Small Shop

Size: 875square feet

Shops this size don’t offer much flexibility, which underscores the need to arrange things precisely. There is room to maneuver around the shop and yet still have space for a second manual press in the future as the business grows.

Small Shop: (See the digital infographic here) http://www.wearables-digital.com/publication/?i=273487&p=44

1-MA: “Shops of all sizes need workspace, they need tables. We have tons of tables around our shop where people lay out stock to do stuff.”

2-DZ: “We don’t always have an open space ready to lay out the way we want. Oftentimes there are irregular shapes or the dimensions of certain machines dictate certain placements in the shop. You have to deal with the space that you have.”

3-CT: “I don’t want to go and move plumbing. I design from where the water is and work my way from there. Pulling plumbing lines and sewage lines – pretty expensive. Wherever the water is, I’ll start from there.”

4-Small shops have their limits. Another manual press will easily fit, as will additional small items like a heat press. Want an automatic press? You need to find a bigger space.

5-DZ: Whether it’s a small shop, or a large shop, goods such as screens, T-shirts, anything have to get to the work area without significant obstacles. Unless you have a wide aisle, you typically don’t want everything going in and out the same aisleway.

6-CT: “Never buy less than a six-color, four-station manual. The four-color just doesn’t give you the flexibility you want. In general, most small shops do one-, two- and three-color work. With less than six colors, you have to set up the whole thing to do one shirt.”

7-By keeping the equipment in the middle with room to maneuver, jobs are still able to be staged, which will keep presses humming.

8-Even in a small shop like this, you can still keep ink and inventory separate to avoid ruining a perfectly good cart of shirts. For a one or two-person show, it’s important to be even more vigilant about staying clean.