Getting the message out

T-shirt printing business responds to orders from across the country
By Jenny Kopaceski
The Star Press
    

MUNCIE - Thanks to Gail Stautamoyer, a Muncie Sportsplex baseball team has 
uniforms, a fraternity has a new logo and a dormitory full of girls has a 
memorable souvenir to remind them of college days.

The owner of Phoenix Design Inc., Gail Stautamoyer says these are just a 
few of the many organizations that have come to her business requesting 
screen printed T-shirts.

Proprietor of the 25-year-old company for 7 years, Stautamoyer, along with 
six other employees, faces the heat of the ink dryer and fumes of a screen 
opener every day to produce quality custom-created shirts, hats, towels and 
umbrellas.

"The other day, I came into the shop, and it was 95 degrees in here," 
Stautamoyer said.

Despite the sometimes uncomfortable work environment, Stautamoyer and her 
team continue to generate products for churches, community centers and small 
businesses, and for special occasions such as weddings and family reunions. 
At Phoenix, everything is done by hand.

Orders for shirts and other supplies come from across the United States and 
are shipped by UPS.

"What makes us different than most printing businesses is that we have a 
low minimum-order policy," Stautamoyer said. "Some printing companies 
require that least 25 items be purchased."

Some customers bring in their own design ideas, while others rely on 
Phoenix's graphic expertise to create the most suitable pattern for an event 
or organization.

After an order is placed and artwork is agreed upon, the design is 
transferred onto a transparent vellum paper and made camera-ready in black 
and white. The paper is burned onto a screen in an exposure unit and is 
prepped for printing.

A test print is made on paper or a scrap T-shirt before the real product is 
inserted. For each color of the design, a separate printing station is 
used.

The T-shirt is lined up using a mathematical grid to ensure patterns will 
print evenly. Location of buttons, women's bust sizes and proportioning 
graphics on children's shirts must be taken into consideration during design 
placement.

"This job requires a lot of attention to detail," said Jamie McClain, a 
graphic design major at Ball State. "If you don't set up right, you're 
going to screw up your whole order."

"And that can be very costly," said Nada, Gail's mother and co-worker.
Set up is the longest part of making a T-shirt and can last as much as 2 
hours. Printing is simpler and takes just minutes for an entire order.

Spilling the thick, messy ink on clothing is an occupational hazard because 
it never dries, but Nada is right on hand with a solution.

"Baby wipes can clean anything," she said.

To dry the ink, each T-shirt is sent through a dryer after printing. The 
dryer heat can reach 320 degrees.

Stautamoyer said the most enjoyable aspect of her job is "seeing a design 
come to life."

"It can be stressful because you're juggling deadlines," she said, "but it 
can be fun and exciting, too."

Captions under pictures
Large picture-Process: Jamie McClain screens the red ink of a two-color 
designed T-shirt. After flash drying the red ink, Jamie will screen black 
ink on the design. The drying time is a couple of minutes.
Small picture-Drying: Jamie McClain takes a freshly screened T-shirt to the 
dryer conveyor belt. The dryer temperature of 320 degrees will set the ink 
on the shirt.

Reprinted with permission from the Star Press.