Over the last five years or so, the Decorator Solutions Team has written articles about new and trending decoration, software, consumables, and equipment in the marketplace. As all these things have evolved over the years, trending decoration methods have created new challenges for decorators. Let’s take a fresh look at where you can find education on ways to decorate new products and fabrics in this market.
Industry Tradeshows
At tradeshows, you can expect to see the biggest names in the industry. From the top embroidery manufacturers to screen printing, DTG and DTF manufacturers, as well as software companies. You’ll have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with exhibitors and get a first-hand look at the latest equipment on the market.
The insights you can gain from tradeshows are practically endless. Getting up to speed on new equipment, super low-cure consumables and networking is just a part of the education that you’ll discover from attending a tradeshow. Tradeshows often offer 40 or more educational classes during the dates of the tradeshow, with topics ranging from DTF and Embroidery to Screen Printing and Digital Printing. Business-related subjects like how to market your business and how to maximize your ROI are also often available.
Regional shows take place frequently across the country – keep an eye on your local event calendars for these throughout the year, and watch for Ink Kitchen Shop Talk sessions at these events for insightful discussions about industry trends. Here’s a few of the larger tradeshows you should also take a look at:
Live and Online Education
Most equipment and consumable suppliers have live education and network events during the year outside the tradeshows. Others offer webinars and on-line education on equipment and consumables. Some examples of events:
- Printing United iLearning – The most comprehensive education product in the printing industry.
- Stahls’ Events – Offers educational videos on how to use their consumables on which fabrics and walks through all the processes. Stahls has live webinars through the whole year.
- SupaColor Webinars – Offers educational videos and blogs on best practices for heat applied consumables.
- So many YouTube videos – Education is available via YouTube on Embroidery, Screen Printing, Heat Applied and many other techniques, such as this video about Embroidering On Hats.
SanMar’s Decorator Solutions Team
The Decorator Solutions Team strives to stay educated and be a reliable resource for all decoration techniques and trends, new equipment, consumables, technology, and logistic planning.
- We can provide contacts for customers and decorators to learn about new and existing products they might need for their decoration shop.
- Our expert consultants can also provide solutions to address decoration challenges on a specific product.
Our team’s resources are freely available to you. Take a look at our five-year history of blog articles and sign up for our newsletter on SanMar U to get started.
There are many other organizations and associations that offer similar educational videos and webinars – this is just a start to give you ideas where to find new trends and education. If you have more questions, our Decorator Solutions Team is here to help! You can email us at decoratiorrelations@sanmar.com or request a Deco Talk and we will reach out to you.