With countless color options, apparel choices and designs, how’s a person supposed to make decisions on where to start with their screen printing idea? To bring your ideas to life, you’ll want the help and guidance of an experienced and reliable custom apparel and design shop.

There are dozens of screen printing and embroidery shops to choose from, so how do you even start the process of finding the one that is right for your needs? Below are guidelines and suggestions that will help you determine which shop is the best fit.

Ask for recommendations

Recommendations are a great way to find out the reputation and reliability of a company. Ask your friends, family and co-workers if they’ve used anyone in the past and how their experience was. Recommendations and referrals are one of the top ways that STRYKER receives new clients.

Online reviews

When looking up any company, online reviews are your best friend! Be sure to check out Google and Facebook reviews to see what people are saying about the company. Look for a company that has multiple reviews instead of just a few to make sure they are staying consistent.

Look for experience and reliability

Experience is critical. Look for a company that has been printing for years. With years of experience under their belt, they’ve figured out what works and what doesn’t. What is their record for meeting customer deadlines? How easy is it to work with them? Are they organized?

At STRYKER, we pride ourselves by completing orders in two weeks or less. We are complemented often on our exemplary customer service and we openly communicate with our customers so everyone knows what to expect. We’re pretty good at what we do. Don’t believe us? Find out for yourself!

Take a tour 

Taking a showroom tour is a great way to learn how a company really feels about quality. Here are a few things to look for while exploring a showroom: 

• Is it clean? Is it difficult to navigate through the shop? Does it appear to be well maintained?
• Does the showroom look efficient and orderly? Is it neat and uncluttered or does it look like an episode from the TV show “Hoarders”?
• What is their offering like? Do they offer a variety of products and cater to a large audience of people or focus solely on one area? Are apparel options easy to find and organized well? 

Screen printing shops are notorious for being cluttered; however, you can rest assured that if a shop cares enough about keeping their showroom clean and well organized, they’ll put the same care, time and quality into every piece in your order. What do you think about our showroom? We’d love to show you around!

Browse portfolios and services 

Custom apparel work is highly visual and shops should be proud of the work that they are doing for their customers. Be sure to check out the shop’s website and Facebook page to see examples of their past designs and what they’ve done before!

Ask questions and assess customer service 

If you haven’t done so already, give the shop a call. Ask questions via email. Visit their showroom. Explain what you want and ask how they can help you accomplish your goal. Look for a company with a friendly, knowledgeable staff. Here are a few questions you will want to ask: 

• What brands do you carry?
• How many colors can you print?
• Do you have in-house graphic designers?
• What is the turnaround time for your order?
• How much will your project cost?
• Do you require down payment?
• What are your order minimums?
• Do you have art and/or screen fees?

Feeling confident 

After assessing a few shops using the above methods, you should be able to narrow the list down to the best custom apparel and custom design shop. 

Looking for durable customized apparel? We would be honored to help meet your needs while keeping quality top of mind. STRYKER is a third-generation, woman-owned small business that specializes in industrial nameplates and durable customized workwear with in-house screen printing and embroidery services. Our ISO 9001:2015 certification proves we are serious about quality and consistently strive to provide products that meet customer and regulatory requirements along with unmatched customer service. Browse our online apparel catalog, stop in and visit us, get a quote or call 920-731-9105 to get started on your project today!