What Thrive Screen Printing does

Thrive Screen Printing is a Phoenix, Arizona-based wholesale and contract screen printing company operating from a 40,000 square foot climate-controlled facility. Originally founded in 1990 as American Printhouse, the business was acquired by entrepreneur Sam Akkad in 2018 when it was days from closing and rebranded under its current name; Robert Fisher serves as Founder and CEO. The company runs 12-color automatic screen printing presses with a daily production capacity of 20,000-24,000 items, supplemented by Brother direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printing equipment for short-run and full-color work, plus embroidery and a suite of specialty finishing techniques (plastisol, water-based, foil, flock, gel, high-density, metallic inks).

The company's revenue model is multi-stream but anchored in B2B contract and wholesale screen printing. Revenue is generated through custom screen printing services, DTG digital printing, embroidery, apparel finishing (hang tagging, folding, poly bagging, RFID tagging, barcoding), and full-service fulfillment including drop shipping, laser engraving, print-on-demand, and inventory management. Pricing is quote-based with a 24-piece minimum order quantity per design and a combined-order strategy that aggregates customer demand to negotiate lower manufacturer costs. The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (account managers handling large wholesale contracts), inside phone sales, walk-in service at the Phoenix facility, and a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront for SMB and individual orders. Customer segments span Private Brands, Entertainment (including the Grammys), Corporate Events, Bands/Music, Sports (NBA, NFL licensed apparel), Education, and Non-Profits; named enterprise customers include Custom Ink, Discovery Channel, the Grammys, NBA, and NFL.

The business serves as a vertically integrated one-stop shop from in-house design through retail-ready delivery, with reported capacity to process up to 10,000 orders weekly for the largest fulfillment clients. Worldwide shipping is offered from the single Phoenix location. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, operates as a for-profit entity, and has earned industry recognition including the 2018 Phoenix Business Hall of Fame induction and a 2025 Top 10 USA custom screen-printing designation.

Name

Thrive Screen Printing

Legal name

Thrive Screen Printing

Website

https://thrivescreenprinting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thrive Screen Printing is a Phoenix-based wholesale and contract screen printing company operating from a 40,000 sq ft facility with 20,000-24,000 items daily capacity, serving private brands, entertainment, sports leagues, corporate events, and education clients with screen printing, DTG, embroidery, and drop-ship fulfillment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Screen Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Screen Printing (323113)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD)

Keywords

• Custom screen printing
• Apparel decoration services
• Wholesale apparel printing
• Direct-to-garment printing
• Apparel fulfillment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Screen Printing Services: Primary revenue stream from custom screen printing on t-shirts, apparel, and promotional items. Services include wholesale screen printing, contract printing, and specialty printing techniques (plastisol, water-based, foil, flock, gel, high-density, metallic inks).
2. Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing: Digital printing services for smaller orders or custom designs requiring vibrant, full-color prints. DTG is ideal for test marketing, prototypes, or limited-edition apparel.
3. Embroidery Services: Embroidery decoration services for apparel and promotional products.
4. Apparel Fulfillment Services: Full-service fulfillment including product fulfillment (mugs, drinkware, cutting boards, plaques), laser engraving, print-on-demand, drop shipping, and inventory management.
5. Apparel Finishing Services: Finishing services including custom hang tags, hang tagging, price tagging, folding, poly bagging, RFID tagging, and barcoding for retail-ready delivery.
6. Promotional Products: Custom promotional items including mugs, drinkware, ornaments, signs, and plaques.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thrive Screen Printing provides wholesale and contract custom screen printing on apparel, including specialty techniques such as plastisol, water-based, foil, metallic, flock, gel, high-density, and eco-friendly inks. The company also offers direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printing, embroidery, apparel finishing services, and large-scale drop-ship fulfillment, producing and shipping up to 20,000 items daily from its 40,000 sq ft Phoenix facility.

Product overview

Thrive Screen Printing operates as a single unified service offering centered on custom screen printing for apparel, supplemented by multiple specialized printing techniques, embroidery, and end-to-end fulfillment services. The core platform is custom screen printing (wholesale and contract), which is enhanced by a suite of specialty printing sub-products — water-based ink, plastisol, foil, metallic ink, gel, high-density, flock, and eco-friendly green printing — as well as DTG (direct-to-garment) digital printing and embroidery as alternative decoration methods. On top of printing, the company layers apparel finishing services (tagging, folding, bagging, RFID, barcoding) and large-volume fulfillment/drop-ship services to serve as a one-stop-shop from design through delivery. The product portfolio is accessed via a Shopify storefront for orders and a quote request system for wholesale/custom projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screen Printing Custom screen printing services for t-shirts and apparel using automatic screen printing presses, supporting a wide range of ink types and specialty finishes for wholesale and contract orders.
• Wholesale Screen Printing
• DTG (Direct to Garment) Printing
• Embroidery
• Apparel Finishing Services
• Apparel Fulfillment Services
• Promotional Products
• Custom Merch
• Custom Band Merch

Quantifiable outcome

• Produces and ships 20,000-24,000 items daily
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BrothercoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Brother, an industry leader in direct-to-garment (DTG) technology. Brother provides the DTG printing equipment and technology for Thrive's digital garment printing services, delivering durable and high-quality prints with exceptional detail and brightness.
• THREAD (Fabric Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with THREAD, a company specializing in creating fabric from recycled plastic bottles. This partnership supports Thrive's eco-friendly and green printing initiatives, allowing them to offer sustainable fabric options made from used plastic bottles.
• Sam AkkadcoreOthersEntrepreneur Sam Akkad of Mesa purchased and revived the company when it was days from closing. He continues as owner/operator leading the company's growth and operations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Custom Ink: Custom Ink is a direct competitor in custom apparel printing and is also a Thrive customer for large-volume wholesale fulfillment. Both serve custom apparel orders with screen printing and DTG, though Custom Ink leans more direct-to-consumer while Thrive focuses more on wholesale.
• RushOrderTees: RushOrderTees is a direct competitor offering custom screen printing, DTG, and embroidery with rapid turnaround for businesses and groups. Their service portfolio, customer base, and quote-based B2B model closely mirror Thrive's positioning.
• Underground Printing: Underground Printing is a wholesale custom apparel screen printer serving businesses, bands, schools, and events with nationwide production. Comparable to Thrive in offering bulk screen printing plus finishing services to similar customer verticals.
• Broken Arrow Wear: Broken Arrow Wear provides wholesale custom apparel printing including screen printing, DTG, and embroidery for brands and resellers. Overlaps with Thrive on B2B wholesale screen printing and drop-ship fulfillment for apparel businesses.
• Printful: Printful is a print-on-demand and drop-ship fulfillment platform serving ecommerce brands with DTG, embroidery, and screen printing. Directly comparable to Thrive's drop-ship fulfillment and DTG capabilities for brand customers.
• Threadless: Threadless combines artist-driven custom apparel with print-on-demand fulfillment for brands. Overlaps with Thrive on custom merch printing and brand-focused fulfillment services.

Emerging players

• Printify: Printify operates a print-on-demand marketplace connecting merchants with print providers. Comparable to Thrive's drop-ship model but with a marketplace structure rather than owned production; represents an alternative path for Thrive's brand customers.

Broad incumbents

• Alphabroder (Broder Bros): Alphabroder is one of the largest wholesale apparel distributors in North America, also offering decoration services. A broader incumbent that competes with Thrive on decorated apparel supply for resellers and corporate buyers, though distribution is its core.
• SanMar: SanMar is a major wholesale apparel supplier serving decorators and resellers across the US. While primarily a distributor rather than printer, it competes for the same decorator and reseller customers and sets baseline apparel availability in the channel.
• Cimpress (Vistaprint): Cimpress owns Vistaprint and a portfolio of mass-customization businesses serving small business marketing and apparel needs. A broader incumbent with overlapping customization capabilities, though apparel is one of many categories versus Thrive's apparel focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThriveScreenPrinting2205
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-printhouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/ThriveScreenPrinting
• Xx.com/american2212

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thrive Screen Printing