Expert Perspectives

Are We Creating the Monster or Just Feeding It?

Published

13 years ago

November 8, 2010

Screen Printing Screen Printing November 2010 Issue

We have all been told, “The customer is always right.” A friend recently shared a slight twist on that old adage, “The customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer.”

When we started in the business of printing custom T-shirts 30 years ago, we would promise our customers a 10-working-day delivery, and our customers were amazed we could get things done so quickly. Today, we average five working days, and it is not uncommon to have a few same- and next-day orders to process.

We have all been told, “The customer is always right.” A friend recently shared a slight twist on that old adage, “The customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer.”

I realize that 30 years ago we were hand drawing and hand separating our designs to create film positives. Remember Rubylith, photo enlargers, and the like? Now, due to great advances in technology, we can get a tremendous amount of prepress work done in a short amount of time.

Have we brought on ourselves the additional stress of getting work done in less time because we want to take care of our customers’ needs or because we are afraid of saying no to unreasonable turnaround times? Are we just part of a changing culture that focuses on instant gratification?

I am sure I am not the only one dealing with these changes. How are you coping?

click to Comment(Comment)

Up Next

ONYX Graphics Joins JDF Initiative

Don't Miss

Océ Produces Podcast

Let’s Talk About It

Creating a More Diverse and Inclusive Screen Printing Industry

LET’S TALK About It: Part 3 discusses how four screen printers have employed people with disabilities, why you should consider doing the same, the resources that are available, and more. Watch the live webinar, held August 16, moderated by Adrienne Palmer, editor-in-chief, Screen Printing magazine, with panelists Ali Banholzer, Amber Massey, Ryan Moor, and Jed Seifert. The multi-part series is hosted exclusively by ROQ.US and U.N.I.T.E Together. Let’s Talk About It: Part 1 focused on Black, female screen printers and can be watched here; Part 2 focused on the LGBTQ+ community and can be watched here.