Live event printing · Chicago, IL

The booth with
a line down the
aisle

Live event printing — DTF, screen, hat bars, embroidery — for McCormick Place trade shows and Chicago corporate events. Put a working press in your booth and watch the foot traffic turn into a queue.

~2 minper printed shirt
100+shirts / hour
24 hrto a quote
A Merch Troop printer working a manual screen-printing press, with freshly printed event tees hanging on the lattice wall behind
Printing liveCustom merch made in front of your Chicago guests
Departures · Chicago run-of-show--:--:-- CT
08:30MCCORMICK PLACEPRINTING
10:00RIVER NORTHSCHEDULED
11:15FULTON MARKETPRINTING
12:45THE LOOPSCHEDULED
14:20NAVY PIERPRINTING
16:00UNITED CENTERSCHEDULED
18:30WEST LOOPPRINTING
20:00ROSEMONTSCHEDULED

Run of show · 01–04

Four steps from booking
to fresh prints

Tell us about it

We dial in the art

We roll in & set up

We print it live

Show-floor schematic

A 10×10 booth,
fully spec'd

Here's exactly what we roll into your Chicago footprint. One station fits a 10×10 ft booth and two standard 120V circuits — stack more for bigger headcounts.

FIG. 01 · STATION LAYOUT 10 FT — STAGE FRONT 10 FT 01 · PRESS 02 · PRESS FLASH 03 · DRYER 04 · BLANKS · XS–4XL PICKUP 05 · HANDOFF 06 · GUEST QUEUE →
01
Two pressesManual rotary presses, two printers — 100+ shirts/hour at full tilt.
03
Flash dryerCures every print on the spot so guests leave wearing it, not carrying it wet.
04
Blanks tableA full size curve, XS–4XL on hand — every guest gets a fit.
06
Guest queueA flow our crew keeps moving, so the line is the show — not a bottleneck.

What your venue needs →

A printer lifting a screen off the press, the printed burst design glowing on the platen, with a crowd gathered at the activation behind

Why live

Merch is forgettable.
Watching it get made isn't.

Plan your Chicago activation

By the numbers

The rig, spec'd

00presses + 2 printers, standard
00shirts/hour per press
00sizes XS–4XL on hand
00hours to your quote

Field log · recent runs

Real Chicago-ready setups

A sample of what comes off the platen at a typical Chicago event. See the photos in the full gallery.

01 TRADE SHOW Two presses, one logo, an aisle that wouldn't clear ≈420 shirts
02 BRAND NIGHT Live DTF station, full-color art, line out the door ≈300 pieces
03 SALES KICKOFF Screen + hat bar combo, badge-to-merch in 2 min ≈260 shirts
04 EXPO BOOTH Single station, all-day run, every size on hand ≈500 shirts

See the full gallery

Across Chicago

We print where
Chicago gathers

From The Loop to River North, we set up at the venues your events already use — and travel anywhere across Chicagoland.

  • McCormick Place
  • Navy Pier — Festival Hall
  • theMART
  • United Center
  • Morgan Manufacturing
  • Salesforce Tower / Wolf Point

Browse Chicago areas

Questions

Good to know

Chicagoland events handled end to end — travel and drayage folded into one clear number. We're based in Fullerton, CA and bring everything to your venue.

We bring on-site live event printing to Chicago venues of every size — from McCormick Place, the United Center, Soldier Field, Navy Pier, and Wintrust Arena to hotel ballrooms and private event spaces. Our mobile crew sets up and prints custom apparel, hats, and merch live at conventions, corporate events, festivals, and brand activations across Chicago, including The Loop, River North, West Loop, and Fulton Market.

Start your Chicago quote

Tell us about
your Chicago event

Give us your show, booth size, and dates. We'll spec a live-printing setup that fits your Chicago footprint and send an itemized quote within 24 hours.

  • Chicagoland events handled end to end — travel and drayage folded into one clear number
Event brief ▸ Chicago, IL

More from Merch Troop

Merch Troop Live Event PrintingMerch Troop Live