MINISTRY OF T-SHIRTS BUYS ROQ IMPRESS

Armidale-based screen print operation Ministry of T-Shirts has moved into DTF, by investing in Australia’s first ROQ Impress DTF heat transfer press, supplied by GJS.

The ROQ Impress is the latest innovation in ROQ’s growing portfolio of digital, automated solutions developed specifically for direct-to-film (DTF) heat transfer processes. The system specified for the Ministry of T-Shirts can print up to 500 T-Shirts an hour.

The system secured by The Ministry of Shirts includes the ROQ Feed, an automatic loading device that efficiently positions DTF transfers onto garments. According to GJS, these combine to offer a high-speed, high-production, highly automated workflow, reducing manual labour requirements, and improving quality control.

Ministry of T-Shirts was founded eight years ago by Sam Austin-Miner and his daughter. The business has a national footprint, with sales coming to customers around the country coming from its online presence, word of mouth and recommendations. Customers range from church camps to cafes, restaurants and breweries.

He said, “We have screen printing, and like a lot of screen printers, we're seeing the opportunity and the customers, with DTF as an answer to a problem, which is on a smaller run of garments which are too expensive with screen printing, because the setup is huge. You might have 12 screens to set up.

“DTF changes things. So we started investing in DTF in a traditional way with a standalone single heat process. But it's just not fast enough. What the ROQ press does is change that completely, so we will be able to do 500 an hour rather than 30 an hour. And that is with one person running the press.

“The quality of reproduction from the ROQ Impress is also a standout.”

Australian garment decorators are increasingly recognising the importance of automation to maintain competitiveness and ensure consistent product quality,” said Greg Stone, managing director, GJS. “By securing the first ROQ Impress system in Australia, complete with ROQ Feed, The Ministry of T-Shirts will be future-proofing its operations and setting a new benchmark for what’s possible in high-volume DTF production,” Stone added.

Ministry of T-Shirts will continue to run its screen printing equipment alongside the new ROQ Impress, Austin-Miner said, “Which way we go will be according to application."

Austin-Milner also produces a podcast for screen the print business, called the Australian screen printers club. He said, "We discuss all things screen printing, including production and business. It is proving popular.