In this panel discussion recorded live at 2025 Impressions Expo in Long Beach, California, Rick Roth, president of New England’s Mirror Image Screenprinting & Embroidery and co-founder of the Ink Kitchen, looks at the future of the commercial decorated apparel industry along with Jacob Edwards from Jakprints and IndieMerch, Alex Phelan from Merchadise, and Nick Buettner from ISW. Among the topics they take on are:
- Why software, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are now the bottlenecks — not presses or dryers.
- How direct-to-film (DTF), sublimation and pigment printing are reshaping what’s possible.
- The coming shift from “garment decoration” to “garment decorators,” and how smaller, smarter shops are thriving.
- Why handmade, hand-drawn and screen-printed work still matters—and why it always will!
For more on all three Impressions Expos, including the expos in Long Beach, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Dallas, Texas, click here.
Videography by TBJ Productions: https://www.tbjproductions.com
