Here’s a behind the scenes look at the making of a custom jacket for the band Clutch. Titled Hess454, this Dickies Eisenhower Jacket features the artwork of Cleveland-based artist Derek Hess. This was a fun project because we were able to combine screen both screen printing and embroidery; and we’re especially proud of our embroidery department for their amazing attention to detail and care in creating the custom ‘patch’ of the Clutch logo on the jacket fronts.

Check out the Hess454 jacket and more Clutch merch at http://www.indiemerchstore.com/clutch

Jeff’s latest article is featured in the August 2010 issue and is entitled “Don’t Fear The Fleece”. Within it he shares some printing tips and techniques he’s developed through the years, and talks about dealing with the various problems and pitfalls that can arise when printing on hoodies and sweats.

It’s another great read from Jeff, as he is able to tackle these technical subjects, while injecting a some personality and humor into it. Click here to check out the Printwear article.

Asterisk Threads made commemorative uniforms for the event, which were screen-printed on 100% polyester sport garments. The design is unique in that it is made to run across the front of the shirt and down onto the shorts.

The No Surf apparel was a hit on the day of the tournament. So much of a hit that Asterisk Threads sold out of their stock and needed us to print more to keep up with the demand on their online store. (Not a bad problem to have!)

Here are some video highlights from the 2010 No Surf Rima Viliamos-Boncha Memorial Tournament.

An ultimate team gets ready to take the field.

In the air or on land, ultimate players do whatever it takes to make the play.

About Asterisk Threads
Asterisk Threads is a new apparel brand that has its roots in the Ultimate Frisbee community but extends its reach to the general public in supplying well designed street wear. The focus of Asterisk Threads is about enjoying what you wear and having fun.

Asterisk Threads chose Jakprints to help them create a well rounded apparel line, with a variety of items and techniques; which includes custom embroidered caps featuring their logo.

Here’s a close-up of the thread work on the caps. Kudos to our Embroidery Department for another job well done!

The Asterisk Threads line features a variety of shirts, both mens and womens, in a variety of blends. Here’s a design titled “DOA” run on American Apparel’s Track Shirt. It’s a triblend shirt containing polyester, combed-cotton and rayon which makes for a soft and comfortable fit. Check out AsteriskThreads.com for more!

About The Rima Foundation
The Rima Foundation’s goal is to provide support to the Ultimate (Frisbee) community in Northeastern Ohio. In doing so, it will create scholarships and fund programs to educate, promote good sportsmanship, and encourage leadership in the Ultimate community.

About The Rima Viliamas-Boncha
As a player, Rima had her hand in many aspects of Ultimate Frisbee – captaining college and club teams, coordinating series tournaments, running Cleveland summer league, organizing women’s clinics and playing competitively at the club level. In June 2006, at age 27, Rima was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. On July 7th, 2006, she lived her dream of marrying Jeremiah Boncha in front of family and friends in Cleveland. Although she lost the fight to cancer after just four short months, we will continue to celebrate her life and will always remember her on and off the field.

The event was held at the world-famous Firestone Country Club, in Akron, Ohio, which hosts nationally televised golf events such as the American Golf Classic, the CBS Golf Classic, the World Series of Golf, and the World Golf Championships: Bridgestone Invitational, directed by the PGA. All the greats, from Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods, have competed at Firestone.

Knowing we were going to be at such a prestigious course, it was obvious we had to bring something unique to the table to wow our prospects. We decided to take it up a notch, using the latest in digital print technology. Variable Data Printing, or VDP, is a way to directly connect with your customers, by personalizing each individual piece with their information. It’s an easy way to turn the perception of a promotional print piece from “junk mail” to “keepsake”.

We were able to get a list of event attendees, created custom Jakprints-branded golf balls, and stuffed them in custom digitally-printed, die-cut, personalized packaging! They were a big hit (pun intended) and the industry research backs it up, showing that response rates for marketing campaigns using variable data printing range from double to 15x the response rates of standard printing!  While the print process is different, creating a slightly varying look and feel of the piece, the value of VDP is undeniable in today’s marketing strategies.

As you brainstorm for your next direct mail piece, packaging project, or promotional item, consider giving your Jakprints sales rep a call to see how Variable Data Printing, combined with Jakprints many capabilities, can help you really make an impression and get you the most bang for your buck.

This week, Jakprints’ own Alex Kelly, along with Beth Whalley, Andy Curlowe and Laura Skehan will be opening their new gallery “Proximity“. Sure, they could have easily taken their artistic talents to other cities, like Miami, but this dream-team of artists decided to open their gallery right here in Cleveland.

Their opening exhibit brings together paintings, installations, prints and sculpture, and will challenge the way you see these mediums, through their close proximity in this new gallery setting. So Clevelanders, forget your sports troubles and go out this Friday. Show your support and have a great evening checking out some exciting artwork:

“Proximity” Opening Night Event: Friday, July 16th from 6-10pm.
Get Proximity info & directions.

Guests knew where to find the party because we printed up some large-format banners that featured the new DWNLD bottle. We offer a variety of banner stands that make simple work of setting a banner up, and it can really transform an event environment.

We also printed up baby dolls which were worn by all of the event employees.

And just to make sure the men didn’t have to wear baby dolls, VitaminWater printed up t-shirts too!

The DJ kept the launch going all night, a VitaminWater wall-decal sticker just adds to the ambiance. (Wall-decal stickers are a new product and haven’t made it to our site yet, so give us a quick call 877.246.3132)

We also printed out a large-format backdrop banner to accomodate all of the red-carpet guest photographs. We’re pleased that Kate from VitaminWater was happy with her Jakprints experience: “Thank you for all that you did to help make this a huge success for us! The branding wouldn’t have looked so good with out all of your hard work.”

Those that know Jakprints, have heard about our love of skateboarding, but we’re here to say we have more to offer to the wide world of sports. So this year, we decided to hone our skills and expand our athletic diversity by joining the Cleveland Corporate Challenge. We figure, no matter how we play it’s good to get out, get some exercise, meet some new people (and it’s a good excuse to make some cool team jerseys to show off our dye sublimation capabilities, heheh.)

We’re also happy to announce that we are the Cleveland Corporate Challenge Team of the Week. I could bend the truth and say it’s because of our beast-like athleticism, but we were nominated due to our efforts in working with local and global organizations such as the Earth Day Coalition, Forest Stewardship Council, and the Rainforest Alliance to encourage sustainability and promote green practices, which is a home-run in our book.

Pick up a copy of Scene, or check out the complete story on their website: You Don’t Know Jak

The Inner City 100 Award recognizes successful inner city companies as role models for entrepreneurship, innovative business practices and job creation in inner city communities. We pride ourselves on being a company that is contributing to the growth and success of Cleveland, Ohio, so it’s an honor to be recognized by the ICIC as one of America’s fastest-growing urban businesses.

We were happy to have the great people of Dim And Den Sum stop by to order stickers and flyers, but we would by lying if we didn’t admit we were even more happy about them staying in our parking lot for the afternoon! Dim and Den Sum is a gourmet, locally sourced food truck that roams the streets of Cleveland serving comfort food with an Asian twist. Hungry Jakprinters and Clevelanders flocked to the DADS Truck to partake in their amazing food: Pork sandwiches, tacos, tots, burgers and more… it was a good afternoon. Follow Dim And Den Sum on twitter to see where they will be each day.