It Started With One Shirt

A friend was planning a Disney trip with her kids and wanted some shirts for the family. The problem was that the cost of having them made was far more than she wanted to spend, largely because of the setup costs involved.

I told her, “I can do that.”

I’d done some minor screen printing before, so I built a simple screen and even made my own small screen-printing press. Then I made the shirts for her.

The result was simple: she got the shirts she wanted, and the cost was far less than what the larger shops were charging.

And that got me thinking.

Over the next year or so, she came back for a few other projects. Then a friend saw some of the shirts and asked if I could make shirts for a friend’s son, Hunter, who had started a field and forestry business.

That job made me start thinking that maybe this could become something more.

So I took the next step and purchased a four-color screen-printing press.

I made the shirts for Hunter’s business, and he eventually came back for other projects. Around the same time, I was making vinyl signs, labels and other things for family and friends, along with doing a few vinyl projects for Hunter.

These were all small jobs that the bigger outfits often didn’t want because there wasn’t enough profit for them, or the prices were simply too high for the customer.

I started to see an opportunity to build something different.

I wanted TrueLine to be a place where anyone could get the custom work they needed — from a mom who needs one shirt for a family trip to a business that needs 100 or more.

I wanted to work with each customer to provide the service they need, in a way that fits their project and at a price that is fair.

Everything is custom made around the customer’s needs. It’s not an off-the-rack solution.

Small Runs – Big Results

The run can be small. The result never is.

What TrueLine Means

I want TrueLine to be a business where customers can reach a real person, talk through an idea, and find a solution that makes sense for them.

Sometimes that means one shirt.

Sometimes it’s a handful of labels, vehicle lettering, a sign for a new business, or a larger apparel run.

The size of the order doesn’t change the importance of the project.

And there’s one more thing that’s important to me:

I don’t want TrueLine to ever outgrow the people who were the foundation of it.

The friends, family and first customers who trusted me with those early projects are the reason TrueLine exists in the first place.

Those relationships helped build the foundation.

And they’re still a big part of where we’re going.

Our Biggest Story Is…

Yours

Every business starts somewhere.
Every project starts with an idea.

Maybe yours is one shirt. Maybe it’s a few labels for your workshop. Maybe it’s the first sign for a business you’re just getting started.

Whatever it is, we’d love to hear about it.

You don’t have to start big.

Tell us what you’re working on, and let’s see what we can create together.