I reached out to andHOW! Graphics in Fairfield, CT, for a straightforward shirt print job. I sent…read moreover the artwork, and they confirmed it could be printed on black shirts. I mentioned I was local and asked to stop by to go over the details. When I arrived, the owner, David, introduced himself, then immediately asked, "So what is it that you want to talk about?" I explained the shirt quantity, print size, shirt quality, color accuracy, and confirmed that the TIFF file I had provided met their specs. I assumed David checked the metadata and gave it the green light. The only thing I didn't say, because I thought it was obvious, was that the final product should match what we saw on-screen. On David's computer screen. Apparently, that needs to be spelled out for these guys.
Later that day or the next, I got an email saying the job was approved and to send payment. No proof, no sample, no invite to review a test print. Just a bill: $400 for 24 shirts. I paid, trusting they'd get it right. Mistake number one.
When I came to pick up the shirts, David was standing in the hallway talking with his employee, Drew. When I walked in, they both looked up. David walked straight into his office, and closed the door. I pointed out to Drew that the shirts looked way too bright, the color completely stripped the artwork of its look, feel, and essence. Drew asked if I wanted to speak with David, the owner, and I said, "Sure, I'm here." He went to get him but returned not with David, but with a single shirt that was noticeably darker. "That was the first one we did," he said. Like that explained anything. As if the reason they never sent a proof, or invited me to approve a test, was because they already had a misfire they could ignore.
One version was too dark, the others too bright. No follow-up. No accountability. Just boxed it up and called it done.
Trying to be decent, new in town and hoping to support a local business, I was willing to let it go. I even sent a polite thank-you email saying the shirts "looked great," just to keep the door open in case David wanted to acknowledge the sloppy execution. It wasn't praise, it was a courtesy. A quiet opportunity to make it right. He didn't take it. That was my way of saying, "We're good." Mistake number two.
I figured I'd give the shirts away and tucked the box in my closet. Months later, I pulled one out and noticed burn marks from the press around the artwork. Why did I wait five months to reach out? Well, It's not like I was in a rush to get home and inspect every shirt, just to make sure they all look terrible. I already knew the job was off... but now they weren't just poorly printed, they were damaged as well..
I reached out again, not about the color this time, just the burn marks. David's response? "Why did it take five months?" Honestly, whether it takes five minutes, five hours, or five months doesn't matter. His job is to make sure the shirts look good when they leave the shop. He failed.
This wasn't about the money. It was about professionalism, accountability, and doing the right thing.
He had two chances to make it right, once in person, once by email. He chose not to.
