Awesome Dudes Printing

What Awesome Dudes Printing does

Awesome Dudes Printing is a custom screen printing shop operating from a single storefront at 1338-40 South 6th Street in South Philadelphia. Founded in 2007 by founders who started in a basement, the company has grown into a 1–10 employee operation offering custom screen printing on t-shirts, hoodies, koozies, baby onesies, posters (up to 19x25 inches), denim swatches, wooden items, tote bags, beer coasters, and aprons, with capability for up to six colors per design. Production is built around two manual shirt presses, a dedicated poster press, and one automatic press acquired in 2015; supporting services include screen burning ($15–$50/screen), artwork cleanup ($50/hour), and full custom design (starting at $250/design), with a 50-shirt minimum on stock apparel and 100-piece minimum on customer-supplied garments.

The business makes money on a project basis — per-shirt printing priced at $3.50 for one color plus $1.00 per additional color and $30 per screen setup — and does not operate an e-commerce checkout for custom work; orders flow through email ([email protected]), phone (267.886.8492), and walk-ins during weekday business hours (Monday–Friday, 10am–4pm). Standard turnaround is 7–10 business days, and a Big Cartel storefront at awesomedudesprinting.bigcartel.com serves as a browsable catalog for ready-made items. Revenue is materially augmented by event-based live printing (e.g., 600 shirts printed in a single day at the 2014 Roots Picnic) at concerts, conventions including SXSW Flatstock and Philadelphia tattoo conventions, and street fairs.

The customer base is a long tail of local Philadelphia SMBs — bars, restaurants, breweries, tattoo studios, bands, and community organizations — supplemented by occasional one-off branded jobs for larger names such as Lucky Brand. Marketing is social-media-first (Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, X) with community engagement reinforced by a rotating mural wall featuring artists including Shepard Fairey and Print Liberation, and partnerships such as the 2018 'Print Fuel' coffee blend with neighboring Herman's Coffee. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, founder-owned, and incorporated in Pennsylvania as Awesome Dudes Printing Inc., with no external investment, parent company, or M&A activity in the record.

Name

Awesome Dudes Printing

Legal name

Awesome Dudes Printing Inc.

Website

https://awesomedudesprinting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Awesome Dudes Printing is a privately held South Philadelphia screen printing shop founded in 2007 that serves local bars, restaurants, tattoo studios, bands, and small businesses with custom shirts, posters, and apparel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Screen Printing Services

NAICS

Commercial Screen Printing (323113), Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Printing (32311)

SIC

Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser) (BPAFAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sportswear Customization & Printing Retail (CRAMACAK), Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD), Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services (IMALAKAM)

Keywords

• Screen printing services
• Custom apparel printing
• Poster screen printing
• Screen burning services
• Custom merchandise printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Shirt Printing: Core revenue stream: custom screen printing on customer-provided or company-provided shirts. Priced per color with screen setup fees. 50 shirt minimum for custom jobs, 100 piece minimum for customer-supplied shirts.
2. Screen Burning Services: Screen preparation and burning services for customers who bring their own screens. $15 for reburn (reprinting old designs), $30-50 for new screens depending on size and whether reclamation is needed.
3. Poster and Paper Printing: Paper printing services for posters, CD demo packages, and 7-inch covers up to 19x25 inches. $2.00 per pull plus paper and ink costs, with $40 per screen for oversized screens.
4. Artwork Services: Hourly artwork assistance and custom design services. $50/hour for artwork cleanup, $250 minimum for full custom design work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Awesome Dudes Printing is a South Philadelphia screen printing shop that produces custom screen-printed apparel, posters, and merchandise for individuals, bands, and small businesses. Core services include multi-color (up to 6 colors) printing on t-shirts, hoodies, koozies, baby onesies, posters up to 19x25 inches, denim swatches, and wooden items, with a 50-shirt minimum for custom runs. Supporting offerings include screen burning services, hourly artwork cleanup, and full custom design work, all ordered primarily via email with a 5-7 business day turnaround.

Product overview

Awesome Dudes Printing is a South Philadelphia-based screen printing shop offering custom printing services on various substrates. The company operates using 2 manual shirt presses, 1 poster press, and 1 automatic press. Their core product offerings include t-shirt screen printing (up to 6 colors), poster printing, koozie printing, baby onesie printing, and hoodie printing. Supporting services include screen burning ($15/screen), artwork assistance ($50/hour for clean-up, $250+ for custom design), and contract printing on customer-supplied merchandise (100 piece minimum). The shop also provides specialty printing on denim swatches and novelty items like tote bags and beer coasters. Orders are processed via email with a standard 7-10 business day turnaround.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom T-Shirt Screen Printing Custom screen printing on t-shirts with up to 6 colors per design. Customers select from unisex adult tees (Hanes/Gildan), medium grade/fashion fit (Bella Canvas, Next Level), or premium shirts (Royal Apparel, Alternative Apparel). Includes 50 shirt minimum for custom jobs.
• Custom Poster Printing Paper printing services for posters, CD demo packages, and 7-inch covers up to 19in x 25in size. Minimum 50 paper prints per design. Priced at $2.00 per pull plus paper and ink costs, with $40 per screen for oversized screens.
• Hoodie and Sweatshirt Printing Custom screen printing on hoodies and sweatshirts, with multi-color capability. Used by customers such as Herman's Coffee for branded apparel.
• Koozie Printing Single or double-sided screen printing on beer koozies for breweries, bars, and bands (e.g., Locals the Band).
• Baby Onesie Printing Custom screen printing on baby onesies and infant shirts.
• Screen Burning Service Burn customer artwork onto screens for $15 per screen (customers provide their own screen). Includes screen reclamation services for $40-50 depending on whether the screen is new or requires cleaning and emulsion stripping.
• Artwork Assistance and Custom Design Artwork clean-up services at $50 per hour, with full custom design work available starting at $250 per design. Requires print-ready artwork at 300dpi in formats including .ai, .eps, .pdf, .psd, .tiff, and .jpgs.
• Denim and Specialty Substrate Printing Direct printing onto denim swatches for custom applications such as labels sewn into garments. Example use case includes work for Norman Porter Co. limited edition jeans and Lucky Brand double-sided wooden box printing.
• Novelty and Flat Item Printing Custom screen printing on tote bags, beer coasters, aprons, and other flat items. Excludes vinyl stickers.
• Contract / Customer-Supplied Printing Printing on customer-supplied merchandise with a 100 piece minimum. A $20 handling fee applies for garments requiring preparation. Misprint ratio of approximately 3% should be expected.

Quantifiable outcome

• Normal turnaround time of 7-10 business days for custom orders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Herman's CoffeeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 September 2018Local South Philadelphia coffee shop collaboration on 'Print Fuel' coffee blend. Herman's Coffee is described as neighbors just a few blocks away. Partnership involves co-branded merchandise and cross-promotion. Herman's Coffee is also a repeat customer for hoodie printing.
• Keystone Sign and CompanyminorOthersLocal Philadelphia sign company that painted custom details on the Awesome Dudes Printing van, including a vanity license plate.
• Red Bull PhiladelphiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Bull Philadelphia visited the shop; nature of partnership appears informal, possibly product sponsorship or community support.
• Print LiberationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrint Liberation is one of the artists featured on the shop's rotating mural wall, contributing to the artistic community atmosphere of the location.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RushOrderTees: Custom screen-printed apparel shop with online ordering and minimum order quantities, focused on small businesses, teams, and events. Directly comparable to Awesome Dudes on product (shirts) and customer segments, though larger in scale and digital-native.
• Underground Printing: Custom screen-printed apparel company originally focused on college campuses and now serving small businesses and organizations nationwide. Comparable in core offering (custom shirts) and SMB/team customer base.
• Hammerpress: Kansas City-based custom print and stationery shop combining letterpress and screen printing with a strong community/arts brand and live event presence. Comparable craft-focused, community-embedded custom screen printing aesthetic and small-team operations.
• Fresh Prints: Custom apparel company focused on organizations, brands, and groups, leveraging a campus rep-driven model for shirt and merchandise orders. Comparable small-batch custom screen printing model for similar customer segments.

Emerging players

• Printful: Print-on-demand and fulfillment platform offering digital apparel printing with no minimums and integrated e-commerce. An indirect substitute for some of Awesome Dudes' services, particularly small-batch and online-only buyers, even though the underlying process and minimum orders differ.

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: Large promotional products distributor offering custom apparel and decorated merchandise to businesses nationwide. Overlaps with Awesome Dudes on promotional/screen-printed apparel but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• Custom Ink: Largest online custom apparel platform in the U.S., offering no-minimum custom screen printing and embroidery with online design tools. Operates broadly in the same product category but at much greater scale and with a digital-first customer experience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/awesome_dudes
• Facebookfacebook.com/Awesome-Dudes-Printing-109333027710
• Instagraminstagram.com/awesome_dudes_printing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awesome-dudes-printing

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 Awesome Dudes Printing