Welcome to the March 2025 edition of Behind the Mesh! This month, we’re diving into the journey of Tony Palmer, the man behind Palmprint Consultations Ltd. From his unexpected entry into screenprinting in 1987 to running high-powered print shops and now consulting across the industry, Tony’s story is a mix of determination, humour, and hard-earned experience.
In this interview, Tony shares insights on the evolution of screenprinting, how DTF is reshaping the industry, and why passion is the real key to success. Plus, he’s got some great stories—think chemical burns, marathon runs, and an unwavering commitment to singing loudly, even if he can’t carry a tune! 🎶
Read on to learn from a true industry veteran who has seen it all, from hand-mixed inks to automated print shops and everything in between.
Keep up to date with Palmprint Consultations Ltd
Instagram: @palmprint
Website: https://palmprintuk.com/
About Tony
List 3 things about yourself – fun facts, hobbies, pets or interests
- My Springer Spaniel Jack would send me to jail if he ever learned how to speak.
- I ran two marathons and a 80km Ultra
- A bacon, Egg and Mushroom sarnie in Yorkshire UK is like no other on Earth.
Describe your screen printing journey. How and when did you get started and what has been your biggest learning experience?
I started in the dark old days in 1987, I was on track to become a computer whiz kid. With 8 years of higher education in front of me I decided I would rather earn money now to keep up with the beer, cars and girls that all my friends were enjoying. I dropped out of education, which my mum said I could do, as long as I found a job. There was a screen print factory only 1 mile away and I applied.
After seeing that the guys on the printing press earned the big money I decided to learn how to do that. I was told I couldn’t! so I taught myself on the evening shift, all thanks to ‘Lazy Dave’ who loved a two hour poo! I ran his press while he read the sports results and my education was on the way.
Fast forward four years of pressing the green start button on my Sias Multipla D oval printing press, and like all 21 year olds, I knew everything. You could not tell me anything about printing, I knew it!
They fired me
I landed a job with a ‘one man band’ and this is where I realised I knew nothing, I had never made a screeen, mixed an ink or even used a overhead camera to make bromide films. This is where I started my real education, I found myself printing Pepe Jeans oversized prints on a manual carousel. The owner of the pepe contract soon convinced me to join his large 5 auto factory in nearby Leeds.
I was lucky enough to have a lazy print manager who would leave me to solve any issues that cropped up, I loved doing this, and to me I saw nothing wrong with my altruistic approach. The owner didn’t agree and soon fired the lazy PM and gave me his salary and his Toyota Supra! I found myself in charge of 150 people over 2 shifts and this was the start of my management training.
One dark Xmas the owner gathered everyone together and promplty closed the company. No wage, no xmas present and no Mad Friday drinks at the Sportsman Inn.
On my long slow drive home ( I had two kids at home who were not getting presents) I called in to an embroidery shop 1 mile from my house, they had a M&R Challenger in the back room that no one knew how to use. I volunteered my services! I was employee number 9!
After 15 years and the creation of every department that a busy shop using 3 MHM autos, 9 Barudan 8 head Embroidery machines and a full sports kit sublimiation department needed, I left to help introduce waterbased and plastisol inks into the UK.
Sales is not really my thing (direct sales at least) so I took a job as Director of Operations at a really bust print shop in London. This was my theatre, the shop was strong and highly professional but the print department was broken. I spent two years fixing the process and technique of this compnay that was producing for high end companies when the phone rang with the most bizarre request.
‘Hi Tony do you fancy flying to Los Angeles for the weekend?”
A very quick trip to ISS Long Beach to help out the newly appointed MHM supplier in USA was a game changer for me, as my wife asked what was it like? I responded” if only that were a real job”. I spent the next three months building a network of potential clients and Palmprint was born.
Tell us about your proudest screen printing project. What made it special and what did you learn from it?
I have printed so many jobs over the years that it is hard to pick one! I would say that being asked to use a four colour belt printer was a huge challenge! Then having to produce an all-over CMYK print of a brick wall onto children’s white t-shirts, that were sold as ladies designer tops for 100x the value was a highlight. There will be no photos as this was in the days when you only got to take 24 photos per roll of film and they were sent off to be processed for a week. The very idea of wasting one of those 24 on a picture of a t-shirt was as bizarre as taking a snap of your dinner!
Industry
What are your thoughts on the current trends in screen printing? Do you see any emerging styles or techniques that excite you?
The industry moves in circles, we experience highs and lows and right now we are in one of the lows. I am sure the circle will keep turning and the highs will return. DTF is having a huge impact on the industry, which if you ever visit a trade show, you will notice. Transfers have always been a part of garment decoration and now the access to low cost printers is being felt in the industry. As DTF takes shirts off screenprint presses I believe DTF is a great complement to screen print and the two can exist in our world. We are garment decorators and the customer expects us to use our skill to choose the best method.
What role does the online community play in your screen printing practice? How do you connect with other printers and share knowledge?
The online community has undergone a seismic shift as it has appeared and matured. Long gone are the protectionist days of closed doors and secret techniques, we now invite other printers into our shop, encourage photo taking and are eager to share techniques gathered in search of the ultimate goal of shared knowledge.
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?
I no longer have a print shop but the automation of the screen goblins job has been life changing in most shops I visit.
Pre registration in the screen room is a game changer and the car wash approach to reclaim has ended the trench foot epidemic that plagued the screen pits of the world.
Laser to screen will transform how we make screens in the future as we move towards consumable less screens.
What is on your wish list for your shop floor this year?
A Grill attachment for the flash, so I can make bacon, mushroom and egg sarnies on the fly
Advice
What advice would you give to aspiring screen printers? What are the essential skills and qualities for success in this field?
Love what you do! If you think that screenprint is the path to untold riches then someone has lied to you, screenprint is the path to plastisol in the car, green fingernails and a unique curse of never being able to shop for printed shirts again.
Find your passion. If you are a musician, find your place in that genre, don’t try and force yourself into a genre you have no passion for. If cars is your thing then print cars, customers can spot a fake fan.
Bonus
Share a funny or unexpected mishap you’ve encountered while screenprinting.
Beware the spot out gun, after lovingly dragging green plastisol into the house, I borrowed the spot gun (Krebs, Spiff, Blaster, zapper,? Feel free to add your own) holding the gun between my legs while driving home seemed like a good idea to prevent it rolling around.
Note to self, chemical burns require lots of cream applied!!
What’s your go-to playlist for a productive printing session?
Oh my music is so embarrassing but I really don’t care. I have the unique ability to not be able to carry a tune, but this does not prevent me from belting out every song on the radio from Kylie to Prince. The volume of my singing will always cancel out the requirement for any actual note accuracy.
What is the weirdest/funniest artwork you’ve had to print?
The variety of my print requests have reached from Olympic games to the hairy arsed builder down the road. Ones that jump out are the 15,000 Olympic shirts that were spelled ‘Internatonally” and the Japanese manga that had a cartoon girl in compromising positions!
Conclusion
Tony Palmer’s journey is proof that screenprinting is more than just a job—it’s a craft, a challenge, and for the truly passionate, a lifelong obsession. His ability to adapt, innovate, and share knowledge has made a lasting impact on the industry, and his insights on technology, community, and craftsmanship are invaluable to both new and seasoned printers.
Whether you’re just starting out or running a full-scale operation, Tony’s advice rings true: find your passion, embrace the process, and never stop learning. And if all else fails, make sure your flash unit doubles as a grill for a proper bacon, egg, and mushroom sarnie.
