Vinosangre has undertaken the daunting task of changing its shop management software system, switching over to DecoNetwork. Co-owner Sam Currie reveals how the team managed to keep jobs flowing during the transition and the benefits the DecoNetwork system has introduced
Sam Currie
When did you change your software system?
We switched from Printavo to DecoNetwork in February 2025.
Why did you change to DecoNetwork?
Printavo was great, but we had reached a point where there were certain things I wanted to streamline further and we thought it was important to incorporate some form of online ordering into the business. DecoNetwork seemed like a better option for what we were looking to do next.
What was the process of switching systems like?
I started working on the DecoNetwork version of our website in November (2024) with the hope to switch over to it during the Christmas break and then start the new year on the new system. We ended up having a busier period than usual so didn’t end up making the switch until February, but it was pretty smooth!
The production team picked up the new system really fast and we had tested it quite thoroughly by this point in the sandbox mode so there weren’t too many surprises when customers started putting orders through with the online designer.
The data input side was probably the longest part because we had a fairly extensive catalogue built up on Printavo and we wanted as much as possible transferred over before we launched the new system. Some of the API links are really helpful with this, but there is still a lot that I like to do manually so it works exactly as we want it to and we also offer a lot of products that aren’t on the catalogues they have available to live link.
We ran both systems together for a few weeks, invoicing only on the new DecoNetwork system, and then, as the production ended on the old system’s calendar, production manager Max left a few days’ buffer and started on the new system calendar.
Were there any particular issues you faced or anything you’d do differently if you had to do it again?
I think overall it went about as well as it could have. It’s something we had wanted to do for a while and there was definitely an element of putting it off because of the magnitude of switching the entire production and invoicing system at the same time.
I think in the end we lost the buffer days but it transitioned fairly seamlessly. If we did it again we’d have a slightly bigger buffer as you can easily pull jobs forward without annoying customers, but it’s much harder to tell people their job will be a week late! We got it right, but I think this is mainly due to the skill level and efficiency of the production team and them rarely having issues with jobs that put them behind.
How long did it take to make
the change?
I would say around four months prep work but then the actual switch over we did in two weeks.
The actual switch over to DecoNetwork took two weeks
How quickly did you pick it up? Did you get much advice from DecoNetwork on using it?
I have actually used the system before for a DTG (direct-to-garment) business I had in 2010 so I was somewhat familiar with it, although that was a long time ago! The help articles are very comprehensive and there’s not been many instances where I couldn’t find what I needed without even having to contact anyone on the DecoNetwork technical team.
You get onboarding when you sign up, which I haven’t actually done yet because the initial set-up was familiar enough, but I have a list of things I will use those meetings for now.
In what ways has changing to DecoNetwork benefitted your company?
The main benefit is without a doubt the online ordering, we knew this was something a lot of people wanted and it’s not the easiest thing to implement with the amount of variables involved in screen printing. Having a way people can upload their artwork and it visually show them how many colours it would be, allowing them to then place and edit things with live pricing, is great.
The PO system has been a big improvement for us too. It has sped up the ordering process and made it much easier to see what’s going where as well as catch shortages and mistakes a lot quicker.
Is there anything you’d like to see improved or changed about the system?
Maybe a seemingly small thing but I’d like to see a way to add custom placeholder images per product (it currently only lets you create one generic one) then assign ink colours to placeholder art. A freeform graphic placement template in Business Hub would be good alongside this. Giving customers using the designer some limitations placement-wise works well and keeps things organised for production, but it can be restrictive when doing custom quotes.
We do a lot of jobs that require less conventional placement and also things like process prints that don’t work through the online designer. When doing custom quotes it would be nice to have a bit more freedom to make the mocks and job sheets consistent with the more conventional jobs, which it handles perfectly.
There are ways around it but the invoices don’t look as concise and clear as regular orders do.
Are we right in thinking that you now operate an embroidery business as well?
We specialise in screen printing textiles, but we work with Gokotta for embroidery and Well Nice for screen printed flat stock. We could expand in all kinds of directions like a lot of shops do, but we have friends that specialise in other techniques. Instead of treading on their toes it’s nice for us all to be able to practise the crafts we specialise in and work together.
The ability for clients to order online has been the biggest advantage of the new system, according to Sam
Does the switch to DecoNetwork make it easier to link up
these businesses?
We haven’t explored DecoNetwork’s capabilities as far as embroidery goes yet. The collaborative work with Gokotta is very recent. There are numerous ways we can streamline that process going forward with DecoNetwork, either through our website or giving them access to their own affiliate system.
Does DecoNetwork link to other software that you use in the business?
It has a good amount of options to link with accounting software and some of the popular marketing tools. Payment gateways are good and let you offset some of the fees with premium cards, PayPal and various other things that we used to have to try to absorb or work into our base pricing. We do 90% of things through DecoNetwork – the only things that don’t link are some Google calendar tools we use and HR software.
What would you say to anyone else thinking of using DecoNetwork?
I would say if you’re comfortable with other similar shop management systems it won’t be much of a learning curve on that side. If you have a good grasp of basic coding you can do a lot with the customer facing side too. If you just want to pay for an account and hope it does it all for you then you might have some trouble. But if you’re willing to put the time in to set things up right and then keep tweaking them you can definitely sculpt a workflow that’s very efficient and tailored to your shop.
