch with smaller printers on social platforms, helping to support them with the high-level knowledge she gets from working at a larger print shop.

Q: How does her work push the industry forward?

Ella and the Twin City Tees’ team do a lot of work with local supplier NW Graphics and Avient Inks. They have worked with both companies to help improve the waterbase discharge line of Avient inks. This includes mixing color formulas and creating ink formulations to print better with waterbase discharge. She is passionate about the quality and retail value that a waterbase print gives a garment and is an advocate for learning it in industry forums and groups like PGM. She is excited to grow with TCT and maybe run her own shop one day.

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