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Card 03 — After dark

Live printing at festivals and concerts

This is live printing at maximum volume: thousands of attendees, hours of continuous operation, and merch that only exists on-site, tonight. Done right, the print rig becomes a destination inside the festival — not a vendor table at the edge of it.

Scarcity is the product

Festival crowds don't line up for merch they can order later. They line up for the print that exists only at this show — a date-stamped design, a set-specific colorway, a drop of fifty pieces released when the headliner starts. We build the release schedule with your team so the rig creates moments all night instead of one rush at doors.

Built for outside

Outdoor operation changes the equipment list. We run weighted, wind-rated canopies, generator-compatible power setups, and lighting that makes the press visible from across the grounds — under stage lights, the screen lift or press drop reads like part of the show. Crews rotate on long nights so the last print of the evening looks like the first.

Volume math

One press sustains roughly 40–70 prints an hour depending on the piece; festivals usually run two or more in parallel with a dedicated staging person feeding blanks. For a 5,000-person festival, a two-press rig with timed drops moves several hundred pieces in a night without the line ever feeling stuck.

Screen lifting off a freshly printed shirt under red concert lighting
Production notesAdvance list
  • Power: generator drop or distro tie-in — send us the power plan and we adapt
  • Space: 10×20 minimum for a two-press rig with staging
  • Weather: canopy, weights, and humidity-safe ink handling are on us
  • Crew: rotations staffed for doors-to-close operation
  • Credentials: crew list and vehicle passes submitted at advance

See the festival night set case study for how a midnight rig ran, or check the rate anchors — festival builds are quoted per production, but the same four inputs drive the number.

Booking festival season?

Send the dates, expected attendance, and site plan. We'll spec the rig, the drops, and the crew.

Advance my show