Buzz Session

Sundry Ways That Screen Shops Can Beat the Heat

Our Brain Squad shares tips for keeping the shop running smoothly through the summer.

Published

3 years ago

July 19, 2021

SUMMER’S HERE AND the time is right… to keep cool, take breaks, make shop improvements, and focus on your team. We asked our Brain Squad for their tips related to managing a print shop this summer season.

Do you have any good ones to share? Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts.

Fans. Run them at the end of the day to make sure you get the heat out of the shop before the next day. It’s a great time to work mornings and evenings and disappear for mid-day. Try to get some stuff built, when the weather is nice and long hours. — Eric Carnell, Independence Printage Corp, Bellevue, Washington
Count the stock in as soon as it arrives, that way you can work out any miss orders ASAP. — Shannon M, Aisle6ix Industries, Sydney, Australia
Focus on improving the shop in the off-season; R&D and technical advancement, process/admin streamlining, facilities improvements, equipment upgrades/maintenance, deep cleaning. Focus on production in busy season: direct all efforts to keeping the press running without compromising on quality. — Kyle Baker, Baker Prints, Chicago, Illinois
Stay cool. — Keith Abrams, The Decoration Facility, Indian Trail, North Carolina
Keep cool. Stay hydrated. Have plenty of water available. — Mark Coudray, Coudray Growth Tech, San Luis Obispo, California
Store your inks in a temperature-controlled part of the shop if the temps in your area get to be really hot. — Juke Leman, International Coatings, Cerritos, California
Start early, leave early. — Lonny R Willis, Freelance Arts, Caldwell, Idaho
Ice water and lots of fans. — John Drake, Quackerbox Creations, Dallas, Texas
Stay hydrated and lots of caffeine; stay composed. — Pete Junior, New Era Apparel, Oceanside, New York
Not really. We typically spend the first half of summer preparing and working ahead for the crazy fall season. — Joe Ortinau, Ortinau Art, Pemberville, Ohio
A team activity, like grilling together is a fun thing to do during the summer. In exchange for good performance, offer a long weekend off but paid to employees. — Gavin StGeorges, Proud Tshirts, Miami, Florida
Air conditioning. — David Ashenden, QTCo, Kedron, Queensland, Australia
Urge folks to schedule their vacation and PTO early to avoid too many people being out at the same time. — Edward Cooke, ECI Screen Print, Watertown, Connecticut
Have a good water cooler. — Juan Davis, Tampa T-Shirts, Tampa, Florida
We ask employees to manage the heat. They can have ice cream or popsicles, cold water, and take breaks when needed. If all else fails and the shop is too hot, go home. No harm, no foul. — Tracey Johnston-Aldworth, Traces Screen Printing, Waterloo, Ontario
Don’t micro-manage. — Randall Reneau, All Seasons Screen Printing & Embroidery, Chicago, Illinois
Keep the doors shut, even if it makes it warmer! Humidity can make the feel-like temp a lot higher than it is, and it can cause multiple issues when trying to print! — Mark Kistler, FireSprint Printing, Omaha, Nebraska
If you are talking about managing the heat during the summer, use industrial fans in the shop. Have them all point in the same direction, instead of at people or their workstations. This creates a wind-tunnel effect and cools the entire shop, instead of just one person. Be careful not to have the fans blow into the dryer tunnel as that can cause problems for curing. — Marshall Atkinson, Atkinson Consulting, Mesa, Arizona
Always keep a day open on your schedule to allow for those profitable rush jobs. — Bill Bischoff, Bischoff Design/Atomic Tees, Modesto, California

What’s the Brain Squad?

If you’re the owner or top manager of a U.S.screen-printing business, you’re invited to join the Screen Printing Brain Squad. Take one five-minute quiz a month, and you’ll be featured prominently in this magazine, and make your voice heard on key issues affecting screen-print pros. Sign up here.

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.