When people hear the word waste, they usually think about ink going in the trash or a box of misprinted shirts.

But that's only part of the story.

The biggest source of waste in most screen printing shops isn't ink or garments—it's time.

Every minute spent looking for a squeegee, remaking a screen, or waiting on artwork is money that disappears without anyone really noticing. The scary part? These little inefficiencies become "just the way we do things."

Lean Manufacturing calls these wastes. Screen printers just call them frustrating Tuesdays.

Here are the ten biggest areas where I see shops losing time, money, and production capacity.

1. Waiting

Nothing kills productivity faster than people standing around.

The press is waiting on screens.
The screen room is waiting on art.
Shipping is waiting on production.
Production is waiting on ink.

One delay creates a domino effect through the entire shop.

Ask yourself:

• Is the press ever waiting?

• Are employees ever standing around waiting for someone else?

• Are jobs constantly getting bumped because something wasn't ready?

If the answer is yes, there's room for improvement.

2. Too Much Walking

Take a day and simply watch your press operator.

How many times do they walk away from the press?

• To grab tape

• To find ink

• To replace a squeegee

• To get another shirt

• To throw something away

It doesn't seem like much until you realize they're walking hundreds of extra feet every day.

Good shops stage everything before setup even begins. Press carts are stocked, screens are labeled in print order, and all tools are within reach before the first screen is loaded. That alone can dramatically reduce setup time.

If someone has to leave the press during production, ask why.

3. Searching for Stuff

Everyone knows this one.

"Has anyone seen the 186 Red?"

"Where's the Pantone book?"

"Who borrowed my tape measure?"

Searching isn't work.

It's hidden downtime.

Good organization isn't about being neat—it's about eliminating decisions.

Everything should have one home.

If it doesn't, people waste time hunting instead of printing.

4. Bad Job Staging

A press shouldn't become a storage area while everyone figures out what's missing.

Before setup starts, every job should already have:

• Garments

• Screens

• Ink

• Squeegees

• Flood bars

• Production paperwork

Many successful shops treat job staging as its own process, making sure everything is ready before production ever touches the press.

If setup starts with someone asking, "Where's the black ink?" you've already lost time.

5. Poor Screen Preparation

A lot of production problems actually begin in the screen room.

Underexposed screens.
Low tension.
Poor coating.
Improper reclaim.
Incorrect mesh selection.

These problems don't just slow down one department—they follow the job all the way to the press.

Investing time in better screen making almost always pays for itself in smoother production.

6. Rework

Printing the same job twice is expensive.

Cleaning screens because registration drifted.

Reclaiming screens because exposure failed.

Remaking films.

Mixing the same ink twice because no one labeled the bucket.

None of this creates value for the customer.

It just creates extra work.

Every time something has to be done twice, ask why it happened the first time.

7. Overproduction

Printing extra shirts "just in case."

Burning duplicate screens.

Mixing way too much ink.

Ordering more supplies than you'll use.

It feels safe...

...until you realize your shelves are full of inventory that isn't making you any money.

Produce what you need.

Not what feels comfortable.

8. Poor Communication

The art department thinks production knows.

Production assumes customer service told purchasing.

Purchasing thought shipping already ordered it.

Nobody actually confirmed anything.

Simple communication problems create expensive mistakes.

Clear job tickets, color callouts, placement notes, and standardized workflows help eliminate confusion before it reaches the press.

9. Inconsistent Processes

Ask three employees how to set up a press.

If you get three different answers...

...you don't have a process.

You have opinions.

The fastest shops aren't faster because they hire superheroes.

They're faster because everyone follows the same playbook.

Consistency beats talent every single day.

10. Not Training Your Team

This might be the biggest waste of all.

Many shop owners expect employees to magically improve through experience.

But experience only makes people better if they're learning the right habits.

Without training, employees simply get faster at doing things incorrectly.

Documented procedures, hands-on coaching, and standardized workflows give your team confidence while improving consistency throughout the shop. Training also creates opportunities to evaluate workflow, screen making, press setup, print engineering, and quality control as one connected system instead of isolated departments.

Final Thoughts

Most shop owners don't need another automatic press.

They need fewer interruptions.

Less searching.

Better organization.

Clearer communication.

More consistent processes.

The good news is that none of these improvements require spending tens of thousands of dollars on equipment.

Start by watching your shop for one day.

Not to see who's working hard...

...but to see where work stops.

Because every minute your team spends waiting, searching, redoing work, or walking around the shop is a minute your business isn't making money.

Fix the waste, and efficiency usually follows.