Shirt Lab Las Vegas
Monday and Tuesday belonged to Shirt Lab Las Vegas. Things kicked off at 5:00 on Monday at Stoked On Printing with a shop tour provided by co-founder Kevin Oakley. They hosted our online store masterclass event, and it was fitting. Their new facility is state-of-the-art and perfectly organized with one-piece flow in mind.
My favorite part? Seeing that they use Legos to custom-build jigs for their laser-engraver workstations.
Then, we had a lot of fun at a local brewery sampling Oktoberfest and other brews while we networked, learned about everyone’s shops, and caught up with old friends. Alex Phelan defeated Keith Burwell for the coveted “Rock Paper Scissors” challenge and won a Hotronix 360 IQ Hat Heat Press from Stahls’.
On Tuesday, both in-person and live-streaming attendees learned deep details regarding the entire online store ecosystem. Davis Slagle taught “How to Sell Stores.” Jesse Freeby taught “How to Build Stores.” Shane Snodgrass taught “How to Produce & Ship for Stores.” Alex Phelan taught “How to be Profitable with Stores.” And Ali Banholzer taught “How to Scale Your Store Business.”
Printing United Expo
On Wednesday, the Expo started. I wasn’t expecting a large crowd from our industry, as at least 9 out of 10 people I spoke to in the months leading up to the show said they were waiting for ISS Long Beach and wouldn't be attending. That’s okay, to be honest; I don’t speak with everyone in the industry regularly, and I can tell you this show had a large, engaged audience.
With shows like this, it can become extremely overwhelming. Preparing for the show, I was excited to see and hear anything that might give me a clue about what 2027 might bring. I wanted to see and understand what might solve certain bottlenecks in shops, and what was new. With shows like these, there's an opportunity to connect with industry colleagues I’ve known for years and meet new ones.
For this show, I was slated to teach four classes. Two on Wednesday and two on Thursday. Wednesday was the Academy of Screen and Digital Print Technologies slate.
- “Ask Us Anything: The State of Print” with fellow Academy members Johnny Shell and Julie Ferrigno.
- “AI Reality Check” with fellow Academy member Mark Coudray.
On Thursday, my class lineup was:
- “The Workforce Advantage: Winning the Battle for Great Employees”
- “Build Your Own Shop Software: AI, Vibe Coding, and the DIY Revolution,” taught with Ali Banholzer and Jesse Freeby.
All of these classes had engaged attendees who were eager to learn and solve problems for their businesses. We had great questions asked. One attendee, who took the “Build Your Own Shop Software” class, sent me this: “Just watched your session on AI vibe-coding earlier today at Printing United and I wanted you to just let you know that it was the best session that I saw at the entire conference.”
How Big Was PRINTING United 2026?
PRINTING United Expo 2026 drew 27,000 registered attendees from 100 countries and more than 850 exhibitors, according to Cassie Green of PRINTING United Alliance. That’s about 8% more registrants than the last Las Vegas show in 2024, which drew 24,969. The show filled 1 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center from September 23 to 25, with about 70-80 education sessions. My feet still hurt from walking that show.
But let’s face facts. The apparel end of the show was a small slice. PRINTING United Expo covers commercial print, wide format, signage, packaging, labels, and more. This year they added an entire section for just promotional marketing companies, as they wanted to showcase the convergence of print and promo.
So would next year’s event be worth the trip or to exhibit? Adam Waugh with A4 answered this question, “This was our first year at Printing United. We kept hearing about it from our customers and partners, so eventually we just thought we'd better go check this out. It didn't disappoint. As a sportswear manufacturer, we weren't sure if apparel would be lost among all the printing machines and supplies. But we had good traffic at our booth and were able to meet many new and current customers. As the apparel portion of the show grows, we expect Printing United to become an important part of our future event schedule.”
I think Adam’s comment matches what I experienced. The apparel side is growing, and it’s great that they added promo and other ideas. If you are thinking about planning for 2027, visit printingunited.com.
Thinking About Bottlenecks
Again, as I walked the show, I kept thinking about the solutions for shop bottlenecks presented at the various booths. I was thinking about my own coaching clients, and their challenges, as well as the readers of this blog. What is everyone thinking about or needs help with?
Obviously, I can’t write about every booth at the show, so here’s a selection of bottleneck solutions and what I found interesting or new.
Bottleneck 1: Art and Embroidery Workflow
One of the interesting things I wanted to find, and frankly just bumped into, was a company called Dynamic Mockups. This is a company that utilizes AI to complete repetitive tasks you probably handle dozens of times a day.
They handle image mockups, presentation mockups, and can easily create sales presentations and lookbooks for your sales team. But the one thing I was most curious about is their AI-fueled embroidery digitizing tool.
Dynamic Mockups Stitch AI
What it is: An embroidery digitizer. You can upload artwork, and in about 15 seconds you get a photoreal embroidered mockup, a Tajima DST machine file, a production sheet with the thread sequence and color changes, and a stitch count. It also creates a report on what the embroidery file can’t reproduce well from your art, such as gradients or tiny type. Dynamic Mockups can also build AI lifestyle images with the apparel blank.
Who it’s for: Any shop that quotes based on a stitch count, promo distributors or shops selling embroidered items, and anyone who normally sends out their files to get digitized.
What it costs: Currently free, which Dynamic Mockups calls a launch decision, not a permanent promise. It exports DST only for now, and the embroidery studio runs only on desktop.
My verdict: This was one of the most interesting uses of AI I saw at the show. I would try it and run real tests on your machines before I would trust it.
What to do: Go to dynamicmockups.com and click on their Stitch AI tool. Upload a file you run all the time. Download the file and run it for real on one of your machines. Then, compare the difference. The tool allows you to adjust settings.
Bottleneck 2: Can Your People Get Answers Out of Your Software?
I’ve been speaking to many shop owners lately about their shop software. There are some who have simply given up on legacy tools, built whatever works for them, and vibe-coded their own platforms. I know many shops that have taken this route, and I had two of them at that Thursday education session, where I shared what they built with a completely packed room.
On the Expo floor, I was curious about what was being offered and discussed, and I had conversations with three different platforms.
Taivo (formerly Inktavo)
A few years ago, InkSoft and Printavo merged, forming a new company called Inktavo. Last year, they added OrderMyGear. Also included now are Clarity Software, a sign industry business management tool; GraphicsFlow, a design template tool; OneSource, a catalog tool; and SignTracker, a business workflow tool for the sign industry. Also in the brand line up is DistributorCentral, a technology provider for promotional product distributors. Each of these software products retains its name and features.
What it is: Taivo is the rebranded name of Inktavo. The staff member I spoke with on the floor could not name the reason or purpose for the rebrand, any mergers or features that will appear in the future, or exactly what their claim of a “more connected vision” actually means. He also mentioned that the AI in Taivo stood for AI, but could not list what they intend to do with it.
Who it’s for: Unclear. In their announcement, they state that this is for their more than 11,000 active clients across the brands.
What it costs: No pricing changes announced.
My verdict: This is a rebrand, not a new product launch. Neither the staff nor the website really explains what changed, or why they chose this route. Personally, I have more questions than answers.
One detail did catch my eye, though. If you go to the site and click “Products,” you’ll see the list of the software titles under the Taivo brand umbrella. However, to view InkSoft or SignTracker, you have to click the “More” link. To me, that’s weird. Why not just list them? Why are they hiding InkSoft and SignTracker under the “More” label?
Even odder, is that on their press release, Taivo lists an eighth brand, DistributorCentral, as part of their product list. It doesn’t appear anywhere in the site’s product menus. OrderMyGear bought DistributorCentral in 2023, so why not include it?
Follow Up: If you are a current user of any of these software platforms, I would do two action items.
- Ask someone at Taivo about their 3-year plan. What’s the roadmap for the tools you use, and how are they going to make them better?
- Can you start downloading and exporting all of your customer and order data today? You need it in a format you can use. I wouldn’t wait.
The answers to those questions might tell you everything you need to know that their press release didn’t cover.
taivo.co
CoreBridge Cora AI
I was specifically looking for instances where shop software incorporated AI as a platform feature. CoreBridge is a business management software built for print, sign, graphics, and apparel businesses. It integrates quoting, production, and accounting so you can access detailed information about your business and make smarter decisions. It’s a staple in the sign industry, but they had a booth in the apparel area, so I asked them some questions. I had not heard of CoreBridge before, so I was curious.
The staffer in the booth gave me a quick demo, and I liked what he showed me. The impressive part was their built-in AI-powered assistant, called Cora. You can type, talk, or tap a prompt, so that everyday work gets handled faster.
What it is: An AI assistant built into CoreBridge's cloud shop management platform. Your team types or talks a question in plain language and Cora answers from live shop data, pulls reports, creates or updates records, and jumps to the right screen.
Who it's for: Shops already running CoreBridge or evaluating it. Its customer base leans toward sign shops, but it also serves apparel decorators, with SanMar and S&S catalog integrations for quoting.
What it costs: It’s a free built-in feature, but you’ll need a CoreBridge subscription to use it.
My verdict: The real value here is that Cora can save your shop time and reduce manual errors. You can instantly retrieve operational data, automate routine tasks, or have the platform onboard new users using simple, natural language.
corebridge.net/cora-ai
ShopWorks OnSite NXT
Full disclosure: In both the shops I ran, I was a ShopWorks power user. I’m very familiar with the platform, and have a solid relationship with the staff. They have been teasing the release of an update to ShopWorks for some time, and it’s out now. I was happy to get a walkthrough.
What it is: A modernized version of OnSite, rebuilt from an original design that dates to 2004. It adds true multi-window work, so you can compare customers or orders side by side, plus keyboard shortcuts, cloud or local data, and the same experience on Mac and Windows. OnSite's deep permission controls carry over.
Who it's for: The large base of existing OnSite shops deciding whether to stay or switch, and larger shops that need detailed control over who can see and change what.
What it costs: It’s custom per shop and based on seats. Historically, this is around $57 per user per month, with a 3-year minimum. Plus there are added fees for different modules.
My verdict: I like the improvements that made it into the release, but some of the changes I’d wanted to see didn’t make it into this version. I still want a tag system where keywords such as “polyester” or “sleeve print” or “order quantity” or “color count” can be automated for machine scheduling. It is still as solid as before, and the new additions help.
shopworx.com
Bottleneck 3: How to Give Better Instructions
In your workflow, how are you communicating the work that needs to be handled? It’s a valid question, as we are always searching for ways to streamline processes.
Here’s something new. Apparel blanks can now arrive carrying their own instructions. I’ve had a long-standing relationship with S&S Activewear, and I love the direction they are heading in helping shops improve workflow effectiveness.
S&S Activewear ZeroTouch
S&S ZeroTouch ships your blank orders pre-labeled with QR codes you define. Box-level QR codes route and prioritize cartons inside your shop, and garment-level codes load the decoration details right at the machine, so boxes and garments can go straight to production without manual sorting. Those codes can trigger check-in, queue artwork on your embroidery, DTG, or screen printing equipment, run QC steps, and print outbound shipping labels, all backed by what S&S says is more than 99.9% order accuracy.
What it is: S&S Activewear will label either the box or the garment for faster receiving or production, so you can use QR codes on the labels to access order information.
Who it's for: Shops buried in receiving labor. The item-level version is well-suited to print-on-demand work, mixed orders, and 1-unit fill-in jobs. Doing a ton of online store work? This is the way to go.
What it costs: Box-level labels are free. Item-level labels are $0.20 each. S&S claims a 40% to 60% reduction in receiving labor.
My verdict: The biggest labor savings at this show might not have been a machine at all. Start with the free box-level labels on your next order. It costs nothing to try. The item-level version only pays off if your shop software can act on those codes, so ask your software vendor before you pay for labels. S&S also has API integration tools, so you can connect your existing software or vibe-coded software to take advantage of this service.
Do yourself a favor and measure your current receiving process for the time and labor dollars it uses. Then, get a few orders sent to you with the new S&S ZeroTouch. Measure that time in the same way. Compare. This might make more sense to your shop than you think.
S&S ZeroTouch
Bottleneck 4: Is Your Screen Room Eating Your Labor?
The screen room is where some shops have trouble. From not being able to keep up with consumables or water issues to employees who don’t want that job, the screen room can be a big burden. On the expo floor, I saw fixes that ranged from $62 to $80,000. Which ones make the most sense for your shop depends on how many screens you touch in a day.
KIWO and Grünig G-WASH 112 and 104
What it is: Enclosed, programmable screen cleaning machines from Swiss manufacturer Grünig, shown in the KIWO booth. The G-WASH 112 decoats and degreases printed screens with touchscreen control, adjustable wash pressure, and 100+ stored programs. The G-WASH 104 is a washing unit. Both run closed-circuit fluid systems inside a sealed chamber and load from the front.
Who it's for: High-volume contract printers reclaiming large numbers of screens every day. These have a smaller footprint, so you don’t need as much space as other systems.
What it costs: About $80,000 for the 112 and about $50,000 for the 104, as quoted at the booth.
My verdict: This is serious automation for serious volume. Before you get excited, do the math: screens reclaimed per day, multiplied by the minutes each one takes, multiplied by what that labor costs you, including the turnover in that job. If that number doesn't come close to paying the machine off in about 18 months, you're not right for these systems yet.
G-WASH 112 · G-WASH 104
printGRIP printLINER
Back in the day, I spent 2 years trying to eliminate the use of masking tape in the shop for screen frame prep, as we were spending over $7,000 a year just on it. The printLiner is a product I wish I had thought of, as it gives you the exact outcome I had in mind. Get rid of the tape!
What it is: A reusable liner for screen frames that replaces taping and untaping. Each kit includes the top liner and a back metal frame. Each screen set uses a frame and magnets to block off the frame's perimeter and prevent ink or other consumables from entering the area. The new size fits 20" × 24" frames.
Who it's for: Any shop that tapes screens. The new smaller size opens it up to manual press shops.
What it costs: $62 for 20" × 24" frames and $69 for 23" × 31" frames.
My verdict: In your screen room, do you have a ball of masking tape that you have built over the years, the diameter of a manhole cover? Tape is a cost that never shows up on a quote. Add up a year of tape plus the minutes your team spends taping and peeling, then compare it against liners for your working set of screens. Run that number. It's bigger than you think.
print-grip.com/printliner
LayerWorks
What it is: A new line of shop tools from LayerWorks. Each one fixes a single problem:
- InkBlade Pro cards excess ink off squeegees, flood bars, and screens, replacing disposable cleanup cards.
- SprayMount Pro is a 60-lb magnetic holder that helps keep that can of spray tack from exploding in your dryer by giving it a home in a bracket rather than on the edge of the dryer belt frame.
- LidMod X converts an emulsion bucket lid into a clean, resealable pour spout for filling your scoop coater.
Who it's for: Every screen printing shop.
What it costs: InkBlade Pro is $10 each or $39.95 for a set of four. SprayMount Pro is $39.95 for a set of two. The LidMod X is $31.95.
My verdict: These are the easiest buys in this article. They came from a working printer (Jeremy Ray with Rock Hill Screenprinting in Rock Hill, South Carolina) fixing problems on his own floor, and it shows. Small daily annoyances add up to real hours over time.
layerworks.design
Bottleneck 5: Speedy Production Application
Shop owners always want more out of their production departments. Printing United Expo offered a huge number of machines on the show floor, but these caught my eye.
DCC Copperhead Matrix Di4.0 with VoiceCraft
What it is: The DCC Copperhead Matrix Di4.0 is an automatic screen printing press from DCC with up to 20 stations and a rated speed of 1,200 pieces per hour. Its VoiceCraft system speaks alerts out loud and narrates issues as they happen, backed by a 15" touchscreen with audio and visual guidance. Quantum Cloud 4.0 reports production KPIs remotely, so you can see what the press is doing from anywhere. It also has sensors that notify the operator when each pallet reaches temperature, automatic lubrication, and servo-driven indexing.
Yes, you read that right. You can talk to the press so it understands you and performs the task.
Who it's for: Growing shops training newer operators, and owners who want real production data without standing next to the press.
What it costs: Not published. The cloud hardware comes built in, but full access to the data requires a subscription.
My verdict: This was the most remarkable thing I saw at the show. Being able to speak to the press, give it voice prompt instructions, and carry them out is straight out of a movie. The production manager wears a clip-on microphone, and if they say certain phrases, the machine confirms the request and then performs the task.
groupdcc.com/copperheadmatrix
Hotronix Carousel Heat Press
What it is: A rotating, multi-station heat press from STAHLS' Hotronix with 6 stations and 3 heat zones. The operator loads and unloads while garments continue moving through the heat, with a capacity of about 300 shirts per hour. It launched September 17, days before the show opened.
Who it's for: High-volume decorators, contract printers, and fulfillment operations whose DTF bottleneck is application, not transfer production.
What it costs: At the show, Stahls’ had the entire system for $79,990, which included delivery, installation, and training.
My verdict: This is capacity without another hire, as long as your transfer supply can keep up. This equipment is for shops that have serious DTF work on their schedule daily. This looks and acts like a solid machine.
stahls.com/carousel-heat-press
ROQ ID Press
What it is: An automatic press built only for small hits: inside neck labels, sleeves, brand marks, and small-format transfers. It feeds and peels DTF or screen-printed transfers automatically across 8 pallets, rated at 500+ pieces per hour. Transfers run from 3" × 3" up to 6.7" × 8.7".
Who it's for: Shops printing tags on every order that are tired of burning screens or making pad printing plates for them.
What it costs: About $63,000.
My verdict: It pulls tag printing off your main presses and out of your screen room. Think about what that frees up. DTF tags also hold detail better on fleece than direct printing. One practical note: the transfer tray holds up to 300 transfers, so at full speed someone reloads it about every 35 minutes.
roq.us/roq-id-press
ROQ Impress Dual
The new ROQ DUAL is a new add-on automation for the ROQ Impress that allows an operator to load two different sized transfers into the same machine, enabling fast changeovers from one size to another. The increase in efficiencies and work flow showed how someone could set up two jobs at once or two placements at once with zero down time.
What it is: The Dual is an add-on to the already existing ROQ Impress automatic heat transfer equipment. With no changeover downtime, the machine demonstrated how a single operator could run two jobs or two placements at 700 pieces an hour.
Who it’s for: High-volume DTF producers, and shops with ROQ Impress equipment already.
What it costs: You should ask your dealer, but expect price ranges to be $85,000 to $120,000+ if you are buying the entire system.
My verdict: If your shop frequently handles front and back transfers or wants to have two orders queued up at once on a machine, this could be a good solution for you.
roq.us/roq-impress-system
M&R Quatro 128
What it is: A larger version of M&R's Quatro DTF printer. The M&R staff member I spoke with said its output is about 2.5 times the base model's.
Who it's for: High-volume DTF producers, and shops with steady DTF print work.
What it costs: Not published. Ask your M&R dealer.
My verdict: I know many shops that are using the original Quatro to great effect. Rather than buying multiple machines, if your DTF print volume is high and you need more capacity, this new machine might just be the ticket.
mrprint.com/quatro
Bottleneck 6: What Do You Do When You're Simply Out of Capacity?
Sometimes the bottleneck is the whole shop. You're full, the job is good, and you have to decide whether to say no. S&S Activewear is now offering a way to find and send work to their list of vetted contract decorators.
S&S Activewear FAST
What it is: A platform that routes outsourced decoration orders to a network of 30+ vetted contract decorators. Orders come in through the FAST interface, an API, or a connected storefront. FAST sources the blanks from S&S, sends the job to the nearest qualified decorator, and ships it white-label to your customer, with 1 invoice back to you. S&S cites 4M+ units decorated and a 3 to 5 day turnaround across screen printing, embroidery, DTG, and heat press.
Who it's for: Shops turning away small jobs, jobs too big for their capacity, or decoration methods they don't offer in-house.
What it costs: Not published. You'll need a demo.
My verdict: FAST turns "we can't do that" into a "yes." It's a real pressure release valve when you're at capacity, or it lets you sell decoration methods you don't own yet without buying equipment or hiring people. Because the work ships white-label under your brand, your customer relationship stays yours. Set it up like any production partner. You should get a demo and walk through how orders, artwork approvals, and reorders flow so it fits cleanly into the way your shop already runs.
S&S FAST
One more: Not a bottleneck but too good to not talk about
Jerzees Colorwash
What it is: A new garment-dyed collection on 6.1 oz. 100% combed ring-spun cotton grown in the USA. The 18-color palette splits into 11 pigment-dyed colors with a faded, vintage look and 7 reactive-dyed colors that stay deeper and more consistent. The short sleeve tee and long sleeve tee are slated for Spring 2027. A crewneck and hoodie on 8.7 oz. fleece follow in Fall 2027.
Who it's for: Shops selling retail-style, vintage-look programs at a premium price.
What it costs: Pricing isn't published yet. Ask your distributor or Jerzees rep.
My verdict: Garment-dyed product commands a higher price, so this is a margin opportunity if you plan for it. Jerzees recommends a dye blocker on the entire line to prevent migration. Build that ink cost and that extra step into your quote before the first order lands, not after the first reprint.
Get a sneak peek at the entire collection with this color card you can download. It won’t be available until 2027.
So Where Is Your Bottleneck?
A good chunk of what I noticed at Printing United Expo 2026 all did just about the same thing. They helped untangle a bottleneck in the shop.
It is easy to get confused or stuck when looking at this stuff. New equipment is shiny and exciting to get. But sometimes, that’s not where the problem really lives.
Take a few minutes and assess what’s the actual scenario.
- Walk around every department in your shop and find the stage where the work waits the longest.
- Click the links on the companies I highlighted and get more information.
- Run a real custom logo through the Stitch AI app this week and then sew it out on a machine.
- Ask S&S for a free box-level ZeroTouch label on your next order.
- Time your receiving process. Then time the same process using the S&S ZeroTouch label.
- Ask your shop software vendor for their roadmap for the next three years and get a full export of your data.
- Add up what tape and clean up cards cost you annually.
- Take a few minutes to go through my Shop Diagnostic and rate your levels of effectiveness in your shop.
Need a second set of eyes to discuss your bottlenecks in your shop? That’s the work I do with shops just like yours every week. Need to chat? Grab a free discovery call here.
PRINTING United returns to Las Vegas September 14 to 16, 2027. I'll be there.
Where does work sit and wait in your shop right now?