Inside U Brand Yourself: How a Maryland Screen Printing Studio Maximizes Space, Creativity, and Community

AT U BRAND YOURSELF in Bel Air, MD, screen printing is more than production — it’s a craft, a teaching tool, and a community event, powered by founder Wendy Nowakowski’s vision and a studio optimized for maximum output in minimum space.

Nowakowski started the business in her garage, producing fiber art and embroidery, which sparked her interest in screen printing. This resulted in her purchasing a basic screen-printing press and experimenting with T-shirt designs.

After outgrowing her home studio and garage, she moved into her current storefront and equipped it with a six-color/six-station manual printing press and a one-station/one-color tabletop press. The models were chosen for their performance features as well as compactness due to the store’s limited space and the need to print and cure both on- and off-site.

Even when you train staff, mistakes are made. So repurposing things like T-shirts is a way to waste less and save money from trashing damaged goods.

Maximum productivity in minimum space

Her one-color press, compact dryer, and prepress equipment are right-sized for her 2,000-square-foot studio with the washout booth having a footprint of only 36” x 25” and the wall-mounted screen coater requiring no floor space.

“My one-color press allows me to print on the spot,” she says. “It’s sized perfectly. I can get it through doorways and quickly move it.”

In addition to printing at parties, she sets it up at a local park three times per year and invites participants to print their own T-shirts for free. The press’s compact counterpart is Nowakowski’s tabletop conveyor dryer. “If I’m doing an outside event, I can easily fit it in the back of my Jeep and take it with me,” she says.

The firm’s one-color press allows Nowakowski’s staff and students to print on the spot. “It’s sized perfectly. I can get it through doorways and quickly move it.”

Projects Make Use of Recycled Tees

Owner Wendy and Emily Reed, a local artist, conceived a project in which pillows are produced using rejected screen-printed garments. Another sustainable project creates new garments made from discarded apparel, creating one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art.

“Even when you train staff, mistakes are made, so we’re constantly looking for ways to repurpose things,” says Nowakowski. “When we host the pillow-making workshop, people see the press and ask if we offer screen-printing workshops too — which we do.”

Today, 50% of U Brand Yourself’s business is screen printing. Nowakowski would like to invest in an automatic press, but she believes a manual press is essential for learning the trade.

“Many of my team members are just graduating from school. If everything is automatic, all they’re doing is pressing buttons,” she explains. “So before they use an automatic printer, they need to understand the science behind screen printing as they develop that essential trade.”