We believe the world needs all the help it can get and we’re determined to minimize our business’ footprint for the greater good of this strange rock that we inhabit. In every aspect of our business we seek to be green, clean & lean. In decisions big and (especially) small, we work to achieve the best results for our planet, ourselves and our business.
We have strived to be a sustainable screen printing shop since our humble beginning. We opened our doors as the first eco-friendly screen printing shop in the Midwest during the height of the 2008 financial crisis. When corporate responsibility hit a new low and thousands of businesses shuttered their doors, Offbeat Press embarked on a new journey. Offbeat Press became the first certified green screen printing business. Today, Offbeat Press is the only Gold-Certified screen printing business, certified by Green America & Green Pages.
We take both an environmental and economic approach to sustainability. Sustainable screen printing combines environmental values with a focus on the human aspect of business. Offbeat Press began operations in a mostly vacant warehouse on the East side of town. Operating in the original tram station for the city of Oshkosh, we strive to be a vehicle for community involvement, civic engagement, and environmental sustainability. Offbeat Press works with dozens of awesome nonprofit organizations to further many great causes. We provide non-profit discounts to community-focused organizations. At Offbeat Press, we believe in taking care of our employees. We are proud to offer good wages and benefits to our awesome staff. Our full-time employees receive paid holidays, paid time off, voluntary healthcare, profit-sharing and additional perks and bonuses. From a creative standpoint, our design office stands apart, making original artwork rather than stealing or borrowing others. We offer a variety of American-made, organic, recycled and sustainably produced garments at fair prices. Check out our Design Gallery and Print Gallery to see our creative and print work.
We support dozens of awesome organizations and community groups and we provide a friendly non-profit discount to community-focused organizations. Our non-profit community spreads far beyond Oshkosh. We work closely with small, awesome organizations across Wisconsin and the country. As a certified business member of Green America, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, and Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice, we both promote social improvements and we actively work towards a better tomorrow. Some of the organizations that we support include the Camp to Belong, Day by Day Warming Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, the Oshkosh Area Humane Society, YouthGO, Central Rivers Farmshed, Planned Parenthood, Oshkosh Food Co-op project, Oshkosh Housing Authority and many others. For more info on nonprofit discounts check out our Nonprofit T-shirt Discounts page.
Social Responsibility and sustainable screen printing are at the roots of our business and our owner. Drew has been socially-engaged since college, working for a variety of worthy causes both creatively and directly – including a stint leading a local nonprofit. While working as an Art Director on unfulfilling advertising projects, he began coordinating graphic design and marketing projects with a variety of local organizations as an outlet to make fun and creative projects. During these early years, Drew gained visibility with his pro-bono design work, allowing him to become self-employed at age 24. Four years later, Drew started his next venture. Offbeat Press was born December 1st, 2008, offering creative t-shirt design and sustainable screen printing with a new business model.
In addition to printing with eco-friendly water-based inks and sustainable garment options, we utilize various sustainable screen printing processes. Our production staff continuously works towards workflow efficiency, both reducing our global footprint and increasing our production quality. We repurposed and upgraded our transparency printer, allowing us to eliminate resources and increase accuracy in screen creation. Our new exposure unit is powered by LED lights, shortening the screen preparation time and art preparation process. We use low-impact chemicals during screen reclamation and shop cleaning. We use a water-based tex-tac, and efficient curing and drying equipment to make the process lean, green and clean. Additionally, we benefit from a large variety of other green processes in the shop, the office and our daily lives.
When we expanded in 2015, we again made the most of available resources. Our print shop moved back downstairs into the middle of the vacant building.
Our shop contains 8 beautiful, wood tables, which are re-purposed flaws from a custom furniture shop in the area. We made our table bases from shipping crates and office walls. We reused light fixtures from another part of the building and installed efficiency bulbs. All of our ink tables, shirt racks, ink carts and shelving are re-used materials or repurposed from other businesses. We also designed our sustainable screen print shop for maximum air flow and ventilation with air exchangers and a great exhaust system. After 9 years of stewardship and leadership, we continue to blaze our own trail. As always, we are working on projects to further our commitment to sustainable screen printing and support of great causes.
