What you might be thinking at this point is that there is no way you can afford the 7700 or even begin to use such a huge complicated machine. This new amazing Epson printer is one of the easiest solutions I have seen and with the Sawgrass Ink solution you can be up and going almost immediately. As you will see in the bullet points below the start-up cost is less than upgrading your system to the 17” wide Epson 4880 system and your overall cost per square foot to print will be lower. You also don’t have to mess with color profiles and the printer will automatically take care of itself. Did I mention that you will get 24” output so you can gang your prints up for more efficient printing? So without further ado, let’s see the benefits of this system:

• Complete Turn-Key Kit, including software, color profiles, inks, paper and more for less than $4,000.
• 350ml cartridges, meaning less cartridge changes and more ink cost efficiency. Huge compared to the old 29, 60, 110 and 220ml carts of old.
• 2 times faster than the Epson 4880 and lightning speed compared to other small format options.
• Same great quality output with 4 colors as you got with previously using 8 colors due to improvements in the Epson printing technology.
• Approximately $0.40 per square foot savings on ink cost over the 48XX series solution and huge savings over super small format printing.
• 24” inch wide output allowing for printing of larger items and giving you some ability to tack all over shirt projects.
• It comes with the tried and proven easy to use Power Driver software, so no messing with color profiling and difficult RIP software.
• Printer will automatically do print head alignments and cleanings so you can leave it on and feel confident it will work when you need it.
• Fully supported by Sawgrass Ink for a plug and play solution that works!

As I mentioned, this solution is coming soon, but don’t wait to get rolling with this. The interest level has been through the roof so you want to make sure you can get yours before everyone else. Also if you order the printer through us before the end of February 2012, you can take advantage of a $750 instant rebate. Let me know if you have any questions.

1) Continual Sales Posts: There are a few people that I follow on Twitter that some days I wonder why. They really don’t seem to bring anything to the table as far as information; it is basically one ad for their company after another. On top of it some of them seem to also have a huge ego with posts like “we are the best…” To me Twitter is a community where people can find like minded folks and connect. Yes it can and should be used to promote your products and services, but it also should be used to share ideas, discuss hot topics and just to plain get to know someone. Be engaging, and be helpful first!

2) Non-Re-tweetable Posts: OK, So re-tweetable might not be a word, but one thing is for sure, re-tweeting (RT) is a large part of the Twitter world. To re-tweet is to take someone’s post and resend it to all of your followers. It normally starts with RT @{User Name of Person who posted original item}. This is normally used for reposting someone’s announcement or information that you found useful that you think your followers also might want to know about. I typically re-tweet post about coupon codes or sales etc. It is the nice thing to do and it also allows you to be the connector between people that might not necessarily be connected already. The problem occurs when someone posts something that is too long to re-tweet. When you post something that you want someone to RT (re-tweet), remember that you must be far enough under the 140 character limit to then include RT_@{your user name}. So for example if I post a coupon code for a sale, I would make sure that my post is no longer than 124 characters long because RT @coastalaaron is 16 characters long. With most of the Twitter programs that I use re-tweeting is very easy. Just a touch of a button, but if your post is too long, then I have to manually edit it. I have started to just pass on those, especially if it is just a sales/advertisement post.

3) Copy Cat User Names: In all of the people that I am now following (367 as of the writing of this blog) I have run across some that either just repost the same thing as another user name or don’t actually share any information other than re-tweets of the parent user name. I wake up in morning to a ton of Tweets and duplicate posts just annoy me.

4) #WW #TT #FF #MM Re-Tweeters: These are the Tweeps (People on Twitter) that RT those annoying Follow Friday, Writer Wednesday and whatever else over and over. I think the Follow Friday is a good idea if you are going to share useful people to follow and you use it sparingly. If you just Re-tweet a ton of them on every day of the week, you might get a lot of followers, but do you really get any people who interact with positive messages and provide you with useful information on Twitter?

Who follows me on Twitter? What do I do that annoys you? What are some things that annoy you about your Twitter experience? What is your Twitter Handle?

Before I get started, I want to start by saying what this organization offers will touch everyone reading this in some way. We all know someone that has been, is currently enlisted, or will be enlisted in the military in the future. So, with that in mind, let me tell you a little about them.
Sweet Dreams Pillows was started and is run by John and Linda Stoeffler. It’s a non-profit organization that makes pillows for children of any family whose father or mother is on active duty and currently deployed.

The Sweet Dreams Picture Pillow Project began with their first pillow shipment in September of 2008. Back then, it was just like any other small organization – they started with just shipping 33 pillows to approximately 16 different families. Their organization name and their cause spread like wild-fire. By the end of 2011 they had shipped 1,753 pillows to approx 958 families!

Being totally non-profit, all of their financial support comes from donations received from friends, civic and veterans organizations and the business community. Just to name a few… Joann’s Crafts, the USPS, Schnucks, Office Depot, and, of course, Coastal Business Supplies.

All of the above-mentioned companies offer some type of discounts, savings or donations. The USPS offers free boxes to ship those pillows. Schnucks offers bags for them to wrap their pillows in before shipping to ensure they arrive safely. Office Depot offers a discount on ink and printer papers. Joann’s Crafts offers a discount on fabrics and we offer them a discounted rate for the transfer paper they use to get the image onto the pillows.

With the help of friends and family, who John and Linda like to call “The Sweet Dreams Pillow Platoon,” they get all of these pillows printed, pressed, stuffed, sewn and shipped. The only compensation the Pillow Platoon receives is the gratitude they carry with them from helping such a wonderful and selfless cause.

Take a look at their website: www.pillowprojectusa.com. You can read testimonials that will bring a tear to your eye (trust me, I know from personal experience), a video of an interview John did with a local news station, more information about their organization and how to get in touch with them.

Below is a poem that has been applied to a pillow that was received by one of the children of a father who had been deployed (I’ll pause while you grab a tissue):

“I am a small and precious child, my Dad’s been sent to fight.
The only place I see his face is in my dreams late at night.
He will be gone for far too long for my young mind to keep track.
I may be sad, but I am proud because my Daddy’s got your back.”
- Author Unknown

And here are just a few of the glowing testimonials they have received:

The curse of deployment hit on month 2 this time and it’s been insane. The pillows have tremendously helped both my boys (age 2 &4). My two-year-old squeezes and giggles and gives DaDa Kisses! And what a difference it has made for us on this deployment (#2 for our four-year-old and #1 for our two-year-old).
A very grateful Navy wife conquering deployment #7.
- Amanda M.

This one came from the father himself, a Marine serving in Afghanistan:
“My name is Mark and my wife forwarded me the correspondence between you guys. I am a Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and have been deployed to Afghanistan for about 3 ½ months now. I have been in the Marines for nearly 19 years and leaving your family for deployment gets harder every time. With that being said, I just wanted to take a minute to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the volunteer service that you provide for military members and their families around the world.  As you can see from the picture below (he included his photo) the pillows that you made for my children have given them great joy and it has given me the feeling that we are closer together even though we are physically separated.
I hope that you guys know that what you are doing means a lot to us and we thank you for everything that you do. Please pass this onto Kathy (Kathy is one of our volunteers who helped sew the pillows for Mark’s children) and the entire Pillow Platoon as well.”
- Mark & Kathy

These are just a couple I wanted to share with you.  There’s many more on the organization’s website. I encourage you to check it out. I’m sure they will touch you just as they did me.

I can say I have had the pleasure to meet both John and Linda personally. I was blown away when I found out about their organization. What a great service, not only to their local community and this great nation we live in, but worldwide.

I’m not sure they realize just how many people really do appreciate them and how many lives they have touched. Maybe this blog can somehow help as a reminder of that or at least be just a little “thank you” to John and Linda, and to all of the Pillow Platoon, for EVERYTHING they do!!

I have been fortunately enough to be involved in all different types of these meetings and have seen the good and bad. I have sat around a lunch table with a handful of other employees talking about the goings on of the week both personal and professional. I have sat in a small meeting of key people covering excellent topics quickly and efficiently to get us all on the same page. I have also sat in 2 to 3 hour long meetings with people calling in from outside locations with everyone giving a scripted overview of worthless information.

Here are a few tips for keeping your meetings on track:

• Make sure there is a clear purpose to your meeting. General meeting tend to lack the direction and guidance needed to create a successful meeting. Make sure any meeting you plan has an agenda and if at all possible, let the others know of the meeting agenda ahead of time. This will allow them to prepare for any information they need to bring with them and it will make follow-up meetings unnecessary as you can complete the discussion at the first meeting.
• Do not hold a meeting just for the sake of holding a meeting at a regularly scheduled time. I know in the previous blog that I said you needed to have regularly scheduled meetings, and that is still true. What you don’t want to do is continuing having those meetings if they are unproductive. Don’t be afraid to cancel the meeting, regroup with a new format and potentially have a new group of people or a new way of holding the meeting. Don’t just continue covering the same worthless information from the same people that really have no need to be there and possibly no interest in being there.
• If you can exchange the information another way, DO IT! Sometimes we schedule a meeting because that is how it always seems to be done. But make sure before you schedule that meeting, you really have to take up everyone’s time. Some items can be done at a different time and passed on to each other by email. This way people can get you the information you need in their time schedule. Everyone has different items on their plate and by forcing them to block off a meeting time or walking into the office and interrupting you not only put that person off, you might also not get the best information possible. They might just agree with you or figure out what to say to get the meeting / impromptu interruption over as quickly as possible.
• Make sure the people you invite to your meetings really need to be in that meeting. There is no reason to have people in a meeting that really are not part of that discussion. For example don’t have an accounting person in a sale meeting or vice versus. The person, who doesn’t really need to be there, will try to interject where because they want to be part of the discussion, but that might derail your discussion path. If there are topics on your agenda that you need their input on then, just invite them to provide info ahead of time or invite them to attend just that part of the meeting and then they can leave. You can also include them on the meeting notes after the meeting and they can provide addition feedback they feel will better help down the road.
• Use technology that is available to you. As you go into a meeting it is a good idea to have an agenda as we discussed and also potentially a presentation if needed. For example I have found that using Microsoft OneNote for my meetings is invaluable. It allows me to manage my agenda and then keep notes of the discussion items right at my fingertips. Then I can make action items out of some notes and easily forward the post-meeting notes to the attendees. Also if I have some information to present I can easily make a Power Point presentation that makes the data easier for the people attending my meeting to understand. Use this technology to keep everyone on track and your meeting with be more efficient and more useful.
• Follow-up on the “action Items” that are discussed in your meeting. This is the real key to having a meeting. If you don’t do anything with the information you discussed, then the meeting was pointless and probably should have been avoided. Make sure you note each action item and that after the meeting you “assign” that action items to the people responsible. Even if those people were taking notes, if you were the meeting organizer it is your responsibility to remind them and make sure it is clear that the action item is their responsibility. This is another great function of Microsoft OneNote. I can easily mark notes as action items that then show up in my Outlook Tasks. Also even when you have an informal meeting, there will be action items. Those are just as important. It is work taking 5 to 10 minutes immediately after that meeting to jot down the items that were discussed and assign and follow-up on any action items.

With these tips, I believe that your meeting will stay on track, and will make the most out of the time you spend in them. What other tools do you use to maximize your meetings and keep them on track?

• Auto Pop Up: This is a feature on a heat press that allows it to automatically open once the timer is done. When the timer goes off the heat press “pops” open allowing access to the item being pressed.
• Bleed: Extending a printed image beyond the size of the intended product to ensure of the product will be completely covered by the transfer.
• Bulk System/CIS: A bulk system (or CIS: Continuous Ink System) is a term used to describe the way a printer obtains it ink. Instead of using cartridges inside the printer, the ink is stored outside the printer in a bulk system that is refillable from bags or bottles.
• Calendered: Is a term used when talking about intermediate sign vinyl. This sign vinyl usually is a cost alternative to the premium sign vinyl (see Cast) and is mainly for short term applications on flat surfaces.
• Cast: Is a term used for premium sign vinyl. This has a longer durability, conformability, and longevity compared to the intermediate sign vinyl.  Premium sign vinyl can be applied to irregular or compound curved surfaces.
• Chromablast: This is a process made for 100% cotton. It is a similar idea for sublimation offering light colored 100% cotton fabrics a permanent image with a soft hand.
• Clamshell: This is one of the two styles of heat presses available. It describes how that style of heat press closes. The press closes from the back much like a clam closes it shell.  Ideally this press is used with items ½” thick or less to help keep even heat on the item.
• Color Management: In digital imaging systems, color management is the controlled conversion between the color representations of various devices, such as image scanners, digital cameras, monitors, TV screens, film printers, computer printers, offset presses, and corresponding media.The primary goal of color management is to obtain a good match across color devices; for example, the colors of one frame of a video should appear the same on a computer LCD monitor, on a plasma TV screen, and as a printed poster. Color management helps to achieve the same appearance on all of these devices, provided the devices are capable of delivering the needed color intensities.Parts of this technology are implemented in the operating system (OS), helper libraries, the application, and devices. A cross-platform view of color management is the use of an ICC-compatible color management system.
• Color Space: A comparison of the chromaticities enclosed by some color spaces.A color model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colors can be represented as tuples of numbers, typically as three or four values or color components (e.g. RGB and CMYK are color models). However, a color model with no associated mapping function to an absolute color space is a more or less arbitrary color system with no connection to any globally understood system of color interpretation.Adding a certain mapping function between the color model and a certain reference color space results in a definite “footprint” within the reference color space. This “footprint” is known as a gamut, and, in combination with the color model, defines a new color space. For example, Adobe RGB and sRGB are two different absolute color spaces, both based on the RGB model.In the most generic sense of the definition above, color spaces can be defined without the use of a color model. These spaces, such as Pantone, are in effect a given set of names or numbers which are defined by the existence of a corresponding set of physical color swatches. This article focuses on the mathematical model concept.
• Drape: The drape of a heat transfer paper describes the way the paper lays on fabric once it has been pressed.
• Force: The amount of downward pressure a blade in a vinyl cutter uses to make a cut
• Hand: This describes how the transfer paper feels once it has been pressed.
• ICC profile: In color management, an ICC profile is a set of data that characterizes a color input or output device, or a color space, according to standards promulgated by the International Color Consortium (ICC). Profiles describe the color attributes of a particular device or viewing requirement by defining a mapping between the device source or target color space and a profile connection space (PCS). This PCS is either CIELAB (L*a*b*) or CIEXYZ. Mappings may be specified using tables, to which interpolation is applied, or through a series of parameters for transformations.Every device that captures or displays color can be profiled. Some manufacturers^[1] provide profiles for their products, and there are several products^[2] that allow an end user to generate his or her own color profiles, typically through the use of a tristimulus colorimeter or preferably a spectrophotometer.The ICC defines the format precisely but does not define algorithms or processing details. This means there is room for variation between different applications and systems that work with ICC profiles. As of 2009, the current version of the specification is 4.2,^[3] but most devices support only version 2.
• Image Resolution: Is an umbrella term that describes the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail.Image resolution can be measured in various ways. Basically, resolution quantifies how close lines can be to each other and still be visibly resolved. Resolution units can be tied to physical sizes (e.g. lines per mm, lines per inch), to the overall size of a picture (lines per picture height, also known simply as lines, TV lines, or TVL), or to angular subtenant. Line pairs are often used instead of lines; a line pair comprises a dark line and an adjacent light line. A line is either a dark line or a light line. A resolution of 10 lines per millimeter means 5 dark lines alternating with 5 light lines, or 5 line pairs per millimeter (5 LP/mm). Photographic lens and film resolution are most often quoted in line pairs per millimeter.
• Inkjet: The inkjet printer uses ink cartridges or bulk systems. These inks are also water based and therefore not water resistant.
• Large Format: Anything over 42”
• Laser: The laser printers use a toner instead of ink to print. They also can run hot because they use heat to disperse the toner.
• Masking: The process of removing sign vinyl in most cases to the application tape you need when applying it to the window or sign board.
• Opaque: Most people think this means clear. It doesn’t. Opaque means giving the backing a solid layer. Light cannot pass through it. In our industry, it usually has to do with dark transfer paper. The opaque (white) backing is laid down so that the color of the shirt doesn’t bleed through into the image.
• Piezo Print head: This is a special print head used in sublimation compatible printers. The Piezo print head disperses the dye electronically instead of heat.
• Raster Image Processor: is a component used in a printing system which produces a raster image also known as a bitmap. The bitmap is then sent to a printing device for output. The input may be a page description in a high-level page description language such as PostScript, Portable Document Format, XPS or another bitmap of higher or lower resolution than the output device. In the latter case, the RIP applies either smoothing or interpolation algorithms to the input bitmap to generate the output bitmap.Raster image processing is the process and the means of turning vector digital information such as a PostScript file into a high-resolution raster image.Originally RIPs were a rack of electronic hardware which received the page description via some interface (e.g. RS232) and generated a “hardware bitmap output” which was used to enable or disable each pixel on a real-time output device such as an optical film scanner.A RIP can be implemented either as a software component of an operating system or as a firmware program executed on a microprocessor inside a printer, though for high-end typesetting, standalone hardware RIPs are sometimes used. Ghostscript and GhostPCL are examples of software RIPs. Every PostScript printer contains a RIP in its firmware.Earlier RIPs retained backward compatibility with photosetters so they supported the older languages. So, for example Linotype RIPs supported CORA
• Resolution: In terms of graphic design, it’s the measurement of the quality of an image (usually high resolution or low resolution).
• Small Format: Refers to anything under 42”
• Solvent Ink: Basically any ink that is not water based. Also is a pigment ink and not a dye ink and is used in outdoor signage and printable vinyl.
• Sublimation: Is the process in which a solid is changed into a gas while skipping the liquid phase. In dye sublimation the ink and paper work together so that when heat is applied the dye changes from a solid to a gas and becomes part of the item/garment.
• Swinger: Another type of heat press, the swinger, again describes how the heat press closes. Instead of closing from the back the top part of the heat press swings to the side. This press is ideal for items over a half an inch thick.
• Teflon: Is a protective sheet that can be used on top or bottom platen of your heat press. This will help keep the stray ink from getting onto your heat press and will keep it clean. If used properly they will last a couple of years.
• Weeding: is a term used for removing the excess vinyl that is around your image when using heat transfer vinyl. Vinyl is made up of a vinyl layer, as well as a clear carrier sheet. After cutting, you can easily peel away the vinyl that does not belong, leaving only your image on the clear sheet.

Please refer to the manuals provided with your printer and sublimation supplies for detailed instructions on configuring and troubleshooting your system. In preparing full color sublimation transfers it is essential to disable color matching from your graphic design software. You should utilize the color correction solution designed for your printer and brand of sublimation ink. The colors of the sublimation transfer may appear washed out. This is normal and the desired result of color adjustment for the transfer process. Equipment and conditions do vary, therefore the suggested times are given as good starting points from which you may experiment and find the conditions that give you the best results from your system.

Substrate Preparation:

Remember to peel the transparent protective film off of the surface of the substrate (if applicable) and check to see that you are working with a clean, lint-free surface.

Temperature and Dwell Times:

A temperature of 400 degrees F is recommended for all products. Use moderate to heavy pressure – it should require some effort to close your heat press. Time and temperature may vary depending on your heat press and the thickness of the blank material. Dwell times can be increased or reduced in 5-15 second incremements until you find the duration which results in the clearest image. Please refer to the documentation from your ink supplier for more information on temperature and dwell times.

Cutting Materials:

Although pre-cut blanks can be purchased through your distributor, FR Plastic sheet stock can be cut, routed or beveled either before or after sublimation using carbide toling. We recommend using either a router bit designed for acrylic or a mult-tooth saw blad designed for plastic. Ask your engraving supplier about bits designed to cut FR Plastic material.

We do not recommned shearing of FR Plastic. The fiberglass content of this material will damage your shear blade. Also, we do not recommend laser cutting because of the amount of charring that occurs on the edge of the plastic.

Hardboard products may be cut using laser engraving equipment. The peel coat or masking should be left on the product until after cutting. Consult your user manual or laser engraving equipment manufacturer for power settings for your machine.

Storing Finished Products:

Special care must be taken when storing or packaging finished sublimated products. If sublimated pieces are placed in direct contact with other sublimatable materials or with any type of synthetic material, the inks will migrate from the sublimated piece to the synthetic material over time. Do not stack finished pieces face-to-face, either when hot or cool. Do not wrap finished pieces in shrink wrap or place them in plastic bags for shipping. We recommend that you use a paper sheet between stacked items, or wrap pieces in paper for shipping.

Troubleshooting:

If everything is set correctly and you still have trouble, your transfer may be shifting. Sometimes a “double image” results when the transfer moves across the sublimatable surface while it is still hot, usually when the press is lifted or while removing the transfer from the sublimation surface. To prevent this, it is recommended to always use a transfer sheet that is larger than the surface you are sublimating onto. Ideally, the paper should have enough overhang to secure it to the backside of your sublimatable blank with heat resistant tape. Do not tape to the foiled edge of a plaque or paperweight as it may pull the foil off when removed. If possible, allow the piece to cool slightly before removing the transfer and tape.

For more information and tips, or to purchase any of Unisub products, check out www.coastalbusiness.com!

Heat Presses:
Using transfers are much cheaper than traditional methods, such as screen printing, when it comes to short runs. In fact, the most expensive thing you will need to invest in is a heat press and you will find that it soon pays for itself many times over. There are many brands to choose from as well as many levels of heat press to enter into. What determines your entry point would be factors such as the size needed to accommodate your garments as well as the quantity you plan to produce. Some of the best brands available are Hotronix and Maxx, which are both by Hotronix, as well as Hix and Insta.

Transfer Paper:
The most common question I hear as a customer service specialist is “what is your best transfer paper?” Actually, all of the papers we offer are of excellent quality. What an individual needs to ask him or herself is the following:  Am I using an inkjet, laser printer or copier; Am I transferring to dark or light garments; What do I want from the transfer?  Some papers produce more vibrant colors, such as Red Grid, and some produce a transfer that is softer and stretchier, such as JetPro SofStretch. There is also a paper called ImageClip, which eliminates the weeding process (having to remove excess transfer material from around the image before pressing to the garment).

Cutters:
One of the most common items that heat transfer customers purchase, other than a press and paper, are vinyl cutters. Cutters can be used to trim transfer paper as well as vinyl, which gives a more professional cut edge around your designs than trimming by hand.  Again, there are many models and brands available, making it easy to find something perfect for your operation. One of the most popular entry-level machines right now is the Graphtec Silhouette Cameo, which is an excellent value considering that it accommodates material up to 12” wide.

Extras:
Many customers also purchase heat transfer blanks, which are items other than t-shirts that are commonly transferred to. Some of these items are quite popular and provide an additional product line for your customers, such as puzzles, mousepads and beverage insulators just to name a few.

All of these products and many more can be found at www.coastalbusiness.com and there are knowledgeable folks just waiting to answer any questions you may have at 1-800- 562-7760.