Jamar Laster

Jamar Laster's Latest Posts

Ricoma Relocates to New Headquarters

Ricoma Relocates to New Headquarters

Ricoma, Miami, recently transitioned to a new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Medley Fla. After two years of construction, the move into the new 58,000-square-foot facility was initiated in mid-October. It will house all Ricoma employees and machinery. Located just...

Hot Off the (Heat) Press

Hot Off the (Heat) Press

The functionality and versatility of today’s heat presses have evolved, but they all should be safe, reliable and consistent, a sentiment agreed upon by many industry experts. One major factor in the increasing versatility of this staple garment-decorating machine is...

Branding Basics

Branding Basics

There’s a lot of jargon that gets thrown around in the marketing world, but if there’s one concept that decorated-apparel shops should consider when building their businesses, it’s branding. Before divulging tips on how to take advantage of branding for your business,...

Basic Embroidery Troubleshooting

Basic Embroidery Troubleshooting

From the runways of New York Fashion Week to the halls of Comic-Con, embroidery is a pastime that consumers and crafters are embracing, as personalization in clothing, costumes and gifts continues to rise in popularity. However, as with any decorating process,...

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead

Paul Whitmore still remembers the biggest job that rolled through Rhino Graphics. Not too long before a 44,000-shirt order came in, the San Marcos, Texas-based shop had just purchased an automatic screen-printing press. Before that, the largest order it had tackled...

The Outlook for Outerwear

The Outlook for Outerwear

We heard it all the time as kids: “Don’t forget your jacket!” Our parents didn’t want us to get sick because of the cold weather, and jackets were the first line of defense. But outerwear has taken on a much more significant role in our closets and wardrobes. Jackets...

Elevate Designs with Specialty Inks

Elevate Designs with Specialty Inks

Specialty inks have been used for many decades. When I was a kid, I had a vintage Mickey Mouse tee embellished with puff ink, which introduced a great touch to a nostalgic design. Since then, specialty-ink capabilities have advanced dramatically. Ink manufacturers are...

Fit Factors

Fit Factors

Fit can be one of the most challenging issues an apparel decorator faces when selecting the correct style for a customer. A garment that didn’t fit the way the customer expected is the No. 1 reason for most online apparel returns, according to a 2017 Narvar report,...

Mastering DTG Printing

Mastering DTG Printing

Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing is catching on as an effective technique for producing fashion-inspired and photo-realistic decorated apparel. If you’ve stepped into the vibrant DTG world while still offering screen printing — a move that many decorators have made in...

Printing at Pink’s

Printing at Pink’s

It’s probably no surprise that Dylan Houser and Woody Kumetat of Philadelphia-based Pink’s Inks love the color pink. “We have a pink logo, pink packing tape, pink mailers, pink gloves for screen cleanups and most of our shop is painted pink,” Houser says. Best friends...

Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series
Strategy & Planning Series