Behind every great print shop is a story worth telling, and today, we’re diving into the journey of Dan, the passionate mind behind Born and Thread. From an unexpected start in screen printing to running a thriving business that blends automotive culture and apparel, Dan’s path is anything but traditional.
Whether it’s BBQ Mondays with the team or bringing the car community together through merch, Born and Thread is more than just prints—it’s a lifestyle. Let’s get to know the man behind the mesh.
Keep up to date with Born and Thread
Instagram: @bornandthread
Website: https://bornandthread.com/
About Dan
List 3 things about yourself – fun facts, hobbies, pets or interests
- Fun Fact, I got into the screen printing industry purely by needing t-shirts to promote an iPhone game I had developed on the side, which turned into a complete career change!
- I have always been obsessed with cars, getting to hold Cars and Coffee events at the shop 3-4 times year and having our car based print customers here to be able to showcase their merch is awesome! Seeing the car community come together is a huge perk of the job!
- We do a BBQ Monday with our staff each week, where they pick what we are cooking for lunch and we all bring something in to make the start of the week suck less! Cooking stuff like calzones, pancakes, fried rice and nachos in a bag, and whatever else the team can challenge me to cook on a flat plate BBQ!!
Describe your screen printing journey. How and when did you get started and what has been your biggest learning experience?
I never even thought of having a creative / design career, but many years into a few different career changes I found myself needing some t-shirts printed up to promote an iPhone game I had developed and went hunting for a print shop that could help out.. turns out I strolled into Red Octopus (sadly no longer operating – a huge shout out to Benn for giving me a chance in a whole new industry) and they were incredible to deal with.
I asked about how would you go about getting into the industry and they offered me a sales position and here we are 15-16 years later having operated Born and Thread since 2012.
One of my biggest learning experiences is running and owning a print shop but not actually being a screen printer myself (haha how untraditional) but essentially coming at the business from a customer service angle and separation artist / graphic designer, learning how to scale and build a print team that can communicate well and achieve some awesome results for our customers.
Originally when I started out, I contracted out screen printing to other print shops and made sure to prep all the artwork seps were ready to go and all the stock well organised, having worked in a few print shops by the time I went full time with Born and Thread, I knew how to prep an order to try and make it simple and easy for a screen printer.
We quickly kept growing and it got to a point where we had a few print orders at a couple of different printers and it made more sense to bring it in house and grow the business with control over the print process, quality and timelines. For the past 8 years we have been screen printing in house and I absolutely love the process still. From that first initial meeting with a client looking to start an apparel brand to the finished product going out the door! It’s the freaking best!
Tell us about your proudest screen printing project. What made it special and what did you learn from it?
I think working with like minded people that are chasing all those fine details and also have the same interest in cars, working with brands like Ikigai Garage, Tofu Run, Shakotan Clan, Panda, Benny Surge, Mike Lake and the most recent rebirth of Zen Garage are an absolute privilege. I can’t believe I get to see the finished product and proudly say it was printed at our shop. Lately Ikigai Garage has been pulling out some absolutely incredible designs like recent print this week of these RX7 prints on Heavy Faded Tees, they turned out freaking gorgeous!
Industry
What are your thoughts on the current trends in screen printing? Do you see any emerging styles or techniques that excite you?
Oh man, the word of the hour… DTF! There is so much wild technology making its way into the industry, we even seen some massive breakthroughs with DTG with incredible detail and results.
But even with all these advances in tech and it definitely has it’s place for suitable applications, in our opinion its hard to beat a screen printed tee. Especially when you are working with fine details, halftones and specialty inks like glow in the dark, puff, high square etc. I still get hyped seeing a strike off print that is just incredible in fine details and halftones!
What role does the online community play in your screen printing practice? How do you connect with other printers and share knowledge?
Being a part of groups on Facebook and Instagram, its so cool to see how much knowledge and info is shared! I am always happy to help out with a technique or trick we might have figured out here in the shop to another printer! No gate keeping here, share the knowledge and lift up the industry!
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?
That’s easy, its our TAS Auto! I know there is so many new auto carousels out there that have all the bells and whistles, but I absolutely love our TAS. It’s been super consistent and great to have for those larger print runs!
What is on your wish list for your shop floor this year?
We have a few items on our wish list this year, how many we can in before the end of the year will be interesting. But the main one would be upgrading to a larger oven for the Auto to capitalise on its output capability and possibly adding an embroidery multi head machine to bring that process in house too!
Advice
What advice would you give to aspiring screen printers? What are the essential skills and qualities for success in this field?
Comparison is the thief of joy!
Don’t get caught up in comparing what other print shops are doing, just do you and focus on what helps your business grow and how to give your customers a great product and a quality experience. We are always refining and working on our print processes, getting that quality absolutely dialled and at the end of the day it’s all about the customer result and satisfaction!
Bonus
Share a funny or unexpected mishap you’ve encountered while screen printing.
Having a bird directly crap on an open box of t-shirts, it was the unluckiest situation but we realised an order we had delivered to a customer locally hadn’t been folded and bagged so I went out after hours to pick them up and fold and bag them quickly in a servo car pack just in the back of a station wagon. Turns out I had parked under a tree of cockatoos and one of them landed a bullseye on the open box of white tees.
It’s 10pm at night, it was the last few tees and it was almost sorted, to say I was frustrated is an understatement haha. I’m sure a few people at the servo wondered why there was a guy losing his mind at the back of the parking area. Haha
What’s your go-to playlist for a productive printing session?
We have a very mixed group here, sometimes its house / dance music to a bit of punk and metal, it really depends on the day. But personally if I have a heap of work to knock out, I can’t go past some old school 90’s Grinspoon.
What is the weirdest/funniest artwork you’ve had to print?
We did print up some tees for a mobile hair dressing company that had a good sense of humour, the logo had a pair of scissors that 100% represented a hand drawn dick and balls, the funny part was we weren’t so sure the owner of the company realised it at first but they definitely did when they picked up the tees after they had been printed! Haha
Conclusion
At Born and Thread, the passion for screen printing runs deeper than ink on fabric. It’s about community, craftsmanship, and constantly pushing the limits of what’s possible in apparel printing. Whether it’s refining the perfect halftone or bringing a client’s vision to life, Dan and his team are proving that a great print shop is built on more than just technique—it’s built on love for the craft. Follow Born and Thread to see what’s coming next!
Thank you to Dan, owner of Born and Thread for participating in February’s edition of Behind The Mesh. It was a delight hearing all the lessons and wins Dan has had along the way. From bird poop ruining a print job just before hand off to establishing a car culture around his print shop, Dan has created a thriving community. We were delighted
