The world of custom T-shirts has arrived in the 21st century and two DU students are going to reap the rewards.

Casey Schorr, a junior majoring in finance and marketing and Kevin Materi, a sophomore majoring in computer science, met last year and are now business partners in Printfection.

The company makes T-shirts using digital images uploaded by customers. Purchasers can buy a T-shirt in one of two ways.

First they can go to the Web site, choose the product they wish to order and select a picture or design to put on it.

Then customers can see what it will look like on the shirt, mug etc.

Once they order, the image is downloaded at the office and then printed on the t-shirt with a heat printer.

It is then mailed. Customers can also go to an online store that has contracted with Printfection. This could be any Web site with all types of content from dog lovers to sports leagues.

These images would be the Web site’s selection.

“If someone already has a Web site, but they want to add a store section this is a great way to do it because they do not have to get inventory or anything. Instead they contract with us and then mark-up the prices. We then send them a check with the profits every month,” Schorr explained. There are already two web sites interested in contracting with them. They are waiting for the final Web site which will be ready in five weeks.

The images are in photograph-quality colors with no size restrictions and images can be manipulated.

The only restrictions involved in this process are that light colored T-shirts have to be used because the technology is not that advanced. Printfection offers a choice of white or light blue and pink. They offer more clothing choices than shirts. Products include thongs and boy shirts.

The company uses one printing technology for hard surfaces like mugs and cutting boards known as sublimation.

“It heats up the object to so that the pores open up. At 400 degrees the ink jumps in to the pores. As it cools the ink stays in the pores as the close. So the photograph is preserved in coasters for example,” explained Schorr.

Schorr and Materi lived next door to each other in Johnson-McFarlane where Schorr was an RTA. Late spring they were thinking of business ideas that they could feasibly start.

One of the other ideas was a textbook and syllabus exchange.

Not only could students trade textbooks but they could also look at past syllabuses to see which classes they wanted to take. However, Schorr had done some T-shirts when he was in high school.

“I had a couple of friends helping me out in high school. We did some online business. It was basically the same concept,” said Schorr.

They started the business in October in Schorr’s on-campus apartment. Schorr lived with T-shirts stacked ceiling high, the printer next to his bed and packing peanuts suspended from the ceiling.

They recently moved into an office about 15 minutes from campus.

Schorr and Materi work about 60-80 hours a week between the business and school work.

They both think that this business has helped make classes more interesting.

“Its cool to hear about (information) in the classroom and then actually do it,” said Materi.

“Its an application for what we are learning in school,” said Schorr.