Lon Winters is the legendary printer behind Graphic Elephants, whose long list of accolades and experience in this industry are truly elephant sized, and are hardly in need of introduction. So, simply just experience this conversation with a smile on your face. Topics of discussion include: The magical balance of Math & Art, potato salad & boats, lie detector tests, getting fired, partnerships, building a multi-million dollar shop in Mexico for Nike, the dream setup, picking a manufactur...
Feb 28, 2022•2 hr 55 min•Ep. 90
We caught up with Ruben Meza of Aztek Tees Co. in Chicago, who is in the middle of a move and remodel. As a long time manual printer, he's now prepped and waiting on his first auto to arrive. Topics of discussion include: The high demand of presses and equipment, following your passions, doing business with family, focusing on your strengths, billboards, misprints, fancy compressors, to use or not to use references and background checks on potential hires, culture, and celery water.
Feb 21, 2022•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 89
In the spirit (and in the middle) of Dylan's Disney vacation, we thought we'd keep the magical family friendly vibes going, and have our friends Nikki and Kyle from Machine Gun Graphics on the show with us. Kyle started printing out of his bedroom as a teen and hasn't stopped, and when Nikki entered the picture with over a decade of working in the retail industry under her belt, they truly leveled up and have been crushing it ever since. Topics of discussion include: Snow days, Machine Gun Kelly...
Feb 14, 2022•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 88
Josh Hooper was born into the print industry, though you may know him best through his comedic content and his character Carll. The Hoopers have been producing apparel in the Christian faith market for a long time, and with a 72 hour turnaround to boot. Now, with the combination of Josh's content, and their long history in the print industry, they've found themselves operating one of the fastest growing shops in the world, Sunday Cool. Topics of discussion include: Being cut from the same underw...
Feb 07, 2022•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 87
ISS Long Beach came and went. Some of us went back to work, some of us are still on vacation, but our trip to Long Beach was one to remember thanks to the ladies in the Print Girl Mafia. They are a group of badass women in the print industry, with even more badass matching jackets. We reminisce on the shenanigans we all got into in our time together, and we really got down to what PGM is all about. Who they are, what they do, and why a girls club is so important to have in this male dominated in...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 86
Dilly is under the weather, but the show must go on, WE AINT STOPPIN! We have Miles Parkhill of the aptly named Miles T Shirts, and this disc golfing screen printer has been at it for over 20 years, and was kind enough to ditch his new hire's training to talk shirt with us last minute. Topics of discussion include: Andy's front desk s.o.p., disc golf, Chuck E. Cheese's, the self employed struggle to get a loan, owner involvement in production, training customer expectations, investing in an assi...
Jan 24, 2022•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 85
We caught up with Danny Gruninger, the man behind Daybirds Printing, though you may remember him as the man behind Denver Print House. His sights have always been set on pushing himself and the industry forward, and he gave us his story on how he grew a monster of a shop past the point of comfortability, and started a new shop to service his favorite clients, with the perfect amount of space and equipment. Topics of discussion include: ISS Long Beach, Yellowstone, the benefit of competition, dra...
Jan 17, 2022•3 hr 18 min•Ep. 84
AHOY! On today's podcast we have Captain Luis Sobrino, the man behind Transom in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A screen printer on land, and a sport fishing captain on the sea, Luis is pursuing what he's passionate about, and doing it right(starboard). Topics of discussion include: Renovations, open/closed/slammed door policies, shop cleanliness, boating, 10 color manual prints, drive thru pickups, waging war with land lords, sticking to your guns, and why you shouldn't ever bring mommy to a job interv...
Jan 10, 2022•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 83
Another year has passed, and somehow we're still here. We reminisce on 2021, and the failures and victories it brought us, and we tackle a monster list of listener questions. We've matured as business owners, printers, humans, and gosh darn it... friends. 2022 better watch out, because we have appropriately sized plans. Topics discussed include: Best year?, the catch 22 of efficiency, EOY Bip, fulfillment, hot market printing, team growth, renovations, Book Club, leaving red flag jobs in 2021, a...
Jan 03, 2022•2 hr 45 min•Ep. 82
School is in session. We have Kevin 'Emulsion Guru' Kauth of Chromaline here with us, and he's setting everything straight for us. Forget what you've learned about emulsion. Repress those memories, bury them deep deep down inside, and for the love of god just delete your facebook. We're starting over. Clean slate. Best screens. Best prints. Topics of discussion include but are definitely not limited to: Common mistakes, EOM, battling temp & humidity, wtf a surfactant is, step testing, reclai...
Dec 27, 2021•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 81
Max Gordon is an illustrator turned graphic designer turned screen printer who was raised on shootin' pool. He's the man behind Birdwatchers Studio, and he's lined himself up to be a one stop shop not only for his clients, but for himself as well. Topics of discussion include: Hating iPhones, stepping away from contract printing, prioritizing art, posters, pool, printing on cake with chocolate, the art of leaving a job on good terms, breaking up with clients, and patiently carving out your niche...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 80
After a brief spat over which Vancouver our guests were from, we hung out with Heather & Skyler Mueller of Loyal To The Press in WASHINGTON. While they may be new to the print game, they've embraced the fear, and are grabbing life by the squeegee. Topics discussed include: How incredible of a human being Chad is, Dragon Ball Z screaming in hotels, documenting your shop, finding your niche, building a client base, fan interactions, getting swole, battling freezing temps, and sniffing iPhones....
Dec 13, 2021•3 hr 5 min•Ep. 79
Nearing the end of our Thanksgiving weekend, we chatted it up with Quinten Thoen of Squints Prints. A young printer who went out and started a shop of his own with only a few years of printing under his belt, he's living it up and cranking shirts out for his local community with the help of his beloved degenerate friends. Topics of discussion include: Canada, Ukrainian breakfast, transitioning from printer to owner, harvesting wild rice, cameo, playing with chemicals, screwdrivers to the face &a...
Dec 06, 2021•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 78
It's about damn time we have Lee Stuart of Rogue Lab on the podcast. Weighing in at 220 pounds and standing at 6'2" tall, this motocrossing youtubing screen printing Canadian has just gotten himself some fresh new digs, and we did our best to prep him for the chaos that he's taking head on, while he gave an honest try at teaching us a thing or two about creating content... Topics discussed include: Clogged toilets, loving thy haters, witchcraft, authenticity, staying inspired and maintaining con...
Nov 29, 2021•3 hr 12 min•Ep. 77
We sat down with Stan Banks, the supastar behind T-Shirt Side Hustle. We had such a great and DIFFERENT conversation with Stan than we normally have, because his shop is so different from ours. Specializing in smaller quantities and transfers, Stan fell into screen printing while promoting his photography business, and is now hustling shirts full time and motivating the masses to do the same. Topics of discussion include: Noodles in chili, angry postal workers, grassroots marketing, setting goal...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 76
We caught up with Jared Mendelewicz, co-founder of AKT, and fish tank specialist. He shared his story of how he went from Myspace coding, to building and acquiring multiple businesses in various spaces, all nestled under the umbrella of AKT. Topics of discussion include: Disney World, Merchspin, to diversify or double-down, failure to followthrough, playlist live, sustainment, ruining weddings, quinoa, and THERAPY.
Nov 15, 2021•3 hr 12 min•Ep. 75
When we first logged into the chat we thought us besties were about to interview ourselves, but it was actually another pair of besties in disguise. Christina and Kristina are the HBICs behind Varsity Sports Shop in St. Pierce, FL. After both leaving the corporate life and taking over a local staple, they made some major upgrades and scaled with an all female staff, and they are about to take Varsity past 50 years of operation. Topics of discussion include: Pankins, missed flights, road trips, l...
Nov 08, 2021•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 74
Dazed, confused, sleep deprived, hungover, and IMMEDIATELY after our trip to Print Hustlers Conf in Chicago... we do our best to recollect our wild weekend, and share some takeaways and insights for those of you who couldn't be there with us. Some guy named Matt Marcotte, and John GIbbs helped jog our memories and shared their takeaways as well. We had fun, don't judge us on our performance, just give us an A for effort. Topics discussed include: Piggy back rides, false memories, industry outsid...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 73
We had a great conversation with our northern neighbor, Ricky Pridmore of Presstime Design. Quick to get into it, Ricky shares a few processes and procedures that go against the grain for most printers, and it stoked up a fun and insightful discussion on printing and running a business, as well as a healthy dose of some much needed bullshitting. Topics covered include: Mild Boyz, revoked driver's licenses, education, buttons, simplifying your emails, specifying your services, steak & mashed ...
Oct 25, 2021•3 hr 17 min•Ep. 72
We caught up with Beau Perry of Craft Works Printing, a printer whose garage days aren't too far behind him. He's maintained his forward progression through necessary pivots and diversifications, not only did we have a great conversation, but he taught us a thing or two, and we may or may not now be investing in trailers . Topics of discussion include: Deaths by Ink, the importance of having handy friends and family, avoiding customer contact in the garage, nurturing the employer/employee relati...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 71
We're talking with Drue Nickerson of 320 Ink in Maine. Right off the bat, we get into Dylan's sudden loss of a press op, and all that comes with 'The Abrupt Fuck You'. We then get on track and into Drue's story, and this guy is loaded with a lot of useful knowledge, and you'll probably get pumped listening to somebody who truly feels they were meant to be a screen printer. Topics of discussion include: Apple cider and spooky season, printing through unprecedented times, small quantities = proble...
Oct 11, 2021•2 hr 49 min•Ep. 70
We met up with Marley Reel & Mike Miller of Rise Designs in Lake Tahoe. Two self proclaimed ski bums who fell into the print game as they settled into life in the mountains. They're currently dealing with some serious wildfires in their area, and we got an update on how things are going post evacuation, and then they schooled us on how they've grown their business over the last 14 years, while also keeping their vision of running a small shop. These guys have truly focused on quality over qu...
Oct 04, 2021•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 69
Joining us from the land of Andy's infamous 3 week vacation, we have Glen Coy of Windmill City in Palm Springs. A former skateshop owner, Glen pivoted to screen printing with a heavy focus on retail, and his team has been crushing it ever since. Topics of discussion include: New space & equipment, retagging, waterbased printing, anti walk-ins, the 80/20 rule, weekend shifts, upcharge struggles, and we have a precipitation measuring contest.
Sep 27, 2021•2 hr 52 min•Ep. 68
After a brief ink update from Aaron at Monarch, we sat down with Dave Quigley, the man with the mullet, of Noreast Apparel. He's been printing since he was a teenager, and has worked his way from location to location, and into the sweet spot he's operating out of now. Topics of discussion include: Baby proofing the shop, getting ink everywhere, bullshit radars, paying up front vs terms, getting jaded, outside perspectives, keeping people happy, and crickets.
Sep 20, 2021•3 hr 5 min•Ep. 67
Assisted by special guest-host, Justin Lawrence, we had a great conversation with Cori & JL Luzietti of Screen Kings. This power couple gave us a whole lot of insight on what it's like running a shop on top of a whacked off mountain in New Mexico, and the never ending upsides of working with you significant other. Topics of discussion include: The disconnect between contractor & printer, rush orders, maintaining high standards, team communication, instagram struggles, starting a brand, r...
Sep 13, 2021•2 hr 56 min•Ep. 66
We caught up with fellow print nerd, Alyson Collins of Parkway Printshop, and we got down to the nitty gritty of our processes and print journeys. A true lifer, dedicated to her craft, Alyson is borderline TOO good to be true when it comes to occupying the role of a production manager. Topics discussed include: Vegemite, wiener dog shaped shops, floor layouts, S.O.P., growing pains, interviewing processes and disasters, little middle fingers, and plantar fasciitis.
Sep 06, 2021•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 65
We have Mr. Grizzly Wheeler himself, wild man, Josh Wheeler on today's podcast. Proud of ourselves for staying on track as well as we did, when our guest has a natural ability to derail any conversation he is a part of. Our discussion with Josh is equal parts bullshitting, commiserating, and inspiring, with a dash of optimism. Josh has been blazing his own trail for some time now, and is on the path of finding his independence in being as self sufficient as can be. Topics discussed include: Dive...
Aug 30, 2021•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 64
One could argue that we had too many podcasters for zoom to handle, but we carried on as true professionals and had a great conversation with our pals Cole Friedman, and Cam Werner. Both of these guys are incredible freelance designers, and co-hosts of their design podcast 'Pentool Pals'. We tackled all of the questions from printer to designer, and designer to printer, as well as a little podcaster commiseration. Topics of conversation include: Nightmare clients, pricing, lawsuits, easy jobs vs...
Aug 23, 2021•2 hr 34 min•Ep. 63
We caught up with Matt & Nathan Richardson, the two brothers behind Relentless Merch, and possible heirs of the Richardson hat company (relations have yet to be determined). What originally began in the garage, is now bursting at the seams, and these guys are looking forward to moving into their new space. Truly living up to their name, their growth has been relentless, and while the Richardsons are looking to find that sweet spot between too big, and too small, their focus on producing bada...
Aug 16, 2021•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 62
We talked with James Lawson & Donald Radtke, both sides of the brain behind Edgemen Printing. In our conversation with them you'll see how truly balanced their dynamic is, and understand how these two have created such a killer shop, deeply rooted in their community, and fueled by Hank the shop dog, the love of the print game... and a little bit of spite. Our conversation covers topics such as: ICP, shop tattoos, word of mouth, likeminded clients, good cop bad cop, dad jokes, CTS, R&D, a...
Aug 09, 2021•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 61
