In our previous post, The Hairy Origins of Screen Printing, we discussed the Chinese invention of screen printing using human hair. This post will cover how the next big advance in screen printing began with the discovery of silk in China. Silk comes from the cocoon of the mulberry silk moth (Bombyx mori, for those who care or pretend to read latin). The caterpillar spins its cocoon from a single thread of hardened spit measuring close to 1000 yards. China started weaving silk around 3,000 BCE, even further back than the Pyramids of Giza.

Screen printing is the process of pushing ink through a mesh screen to create a print. A stencil of the design blocks off some of the ink in the shape of the desired print. This basic technique has changed little over the course of thousands of years. Yet, major technological advances helped printers adapt to a growing demand.

Chances are, if you ask someone what their favorite quarter zip, fleece zip-up, or rain jacket is, they’ll tell you it’s their Patagonia.

Patagonia is a brand known for their quality outdoor apparel and gear. They donate 1% of their sales to environmental groups and they are constantly working to reduce their manufacturing harms by using organic cotton and recycled fabrics. They also actively campaign for saving forests and increasing time off and benefits for American families. Basically, we think they’re pretty cool and that they make some sweet apparel.

And do you know what the best part of going back to school is? That’s right, school supply shopping!

• Folders? Check!
• Notebooks? Check!
• Pencils and pens? Check and check!
• School spiritwear? Oh...oops.

Completely forgot about the most important back-to-school shopping trip of them all!? Don’t worry - Ann Arbor Tees has you covered!

There’s no better way to show school spirit than with custom apparel for your school group. Maybe you’re an administrator looking to outfit your staff in the most spiffy and professional custom polos and oxfords.

Everyone wants something different. 3 people want Hawaiian pizza, 4 want ham and green pepper, 2 want BBQ chicken, and 4 want plain cheese. How can you possibly decide what toppings to order? Well, you order more than one kind of pizza, of course! A mixture of flavors so everyone is happy, and voila, problem solved.

You may have heard about one of 242’s campuses in Ann Arbor, Brighton, or Lansing. Their community is built around the goal of helping people take the next steps with God.

242 Church also values high-quality t-shirts. They have t-shirt needs ranging from marketing campaigns to giveaways for student members of the church. That’s where Ann Arbor Tees comes in!

Sometimes they have numbers for sizes. They don’t always come in the same colors as adult shirts. Most of the time they cost more than the adult equivalent. What gives?

These are all great questions, curious blog reader! Pretty much everyone who has placed an order for youth shirts has wondered these exact same things.

Maria Kurple is the Marketing Manager for Trilogiq USA. Trilogiq is a company that offers material handling solutions. Maria came to us needing corporate apparel for the various workers at Trilogiq. But most importantly, Maria needed polos. Lots and lots of polos.

What kind of polos does Trilogiq need?

First, we have different polo fabrics. We have classic knit cotton pique polos. Pique (pronounced “pi-kay”) refers to the way the fabric is weaved. It creates a textured appearance like a waffle weave.

So you have a crazy t-shirt idea - is it possible?

Shoshana Eisenberg was scrolling through Facebook one Monday evening. She clicked on the Facebook event for Women’s March Ann Arbor. She saw a post that read, “anyone know where we can get the t-shirts/hoodies with the march logo on them?” Since she was planning on attending the march, she decided to take charge of the project.

She was not quite sure of most of the details. She didn't know what she wanted, how many shirts to get, and if it was even possible to get the order by the following weekend. Shoshana decided to give Ann Arbor Tees a call the following morning to see if we could help with her project.

Nate pulled up a chair next me and sat down.

He was deep in thought. I could tell he had one of his genius blog post ideas. ‘This request is going to be a tall order,’ I thought to myself.

He handed me a chart with a list of garments. “I want you to make a post on our new tall apparel styles.”

I could see it in his eyes. He was thrilled. It’s finally happening. All these years of wearing ill-fitting apparel are coming to an end.