The Future of Garment Decoration: On-Demand, AI, and the Rise of the Modern Decorator

In this Shop Talk, Rick sites down with Jacob Edwards from Jakprints and IndieMerch, Alex Phelan from Merchadise, and Nick Buettner from ISW for a wide-ranging, no-filter discussion about where this industry is headed — and how fast.

They dig into:
The real drivers behind on-demand production and how “produce on demand” is changing shop economics.
Why software, automation, and AI are now the bottlenecks — not presses or dryers.
How DTF, sublimation, and pigment printing are reshaping what’s possible.
The coming shift from “garment decoration” to “garment decorators” — and how smaller, smarter shops are thriving.
Why handmade, hand-drawn, and screen-printed work still matter (and always will).

From $13K Epson DTF units to robotic sewing, “shop-in-a-box” systems, AI-assisted design, and the ongoing war between analog craft and digital convenience — this one covers it all with equal parts insight, laughter, and reality check.

🎥 Watch, learn, argue, or heckle — it’s Shop Talks, after all.
Free education, straight talk, no fluff.

Shop Talk is a creation of the Ink Kitchen, brought to you by ‪@impressions_group‬

👉 More videos, interviews, and industry insights at inkkitchen.com and on the Ink Kitchen YouTube channel.

#InkKitchen #ShopTalks #ScreenPrinting #DTF #GarmentDecoration #PrintOnDemand #AIinPrinting #ApparelIndustry #Decorators