Why Print On Demand Shops Running Brother DTG’s Are Partnering with ROQ

In the world of Print On Demand, time is everything—and margins are tight. For shops running pods of Brother GTX Pro Bulk printers, the difference between breaking even and scaling up often comes down to workflow: how fast can you pre-treat, print, cure, apply transfers, and ship?

That's where ROQ steps in.

No, you don’t have to print on a ROQ to benefit from ROQ innovations. That’s the beauty of our approach. We’re here to be Your Partner In Print, and for growing brands like Swagify, that promise is real.

AK, founder of Swagify.com, recently gave us a full behind-the-scenes tour of his high-volume POD operation—and showed exactly how ROQ READY and ROQ IMPRESS are keeping his business lean, fast, and friction-free.

The ROQ READY: Pre-Treatment Without Bottlenecks

Before integrating ROQ READY, Swagify’s pre-treat workflow was a multi-operator process with major inefficiencies. Pre-treat, cure, repeat. Slow, manual, and prone to delays.

“We were running it on a conveyor system with two people. One to lay it down and pre-treat, and another person to heat press it.” – AK, Swagify

Now? One operator. Zero bottlenecks. And a massive increase in output.

“This machine's been definitely another game changer for us… we can do over 200 an hour.” – AK.

With large format capability, barcode automation, and fast loading, ROQ READY is designed to keep POD shops moving, without burning labor.

The Next Evolution: From DTG to DTF

Like many Brother-based POD shops, Swagify is transitioning into DTF (Direct to Film) to expand flexibility and reduce ink costs. But DTF introduces new pain points—especially in application. Cutting, placing, pressing, peeling—it’s slow and labor-intensive. That’s where ROQ IMPRESS steps in.

“After we print the transfers, we bring it over here to the ROQ IMPRESS… the robotic arm grabs the transfer and places it on the garment.” – AK

From placement to pressing to peeling, it’s automated. The result? A workflow that crushes labor costs and speeds up fulfillment.

“With DTG, we had about 44 machines… one person for every five to six machines doing about 100–125 an hour. With the ROQ IMPRESS, we’re doing about 400 an hour. It saved me about 75% in labor cost.” – AK

ROQ = Your Partner In Print

Swagify is proof that ROQ’s value goes way beyond screen printing presses. Our goal is to meet you where you are—Brother GTX, DTF, DTG, or hybrid—and help you scale smarter. Two ROQ machines. One major transformation.

“If it can be printed on, we can technically do it… and the ROQ equipment is what makes that possible at scale.” – AK

Whether you’re running a 20K-a-day POD warehouse or scaling your first fulfillment center, ROQ READY and ROQ IMPRESS bring automation and labor savings that immediately impact the bottom line.

AK’s Swagify shop may not be running ROQ Digital printheads, but they are ROQ to the core—automated, dialed-in, and scalable. And that’s the point.

You don’t have to print on a ROQ to partner with ROQ. You just have to want to move faster, cut labor, and grow profitably.

Ready to reduce bottlenecks in your Brother GTX or DTF workflow? Connect with ROQ.US Solutions Team at the form below in order to see these and other innovations in action at the ROQ Tech Centers in Florida or Portugal and run an ROI study to see really how much partner with ROQ can positively impact your business.