Athletic numbering in the digital age

 Today's athletic number solution

DTF has taken over athletic printing.  This is the easiest way to customize a team, sponsor, name and number onto any jersey.  Just load, scan and press GO.  The Yet-Tee does it all.

The early years.

Brown Manufacturing is known for leading the athletic numbering machinery world for decades.  We developed patented technology for high volume direct print numbers with the NumberPrinter.  

We created simple machines for community printers who decorated leagues for only a few months in the year.  The Slider and the ShortStop were compact and simple to use.  

We offered a wide array of number fonts that were available for both the NumberPrinter and the Slider.  

However, while all this is still available, it has been replaced with the advancement of digital printing technology.  

There are many digital options.  The world of sublimation has taken over many sports.  Lacrosse and basketball are large consumers of sublimated uniforms.  DTG has also been effective for many teams.  That technology prints well on non-polyester items and allows for individualization.  And while heat transfer numbers have been available for decades, no athlete liked to wear them.

That is until the development of DTF.  The ink and application advancements within the last 5 years have changed the feel and weight of the final image on the garment.  The diversity of fabric adhesion gives a wide array of application possibilities.  And with the development of DTF digital printers, personalization is simple.  However, until now it has had a high labor and COGS element.

Printing, cutting and sorting of films and garments involves a lot of labor time.  And, as all community printers are aware, leagues do not offer great margins in what they can be charged.  Controlling costs time and materials is essential. 

Today's tech

Brown Manufacturing's  Stomper Yet-Tee automated DTF system requires only that the operator load the garment and scan a bar code.  The finished jersey with an individualized number, name and logo is returned to that same operator complete and ready to ship.

The Yet-Tee T-Line and L-Line systems include a DTF printer, power shaker, cure unit, Flipper placer and heat press.  Larger units feature multiple heat presses and a peel unit.  Art for each garment is specified within the barcode that the operator scans and that art is printed and placed into position onto the jersey.  The jersey is pressed and peeled and post-pressed and returned to the load zone.  Full customization in minimal time.  As an added bonus, the feel of the jersey is similar to the feel of screen print.

Why would an athletic printer still offer anything else?

DTF automation gets serious

 

DTF automation for 1-to-1 or bulk

DTF garment decorating has swept through the industry.  Once regarded as a low quality production path, DTF has proven it's worth in flexibility, image quality and product durability.  Yes, all of the negatives still exist such as product feel, expense and the look of a sticker.  But, the buying public is accepting these issues in lieu of the options of more colors, expediency and print-on-demand availability.  

How can DTF be automated? This is so labor intensive

DTF is inherently more expensive than other forms of garment decorating.  It has additional production costs such as film and powder and it incurs additional handling time.  From tracking specific transfers to specific shirts to cutting transfers off a roll, the product requires more labor time and material handling.  

What if it didn't? 

What if the art department sends the art to a server, the operator scans a barcode on a shirt, the printer automatically pulls the correct art from the server and the DTF is printed and transferred to the product which is then returned to the original operator.  The Stomper Yet-Tee with Linx production software does all this.

Seriously.  This is all possible. 

The Yet-Tee system is available in a T-Line and an L-Line.  The difference is speed.  The L-Line is a single platen unit that does all the functions for DTF.  With only 1 platen, the speed of the L-line is slower than the T-Line which is a multi-platen system with expandability to include up to 3 digital printers.  Both systems are Linx compatible and have API connections to house built production management software.  

The T-Line comes equipped with one digital DTF printer, one patent-pending Flipper (powder, shake cure, place) and a DTF Peel.  As well as three heat press heads, one prepress, one press, one post press.  The L-Line includes all of the main pieces but is limited to one heat press.  

DTF one-to-one POD production

 

patent pending

Check this video out!

POD style DTF automation

DTF technology has swept thru the garment decorating business as quickly as Print-On-Demand and Amazon changed the way garments are ordered.  Every shop will use DTF in some way.  Some decorators use it as their primary production application while others use it for fill in orders or low volume.  Whatever your need, your shop needs to automate.

What if we use our DTF for volume runs?

Our previous post, ScreenPrint 101 March 2025, covers this option with the introduction of Stomper BigFoot and Stomper SteelToe which offer similar capacity to that of an automatic screen printer.  The SteelToe gives shops volume on a budget and with tight space requirements. While BigFoot can really ramp up with speed and minimal labor.  With the use of Stomper Feed and Peel, your shop will truly turn out product and increase profit margins.

We have a cutter, isn't that enough?

Truly adding a cutter is essential to going faster.  While a few DTF prints a day can be managed with some scissors and a dual head heat press, the longer a product takes the produce the less money you make.  Payroll is expensive and people are hard to find.

However, just adding a cutter won't move your production faster if a person is manually pressing garments.  The SteelToe and BigFoot stompers solve the people problem.

We do really shorts runs of 1 to 10 pieces.  How do you automate that?

With the Yet-Tee.  That's how.  Load a shirt, press the GO button and watch as finished garments are returned to the LoadZone.  Yes, it does everything; prepress, print, cut, powder, cure, flip and place, cure, peel and post press.  One garment every 22 seconds.  HUH??  Yes, really.  Check out the video.

If that is a little large for your space, the L-Line may be more to your liking.  It does all those things but with one heat press and one platen.  Load and peel and ship in 8' x 12' space. 

Need to automate the flow of the artwork to the garment in real time production?  Linx Production Management Software is the solution.  It pulls orders from your stores, manages your inventory, and tells the Yet-Tee what to print and where.  

Think about how this will change the world of athletic printing.  Team numbers at a push of a button without sorting garments.  It isn't hard to imagine.

How do I get to see this thing?

The full line of Stompers is available to see at our show room in Michigan.  And in case you are wondering, these are all made in USA at our facility.  Send us an email and we will schedule a visit for you to have an in depth and hands on experience with the full line.  Find out which Stomper is the right fit for your shop.

DTF Production Systems

The garment decorating industry is at an accelerated pace for new technology and revitalization thru modification of old technology.  DTG launched the POD landscape that is now offered thru all levels of the supply chain.  Behemoth producers like Amazon and small community printers are adding POD tools to their production facilities to meet the consumer demand.  

The presentation of DTF into the production floor is not new, as all facilities have used transfers for decades.  However with the updated digital printing of these transfers this process has shifted many facilities to needing high volume DTF systems to fulfill orders.  

Brown Manufacturing offers 3 options for high speed DTF that will increase the speed of bulk orders with minimal labor costs. 

Level 1

The MasterPress is a base unit that features 2 heat presses and 5 shirt stations.  This allows 2 operators to load, press and peel in a small footprint.  Featuring a simple control panel and independent, adjustable temperature and pressure for the heat presses, this is a lower cost alternative for speed for the bulk DTF production.

Simple 120V power supply and a small air compressor is all this unit requires to quickly become operation in any shop.  Just map out spot on your floor and plug it in.

Level 2

If labor reduction is part of your production requirement, then the need for speed and accessories will move your shop to the next level.  Flexibility in design and additional options will amp up the production and reduce the operation to one person.

This heavy duty press comes with one heat press but has an option for two.  It also has these options:

• Automatic feed system
• Automatic peel system
• DTG pretreat sprayer system

With one press, an auto feeder and an auto peel, the operator is only loading shirts.  With a larger unit, add a 2nd operator and the speed increases with one shirt load person and one shirt unload.  

Level 3

Design your own system for exactly the flexibility your shop needs.  This level allow the system to both DTF and screen print.  Add print heads, loaders, peeler, multiple heat presses, flash units and DTG pretreat sprayers all on the same system.  No matter the job needed, one machine will have the tools.

Which one is right for your production needs?  Contact our Brown sales team to plan out your improved production facility or call 616-249-0200 for immediate information.

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.

ElectraPrint BP introduction

 You asked for a 12 station ElectraPrint!

ElectraPrint BP 10 color 12 station

The ElectrPrint series machines has been a perfect fit for community printers for many years.  Starting with the Junior and the Stealth machines, Brown has delivered low maintenance high quality production machines to shops all over the world.  Many of our customers have requested we expand the line to allow more colors.

The BP series is available in 8, 10 and 12 station machines in both the Junior and the Stealth machine sizes.  This allows for more colors in small spaces, with the Junior.  And for larger prints using the Stealth.

The BP series provides all the features you have come to expect from the ElectraPrint line of machines.    This machine is fully electric with easy to understand controls.  iMade is a standard feature as well as skippy platen sensor and flash ports on every head.  

The LazerLoad feature, the Set-N-Go and the QuartzAir Flash are all available options for this machine as well as a wealth of different platen sizes.  

For more information on how this fits into your production space, contact your Brown Team or give us a call 616-249-0200.

What to see at Printing United 2024

Printing United is the largest US based trade show for our industry.  It is held annually in some fabulous locations.  This year is Las Vegas and that is nothing but fun and excitement.  Everyone knows what the city has in store for them, what what will be on the show floor.  Well, there is plenty of excitement there too.

Brown Manufacturing will be found in 3 locations at this year's event.  Our main booth is SL9130 and will feature the ElectraPrint Junior machine with additional products to support a full printing shop.  We will also be chatting about our new ElectraPrint BP machine which offers up to 10 colors an 12 stations.  Visit us for a full tour of your future print shop.

ElectraPrint Junior

ElectraPrint BP

Right next door is the Linx Control System Integration booth. This is a must have software option for anyone in the Print On Demand or One To One decorating business.  This software pulls orders from your web stores, scales the art for the print location and then pushes them to the needed production area.  All of this is controlled with the use of a bar code.  Additionally, Linx Control System Integration offers cloud based inventory management as well as other tools such as Build-to-Stock. production analytics and PO generation and management.  A very powerful tool for DTG, DTF and many other decorated items.

Linx Control System Integration

BrownDigital will also be represented at the Hirsch booth SL10076. Hirsch is a long standing partner with Brown and BrownDigital with their representation of the Dragon line of DTG curing systems.  Ask them about the Dragon Knight, a small space curing unit for one or two DTG printers, or the Dragon Fire which will accommodate 3-4 DTG units.  Both of these units will cure either pretreat or ink.

DragonAir Fire

Dragon Knight

The final booth to see BrownDigital is very exciting.  Located in the Brother International booth SL8066 is the Digital Line product.  This is a single operator, full production DTG machine.  Designed for high volume of long run or 1-to-1 printing, this system reduces labor hours an increases product quality.  You will also see the FireFly curing system.  This patented curing conveyor has unique properties for high volume production.

FireFly

Digital Line

We invite you to visit all of these booths and see how Brown and BrownDigital can improve your production line and your bottom line.

And while you are in Vegas... have some fun.

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.  

Cleanliness is the first maintenance task for every machine

Our service department often is asked what the maintenance requirements are for any and all of the machinery we manufacture.  We appreciate machine owner's desire to keep their investment in peak condition for maximum production and long life.  For some of our products, the maintenance list is quite low as are the suggested stocking parts.  However, as the complication of the machine increases so does the upkeep. 

Many long standing customers will brag that they have kept their machines in proper working condition for 20+ years.  While this is a testament to the design and durability of these machines it is also a good determinate of the condition of the shop.  Well maintained, but could use some updating. So, as we do appreciate the compliments and understand the owners pride of ownership, there is benefit from keeping updated tools in your shop.

Returning to the question of maintenance requirements, as machines increase in complexity the list of daily, weekly, monthly and bi-annual tasks gets longer.  These tasks will be noted in the manual that is provided with the equipment.  If the machine is equipped with computers, then maintenance tasks are available within the software and reminders for mechanical maintenance can be preset.  The use of this software feature is very helpful in managing all of the essential tasks.  Some customers use this software to schedule additional tasks within the production floor for non-computer driven devices.

The number one maintenance task for any production floor is cleanliness.  

Textile decoration as an industry is inherently dirty.  The lint from fabric floats through everything and the production processes typically require liquids that are sticky.  So lint and fibers will get stuck to everything.  The lint will also adhere to any greased or lubricated surface of a machine.  And it will get pulled into fans, fan belts and chain drive systems.  So let's see chat about havoc that can create.

• Electronics will overheat and malfunction due to clogged fans
• Electronic connections will degrade due to lint interference 
• Lubricated surfaces which allow for smooth machine movement will get clogged, affecting print quality and machine operation
• Conveyor belts will wear faster and will transfer dirt and debris onto the final product
• Registration and indexing systems will become inconsistent due to dirt and debris and this will affect registration
• And machinery aside, what employee wants to work in a dirty shop.  And employees are a production floors most expensive and important asset.

How clean do we suggest?  Lint free is the key.

How do you  keep a garment decorating shop lint free.  You do it by making cleanliness a top priority on the floor.  Cleanliness makes for happier employees and fewer shut downs which will increase production and profits.

The good, the bad and the ugly.

Let's start with the simplest items, fan filters.  These are designed for easy on/off.  And they are used to keep the electronic cabinet fans clear of debris so that they can move cool air across the electronic components.

Then we can move to the fans.  Whether in the control cabinets or used to move air in and out of a curing chamber, they are essential to the design and function of your equipment.

Now what does all this do to internal components?  Electronic components shut down when they are too hot.  Being covered with lint will cause this.  Relays will fail, switches will stop communicating and thermal cameras will shut down.  Production stops.

What about the chassis and the mechanical items.  They appear to be pushing through but are they?  Or are you setting them up to fail?  And there are no GOODs here.  Seriously, yuck.

And what employee wants to touch these?  And if they do, how do they touch fresh garments and ship them completely clean?  

Ok, we think we have made the issue clear.

So this week, at the end of a work day, pick something and clean it.  Start with wiping down the outside, both the controls and the chassis.  Then get a vacuum and clean out the internal controls.  The whole job should take 20 minutes.  Then another day, pick another machine.  Go through the whole shop and clean everything.

Next time we will chat about those preset maintenance items available in your software.

For Brown, it is all about customer service

When a person calls Brown Mfg they get a person.  We do not use automated attendants or voice mail on our main phone system.  When someone sends an email to what appears to be a generic email address such as sales@brownmfg.net or customerservice@brownmfg.net or linx@brownmfg.net those emails land directly in a person's inbox so they can be addressed quickly and directly.  These corporate choices are based on the elemental belief that direct person-to-person interaction provides the highest quality service to our customer.  Call us old fashioned, but we get thank you comments from our customers on a daily basis.

Another customer service item that we offer is custom paint as an option for new machinery purchases.  This generates excitement for people who have their machinery as part of their customer's experience.  These businesses sometimes have a production shop as a showroom and they have a corporate color scheme to match.  Recent colors have included combat green for a customer who services military families, hot pink for an all women's shop, and red white and blue because,  well, just because.  

One added benefit item we offer is creative installation solutions.  We cater to community printers. These are typically businesses with very limited space and often owner/operators of the machinery they buy.  Their production spaces are often not commercial, do not have loading docks and many times are multi storied.  One ElectraPrint leaving this week is no exception.  This installation involves a set of stairs into a lower level with 36" doorways.  

To accomplish this task, we take the machine apart into manageable pieces.  The base, the print hub and the platen hub are all packed separately.  The heads, platen arms and accessories are on other pallets.  

Our installer has tools available to assist with moving these pieces into tough spaces and to reassemble these pieces in the final location.  Once assembled, the installer will continue with the standard installation process and training of the customer.  

Yes, this is a fun one.  But not unique.  We have many stories of fun installs.

So, if you are thinking that it is time for your shop to step up into an automatic press but you are concerned about how it will fit into your space, contact us.  Brown has solutions.  We also have over 50 years of experience at these creative installations.  We are here to assist you, person-to-person, in making your business more productive and more profitable.

Brown is our name, but we are open to other options

 An army of machinery. And some are painted Military Green.

We have done some fun custom colors in the past.  Bright pink, red, purple and blue have all popped into our assembly line as customer request.  This is our first military green.  

The whole shop for this customer will be color themed.  

If this is a feature that interests you, please contact us for information on how we can custom paint your machinery to make your production part of your showroom experience.

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.

Innovation Center at Brother International

 

It has been a long time coming and the Brown staff is excited to see that their hard work has paid off.  Brother International opened a new training facility at their Bartlett, TN location and the BrownDigital product line took center stage.  

This new product line has been under wraps for 2 years.  A single operator loads a garment and these garments are pretreated and digitally printed and returned to the same operator.  One guy does it all.  Amazing.

Thank you to Brother International for the opportunity.

Getting creative during the supply chain crunch

For anyone who is chasing garments of every type and style, we understand your pain.  The supply chain issue is applicable to everything from ramen noodles in the grocery store to automobiles.  It is not just the finished products, but the raw materials and the sub-assembly items.

So what to do?

Get creative, that's what.  We have had conversations with customers who tell us that they have called 7 vendors to fill one order.  Or that they have converted brands to fill the order and told the customer that the original brand was unavailable.  Or they have had to start from scratch with the sale to find items that would fit both the customer and the supply chain issues.

Well folks, it isn't just shirts.  Anyone who needs a new car will know of the shortage of electronics that has stopped car production.  Or chat with someone in the foam industry and they are out of the base chemical to produce styrene box inserts.  Or try to find copper wire to install new power drops into a facility.  The list is long and diverse.

In our world, we struggle with it all.  Electronics to wire to small basic switches.  The largest eye opener is DC motors.  The screen printing industry, as a US whole, uses the same couple of motors on all conveyor ovens.  It has been this way for over 30 years, so all of the ovens in the field also use these motors.  Guess what.  They are not available.  So we have had to get creative.  We have sent customers to motor repair shops.  We have offered used motors at a drastic discount.  We have upsized motors and sent additional mounting brackets to make them fit.  We have found alternates that need new brackets but will work.  Anything to keep our customer's production running.

Just like you, we are going to great lengths to keep our customer's machines running.

Changes coming?

China, who is is one of the US largest trading partners, continues to shut down full sectors of their country.  While this continues the world will see additional shortages depending of what items are produced in those sectors.  

We want our customers to be aware that supply chain issues run deep but that the Brown team is working diligently to keep your shop operating at the top level. 

 

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.

So many decorating options.

Brown did some recent DTG print testing and I had some thoughts.  This particular test involved a print run of about 72 shirts ranging from youth medium to adult 3xl.  It has a white crest print and a multi-color full back on a dark shirt.  A typical order for a community printer.  And a profitable one if handled correctly for your shop.  

What is correctly?

DTG

This run was done with a digital printer and our Synergy pretreat and FireFly cure systems.  At 72 shirts with a white under-base, this job took almost 2 hours.  The image quality was fine but it did look like a digital print. They are clean but they do not pop.  The estimate on the cost of each garment includes time and materials.

Shirt $2

Ink $0.95

Pretreat $0.30

Shop time cost  $1.66

Labor $0.83

Total cost per shirt $5.74     

The positive to DTG  printing is that once the art is approved there is no additional processing of the art to print.  A quick conversation from the PNG and it is ready.  Also, employee training is minimal.  Everything is determined by the Linx program within the machines and the operator only loads and unloads.  Additionally, the software will resize the art to the size of the garment, the job is easily repeatable and there is no clean up at the end.

Screen Print on an automatic

So, what would happen if it were printed on an ElectraPrint auto press?  Front and back, this job would be finished in less than an hour.  The look would be crisp and it would pop off the shirt.  The size of the print on the youth would be the same size as on the 3XL, which is a negative.  There is set up and clean up.  The art needs to be separated and screens need to be made.  Presuming that this design could be printed with 6 colors, this is the estimated cost per garment.

Shirt $2

Ink $0.06

Films/screens $0.08

Shop time cost $0.83

Labor $0.42

Total cost per shirt $3.31

Screen Print on an manual

So, what would happen if it were printed on an MasterPrinter manual press?  Front and back, this job would be finished in about 2 hours.  The look would be crisp and it would pop off the shirt.  The size of the print on the youth would be the same size as on the 3XL, which is a negative.  There is set up and clean up.  The art needs to be separated and screens need to be made.  Presuming that this design could be printed with 6 colors, this is the estimated cost per garment.

Shirt $2

Ink $0.06

Films/screens $0.08

Shop time cost $1.66

Labor $0.83

Total cost per shirt $4.63 

Is cost the only factor in the production path?

Well, we can all say "no" to that answer.   But there is $2.50 per shirt here in profit.  So COGS cannot be ignored.

COGS is a significant factor.  That calculation has to include machine time, shop time and labor time.  However, judging the flow of your shop, the availability of your staff and their skill sets, and the print preferences of the final customer will sway the final production decision.   If they want "pop" then they will want screen print.  If they prefer a soft feel, then DTG is a good plan.

So the real answer is that there is not a "correct" way to do this except to follow some basic guidelines.

1. Is the customer happy with the finished product?
2. Did you deliver on time?
3. Did you make a profit margin that you would want repeat the job?
4. Did this job delay other jobs that were more profitable?

If your answers are yes, yes, yes and no, then you have chosen wisely within the parameters of your production facility.  If any other answer comes up, then reconsider for future jobs what needs to shift.  Was the print accepted, was job late, or did you not make enough of a profit margin?  Because in the end, it is a happy customer with a solid bottom line that we are all striving to achieve.

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.

When to update to new stuff?

Tech changes every day.  Our fast paced world is presenting us with new, and better, ways to accomplish most things on an hourly basis.  Some of this is very intriguing such as electric vehicles or 3D printers.  I do get annoyed, however, being told that I have peeled a carrot wrong my whole life and this new hack or tool will be the only answer.  And though I am sure that my carrot peeling skills are just fine, at what point does the machinery in my shop need to upgrade?  When is the new really better than the old?

What can the new tech do?

If the new gadget is cooler looking than the old one you might be inclined to switch.  Aesthetics in an automobile are important.  We all like new, shiny things.  However there are certain requirements that make a new device worth adding to a shop.

• does it make a process faster?
• does it reduce costs?
• does it make a final product better?
• does use less floor space for the same results?
• does it require less power for the same production?
• is it easier to use?

There could be more to the list, but the idea is that a new gadget needs to improve production either with cost or quality or time.  If it does not do any of these things, just wait.  Another version will.

What does the new tech NOT do?

Yes that is important.  If the new item does go faster or reduce costs but it makes an inferior product it is probably not worth the investment.  If it goes faster and makes a great product but the cost makes the RIO low, then it is not worth the financial outlay.  If it does not do all the steps in production that the current version can do, then this is not a gain.  New is not always better.

When should the old tech go, no matter what?

I say that with some wisdom.  As a manufacturing company who has produced machinery since 1979, we help people every day fix stuff.  We offer free phone service and with the use of digital photos, Zoom and FaceTime we are able to fix most old machines.  Many times that repair is priced quite reasonable and the customer keeps using a machine from the 80's.  

However, sometimes old is old.  Broken is broken.  And being thrifty (read cheap) does NOT help your bottom line.  Maybe you can get the parts for a 1984 machine.  However, how long were you down waiting for them?  How long did you have to search for a supplier for them?  Are they the direct replacement or did you have to modify the machine to make them work?  All of those items cost money.  Down time means late production.  Your search time means you did not spend time making sales or managing your production.  Modifications to old stuff takes both your time and down time and they are never quite what you needed.  Is that cost beneficial?

We do understand small business and the need to keep costs down.  We understand budgets.  We also know that if you have big equipment with big repair bills you have a hard time paying, then your really needed smaller equipment to suit your space and revenue.  Crunch those numbers sometime.  You might be surprised to find out that that big stuff you bought at a great price is costing you more than you make and newer smaller stuff would make you more profitable.  Hard to fathom sometimes but it is true.

How can we help you figure it out?

Most people do not like to discuss financial situations with sales people.  But the truth is, good sales people want to see their customers succeed and make money.  Think about your own style.  You want to have return business and you treat a customer with the goal of seeing them again.  Capital goods sales people are the same.  We would like you to buy well so you do well.  Then call us again for the next cool tech item that you are interested in.  So consider sales people as allies who gain when you gain.  Ask them if it is worth it to keep with what you have or go new.  Yes they will pitch new as hard as they can.  They have kids to feed, just like you.  But good ones will help crank the numbers to see if the justification is there for your shop.

You might be surprised by what you learn.