I work in DTG production at a custom apparel shop in Tennessee. Every custom order that goes through Zakeke meant the same downstream process. Download the images, build the folder structure in Dropbox, check image quality, open Graphics Lab, manually place and center the artwork on the platen, export the print file, save it to the right folder. We do that for every single order. And if the image turns out blurry after printing, we go back, upscale it, and run the whole process again. Now you've got a wasted garment, wasted ink, and you're back at square one. We also pay Zakeke transaction fees every month on top of the subscription, and every custom order creates a new product in our Shopify store. If you ship internationally you already know why that's a problem.
Nothing I found was tailored enough for this workflow, so I built it. It's called Print Sprints.
Here's what it actually does. You create a device configuration built around your exact platen dimensions and print area. Your specs, your measurements, your offset. Built around Brother GTX and Pro B setups but works with any DTG printer as long as you know your platen dimensions. When you import products from Shopify, your product image becomes what the customer customizes on. You draw the print area on it, assign your platen configuration, and you're ready. When a customer submits their design, the system calculates the scale ratio between where they placed the artwork on screen and your real-world print area dimensions, then renders the output at 300 DPI at full platen size. The file that lands in your Print Queue is already sized and positioned for your specific platen. You load it and print. No resizing, no repositioning, no rework.
No transaction fees. $50 flat per month. Your store, your customers, your orders. Print Sprints handles the print file.
A few things worth being straight about. Your customer clicks a link from your Shopify product page and lands directly in the design editor. No account, no extra steps, nothing in their way. The editor isn't embedded in your Shopify storefront, it's hosted separately. Shopify integration at launch handles product import. Order matching between your Print Queue and Shopify orders is manual right now. You match by product and submission timing. Automated order sync is on the roadmap. Letting you know now.
If you're doing what I described above, this eliminates most of that. And you're not paying per transaction. It's $50 a month flat. If it doesn't work for you in the first 30 days you get your money back.
I'm keeping the first round small on purpose. If you want to see it working before you commit, I can send you a Loom or we can jump on a quick call. If you want to get set up with direct help from me, reply here or email me at mark@printsprints.com. I'll get back to you same day.
Happy to answer technical questions about how the calibration works or anything else. Honest feedback welcome.
— Mark