Some of my best and favorite prints from over the years...

These are some of my favorite shirts that I've printed in my own shop over the years. I'm printed for some of the nicest, most supportive people, and I'm thankful for everyone who helped keep the dream alive. These are some of the prints that tested my capabilities and expanded my horizons in art prep and screen printing. They also inspire me to keep going.

My Guardian Angel. 4 shades of brown on white shirts.  Printed for my landlord. 2003.

CMYK (A.K.A. 4-color process) on white shirt. Personal project. 2003

3-color print on black for Gilroy San Jose rock band Rivals. Around 2007.

Iggy Pop riding Keith Moon. 1-color print. 55-lpi halftones. White ink printed on a black shirt. Personal project. 2013.

Radio Raheem. 2-color print on red shirt. White ink. Black ink. 65-lpi halftones. Personal Project.

David Bowie & William S Burroughs. 2-color print on blue shirt. White ink. Black ink. 65-lpi halftones. Personal project. 2013.

Water based screen printing inks may not be as eco friendly as you think.

Over the past several years there has been a trend in retail towards water based and discharge prints, especially in the mid- to high-end fashion markets.

I don't know if it's related, but I also get people asking for 'eco-friendly' water based printing. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but water based printing is not eco-friendly. There are other ingredients in water based ink besides water, and many of them are not 'drain safe' and not friendly to the environment. I'm not saying that water based ink is dangerous or polluting the environment... it's just not any better or worse than plastisol ink from an environmental perspective. In fact, in most cases, there is less waste and less chemicals involved with plastisol ink.

Water based ink has lots of things going for it. The main advantage of water based and discharge inks are the soft hand of the print. Water based inks dye the fabric, and discharge ink bleach out the color of the shirt, whereas plastisol inks place a layer of... ahem... well, plastic on the shirt (PVC resin to be exact, like those white pipes used in plumbing). Because water based ink dyes the fabric the prints can withstand wear and washing longer than plastisol prints. Same deal with discharge, but in reverse... and with more not-so-friendly chemicals.

I see the merit of water based ink and discharge printing, and I do work with it from time to time, but for many reasons -- which I won't go into here -- I still prefer plastisol. That's what I've been using for most of my 14 years of printing. You could say I'm a little old fashioned. Or just plain old. Nah, be nice. Old fashioned.

And one added advantage of me being old fashioned is that I believe that the customer is ofte... er... I mean, always right. If your project requires water based ink, I will be more than happy to accommodate your needs with a minimum of old-man grumbling. Kids these days...

About 50% deposits.

It's a pretty standard practice among individuals and businesses who provide services to ask for a 50% payment before starting work on any project, and I am no different. It guarantees that the client and service provider are committed to the project & protects the service provider if the customer decides to cancel the order, or tries to take the order without paying the balance due.

Also, the deposit is sometimes used to order blank goods or supplies used to print the order.

For the record, I've never been stiffed for design services or completed merchandise, but more times than I'd like to admit I've done design work, prep work and/or press samples without getting a partial payment only to discover the interested parties weren't serious. So basically -- because I was trying to be nice or helpful, or to make the order happen quicker -- I did work that I couldn't bill for. I'm a sucker. I admit it.

It's cool, though... I eventually learned my lesson.

And it works pretty well for you, too: you get to pay 50% of the order (instead of having to pay everything up front), and then you have a week or two to gather up the rest of the money, and then when you pay the balance, you get some awesome merchandise from me. Okay, maybe I'm just trying to hype this up, or put a positive spin on it, because this is fairly standard practice for a lot of people/businesses that provide services, such as web design, illustration and screen printing. And yet I often feel ashamed having to ask a customer to pay a deposit to prove they are committed to the order.

I heard a story recently of a business delivering $5,000 worth of goods/services (after paying their employees something like $3,500 for their work on the project). They didn't insist on getting paid up front, and 2 months after delivery the customer had still not responded to the business at all. They may never get paid for that order. Ouch. Now, I don't feel so bad about all those times jumped the gun and started work on an order before getting a partial payment up front and I definitely shouldn't feel ashamed for asking for a symbolic gesture assuring me that I'm not wasting my time and resources. Hmmm... I wonder if I should ask for an engagement ring instead... 

"Mr. and Mrs. Paying Customer... Roger L. Paying Customer nee Moore... Do you think I should keep my maiden name...?"

Who is Able?

Hi. My name is Roger. I am Able Screen Printing. I've been screen printing for so long that it's a part of my identity. If I couldn't do screen printing, I don't know what I'd do. I'm like a craftsman from the old school. Every aspect of every order is handled completely by me. Sales. Customer Service. Design. Management. Screen Preparation. Printing. Packaging. Shipping. Cleaning up after everything is done. It's all me. No middle-men. No out-sourcing. No receptionist. Not even a minimum wage laborer to do my 'dirty work'. 

See, here's the thing: I value pride-in-workmanship more than I value money. I have an almost pathological need to make everything 'perfect', even if I don't get paid for my extra work and attention to detail. I work hard for my customers, whether it's a 1-color design on 24 shirts, or a 6-color design printed on 500 shirts.

What all this means is that I will provide you with the best quality printing I am capable of, at a reasonable price.

My name is Roger L. Moore, and I am ready, willing and Able to provide you with the quality screen printed merchandise you deserve. 

Hello, World!

Just a quick post before I head to Oregon to visit my buddy Gabe. I filed my paperwork today to start Able Screen Printing! As in "I'm Ready, Willing and Able". I'm so excited! I've been screen printing for so long that I couldn't even think about doing anything else and it's time I made some money at it on my own. Great things to come...