Sweatshirts In August?

We’re now into August…the ‘Dog Days of Summer’…so who would want to order sweatshirts? Only folks who are thinking ahead! We’re currently printing some great looking sweatshirts for the Navy. The print really pops. I have a feeling those sailors know cooler weather isn’t far away.

If your organization wears sweatshirts or ‘hoodies’, now would be a good time to start checking things out. Make this the year you’re ahead of schedule! Did I mention …”Back To School”?

These Boots Are Made For Farming!

You don’t get much down home than this. One of our clients owns a large cattle farm. When he stopped by the office to discuss a new project, he left his boots outside.

Running Club Glasses Are Done!

You just know that a running club that gives pint glasses to participants has got to be a fun club!  How about your club?  Need some fun ideas?  Give us a buzz, and let’s see what we can do.

The Latest Scoop On Saying Thank-You!

Here’s the scoop on how to say “Thank-you!” to about 6,000 of your favorite customers during the ‘Dog Days of Summer’!  That’s what one of our clients (not B&Js by the way) will be doing as they hand these scoops out to their customers to show their appreciation for their continued business.   The scoops will come in handy for ice cream in a bowl, cone, or root beer float!  Aaaa…summer!

Ice Cream Scoops are a nice summer incentive as well for registrations or sign-ups.  “Get the latest scoop and sign up for our newsletter, blog, Like our Facebook page, etc.”

Of course, if you’re in the ice cream business, it’s a great idea anytime!

How Do We Use This On T-Shirts?

Actually, we don’t.  A number of our clients that need t-shirts, also require etching.  For example, a brewery will order t-shirts for their customers to purchase, as well as imprinted glassware.  As their customers join the brewery’s mug club, we’ll etch the name or nickname of the customer in to the glass beer mug.

We use a sandblaster that literally blasts the names into the glass with silica carbide.  You would think that a substance that is that abrasive would also wear down on the parts that carry the abrasive.  It does.  After a while, the hole in the nozzle gets bigger and bigger.  Then it’s time to order a new nozzle, which is what you see here.  What looks like a simple metal tube with a hole in it, is actually a carbide tungsten tube with a 3/32″ hole going down the center, and a ‘funnel’ opening (not shown) on the other end.  The funnel end of the tube goes in to the coupling.  The opposite end of the coupling will be attached to a plastic tube that carries high pressure air and the abrasive that etches the glasses that the brewer’s customers love!

But, maybe we should play around with it on t-shirts too!

One Color Finesse On Family ReUnion Shirt

This family reunion t-shirt combined a number of elements that made it popular.  For one, the family tree in the design originated as a pencil drawing from one of the family elders.  We took the drawing, as well as an old photograph from each family, scanned them, and then made them the focal point of the design.  You’ll see how well the  screen printing captured many of the details in the photos and tree.  We also added names of family members that would be at the reunion, and a family crest that was printed on the sleeve.   The old photos and names encouraged family members to ask about their roots and bring each other up to date on what was happening in their lives.

The ink color chosen was a dark brown on a natural color t-shirt.  This combination is reminiscent of old sepia toned photographs.  All this was done in just one color!  Wow!  What a bargain!  Family members were very happy, and this idea might spark one for your family!  If you need help with the details, just give us a call.

Lalleypalooza Family ReUnion Goes All Out!

We always appreciate hearing from customers. Knowing how we played a small role in their lives gives everybody at Ad-America a smile.  Courtney sent us this letter and family photos below.  We’ve reprinted them with her permission.  Thank you, Courtney!

Ingrid [and Ad America team],

My name is Courtney Reed and I had shirts printed earlier this summer for a big family reunion. I never got back to you to thank you and tell you just how wonderfully everything turned out! I appreciate it so much, and will ALWAYS recommend you and your business. Thanks again!

Courtney
PS – Here’s one with our little family and one with the whole group! Our grandma made it to the reunion at age 90, and passed just three weeks later. We’ll always remember her last reunion – the one with those great blue shirts!

This was originally posted to our site September 2, 2011, but the warm feelings were so good, we had to share again.

Yes Virginia! Summer Is Coming!

Technically, Summer won’t be here until June 21st, but we couldn’t help but dreaming about it now.  If you find yourself longing for a great weekend near the Lake, here’s a shot on the deck at Coral Gables in Saugatuck, Michigan.  Yes, those are our “Plays Well With Others” t-shirts the guys are wearing.  Somehow, it just seemed appropriate attire for musicians!

Yes! This Is The Before Picture!

Some snow plow drivers are getting together for a little fun competition. And, they wanted a memento for one of the drivers.  This is a 6″ x 8″ jade glass we’ll sand etch for the lucky driver.  It’s beveled on all sides, resting in a black wooden base. Yes, the base does kind of look like asphalt.  You would almost think we planned it that way.  Now, we’re getting ready to do some mock-ups on the glass.  Yes, we literally design the layout, print it out in color, then tape it to the back of the glass, photograph it, then email that photo to the client for approval.  It’s funny how we can mimic the clear jade color of glass in the mock up.  We do all the graphics in white so when it’s printed out, it looks very close to an etched piece of glass.  (Hey, tape the mock up to the back of the glass and take a photo, and it pretty much looks like it’s already done!)  If only the actual etching were that easy.

Oh Deer! Yes, We Can Save You!

Someone donated 200 plus pairs of polyester athletic shorts to one of our non-profit clients. Trouble is, the shorts already had an imprint on the front left leg. Our customer wondered if we could print over the existing print. We were afraid a screen print over an existing screen print, might show through. Here, we did a test by applying a full-color transfer over the existing print. It seems to cover pretty good, don’t you think? You can’t read the screen print underneath, and the heat and pressure of the transfer application flattened the underlying screen print. Now, the next step is to wash test the shorts, just to be on the safe side. After that, I think we’ll be applying the client’s logo to about 200 shorts!