Getting to know Nick Lee owner of Echuca Printers
Welcome to the November edition of Behind the Mesh — where we jump off the press floor and get to know the printers shaping Australia’s screenprinting scene.
This month, we’re heading north to Echuca, home to Nick Lee, owner of Echuca Printers. From offset to screen, Nick’s journey is pure proof that great printmakers are built on grit, curiosity, and a dash of chaos. Between running a busy shop, raising a family (four kids and almost three grandkids!), and still finding time to smash out triathlons, Nick’s got more stamina than a flash dryer on full tilt.
We talked about his evolution from offset apprentice to hands-on screenprinter, what he’s learnt along the way, and why his tunnel dryer might just be his MVP.
Let’s dive in.
Keep up with Nick and Echuca Printers on:
Instagram: @echucaprinters
Website: https://www.echucaprinters.com.au/
About Nick
List 3 things about yourself – fun facts, hobbies, pets or interests
- I am a Father of 4, Grandfather of 2 soon to be 3
- In my limited spare time I like to keep fit by Running, doing Triathlons, Going to the gym.
- I was also lucky enough to be selected to carry the Olympic torch in 2000 for achievement in sport and for been active in community organisations
Describe your screen printing journey. How and when did you get started and what has been your biggest learning experience?
I started my working life as an offset printing apprentice in Melbourne and then worked in various offset print shops in Vic and Qld. Moved to Echuca as an offset printer 28 years ago for work and they had an old carrousel, so I had a bit of a play with it. Fast forward 2017 we purchased Echuca Printers and started doing a bit of screenprinting for footy trips and things and it was growing slowly.
We had a 1 station 4 colour carrousel drying between prints with a heat gun and heat pressing to cure the print. The print runs are up to around 20 garments. Covid was our turning point. Offset work was slowing, and every tradie wanted their business name on their clothing.
We were approached by a new local company starting up, to do trade work for their business that was getting into supplying garments for big projects. We updated to a 4 colour 4 station carrousel flash unit and tunnel dryer, so we could handle their jobs that ranged from 200 to 500 garments.
I don’t have a biggest learning experience that stands out. Been self-taught it all has been a huge learning curve. Having said that, I have learnt that the most important thing is that mesh count and tension matter. Screenprinting is a lot harder and a lot more fun to learn than offset printing.
Tell us about your proudest screen printing project. What made it special and what did you learn from it?
We would like to do more interesting work. 90% of our work would be basic logos onto workwear, tees and hoodies. Recently we were approached to print some shirts for a local car show. It was only a small print run but I was keen to give it a go. We were given a low-res image that was made by AI. We recreated the file so we could print it as a 4 colour job without half tones. We played around with ink mixes and what order to lay down colours. In the end the job ran well, our client was happy, and so were we, and they would like more next year.
I learnt that I need to start playing around with halftones and get better at registering the screens.
Industry
What are your thoughts on the current trends in screen printing? Do you see any emerging styles or techniques that excite you?
I am not all over the latest trends but I would like to play around with puff inks as I have seen some good designs incorporating puff ink
What role does the online community play in your screen printing practice? How do you connect with other printers and share knowledge?
To gather my knowledge, I use several Facebook groups and YouTube videos. Watching and learning how the experts do it.
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?
Our tunnel dryer would be my most favorite piece of equipment because of the amount of time it has saved me heat pressing each print.
What is on your wish list for your shop floor this year?
I would like to get a 6 colour carousel with micro register. We will still say as a manual printer for the time being as our orders and print runs still are not consentient enough.
Advice
What advice would you give to aspiring screen printers? What are the essential skills and qualities for success in this field?
Give it a go. Start small putting the work in and see how it goes. Don’t delay and get into it at a younger age than I did.
Bonus
What’s your go-to playlist for a productive printing session?
Share a funny or unexpected mishap you’ve encountered while screen printing.
When you go to mix your ink with a cordless drill and find its flat so you decide to use a bench drill, hold on to the ink container tight!!!
What’s your go-to playlist for a productive printing session?
I have triple J play unless there is an AFL game on. Go Pies.
What is the weirdest/funniest artwork you’ve had to print?
Given our line of work, we haven’t printed anything weird. Some of the footy trip tops put a smile on your face.
Conclusion
Nick’s story is a reminder that the best screenprinters don’t just learn the craft — they live it. From rebuilding low-res AI car show artwork into clean, four-colour prints, to chasing that perfect mesh tension, his approach is equal parts old-school work ethic and self-taught innovation.
So here’s to the printers who never stop experimenting, who pick up the squeegee after a long day, and who know the only way forward is to just give it a go.
Catch Echuca Printers on Instagram @echucaprinters and at echucaprinters.com.au — and stay tuned for next month’s Behind the Mesh, where we keep spotlighting the legends keeping Aussie print alive and kicking.
