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Brian Peterson was folding T-shirts at Roach Studios when he was just five years old. Today, he runs the Columbus, Ohio, print shop, combining a lifetime of printing experience with DecoNetwork to make customer ordering and production workflows more efficient.
His journey reflects decades of change in custom apparel printing, from early iron-on transfers to digital decoration and online ordering.
From Iron-On Transfers To A Printing Legacy
Brian’s father, Stan Peterson, began airbrushing T-shirts in California before connecting with Dennis and Russ Roush from Ohio.
The family moved to Ohio in 1966. What started with custom T-shirts at car shows and state fairs eventually grew into a major wholesale iron-on transfer business.
During its early growth, Roach became a major name in iron-on transfers, distributing more than 100 million graphics worldwide.
Brian grew up surrounded by the business, learning artwork, airbrushing, and printing firsthand. He later used those skills to help pay his way through college.
Adapting To A New Era Of Custom Printing
Today, Roach Studios offers custom T-shirts, hoodies, hats, uniforms, and promotional products.
Brian believes traditional screen printing remains valuable, particularly for production runs with predictable quantities. He also recognizes how digital decoration methods like DTF and DTG printing make intricate designs and custom requests more practical.
Digital printing makes more customer requests possible, but taking those orders efficiently still matters. For Brian, time spent entering orders is time that adds to the cost of doing business.
That’s where DecoNetwork helps.
How DecoNetwork Helps Roach Studios Manage Orders
Roach Studios uses DecoNetwork to let customers build custom apparel orders online, spending their own time selecting products and preparing orders instead of relying on staff to enter every detail.
But not every customer wants to order online.
For customers who prefer calling the shop, DecoNetwork helps Roach Studios’ sales and customer service teams create orders quickly while continuing to provide personal assistance.
Brian sees the time saved during order entry as a real business benefit.
“And time is money. So, that saves us money.”
He also says the money Roach Studios pays for DecoNetwork is well worth it and expresses satisfaction with the tools his team uses.
For Roach Studios, DecoNetwork supports both sides of customer service: the convenience of online ordering and the personal attention customers receive when they call the shop.
What Roach Studios' Success Means For Print Shops
Roach Studios has spent decades adapting to how people buy and decorate apparel. Today, DecoNetwork helps Brian’s team spend less time taking orders while keeping personal customer service part of the business.
For other garment decorators, it’s worth asking: How much time does your team spend collecting order details and entering information customers could provide themselves?
It’s a practical reminder that established print shops can continue finding better ways to work, both in production and in how they serve customers.
See How DecoNetwork Helps Simplify Print Shop Order Management
