PRINTING United Alliance is grateful to serve its members who make such significant impacts on the printing industry. Through our Member Spotlights, we continue to recognize our members, and help our community get to know their peers better, both professionally and personally. The following is a Q&A with Rob Super, owner/founder of American Print and Supply.
What inspired the creation of American Print & Supply and its core mission?
American Print & Supply was born out of both passion and frustration. I’ve been hooked on digital printing since the start of my career in apparel decoration, especially dye sublimation. I loved the creative freedom it offered, but I kept running into the same wall: substrate limitations. Over time, I searched for a technology that could blend the creative flexibility of digital with the production reliability of analog.
I never quite connected with screen printing, as it felt too rigid and labor-intensive. Direct-to-garment seemed promising but ultimately fell short due to pretreatment hassles and material constraints. Then came direct-to-film. When DTF tech started gaining traction in 2019, it felt like the perfect bridge. But the reality didn’t live up to the promise. What I found instead was a chaotic market filled with misinformation, poor service, and vendors who couldn't back up what they sold.One particular experience was the final straw: I bought a DTF printer from a domestic vendor who promised expert installation. The installer arrived without tools or even basic knowledge. I had to install the machine myself. Thankfully, I had enough experience to get it up and running. But that moment was my “apple-falling-on-the-head” realization. If this was the norm, there was a massive opportunity to do it differently.
That’s why we created American Print & Supply. Our mission is simple: to bring the level of service, training, and partnership to the DTF industry that decorators actually deserve. We don’t move boxes, we build relationships. Every member of our team is either a print shop veteran or someone who's been deep in the trenches. We treat every machine, every consumable, and every phone call as part of a long-term solution, not a transaction
We believe in removing friction for our partners, delivering world-class white glove installation and support, and helping shops reclaim their time, profit, and peace of mind with cutting-edge equipment and honest expertise.
How is AI influencing how your team approaches digital printing?
AI is woven into our daily workflow in ways that go far beyond answering emails. For us, it’s about increasing efficiency, reducing friction, and improving the quality of life for both our team and our customers.
Take our Gangify e-commerce builder, for example. It uses AI for smart nesting, image upscaling, and other optimizations that allow decorators to accept gang sheet orders directly from retail customers with minimal effort. It simplifies the front-end for the end user while maximizing output on the back end.
We also lean on AI to assist with programming custom scripts and lightweight tools that automate repetitive or time-consuming tasks. These are projects that used to be out of reach due to development costs. Now, with a little coding knowledge and AI support, we can build what we need in-house.
And while AI-generated art still isn’t a great fit for final digital print output, it’s a fantastic starting point. We use it for idea generation and creative direction, then collaborate with real artists to bring those concepts to life in a way that meets our production standards. Ultimately, we see AI as a partner that helps us innovate faster, serve our customers better, and stay ahead of what’s possible in digital printing.
Have you made any recent investments in eco-friendly equipment or technology?
We believe the digital printing process is already a major step forward in sustainability, especially when it’s paired with on-demand manufacturing. That’s something I’m deeply passionate about. Every product is made with a purpose. There’s no guesswork, no giant piles of excess inventory, and no wasted materials sitting in warehouses hoping to sell. What we make gets used, and that alone drastically reduces environmental impact compared to traditional mass production.
From a materials standpoint, all of our direct-to-film products feature OEKO-TEX® certified inks and powders, which is something we’re really proud of. That certification means the materials used in the transfer process have been tested and verified to be free from harmful substances. It also ensures they meet strict human and ecological safety standards at every stage of production. So, decorators can feel confident that what they’re pressing onto apparel is safe, skin-friendly, and responsibly produced.
Beyond consumables, we’re constantly optimizing our systems for energy efficiency and waste reduction. Our smart dusters recycle powder and minimize excess. Our printheads are designed to deliver sharp output with less ink consumption. And because our machines run clean and fast, they reduce energy use without sacrificing quality. Eco-friendly, to us, doesn’t mean cutting performance. It means being smarter, more intentional, and more responsible, while still helping our partners grow profitable businesses.
Is there a standout project or collaboration that you’re particularly proud of?
We’re honored to work with incredible businesses across the country, so it’s hard to choose just one. But one collaboration truly stands out. When we first started experimenting with direct-to-film, we believed from day one that this technology would create a major shift in the decoration industry. That belief was fully validated when we partnered with a large on-demand contract manufacturer to help them convert their operation from other digital technologies to DTF.
Like many on-demand producers, their fourth quarter ramp-up was intense. They needed a scalable solution that didn’t require a large team of highly skilled technicians. Before working with us, they were relying on more than 150 direct-to-garment printers and nearly 40 flatbed UV printers to meet demand. A skilled DTG operator could produce 500 to 600 impressions per day. A less experienced seasonal worker averaged closer to 200 to 300, with a 15% defect rate. That slowed production and resulted in significant blank waste. We approached this the same way we do with all our partners, by treating it as a shared problem to solve. After an in-depth analysis of their workflow, we helped them implement a system built around seven of our flagship four-head DTF printers and a fleet of dual-platen heat presses.
The results were remarkable. With just one DTF operator and one press operator, they were hitting 1,000 impressions per day with less than a 2% defect rate. And their press operators were fully trained in under a week.
Here are just a few highlights from the transition:
● Over $5 million saved in equipment investment
● A 300% increase in daily impressions with the same staffing
● Combined DTG and UV workflows into one simplified process
● Reduced manufacturing footprint by more than 50%
● Lowered training requirements and dramatically cut defects
● Fewer complaints about hand feel thanks to the right ink, film, powder, and artwork setup
Why did you decide to join the Alliance? What resources have you utilized, or are you excited to learn more about?
Early in the business, I was fortunate to connect with a few team members from PRINTING United who encouraged me to get involved with the Alliance. They helped me see how valuable it could be, not just for access to industry resources, but for building real connections with other professionals who are shaping the future of print.
Joining the Alliance has opened doors to a broader network of like-minded companies and individuals who are passionate about innovation, education, and raising the standard across the industry. I’ve already benefited from the conversations, insights, and opportunities to collaborate. What excites me most is continuing to learn from people who are doing great work and staying ahead of the curve in print technology and business development.
For us, being part of the Alliance is not just about exposure. It is about being part of a larger movement to support print professionals with tools, training, and partnerships that actually make a difference.
Will you be joining us at PRINTING United Expo in October?
Absolutely! We never miss PRINTING United Expo. It is our flagship event each year, and we are proud to be ongoing sponsors of the Apparel Zone. This show gives us the chance to connect with decorators from all over the world, showcase what’s possible with digital print technology, and most importantly, support education in a space that’s often filled with noise and misinformation.
We are especially passionate about helping people navigate the direct-to-film landscape with real answers, not sales fluff. PRINTING United gives us the platform to do that face to face, and that is something we value deeply.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
We also operate two partner brands that support decorators at every stage of growth. American Print on Demand (APOD) is our U.S.-based, white-label cut-and-sew fulfillment service. It proves we never left sublimation; we simply added DTF to offer more options. APOD lets decorators offer premium, all-over products without inventory, equipment, or production headaches.
We also operate TransferDepot.com, utilizing our printers, ink, film, and powder combination that gives shops access to high-quality, extended gamut transfers. It serves as print protection during peak times for our existing equipment owners and helps smaller businesses build a customer base before investing in equipment.
Too many decorators waste money on cheap printers that hurt their reputation. We offer a better way to grow with confidence. At every level, our mission is to reduce friction, deliver reliability, and help our partners succeed.
For more information, visit the American Print and Supply booth (686) at PRINTING United Expo or check out their website at https://americanprintandsupply.com/.