If you’ve ever wondered what a high-end print shop looks like behind the scenes, get ready for an exclusive tour of Seven Clay—where quality is king and every product is crafted with precision. Located in Round Rock, Texas, Seven Clay isn’t just another print shop. It’s a quality-obsessed powerhouse that takes embroidery, screen printing, and laser engraving to the next level. Whether you’re a garment decorator or someone knee-deep in t-shirt printing, you’ll want to pay attention.
The Secret Sauce Of Seven Clay: Quality Over Everything
Some print shops compete on price. Others chase volume. But Seven Clay? They refuse to cut corners, focusing instead on delivering premium products that keep customers coming back.
“Quality, Service, Price—that’s the order that matters,” says Josh Sprague, founder of Seven Clay. “If your customers only care about price, they’ll be your hardest clients. But if you focus on quality first, the right customers will follow.”
And he’s right. Retail-ready embroidery, custom laser-engraved patches, and meticulously screen-printed apparel are what make Seven Clay stand out. Let’s take a deeper dive into what makes their operation tick.
Inside The Sewing & Embroidery Department
Seven Clay started out of necessity—Josh originally ran a sporting goods brand, Orange Mud, that required high-quality embroidery and sewn patches. After struggling with unreliable vendors, he took matters into his own hands and built a full-scale embroidery and sewing operation.
Top-Tier Equipment For Next-Level Embroidery
- King Max & Juki Machines – Built for precision stitching on hats, beanies, and woven patches.
- Post-Bed Sewing Machines – Essential for sewing patches onto curved surfaces like hats.
- Leather Patch Station – Dedicated to sewing leather patches, ensuring a retail-quality finish.
And if you’re wondering why they don’t just heat-press patches like everyone else? Josh has a simple answer:
“If you want a true retail product, you sew it on. Heat-pressed patches are fine, but they don’t match the durability and premium feel of sewn patches.”
That’s why Seven Clay exclusively sews their patches in-house—because attention to detail matters.
Why Mighty Hoops Are A Game Changer
Ask any embroidery shop owner about hooping, and you’ll hear war stories of misaligned designs and wasted garments. Seven Clay solved that problem by using Mighty Hoops—magnetic embroidery hoops that ensure perfect placement every time.
“If you’re still using traditional hoops, throw them away,” Josh laughs. “Mighty Hoops make life easier, save time, and eliminate mistakes. They’re worth every penny.”
Lasers, Leather, and Custom Branding At Seven Clay
If you thought Seven Clay was just an embroidery powerhouse, think again. They’ve also mastered laser engraving, using CO2 lasers to create custom leather patches, engraved mugs, and premium branding elements.
Why Real Leather Beats Faux Leather
Many shops opt for faux leather to keep costs down, but Seven Clay goes the extra mile by using vegetable-tanned leather. Why? Because it:
- Ages beautifully over time
- Has no harsh chemicals (unlike chrome-tanned leather)
- Provides a premium, high-end look
And yes, they also laser-engrave coffee mugs—because why not? A single custom order for 120 mugs turned into an entirely new revenue stream for the shop.
“Lasers have been a total game-changer,” Josh admits. “We use them for patches, mugs, branding—anything we can think of.”
Smarter Screen Printing At Seven Clay
Seven Clay isn’t just about embroidery and engraving—they’ve also reinvented their screen printing process by ditching traditional emulsion-based setups in favor of computer-to-screen technology.
With Express Screen technology, they can:
- Eliminate messy emulsion setups
- Print screens in under 2 minutes
- Reduce downtime and improve precision
“I didn’t want to spend hours making screens,” Josh explains. “So we found a way to simplify the process and still deliver insane detail.”
The Seven Clay Production Workflow: Designed For Efficiency
A shop’s workflow can make or break its success, and Seven Clay has mastered the art of efficiency. Instead of a scattered, chaotic setup, they’ve designed a U-shaped production flow that keeps everything moving smoothly.
Why A U-Shaped Layout Works
- Embroidery, engraving, and screen printing are strategically positioned to minimize movement.
- Every department has a clear role, ensuring no bottlenecks.
- Orders flow seamlessly from receiving to production to quality control to shipping.
According to Josh Sprague, a well-structured shop isn’t just about organization—it’s about creating a stress-free environment where employees can focus on quality without distractions.
The Seven Clay Quality Control Process
At Seven Clay, nothing leaves the shop without passing through a multi-step quality control system. Unlike some shops that rely on a quick once-over, they’ve built a redundancy system that catches issues before they reach the customer.
How Seven Clay’s Quality Control Works
- Embroidery, screen printing, or laser engraving is completed.
- A QC specialist inspects every product for stitching alignment, color accuracy, and defects.
- Each product is checked multiple times at different stages of production.
- Final check before shipping—no loose threads, smudges, or off-center prints make it out the door.
Why so much effort? Because one bad order can ruin a customer relationship. As Josh puts it:
“A single defective product can turn a loyal customer into someone who never orders again. We’d rather throw away a bad print than ship it out.”
How DecoNetwork Keeps Everything Running Smoothly
With so many moving parts, Seven Clay relies on DecoNetwork to streamline order management, track production stages, and ensure every job moves efficiently from quote to shipment. By keeping all orders, approvals, and artwork in one system, they eliminate costly mistakes, improve team coordination, and provide customers with a seamless ordering experience.
The Final Step: Shipping And Fulfillment
Once an order passes quality control, it heads to shipping, where it’s checked one last time before going out the door.
Seven Clay’s Shipping Process
- Every item is counted at multiple stages to prevent shortages or overages.
- ShipStation integration ensures the best shipping rates and fast processing.
- Orders are packaged with care, so products arrive in perfect condition.
“Most shops just pack and ship,” Josh says. “We treat every order like a retail product. Presentation matters.”
Why Seven Clay Stands Out In The Print Industry
Seven Clay isn’t just another t-shirt printing shop—it’s a premium brand built on quality, efficiency, and innovation. From high-end embroidery and laser engraving to custom screen printing and patches, they’ve carved out a niche that keeps customers coming back.
Their commitment to quality isn’t just a talking point—it’s baked into every step of their process. Whether it’s investing in top-tier equipment, using DecoNetwork for order management, or ensuring every product meets strict QC standards, Seven Clay is setting a new bar for what a print shop should be.
