Marshall Atkinson

Print shop PSA: Not every new product category is a growth move. Some are just very expensive distractions. While reporting this piece for The Apparelist (thanks, Cassie Green!), one theme came up repeatedly in insightful conversations with Marshall Atkinson, Jesse Poteet and Deanna Smith: Print shops don’t struggle with adding new services. They struggle with knowing when and why to do it. Just because you can bring DTF, UV-DTF, wide format, promo, or fulfillment in-house doesn’t mean you’re ready. Before investing in the next “must-have” machine, it’s worth asking: • Does this align with how our shop already produces work? • Are we solving consistent customer demand or chasing potential demand? • Have we learned how to sell this before buying equipment and adding labor? • Will this strengthen our core revenue, or pull focus from it? Deanna put it bluntly: new categories are never plug-and-play. If they don’t fit your workflow and strengths, they drain resources instead of adding value. The shops that win plan first, outsource strategically, validate demand and then buy. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eJAUtZK8 #PrintShopLife #DecoratedApparel #ScreenPrinting #DTFPrinting #PrintShopGrowth #ProductionWorkflow #ShopManagement #ApparelDecoration #TheApparelist

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Building new business for printing companies is harder than ever. Buyers have sky-high expectations, limited bandwidth, and more options than they can process. And many seasoned reps who have decades of experience aren’t always equipped with today’s digital tools. The opportunity? Leaders who pair experience with modern processes create unstoppable reps. What’s one digital skill (or habit) your team needs to level up this year? #PrintIndustry #SalesLeadership #BusinessDevelopment #PrintSales #GrowthMindset

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Proud of this one. SEDDI put together a case study on how we handled the Topo Chico merch program, and it's a pretty honest look at how we work before anything goes to print. The software has been a game changer for our team and our customers.

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The most important space in your footwear pipeline has no physical location. It's where the next generation of designers is already working. Where product gets shaped before tooling. Where manufacturability gets determined before anything physical exists. The capabilities developing there are compounding every year. The specializations have fractured into disciplines most leaders don't have names for. It's where human-AI collaboration will happen. And most footwear leaders can't see it from where they stand. I wrote about what this space is, why you can't see it, and what changes once you understand it's there. https://lnkd.in/gfeSqWpW

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✨ Wise Words Wednesday ✨    A fitting is where design meets precision:    1️⃣ Technical Fitting: Sample pieces are tested on a fit model.  2️⃣ Check Fit & Movement: All points of measure ("POM") are assessed.  3️⃣ Pin & Adjust: Seams, darts, hems, and details are refined.  4️⃣ Fabric Assessment: Stretch, drape, and weight are observed.  5️⃣ Design Review: Ensuring the garment aligns with the designer’s vision.  6️⃣ Final Notes: Changes recorded for the next sample or production run.    Every step ensures the final piece fits perfectly and looks as envisioned. ✂️💫    #WiseWordsWednesday #FashionProduction #BehindTheScenes #FitAndFinish #CoutureProcess #FabricToFinish #WeGetYouFromRunwayToReality®

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When print vendor decisions are based only on cost, brand consistency quietly erodes. Color shifts. Material quality drops. Errors go unchecked. And over time, perception changes. The real question isn’t “What’s the cheapest option?” It’s “What protects the brand while optimizing spend?” If your print partner isn’t explaining what impacts consistency, you’re likely paying more than you realize. Watch the full video for the print perspective every brand team should know. #BrandConsistency #PrintMatters #BrandPerception #MarketingStrategy #BrandManagers #Procurement #PackagingDesign #ColorAccuracy #PremiumBrands #BrandProtection

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WHY DO BRANDS BUY IN RATIOS LIKE 1-1-2-3-2-1? Ever wondered why brands and retailers buy in ratios like 1-1-2-3-2-1 across six sizes? The answer is simple — and revealing. That “3” represents the sample size, where the garment was fit and approved. The sizes immediately above and below — the “2-2” — are the sweet zone, where the fit still feels comfortable for most buyers. So why do the smallest and largest sizes often end up on the clearance rack? Because those garments were graded using bad grade rules — assuming the human body grows (or shrinks) in equal proportion. It doesn’t. TOO MANY SIZE RANGES, TOO MANY BAD FITS Petite, Junior, Missy, Women’s, Plus… each with five to six sizes. Yet most still fail to fit properly. The root cause? Poor grading assumptions — not poor design. HOW WE FIXED IT AT TUKATECH At Tukatech, we re-engineered the process. Instead of using just one fit model per size range, we found a fit model for each size, 3D body-scanned them, and created sloper patterns for every size. Then, we measured the real relationship between Size 1 → Size 2 → Size 3 → and so on. These values became our intelligent grade rules — based on real human data, not guesswork. Once a garment is perfected on any fit model, we simply apply the new grade rule — and every size fits right, the first time. No clearance racks full of “bad sizes.” We even applied this to children’s wear, using a single grade rule from newborn to size 16 — without making additional samples. 🎥 Watch how grade rules can be generated and applied intelligently here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/g86sU8kW #grading #Margin #badfit

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Why “Rush Orders” Fail in Apparel Production In promo and event-driven programs, rush orders aren’t rare they’re expected. But most production delays don’t happen at the printing stage. They happen in: • Blank sourcing misalignment • Artwork approval delays • Decoration method mismatch • Freight dependencies • Poor production sequencing Speed isn’t about printing faster. It’s about building a system that removes friction before production even starts. That’s the difference between chaos and controlled turnaround. Curious — where do you see rush orders break down most often? #promoproducts #eventmarketing #apparelproduction

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