We just cannot let this one slip by without sharing it with our Canadian printers.
Today we had a call from an Ontario printer, it went something like this (names withheld for obvious reasons)…
“Screenflex, good afternoon.”
“Hi. I’m calling from XXXXXX . Can you match and mix PANTONE® colours in plastisol?
“Yes we can. We have been doing that in our two ink labs every day for many years for textile printers across Canada.”
“What ink brands do you have?”
“Only the best one, Wilflex. And we use only Wilflex bases and pigments for colour matches.”
“Can you make just a quart of 159C for me for printing on a black 100% cotton t-shirt?”
“Of course.”
“When?”
“We’ll ship it today.”
“You’re kidding! Are you going to charge me extra for doing that?”
“PANTONE® matches require extra work so they are a dollar or two more than our regular standard colours, but other than that there is nothing extra.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I just called my regular ink supplier, XXXXXX. They told me that I would have to buy a gallon, even though I only need a quart and the rest will sit on my shelf forever. Then they said that it would take one-and-a half weeks to ship and that there would be an additional mixing fee of $65.00!”
“Now it’s my turn to ask this… are you kidding? They are known for selling on price. Sounds like cheap isn’t as cheap as it claims to be. Are you sure you’re not kidding? ”
“No, I’m not kidding. And now I’m so glad I found you! So let’s talk about how I can buy all my ink from you in the future.”
“Well, you can buy online, even PANTONE® colours, at www.screenprintcatalog.com or you can just call us toll-free at 1-800-661-7766….”
“No kidding!”
Okay, so we’re using this call to brag a bit. But it is a great story about how some distributors treat screen printers. We like to hear stories like this because they give us an opportunity to remind textile screen printers that they do not have to tolerate shoddy service, gouging and poor quality cheap products.
There is a moral too… if you are in Canada and you have a PANTONE® match for a textile ink, just call Screenflex or order online because you can have it shipped same day in any size from a quart up, in Wilflex quality, and there is no $65.00 mixing fee.