Plastisol ink”. What exactly IS plastisol? If you’ve ever ordered custom screen printed apparel, you may have heard that term. But, what is it? Is it something you want on your apparel? To clear things up, we will explain everything you need to know about plastisol ink when you place your screen printing order.

Plastisol ink is the most widely used ink in apparel screen printing. It is made up PVC particles suspended in a liquid plasticizer. It is very durable, flexible, and easy to use in the screen printing process.

So why do we love plastisol?

• Plastisol ink is stubborn…in a good way of course. Once it’s cured on your shirt, it won’t chip off. In fact, it takes years of washing before you’ll begin to see any cracks in the printing. Your t-shirt will wear out before the print does.
• Plastisol needs no special care. There are no special wash instructions for garments printed with plastisol ink. Just wash and dry normally.
• Plastisol is versatile. It can be mixed easily to create just about any color imaginable. You get to choose exactly the color you want with plastisol ink. You can even create special effects like suede, glow-in-the-dark, glitter, shimmer or metallic.
• Plastisol is thick and opaque. It shows up easily on the darkest fabrics and retains it bright image for years.
• Plastisol is cost effective. It is less expensive than other ink options.

Plastisol ink is a fantastic screen printing medium. However, there are a few things to remember when placing an order:

• Plastisol is a thermoplastic. There is a chance it will melt when coming in contact with extreme heat. Do not iron screen printed garment in high heat.
• Plastisol does not bond to metal or glass.
• Plastisol printing may bunch around seams. When working with your screen printing company, be certain to keep your design away from seams.
• Plastisol is less breathable that other inks. It is certainly a consideration when considering a large design on your garment. This is especially true for athletic garments.

You have now passed Plastisol 101! Now that you understand plastisol ink, you may be in the market for new custom screen-printed tees. If so, be sure to check out Greek Corner Screen Printing and Embroidery in Springfield, MO. We offer full service textile screen printing at competitive rates. Our talented artists will work with you to create exceptional artwork for your screen printed garment. Whether you are looking for tees, hoodies, jackets, sweatpants, shorts or other apparel, we can do it all. To learn more, call us at 417.865.8011 or request a free quote. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

We are growing! The Greek Corner, a local leader in the screen printing industry is seeking an experienced full-time Screen Printer. The Greek Corner was the recipient of the 2013 BBB Torch Award Marketplace Ethics and was a finalist for the 2014 and 2017 Springfield Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.

To join our award winning team, the successful applicant must:

• Be detail oriented
• Follow directions, systems, and processes
• Take the initiative
• Be meticulous in their work habits
• Work well with others
• Set-up and tear down jobs quickly
• Work quickly and efficiently
• Willing to do whatever it takes to meet deadlines
• Keep their work area neat and clean
• Have a record of excellent attendance and punctuality

The Greek Corner features:

• A family atmosphere
• A reputation for always meeting deadlines
• Clean, safe work environment
• New, state of the art automatic printing presses
• SIMPLE IRA
• Vacation/Holiday pay

Automatic screen printing press experience is preferred. However, we are willing to train the right person. Compensation is based on experience. If you possess all of these characteristics and want to join our team, apply in person at The Greek Corner, 2109-A E. Rockhurst. To learn more about The Greek Corner, visit us at www.GreekCornerPrinting.com.

Springfield, MO— As of January 1, 2018 Greek Corner Screen Printing and Embroidery are the owners of Bigfish Screenprinting, an acquisition that more than doubled the size of their company.

Greek Corner and Bigfish both offer custom screen printing and embroidery services to the Springfield region. Both locally owned and operated, Greek Corner has been in business since 1983 and Bigfish opened its doors in 2001.

The plan to sell has been in the works for some time once Bigfish owner, Vicki Simpson knew she wanted to retire to pursue other endeavors. “About a year ago I began giving some initial thought to selling my business and looking toward the future of working on some other things which are extremely important to me personally,” said Simpson. “As part of the decision to sell, it was of utmost importance to me that the future owner of my business share in my personal values and the integrity on how my business is managed. After a few meetings with Greek Corner, I was convinced that Jason would share my same values in treating my staff with respect and managing my business with integrity.”

“We know that Bigfish does some things better than Greek Corner and we also know that we do a few things better than Bigfish,” says Jason Parke, owner of Greek Corner Screen Printing and Embroidery. “We are going to step back and observe what works best. After a period of time, we will take the best of both worlds and integrate those ideas and processes into a system that will create an even greater company than either of us ever dreamed.”

Greek Corner has grown over 600% since Parke purchased the company over eight years ago. Previously called Corner Graphics, Parke not only restored the company to its original name, but he also assembled a team who he could trust to be dedicated to delivering the highest quality service and product, every time. Parke and his team are taking this opportunity to objectively look at both companies to see what truly works the best for everyone, including the customers.

This acquisition will double Greek Corner’s annual earnings and increase their staff size by 12 employees.

Greek Corner will keep the Bigfish location on Glenstone for the foreseeable future. All orders can be placed through Greek Corner by calling 417-865-8011 or visiting www.greekcornerprinting.com.

The staff of Greek Corner Screen Printing and Embroidery is pleased to again be selected as a Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Small Business of the Year Award Finalist. Even though we did not win, we are humbled to have been recognized for our commitment to provide the best custom screen printing and embroidery service in our market. We owe our success to our team of experienced customer service representatives, artists, screen printing technicians, and support staff. All of them work together to ensure we create great looking t-shirts and embroidered apparel that are completed on time, every time.

Requirements:

• Be detail oriented, follow processes and systems
• Set up and tear down jobs
• Have experience in working with automated press
• Knowledge and experience in t-shirt screen printing process

You’ve decided to order screen printed t-shirts for your group, church, school or team. You Google custom screen printed t-shirts and are amazed to find 12 -15 local companies that print t-shirts. So, how do you pick the best one? It may be easy to compare price and delivery time, but how do you judge quality? Here’s a great way to separate the men from the boys . . . ask to take a tour of their shop.

Taking a shop tour is a great way to learn how a company really feels about quality. Here are few things to look for while they are showing you around.

Floor. Is it clean? Do your shoes stick to the floor? Are there globs of ink tracked all over the shop? Is it difficult to navigate through the shop?

Equipment. The equipment doesn’t have to be the latest and greatest. However, is it clean? Is ink smeared all over the machine? Does it appear to be well maintained? Does it look like the equipment actually works? Does it look like it’s held together with baling wire?

Efficient. Does the shop look efficient and orderly. Is it neat and uncluttered or does it look like an episode from the TV show “Hoarders”? Are there pieces of old, unused equipment sitting around covered with stacks of boxes and other pieces of equipment?

Lint. Is every flat surface covered with lint? Are dust bunnies multiplying in every nook and cranny? Does the top of the dryer look like a shag carpet due to a thick layer of lint?

Screen printing shops are notorious for being less than neat and clean. Sure, a dirty, cluttered shop might be able to produce a nice printed t-shirt. Anything is possible. However, you can be assured that if a shop cares enough about keeping their shop neat, clean and well organized they will be sticklers about the quality of your t-shirt order. You are always welcome to visit our shop. Call to set up your tour today.

Help your employees kick their crack habit by ordering our long tail t-shirts. Long tail tees are available in several colors including safety green. We’ll also custom screen print your t-shirts with your company logo. You’ll get the benefit of promoting your trade services while presenting a more professional image to your customers. Contact us today and get a quote so you can help your staff overcome the evils of crack.

We are pleased to announce the installation of a brand new, state-of-the-art Roq You12 automatic screen printing press. Our new screen printing press (shown in the foreground to the left) features 12 stations and can print up to 8 ink colors. The Roq You12 also has an automated flash unit which cures the ink as the printed shirts rotate through the process. It can sense the exact moment the ink has cured and automatically advance the pallet to the next printing station. Just like our existing You 16, the new You12 is rated to print 1,000 shirts an hour. Yes, that’s one thousand custom printed t-shirts in one hour. Is that really possible? It IS possible, but we are limited by how fast our operator can load the shirts. Having said that, last year, Production Manager Travis Christiansen printed 938 shirts in one hour.

While getting new equipment is always cool, the real question is,  “How does it benefit you the customer?” You’ll benefit in two ways. First, for a great screen printing job, it’s important that the base coat ink is properly cured before applying the second color. Since this new automated flash unit senses that the ink is properly cured before printing the next color on the tee shirt, you’ll get a better printed image. Second, this new machine increases our capacity to produce more t-shirts in a shorter amount of time. Therefore, you’ll get faster delivery for your next t-shirt order.