ONLINE TRAINING Training: but not as we know it
Before the internet, people learned how to do things from books, manuals, magazines, TV, or in the classroom. But with so much information now available online, and with search engines able quickly find what you’re looking for, it’s possible to bypass all of the above. We asked SARA McDONNELL to explore online training for the printwear industry.
F
or those starting out in any business, it probably is possible to find out all you need to know about screenprinting just from videos on YouTube, blogs, message boards and online magazines, if you follow good advice. This approach should be viewed with some caution, however. Just because someone has posted a ʻhow to screenprintʼ video clip on YouTube, it doesnʼt mean they are necessarily an expert, or that their advice is sound. The same goes for anonymous responses to queries posted on message boards. Bear in mind, too, that it can take a while to find what youʼre looking for, say, if youʼre trying to troubleshoot a problem with equipment. You could spend hours surfing your way through websites, video clips and blogs trying to find an answer to your problem, only to find yourself none the wiser at the end of it. Furthermore, if you take bad advice from an anonymous responder on a forum, it can further delay your problem, or even cause more harm than good. A good way to avoid this is to try and find a ʻsecond opinionʼ from an unrelated source. If two entirely unrelated sources are giving the same advice, the chances of it being sound are far greater than if it were just one. However, verifying information can take a while to find, so if
youʼre pushed for time on a project and have to get something fixed fast, it might be better to get an expert in rather than risk wasting valuable time online.
If you do have the time to trawl through hours of footage, however, you are likely to learn which sources give good advice and recognising the names of people who know their stuff. Many will recommend other names and sources of information where you can find out more information about other products or techniques. Usually, the best place to go for troubleshooting is your supplier, and indeed, many suppliers provide their own footage and ʻhow-toʼ videos on using their equipment. These can vary from very detailed, product-specific online lessons to short promotional videos simply showcasing what the product is capable of.
Some companies film product demos at trade shows and post them on YouTube – similarly, many trade shows post product demos of their exhibitors (including SGIA and FESPA). These can be useful if youʼre considering buying new equipment, are perusing whatʼs on the market and donʼt necessarily need to get into the nitty-gritty. Besides, once you buy their products you are likely to have access to whatever technical support the supplier offers. However, do remember that companies are unlikely to highlight any potential problems using their products in a promotional video. You could argue that nothing beats the ʻhuman touchʼ; that a bit of hands-on tuition from an expert who is able to answer any queries that come up there and then, is almost always going to be a superior learning experience to a ʻhow toʼ video or blog. While this is true, it would also be a shame to miss out on the wealth of information thatʼs online, most of which is available for free. So if you donʼt mind a bit of trawling, being told about things you already know, or arenʼt really interested in, itʼs really worth having a look at whatʼs out there. You might learn something really useful, or find a fascinating blog on a topic that youʼre really interested in, or even find some like-minded people to chew over the finer points of
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screenprinting with. While itʼs probably best to keep your ʻreal lifeʼ support systems in place, online resources can provide a great accompaniment. Weʼve tried to do some of that time-consuming trawling for you, so read on and see if any of the following websites take your fancy.
Screenprinting
Because of the longstanding tradition of T shirt screenprinting in the US, much of the material available online is based there. Luckily, national borders present few barriers on the internet, so Brits are able to benefit from the plethora of online tutorials from the likes of Catspit Productions, an Arizona-based supplier/training company which has a range of tutorials on its YouTube channel.
Andy MacDougall has his own
www.squeegeeville.com website full of how-toʼs and tips on getting started (no streaming content, all this is good old-fashioned written advice!). Lon Winters of Graphic Elephants is a much-recommended expert on screenprinting and there are many clips on YouTube of seminars he has given at trade shows on a variety of screenprinting techniques. Finally, American screenprinting veteran, Scott Fresener has a series of tutorials on his T-BizNetwork channel on YouTube. You might also want to visit Ryonet Corporationʼs support site, which has a wealth of articles, videos, tech and product sheets. Again, itʼs based in the US but youʼd be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive resource than this on the net when it comes to screenprinting advice.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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