๐ฃ Pittsburgh Print House — Spoilage Policy & QC Process
Effective Date: July 2025
Location: 800 Chetopa Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15204
Contact: support@pghprinthouse.com | (724) 824-8319
๐ PURPOSE
This policy establishes clear and enforceable guidelines for how Pittsburgh Print House (PPH) manages production spoilage, quality control (QC), and customer communication. It defines standards for internal accountability, outlines expected response timelines, and provides customers with transparent options regarding spoilage, factory defects, and order completion expectations.
The Preferred Supplier Production Policy (In Network) covers all of the products shipped into PPH from SanMar and S&S Activewear. **Products purchased from other suppliers are not covered.**
๐ DEFINITIONS
Spoilage: A misprint due to production error that causes a garment to not meet an acceptable quality level.
Spoilage Allowance: The industry standard for Spoilage Allowance is 2% of total garments or one piece on any order, whichever is greater. This is also known or commonly referred to as an underrun (where fewer goods are shipped than ordered due to production error) or within tolerance.
Factory Defect: A flaw or imperfection in the garment when it arrived at the warehouse. PPH is not responsible for defects, as they are not caused by our production process and fall outside our spoilage liability.
**NEW **๐ก๏ธ Protect Your Investment with Spoilage Insurance—Exclusively at PPH
At Pittsburgh Print House, we understand how critical complete order fulfillment is to your business. That’s why we offer Spoilage Insurance—a premium service designed to ensure your order ships at 100% completion, even in the event of spoilage. By adding this coverage at the time of purchase order submission, you're investing in peace of mind and production continuity.
Here’s what you need to know:
โ Guaranteed Full Order Completion – We’ll cover spoilage and ensure your order ships in full, without exception.
๐ฐ Coverage Fee – Insurance is priced at 25% of the total order value or 15% over $1000 order value
๐ How to Add It – Include Spoilage Insurance as a separate line item when submitting your purchase order.
โ ๏ธ Important: Blanks purchased outside our Preferred Suppliers network are considered “buyer beware” and do not qualify for spoilage insurance coverage.
โ PPH QUALITY CONTROL STRUCTURE (INTERNAL)
Quality Director
Oversees quality systems, behavior standards, and press/embroidery checks.
Leads all spoilage investigations with QC Supervisor.
Handles customer outreach and resolutions.
Orders and receives replacement garments, tracks resolution in PPH Software.
QC Supervisor (Screen & Heat Printing)
Daily floating supervision of 3 QC inspectors.
Oversees all back-of-belt inspections, ensuring completed paperwork and system updates.
Responsible for training the team to complete QC closeouts in PPH Software.
Marks jobs as “Passed Inspection” or “Failed – Manager Review” in PPH Software.
Initiates spoilage alerts and post-mortem coordination with the Quality Director.
Prepress Manager (Screen Print Department)
Notified on screen print spoilage events.
Holds screens, notifies the press team, and enforces problem-solving protocol.
Ensures alignment with press standards and print prep expectations.
Embroidery Manager (Embroidery Department)
Notified on embroidery spoilage events.
Holds stitch files, pulls thread/hoop diagnostics, and alerts operators.
Enforces training, QC review, and machine hygiene/maintenance.
๐ QUALITY CHECKPOINTS
Receiving & Inspection
QCI Specialists (Receiving) verify POs, packing slips, and visible factory defects before staging.
Pre-Production
Screen and heat test prints are reviewed for approval from the Production Manager or Quality Director.
Stitch / sew outs are reviewed for approval from the Production Manager or Embroidery Manager.
Production
Live inspections and spot checks throughout all runs.
Post-Production
Jobs either passed or failed in PPH Software.
Post Mortem QC details documented for spoilage tracking.
Customer Communication
Quality Director or a team lead communicates spoilage with the customer and takes the appropriate next steps in the Production Workflow.
๐ PRODUCTION WORKFLOW
๐น Spoilage & Completion Policy:
๐น Spoilage Under 2% (Within Tolerance):
Items are automatically removed (physical) from the final shipped quantity.
The customer is notified via email of the underrun.
PPH will not reprint unless specifically requested by the customer.
Print cost for the items within tolerance will be removed from your final bill.
Factory defects in customer-supplied garments are under runs, not spoilage.
PPH is not responsible.
๐น Customer-Demanded Reprints (Within Tolerance):
DTF Reprints (for screen print jobs):
โ
Free of charge
โ ๏ธ Garments must be supplied by customer or purchased at cost.
โ ๏ธ Only used as a direct substitute when spoilage is within tolerance.
Screen Print Reprints (exact match on press):
โก๏ธ Customer will be charged:
$25 per color for press reset
$2.00 per item reprinted
Garments must be supplied by customer or purchased at cost
Embroidery Replacements:
โ
Free of charge
โ ๏ธ Garments must be supplied by customer or purchased at cost.
๐น Over Tolerance 2%+ Spoilage:
PPH will replace spoiled garments if your garments were purchased from Preferred Vendors (S&S and Sanmar) and reprint at no charge within 3-5 business days.
For garments not from preferred vendors, the customer is responsible for supplying replacements.PPH will cover the decoration costs only.
๐๏ธ INVOICING & CREDITS
Final invoice = total shipped.
Spoilage under 2% = print or stitch credit only.
Reprints (over tolerance) = completed at no cost within 3 business days.
๐งด GARMENT CARE INSTRUCTIONS
Turn garments inside out. Wash cold. Tumble dry low.
No dryer sheets on poly garments.
DTF holds 80+ washes. Embroidery holds permanent wear under normal care.
๐ TERMS & CONDITIONS
This Spoilage Policy is subject to amendment, modification, or update at any time without prior notice at the sole discretion of Pittsburgh Print House (PPH). By submitting a purchase order and engaging PPH for production services, the customer acknowledges and agrees to be bound by the most current version of this policy as published or provided.
๐ 100% SATISFACTION COMMITTMENT
At Pittsburgh Print House, we view our policies as essential guidelines and a foundation for a productive, transparent partnership. That said, our commitment to customer satisfaction runs deeper. While the standards outlined in this document govern our day-to-day operations, we reserve the right to go above and beyond—when appropriate—to protect and preserve the integrity of our customer relationships.
We understand that sometimes, doing the right thing may mean moving mountains. In those rare circumstances, we will prioritize the partnership above any one policy.
