Toys for Tots

Gearing up for a great cause — we just wrapped up printing shirts for our friends at Toys for Tots as they get ready for their motorcycle ride. A charity ride needs gear that shows up loud and proud, and we were glad to set up the press for this one.

People know us for the hoop, but the screen-print side of the shop runs just as often. For a ride shirt, print is the right call — bold artwork, big coverage across the chest and back, the kind of design that reads from a passing bike. So we burned the screens and mixed the ink to match.

A printed shirt lives or dies on the first few pulls, so we don't rush them. We pulled a test print to check the registration and the cure before the full run started, getting the proof looking right and only then committing to the batch.

These had to hold up to a day in the wind and a lot of washes afterward, so we cured them to last — color that stays put and a print that doesn't crack after the ride is over. Gear for a good cause should keep doing good long after the event.

To the Toys for Tots crew, thank you for letting us be a small part of the ride. If you're running a charity event or a fundraiser here on the Central Coast and need print or embroidery, come talk to a real person — we're right here in Lompoc, and we'll bring you a proof, not a guess.