Thank you

 

To our customers, partners and staff,

For Brown and BrownDigital, 2024 has been full of growth and exciting opportunities. We want to express our deepest gratitude to our amazing staff – your commitment and perseverance have been inspiring. And to our wonderful customers – thank you for your continued support and belief in us and our products. 

The launch of the new BP Series Electraprint was met with enthusiasm from our existing customers and we have added plenty of newcomers to the family as news of this product has spread.  The Brown team looks forward to additional conversations on this 12 Station machine as well as all of the product line.

The partnership with Brother International on the Digital Line DTG production machine has been tremendous.  The challenges of the short learning curve as well as the interaction with new clients has energized the full sales team and driven our design team to think creatively about future possibilities.  This is a joint project that requires the concentration of Brother USA, Brother Japan and BrownDigital to grow it to its fullest capacity.  2025 will be just as exciting.

The expansion of the Brother Digital Line and the general industry-wide growth of digital printing has pushed the BrownDigital Linx team to continually add features to both the web-based and desktop versions of Linx Integrated Product software.  If you have not looked into this barcode driven production tool, we highly recommend you consider it.

All of the items listed above are developed, built, shipped and serviced by our highly capable Brown team.  Whether your business is adding new, expanding for new features, or fixing what is in your shop, the Brown staff has exemplified quality and dedication throughout the process.  Our team does work as a team and these amazing products exist because of them.

So from all of us at Brown to all of you, our customers and partners, we wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to 2025 and all the events yet to come.

Essential tools for POD profitability

Print on Demand is changing the industry

With the rapidly growing demand for individualized prints, social media driven trendy garments and next day delivery, the nimbleness of every garment decorator is being tested.  The advancement of DTG and DTF production technology has improved the response time for web driven orders.  New machinery like the Brother International Digital Line which integrates POD and reduces labor, are becoming more and more essential. A vital issue to stay profitable in this fast changing environment is internal work flow management.  Paper orders on the shop floor have got to go.

DL-2400 Digital Line

BrownDigital Linx Production Software Suite

In a previous blog Linx, we explained how Linx pulls orders directly from web stores and feeds those orders to production machinery with automated tools.  The Linx Software suite has expanded to include cloud based inventory management, purchasing and product creation.  Additional features within this software packages add a depth of resources to the constant changes that occurring in this market space.

• Product Creator and Product fixer will merge all store products into one application for production an inventory management
• Build-to-Stock (BTS) pushes stock inventory builds, manages returns for FIFO control, and gives full control to the production manager to keep within seasonal cycles.
• Order Submission provides an access point for POS
• Cloud management of floor production
• Analytics of real-time floor production

Is this only for garment printing?

The answer to that is a firm NO.  POD is a market trend that applies to many products.  Garments are the highest volume however these issues apply to any one-off customized item.  Linx Software suite can connect to laser engravers, sublimation systems, embroidery stations, cutters and plotters and many other tools of the trade.  In addition to garments, the inventory management is open to any base product such as trophies, mugs, plaques, posters and many more.  

Linx Software suite connects to any open API platform.  This includes Etsy, Shopify, Shipstation, Amazon, and many more.  Contact BrownDigital today for additional information of how Linx Software suite can improve your work flow.

Thank you for an outstanding 2023

 2023 has been an amazing year of expansion and growth.  Brown and BrownDigital have expanded in personnel, product lines and facilities and we are already busting at the seams.

In the summer we added a Crown to our life.  A building on Crown anyway.  This doubled our production space and allowed for larger projects to expand.  Our staff was thrilled with having more room to work in and spaces they could call their own.  This building added 3 overhead loading doors, 4 docks and way too many offices.  

The Brown product line expanded into their space with the ability to put up many machines at the same time which allows for additional testing and product development.  Yes, there are some cool new features in the works.  It also allowed for the development of a larger ElectraPrint machine that should be introduced in 2024.  The other feature that has sparked the growth of our Brown business is custom colors.  Our local high school is all blue and orange.  Go Rockets!

BrownDigital software developed many additions to the Linx suite.  Inventory, product fixers, purchasing as well as new connections to other platforms.  The diversity of this product line gives solutions to most POD production issues and it applies to a diverse area of application.  That software team has been gettin' it done.

The BrownDigital machine team is amazing.  The flagship FireFly product line has bloomed to a myriad of applications.  From the initial design of individualized curing, this has transitioned into a workhorse for applications from screen print to pretreat to DTG to wide format.  The diversity of possibilities is very exciting.  The Digital Line product for Brother International has opened additional opportunities for the FireFly and all the components involved.  

What is so interesting about our new facility is that it has allowed for bigger items to spread their wings and for the Brown staff to take ownership of specific products and make that section of the building all their own.  Our software team developed an internal Linx IC that has allowed for easy communication and information sharing within all facilities and our partners.  We expect that software to broaden our reach for direct contact with our customer.

Thank you for your investment into Brown and BrownDigital in 2023.  All of these changes excite us to create new products, adjust existing ones and grow into new areas.  We are excited about 2024 and what that will bring.  

2022 brings big changes for Brown

 Go big or go home.

As the old saying goes, Brown chose to go BIG this year.  We have expanded our space, our people and our product line.  We also added a few colors to the Brown machine pallet for a little fun.  With expansion comes change and a few bumps in the road.  But our staff was ready for a few challenges to get us through.

BrownDigital has a developing partnership with Brother International.  This partnership has fostered new product for the Print-on-Demand world that Brother specializes in.  The POD sales strategy is immediate delivery of one off printed items.  Garments have a large segment of that market and they require a few additional processes compared to other one-off pieces.  This rapidly expanding market requires faster machinery to keep up with the volume and Brown delivered with the DigitalLine, an exclusive product for Brother.

The size of this system required additional assembly space.  So, Brown added a Crown.  Well an address on Crown anyway.  The added space has allowed all of our production departments to stretch their legs a bit.  As an example, where the space on Stafford allowed for 2 Electraprint machines to be assembled at the same time, this new space allows for 5.  As well as multiple manual machines and curing systems.

Your staff appreciates the space and is looking forward to upping the volume to fill the new building.

The fun of the Electraprint and Brown lines has been the "choose your color" option that we have introduced.  We have assembled a variety of colors in 2022.  Bright red, hot pink, military green have been shipped as well as the tried and true chocolate brown.  Do you have a color scheme in your facility?  Need us to match it?  We are on it. 

One other expansion that is a direct result of the POD market is the addition of new software modules available for the Linx Production Software .  In addition to the already stellar workflow application, new modules for inventory management, purchasing and QuickBoook integration have been developed to fill the every changing needs of our POD customer.  Contact us for additional information on how Linx can improve the work flow and organization within your production floor.

The new space and the new offerings have made our lives a little stressful (as moving often does) but the impact of the change and the production results just keep showing us that this was a well needed expansion and that we have more room to grow.

POD production? It's where the world is.

Our roller coaster world has made traditional printing businesses  take another look on how they generate orders.  When schools and restaurants were closed, many of our community printers had to consider other avenues for revenue generation.  The world of online shopping became essential for all decorators, whether one off orders or bulk.  These orders can be challenging to pull into standard community printing production management.  

The old school paper production tickets are messy and confusing for small orders.  Barcode systems that can function for both small and bulk orders are cleaner and more efficient than sheets of paper floating around a production floor.  Scanners at each workstation can pull up all order details within seconds and connect directly with shipping software.  With Linx Production software, the barcode will also drive the printers, laser engravers and sublimation systems.  

Wait, what?  It can connect my online to my production machine and back to my shipping software?

Yes, Linx Production software can do all that and with additional modules it can connect to QuickBooks® and manage inventory and purchasing and print bulk orders.  That is a lot of features that every shop needs in the world of POD.  

While much of the US is opened back up schools, businesses and events, the online store is now a required element to a business.  Many businesses who used to allow sales people in their doors are now preferring to look online and connect through teleconference platforms.  These options allow higher time flexibility for the buyer and keeps additional people out of their workspace.  With the latest variant wave, this is a required element.

So how does Linx Production software do all that?

Beginning at a web store, information for an order is pulled into Linx and a barcode is assigned. This information includes garment data as well as art and print locations. The PNG artwork is ripped for the DTG as well as scaled for garment size and print location. For other print mediums, the art is converted to match the requirements of the output device.  The operator loads the item, scans the code and the output device has all the information needed for production. Print specifications are preset by the user as well as pretreat and cure requirements.

Orders can be sorted by all major factors. This aids in purchasing, product picking, pretreat scheduling and customer management. At shipping, a binning system allows for gathering of multiple items of an order with notifications when an order is complete. In the QC department, if a product does not pass inspection, the barcode returns to th production schedule for a reprint.

A QuickBook plug in will also connect your orders directly to your billing department. Inventory modules are available for small and large users.  Custom API connections are available to give full flexibility to your production needs.

How do you  get started?

Call BrownDigital today for information on pricing and how this system can be used in  your shop.  It is quick to install, simple to learn and will speed up order processing for small or bulk orders.

New web site launch

We are excited to announce the launch of new web sites.

brownmfg.net is our main catalog site for Brown equipment.  

This site features the products for screen printing, from screen room to final cure for all production levels.  Additional content will be added as it becomes available and this site is more mobile friendly than our previous site.

On this site you will still find the popular ElectraPrint automatic printers.  These are the only fully electric machines on the market.  There are suggested parts list for many of the machines as well as cut sheets for installation.

From this page you will find links to the associated products such as the Set-N-Go and the QuartzAir flash.  

Within this site you will also find information on all of our t-shirt ovens as well.  This includes the TRX series, the UltraCure x-series, the PonyDryer and the Sierra dryer.  It is a comprehensives site that will provide all the details to help choose the right one for your shop and to help plan for the installation.

brownmfgdigital.com is our main site for BrownDigital products.

This site features the products designed for DTG decorators.  Direct to Garment printing has different requirements for preprint and curing than screen print and these products will speed up the workflow for all levels of production.  

On this site you will find the DragonAir Crimson which is a small DTG dryer designed to cure DTG prints at a faster rate and higher quality than a heat press.  

Also on this site, is the Linx Control System integration software.  This app takes your web store orders and integrates them directly with your DTG printers and through to your shipping department.  This is all run on a barcode system that keeps production flowing smooth and creates consistency within your final products.  

We invite you to peruse these sites.  You will find something that will help you shop with its production flow, product quality, or bottom line.

Wow, what a year. Big challenges with huge accomplishments.

 Seriously, murder hornets?

We are printing the annual shirt give away for our staff and we wanted to commemorate all that we have accomplished and we referenced all that has encumbered us.  2020 is a year full of challenges.  When the list was drawn up, it amazed people that there were so many challenges that they did not remember all of them.  And we had to remove some from the list because the list got too long. 

However, the important items on this list are the accomplishments.  These are made more impressive because it is 2020 but our staff has pulled off some simply amazing things.

Linx software is a solution for production management

Orders come in and orders go out.  In many shops that means that there are pieces of paper following that order through all through the production process.  Some shops place those in plastic protective sleeves to keep them from flying about, but most just stack them on top of shirt piles and move them along with the goods.  With today's technology, why would anyone do that?  Because, it has always been done that way and it works.  Most of the time.

But there must be something better.

Ok, sounds catchy.  But what does it do?

Linx is a production management software that pulls orders from your online site, sends them to preset stations and pushes them into shipping.  The only thing that is printed is a barcode sticker that is attached to the garment.  It gives all departments including the artist, purchasing, production and shipping access to the order with the ability to sort all orders by the information that is relevant to that department.

The Linx app keeps all departments connected and can be integrated into most parts of the imprintables industry.  This system can be connected to DTG, laser engravers, plotters, and many other decorating operations.  

With this available, why would you want all that paper?

Our industry is unique, and challenging

I met a friend for cocktails this weekend and we discussed our careers and the industries that we are in.  This person had a recent job change and was describing the differences in the two markets.  While chatting, the question came up, "Why is printing on a t-shirt so hard?"  It occurred to me then that what we do is truly unique.  In most industries the production variables are limited and consistent.  The "how to" is measured and analyzed with tolerances defined and universal industry standards measured.  Well, anyone who has printed garments knows that most of this does not apply to us.

Sure we have defined cure temperatures for ink.  Sure we have PMS color matching.  And, of course, we have production rate requirements.  But even all of this is loosely followed.  Ink cure temperatures rates vary by brand and type.  PMS colors are borrowed from other print industries and are loosely applied to color cards from ink companies, though many shops do have custom ink mixing in house.   As for production rates, we are all trying to produce a profit.  And that need drives everything.

So my companion currently sells high end cars and used to sell real estate.  Market and economy fluctuations are what drives these industries.  In the metal fabrication business, metal is systematically measured and variables in quality are based on the human factor.  The inkjet, laser and DTG printers that surround my desk are all assembly line production items as is the laptop I am writing with.  So I explained all of the options within production and sales of printed garments and I mystified myself with questions of how we do it all.

Let's go over the list.

• Every garment type is different:
  
• color
• fabric
• weight
• pile
• construction
• Every individual garment may be different:
• size
• Every ink type has a different cure temperature and that is influenced by:
• thickness of the ink film
• thickness of the garment
• number of layers of ink film
• time in the chamber
• temperature of the chamber
• air flow of the heat chamber
• Each artwork file has it's own printing parameters
• size
• number of colors
• type of separation
• what color it is to print onto
• Type of printing influences or is influenced by all of the above
• Manual screen
• Automatic screen
• DTG
• Sublimation
• DTG variables include
• pretreat type
• pretreat density
• pretreat cure

I have only scratched the surface of what can happen in a day.  So what do you do?

You can go old school.  And it works.  

Log books, spread sheets, paper pick tickets with instructions, even sharpie marker notes on the machinery can help limit issues.  As an example, a pick ticket should include order information, cure settings, pretreat requirement, ink colors and color order.  This is a solid system that works most of the time and is historically reliable.  

Now let's move that to today's technology.  

Digital resources make it possible to put every piece of information in one storage location and link all that together by all the variables.  This can all be put on a mobile device at each production unit that can reference the information by scanning a barcode.  This technology is used in most production industries today and, because of all of our variables, should have been in garment decorating years ago.

A previous blog was written on our Linx software.  This system manages the information on all of the variable that are listed above.  Once information about a type of garment are input into the data base then that information is linked to any order that needs that garment.  It stores artwork files and connects them to orders.  It controls curing and pretreat parameters in the Synergy and FireFly.  It can track orders through production and connect them to ShipStation.  This tool helps to contain the chaos that is elemental to garment decoration.

So, though the cocktail and conversation was a wonderful way to catch up, my companion decided that what I do is crazy talk and selling Porsche and Bentley are a better fit.

Linx production management software overview

Does your business offer an online store?

No, we do not have an apparel store.  However, most of our customers do and they look something like this.

Having an online presence is essential.  However, managing the orders from those stores can get complicated.  Knowing where each order is in your production process can get tricky and confirming that each order is shipped correctly is challenging.  This can mean a lot of paper, or hoping that your accounting package or CRM can handle work flow.

A better plan is to implement production management software.  There are many of these available on the market that will help manage inventory, shipping and billing.  These will read in orders and give you a paperless system.   However, there is only one that drives the actual production of the machines themselves.  That is Linx.

Pulling directly from your store, whether that is a custom designed web site or a Shopify site, Linx captures order data including art files and product information and it directs those orders to their production stations.  Orders can be sorted by purchase requirement, delivery requirements, production requirements of dozens of other ways.  So Linx is used for purchasing, quality control and shipping.

This image is way easier to read in real time.  However, each row is an order and each column contains information as to the status of the order.

Now I know you are saying that you can do all of this on the system you already have.  That is true. 

What else can Linx do?

The list is pretty long so here is a quick overview:

• Map artwork from order to output.  Meaning it links the art file location to the order and scales and places it in the final print position.
• Bar code tag all orders for scanner access at each production station
• Convert PNG files to formats required for output devices.  (AR3, ARX4, KSF, many more)
• Control print parameters specific for each art file, each product and each output device

• Position and scale artwork to any location on the product
• Set pretreat and curing parameters for each product and art file so that the Synergy and FireFly treat each item for their specific requirements
• Pull orders directly from your web site and send orders directly to ShipStation

These are items that are NOT done by the spreadsheet that you currently use.

When a barcode prints for an order, it has all information specific to the product and the order.  That barcode is scanned at the Synergy and pretreat is applied and cured based on preset rules.  At the DTG machine, the barcode is scanned and the printer accesses the order and the parameters required and prints.  The FireFly uses the same barcode for curing parameters.

At the QC and shipping station, barcodes will specify if the order is ready to ship or if other products are needed to complete the order.  If more products are still in production, Linx will notify the shipper that the order is not complete and will assign a bin for holding until all items become available.  Once the order is fulfilled, the system will notify the shipping station that it is ready.  

What else is cool?  The Rules Engine

The greatest part of all of this is that the rules and requirements for each order and each product are completely under your control.  If one garment SKU requires different pretreat than another, that information is set by you and is set into the barcode.  If one product needs to ship with another, the first is held in a bin until the other becomes available, then it can ship together.  If the artwork requires an white underlay on some garments but not on others, that is decided by you and stored within the parameters of the art.

All your control and all stored within Linx.  How cool is that?

What production areas are affected?

Originally designed for direct to garment printing, the Linx Production Management Software is now used for laser engravers, tattoo printers, screen printers, and very soon, embroiderers.  Open API communication is all that is needed to connect Linx to a production department.  

So, will this break the bank?

Of course not.  There is a connection fee for each station.  And their is a minimal monthly license fee.  However, since the system does the conversion to the DTG art requirements and it tracks your shipping and inventory, the fees that you are already paying another source will go away.  

Contact our sales department for additional information on the Linx Production Management software.