Atlantic City welcomed apparel decorators for Impressions Expo, a three-day tradeshow and education conference held March 21-23. Click through the slideshow to see pictures from the show floor, education sessions, live activations, and more.
Hirsch Solutions partnered with Mimaki to print Atlantic City-themed shirts via the Mimaki TxF300-75 DTF Printer.
Stahls' welcomed Impressions Expo Atlantic City attendees with a live heat press activation with an arcade theme. Participants had fun playing the claw machine to win a free hat with Stahls’ Ultra Color Max DTF transfers.
Mel Lay of Allmade Apparel and SandiLake Clothing spoke about sustainability in the apparel industry, being proactive vs reactive in business, and the importance of copyrighting your designs and trademarking your name, logo, and tagline.
Education session “Integrating DTF into Your Business: What you Need to Know to Get Started” was led by Josh Ellsworth, EVP of Sales & Marketing at Stahls’. He broke down the three ways to be in the DTF game: DIY, outsource transfers, or outsource fulfillment.
The Omniprint OmniDTF printer prints 14.5 inches wide by up to 238 feet continuously and includes a transfer sheet dryer.
Shop Talk’s “Women in the Garment Decoration Industry: Where Are We? Where Do We Need to Go?” panel, moderated by Pam Ikegami of Mirror Image, included Jody Mazade of Howard Transfers, Aimee Derouen of Mirror Image, Emily Bihary of Transfer Express, and Sarah Unruh of Stahls’. “Be advocates for other women vs competing with other women,” said Sarah Unruh.
The Ninja Transfers mascot hyped up attendees on the show floor during the three-day event.
AWDis supplies top quality garments to decorators and embroiderers in the printwear and promotion markets.
AWDis’ portfolio includes Just Hoods and Just Cool by AWDis, as well as Just Ts, Just Polos, Ecologie, So Denim, and AWDis Academy.
Zach Achorn of Selfmade Designs led a session touting the benefits of self-education, mentorship, and community.
Education session “Everything You've Heard About DTG & DTF Printing on the Internet is Wrong” was led by Terry Combs of Equipment Zone. “DTF is not an instant business,” he said. “It looks simple, but there’s a learning curve. The beauty of DTF is it takes just 30 to 90 days to be an expert.”
Ninja Transfers, a DTF and UV-DTF transfer supplier, showcased T-shirts printed via its DTF transfers.
Shop Talk’s “Potential Transfer Problems and Their Solutions” panel, moderated by Stan Banks of T-Shirt Side Hustle, included Jenna Sackett of Stahls’, Jody Mazade of Howard Custom Transfers, Tonie Mignogna of 613 Originals, and Kyle Eslinger of SanMar. “Industry standard is 50 to 75 washes, but as sustainability initiatives in the industry increase we need to push the limits of wash cycles. Do your research. Not all transfers are equal,” said Jenna.
ROQ partnered with Lane Seven Apparel and Supacolor to showcase the benefits of automated heat pressing.
613 Originals excited attendees with an extremely realistic food truck at its booth. The custom heat transfer company has production facilities in Florida and New Jersey.
Inktavo’s family of companies develops software solutions that help print shops, promotional product distributors, and branded merchandise businesses.
An example of a DTF printed shirt via the Mimaki TxF300-75 DTF Printer.
Shop Talk, hosted by Ink Kitchen, led short sessions on the expo floor on various industry related topics. Every Shop Talk is “brief, on point, and delivered by the best and brightest that do this work every day, sharing their expertise and their vision,” according to the company.
Howard Transfers is just one of many suppliers you can partner with to outsource your DTF transfers.
