Some printers fall into it.
Some inherit it.
Some get impatient with their suppliers and think, “How hard can it be?”
Jacob Peck, owner of Death Clique Printing Co., is firmly in the third category.
What started in 2015 as a university side project — building his own clothing brand — quickly turned into a full-scale print operation. Frustrated by slow turnaround times and limited control, Jacob taught himself to print so he could release designs faster.
Fast forward to 2020: new city, new start on the Sunshine Coast, and a bold decision — go all in on printing full time. One week later, the country shut down.
He made it work anyway.
This month, we step Behind The Mesh with Jacob to talk automatics, 8,000-piece runs, DTF vs soul, and why resilience matters more than perfection.
Let’s dive in.
Keep up with Jacob and Death Clique Printing Co. on:
Instagram: @deathcliqueprinting.co
Website:https://deathcliqueprinting.com/
About Jacob
List 3 things about yourself – fun facts, hobbies, pets or interests
- Really into Drifting and cars, have 4 fun cars rn
- Worked in banking in my previous life
- I’m 33, 2 kids, live on Sunshine Coast
Describe your screen printing journey. How and when did you get started and what has been your biggest learning experience?
Started in 2015 when I started Death Clique the brand, i was at university and running the brand became impatient with screen print shops and decided it can’t be that hard (famous last words) and learned how to print so I could release designs faster, eventually people were asking who printed my stuff, and then that turned into printing for other brands. Few years later I was moving from Byron Bay to the Sunshine Coast in Feb 2020 and decided I’d not get a job when I moved and try the print shop as a full-time gig, then a week later they closed the country down, somehow made it work and we’re still going.
Biggest learning experience was probably taking a 8000 piece job on the same week I was getting my Automatic delivered after never touching one before, you learn fast about the difference between auto and manual printing, and the importance of efficiency and processes when there’s a deadline for a crap load of tee’s haha.
Tell us about your proudest screen printing project. What made it special and what did you learn from it?
Proudest project would be the 8000 piece job I mentioned before, was numbers I’d never thought of doing as a printer on a machine I’d never thought would be possible for me to own, marked a turning point for the shop and my print career, 8000 tee’s, 12 designs, front and back print, folded bagged and labelled. The customer I did it for is a good friend and was a similarly large turning point for his brand. Unfortunately, don’t have any photos of it I think we finished the job and went to sleep for a week.
Industry
What are your thoughts on the current trends in screen printing? Do you see any emerging styles or techniques that excite you?
Trend in screen printing at the moment seems to be less and less people doing it and a shift to DTF haha, which I totally get, we do DTF, it’s easy, simple set up, no clean up, but it’s got no soul.
But on actual trends, seeing a lot of brands really trying to push the ability of decoration by utilising over seam printing & mixed decoration methods, we love doing jobs that’s screen/embroidery in one print. Oh, and I love that cracked prints are fashionable, they’re fun.
What role does the online community play in your screen printing practice? How do you connect with other printers and share knowledge?
Online community for screen printing is pretty awesome at the moment, so many shops using socials to share knowledge opposed to years ago everything was tightly kept in-shop secrets, I know i learn heaps of random tips from Instagram reels still haha. I connect with other printers by sliding into the DM like an eager schoolboy, that, a few printer group chats are super handy to bounce day to day off and I actually went on The Aussie Screen Printing Club podcast a while ago, pretty cool wealth of info from shop owners there too.
Shop Floor
What is your most treasured product or piece of equipment on the floor that has made your life easier as a printer? Why?
Must be the automatic carousel, avoiding carpel tunnel and being able to do volume is impossible to go past as an important item. Semi-automatic folding machine is also an absolute game changer for fold and bagging garments, defininitely couldn’t live without either.
What is on your wish list for your shop floor this year?
I actually really want to get a drying cabinet, been letting screens dry overnight for too long, and being able to make fresh screens same day would be mind-blowing haha.
Advice
What advice would you give to aspiring screen printers? What are the essential skills and qualities for success in this field?
Screen printing is hard, running a shop is even worse, be resilient, you’re going to have jobs in your career go the wrong way that is unfortunately part of the gig, make the customer whole and learn from each one. Couple cliches too, other shops aren’t your enemy, don’t be afraid to fire customers, and try to enjoy yourself sometimes.
Bonus
Share a funny or unexpected mishap you’ve encountered while screen printing.
I actually love when you have a screen that won’t register properly and after 30 minutes of getting it just right you tear it mid print run.
What’s your go-to playlist for a productive printing session?
Songs that get the white folk weirdly excited. 11/10 playlist on Spotify
What is the weirdest/funniest artwork you’ve had to print?
I actually have had a few weird ones, a woman wanted a really raunchy rear shot of herself made for her partner for valentines day one year, mad confidence for her to send that to a printer I reckon.
Another i had a guy wanted a photo of his balls and poop as a Christmas gift for his brother, hopefully it was a secret Santa and they had to recreate the photo to work out who it was… well that’s how it went in my head.
Conclusion
Momentum built from frustration.
Momentum built from saying yes to jobs bigger than you feel ready for.
Momentum built from staying in the game when things don’t go to plan.
From a uni student printing his own brand to running 8,000-piece production jobs on an automatic, Jacob represents a generation of printers who learned publicly, shared knowledge openly, and built shops that balance craftsmanship with efficiency.
The industry is changing. Decoration methods are evolving. Technology is shifting.
But resilience, community and pride in the craft?
They’re still the foundation.
That’s what’s really behind the mesh.
