# Mobile Screen Printing



## GAtee (Nov 22, 2009)

I am still pretty new to the whole screen printing industy and have been thinking about selling items at sporting events, etc... I have seen these guys before that set up at venues and make the shirts on spot. Do these guys have a different set up than the manual press I have in my store or is it the samething. Just curious if they make up there artwork and screens before hand and take them with them. Are they having to have power for the dryer to dry the ink once the image is printed? If anybody has any knowlegde about this type of operation please let me know.

GAtees


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## Jsaladin (May 23, 2010)

there is some great topics in the forums already. Just search the forums a little. Most people bring 10-20 screens with images burned, a lot of shirts and a generator for the flash dryer. I have seen a good cleanup done with packing the screens squeeges in trash bags and cleaning them back at the shop. you can do mulitple colors, but one color prints are easier to do while you have a crowd.


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

might be heat transfers


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## oldbox (Apr 25, 2010)

Screen printing on trade shows? never seen that. 
I saw ppl having a heat press and a bunch of shirts and transfers but not a screenprinting setup on a fair ....
how would you screenprint every shirt.... meeeh its either I didnt get it or you didn't...


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## Jsaladin (May 23, 2010)

most of the time it is one person taking orders and one screen printing. part of the fun is seeing the shirt being made. I have seen the heat transfer too.


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## oldbox (Apr 25, 2010)

do you make screens there? do register multi colour jobs there?


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## Jsaladin (May 23, 2010)

you bring the screens pre exposed and I would never try to register a screen in front of someone. Plus as the day goes the screen has more and more ink on it. just do one offs


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## VeeLove (Jul 18, 2010)

Does humidity and temperature affect the curing process for Plastisol inks outside? Or should you use water-based inks?

For a conveyor dryer, do you have to take a generator or will the plugs provided by the hosting facility be okay?


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## pukingdeserthobo (Jun 3, 2008)

it all depends, we did a rodeo a few year back and they charged 250 for 2 nights, that included power and table with a tent. we also did a fair that charged 300 and all it included was the spot . my advice for you is just to ask.

if your gonna sale a few design i would say make it simple one color print. have design pre-registered. that way you have ton of time.


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## VeeLove (Jul 18, 2010)

thanks and what about curing on the conveyor outside?


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## Virgram (Nov 6, 2013)

I have printed at special events for about 35 years and have developed methods and equipment for that purpose. We can print up to 4 colors on one side and 1 on the other. We cure our shirts in a dryer I modified for use in our trailer. We our completely self contained and can run off of a car battery and converter if necessary.
I could do a seminar on all the things we have learned to do and not to do. Way to much information for this space.
Virgil

P.S. Our shirts are just as good as when they printed in the shop.


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

We've been doing on site for 10 years. We print up to 6 colors on site...flash dryer...220 conveyor dryer and we take our heat press for personalization(cut press vinyl). We make 12k-22k a weekend at our big events. It's 99% cash...we give 10% to the promoter for all gross sales. We sell t-shirts for 15.00 ea or 2 for 25.00 ....


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

What type of events do y'all do? How do you book them??


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## Virgram (Nov 6, 2013)

Now we do High school track meets and cross country. We have done car shows, kite & balloon festivals, baseball& softball tournaments, wrestling, gymnastics, football, basketball, archery tournaments. We even did a family reunion once. We are very picky about what we do now, it's a lot of work and we're in our 60's. At one time we actively recruited events, not now. We don't have a store front anymore but we still get a lot of requests we won't do. Most of the events we have done for years and we pick up others by word of mouth.
We are looking to sell our business but hate to leave our faithful customers.


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## BretMy (Nov 2, 2013)

Have your screens made up and extras as the days goes on your will need back ups, friendly help...


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

That's my market, family reunions and class reunions. I like to stick with that market, any tips you can provide with family reunions? Do you think I need a trailer if I just using a heat press and plastisol transfers??


Blood, Sweat, and Vinyl Cutters!


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## hikkup (Jul 12, 2013)

I've seen plastisol heat transfers done at events before. They're easy, less mess, and do not take up as much space as a press and flash dryer would.


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## Virgram (Nov 6, 2013)

We wouldn't consider using transfers. People know the quality difference and we can print shirts faster than applying transfers. We see people at our events that wear shirts they bought from us 10 yrs before. I know transfers are improving but will they last to make a quilt in ten years. We have people collect our shirts and make quilts out of them.


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

I think transfers would be fine for the niche market I'm aiming for. It depends on the market you are after. Plastisol transfers have been used in mobile printing for years. And with promotional products, you do not need a product to last for decades after the event.


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## Virgram (Nov 6, 2013)

I would agree there that there is a place for transfers.


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## wonderchic (Aug 29, 2012)

valleyboy_1 said:


> That's my market, family reunions and class reunions. I like to stick with that market, any tips you can provide with family reunions? Do you think I need a trailer if I just using a heat press and plastisol transfers??
> 
> 
> Blood, Sweat, and Vinyl Cutters!


We started out doing the on site heat press thing using the dressing room of our horse trailer to haul it in. If you had a van or something I am sure that would work great. We just use the ez up tents and some folding tables from Sams club. We put the hoodies in Rubbermaid totes (don't buy cheap ones-they won't last) the big pain is unloading and setting up then loading back up. We only got our race car trailer this summer and have yet to be at a venue that we could work out of it. We have still unloaded and set up the tents. But hope to this fall. But yes you can absolutely do this without a trailer the short term. But it takes more room than you think to haul all that crap around...good luck


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback, Shell. I will take your advice with the ez up tents!


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## A1WHITES (Nov 19, 2011)

Screenanator said:


> We've been doing on site for 10 years. We print up to 6 colors on site...flash dryer...220 conveyor dryer and we take our heat press for personalization(cut press vinyl). We make 12k-22k a weekend at our big events. It's 99% cash...we give 10% to the promoter for all gross sales. We sell t-shirts for 15.00 ea or 2 for 25.00 ....


 Ok I have to ask how long is that trailer ?


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## LaFamilia (Nov 12, 2012)

I think all of the bigger set-ups look great and all, but live screen printing is thriving right now. Its happening inside nightclubs, corporate gatherings, and smaller events/parties.

We've printed hundreds of events in the last few years, and the model of a normal printshop on-site doesn't make sense for most clients. Space is limited to a 10 feet by 10 feet in most cases, and you have to get around that limitation by downsizing.


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

LaFamilia, can you be more specific when you say downsizing? There are plenty of people looking to go mobile because of the income potential and I'm one of them. I have an specific industry that I'm targeting and no one has entertained the notion of doing this industry. I think taking your business on the road is the best decision you can make these days, which is why I'm not surprised so many people are trying to do it. Stahls posted a question on Facebook asking people what their plans were for 2014, and 75% of the answers evolved around going mobile.


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## LaFamilia (Nov 12, 2012)

Simple 4 color press and flash dryers on-site. Use multiple one color designs that compliment each other and not designs that need to print registration. Printers need to get away from the shop printing mentality for live screen printing. Clients want a small footprint to fit the screen printing activations alongside other activations (photobooths, step and repeats, catering, bars). 

If you have questions, you can message me privately. We have a lot of insight in the live printing world. We print at over 150+ events per year.


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## cowboylife (Feb 4, 2012)

Screenenator,
I love your set up for events..... I assume you have your screens pre made for the event type you are traveling to? How many designs do you normally take to an event and are they all 3-6 color designs? If so how to you register on the spot so quickly if someone asks for a design that you don't have in the press? Sorry for so many questions but this is exactly what I am trying to do and so far have not been successful.


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## LaFamilia (Nov 12, 2012)

Keep it simple.


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## wonderchic (Aug 29, 2012)

LaFamilia said:


> Keep it simple.


So in the mobile version you do [which I love your setup btw] is this interactive with the guests of the event? Do you let them pull the squeegee on the shirt they are gonna buy? I ask cause i am very interested in adding this to our on the road abilities... I do a bunch of teenager attended events and I think they would get into that... I am very interested in what you have to say!! thanks in advance


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## LaFamilia (Nov 12, 2012)

Most of the time, companies use the tees as a marketing giveaway. Think of it as an alternative to printing in a shop ahead of time, but with a lot more potential. 

Depending on the event, sometimes people will pull squeegees. However, when the lines get to be over 100-200 people long, its too time consuming. The fun from a spectator point of view is watching the printing happen live.


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

In my opinion, screenprinting is for a brick and mortar location. Too much prep work for on site. With the creation of plastisol transfers and digital transfers, it makes no sense to build a mobile business around screenprinting when there are less labor intrusive alternatives.


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## LaFamilia (Nov 12, 2012)

There's really not that much prep-work @valleyboy_1. Set-up on-site in less than 30-45 minutes? Where's the prep work in that (minus burning screens). People LOVE watching screen printing in person. Transfer are boring, and DTG is about as fun as watching paint dry. 

You'd be surprised how much business there is in the live printing. Most printers are all stuck in the dark ages. We have our print shop, but you do realize that being on-site is the best advertising and promotion a screen printer can get and all for free. Face to face interaction is #1


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## wonderchic (Aug 29, 2012)

LaFamilia said:


> There's really not that much prep-work @valleyboy_1. Set-up on-site in less than 30-45 minutes? Where's the prep work in that (minus burning screens). People LOVE watching screen printing in person. Transfer are boring, and DTG is about as fun as watching paint dry.
> 
> You'd be surprised how much business there is in the live printing. Most printers are all stuck in the dark ages. We have our print shop, but you do realize that being on-site is the best advertising and promotion a screen printer can get and all for free. Face to face interaction is #1


Thank you so much for you info and insight. As of now we do plastisol transfers and I am often suprised my the people who want to see that simple process happen, so I feel certain the on site printing would be a huge hit. Although I don't think I have quite enough experience to do that at this moment but it is something I want to move up to. I certainly don't want to be in the dark ages!!


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## valleyboy_1 (Jan 23, 2010)

You are assuming that every market place is the same. In my culture, people care about the final product more then the method in which it was printed. While I do agree it can be cool to see the printing process, it doesn't justify building a business around it, especially if the customers only care about the product itself. Again, plastisol transfers maybe boring, but there's a reason it's the preferred and recommended method of the mobile industry, because it works. You asking for a lot of work just to lug around all of the screen printing equipment, along with a conveyor dryer, when all you need to carry is a heat press on a stand with the transfers. And let's not forget about the blank garments as well. Add that with the multiple inks, emulsion, screens, squeeqees, film, printer for films, washout units, and you'll be exhausted by the time you are ready to print. Plastisol transfers may be boring, but it gets the job done quickly and it's very profitable.


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## LaFamilia (Nov 12, 2012)

You are over thinking the entire process. All you need is a mini-press, a couple of screens, a bit of ink, and a conveyor dryer. I appreciate you trying to tell me if the process is complex, but we print at over 100 events per year for some of the biggest companies and corporations in the US, all the way down to some of the little guys (who are just as great to work with).

I assume you have never tried the process on-site?

Here's a link to a video with the process at SXSW 2013.


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## gotshirts2ink (Nov 12, 2009)

If I was you and running that nice of a trailer
I would sell the whole screen print stepup and buy a really nice DTG maybe 2
so much less work, less machines, More space 
and then Wrap that trailer
we were supposed to start up a mobile DTG the first of Jan 14 but it looks like next year
Very nice setup tho!




Screenanator said:


> We've been doing on site for 10 years. We print up to 6 colors on site...flash dryer...220 conveyor dryer and we take our heat press for personalization(cut press vinyl). We make 12k-22k a weekend at our big events. It's 99% cash...we give 10% to the promoter for all gross sales. We sell t-shirts for 15.00 ea or 2 for 25.00 ....


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## Pandas Prints (Jun 12, 2019)

Virgram said:


> We our completely self contained and can run off of a car battery and converter if necessary.


I know this is an older thread but I was wonder if you could elaborate on this. I am trying to sell at a market that is very particular about power and we are not allowed generators. 

Thanks,
Panda


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