Our First Live Print

Live printing

Charlie has been talking about live printing for a while now and how much fun it would be. I was a little nervous about the “fun” of it because our Green Machine 4 color press is not super portable. Also, besides the insane heaviness and fact that the top of the press swivels every time you move it, there were other logistics to consider.

First Event

Who is our audience? What will we print? How will the flash dryer cure ink if there is a breeze or if its cold? What if its so crazy busy that we cant keep up and I start crying in a heap on the floor and Charlie runs away? We had a lot to think about before we actually kicked this into gear. So, when I had a friend approach me about an event she would be attending, I thought, “Ok, this is low key and sounds super fun.” I emailed the event director for Centennial Sk8 Fest and for a small fee we were all set up to either sink or swim!

Event Prep

We had 2 images of Sasquatch that we really liked so we had our friend, Jake, design another. Since Sk8 Fest was a series of long board races we decided to have him sketch out, Sasquatch on a long board. It turned out really great and we had our 3 squatch images. I ordered our royal blue Gildan soft style and we were ready. Well, I had done my part. We decided to wait until literally, the very last minute. Charlie grabbed all the gear and boxed it up about midnight the night before and the next morning we were throwing everything we might possibly need in the truck. Navigating the press was the hardest. It is awkward and super heavy. While the top swivels as I mentioned earlier. We managed to not get smacked in the face and/or drop it on our toes while putting it in the truck bed.

Haller Park Community – Arlington

I took the car and the kids and we met at Haller Park in Arlington last Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and the vendors were all setting up. We made sure we could connect to power, for our flash dryer and this super nice kid offered to help us carry the press to our booth. We set up and I realized that our tattered and ink splattered table looked really embarrassing next to a beautiful handmade soaps woman’s booth and across from a shabby chic knitting booth. While Charlie tried to figure out the right heat for the flash cure, my daughter and I ran up to the Dollar Store and bought a blue table cloth and some paper bags that I put Blue Jay stickers on. We eventually got all settled in. We made some sales and passed out or card and people seemed legitimately interested in our craft. Its always really fun watching Charlie explain how things work and when we get to talk to people and meet the community we live in.

The Green Machine

The Green Machine worked beautifully and the prints turned out really great. It was a little slower than we would have liked but it was a really exciting learning process. I think we will try live printing again for sure!