Apparel Production Operator (DTF (Direct-To-Film), Embroidery, Laser)

Part-Time · Huntington, NY · $20–25/hour
On The Island Apparel is a custom apparel and promotional products shop on East Main Street in Huntington. Everything we sell is made here; DTF and UV DTF printing, multi-head embroidery, and CO2 laser engraving, all under one roof. Our work goes out to local businesses, schools, teams, and brands across Long Island.

We're hiring a part-time production operator to run our equipment and help get orders out the door accurately and on time.

Schedule
Monday through Thursday, 15–25 hours per week depending on order volume. We never work Fridays. Hours flex up during busy stretches and down during slower ones, so we need someone who's comfortable with a schedule that isn't identical every week. Shifts are generally from 11-12 until 4-6pm (depending on orders)

What you'll be doing
- DTF printing: running film prints, powdering, curing, and heat pressing transfers onto garments
- UV DTF: applying wraps and decals to drinkware, hard goods, and promotional items
- Embroidery: hooping garments, loading designs, changing thread, monitoring multi-head runs, trimming and cleaning finished pieces
- Laser engraving: running the CO2 laser for drinkware, signage, and promo products
- Checking every piece against the order: right garment, right size, right color, right placement
- Pulling and staging blanks, folding and bagging finished orders, keeping the floor organized
- Basic machine upkeep: cleaning, needle changes, print head maintenance, restocking supplies

What we'll train you on
All four processes. We do not expect you to walk in knowing DTF, embroidery, and laser — very few people do. If you've run any kind of production or shop equipment and you're careful and mechanically minded, we'll teach you the rest.

Two things about working here you should know up front

We have two shop dogs. They're around during the workday, so you need to be genuinely comfortable with dogs in your workspace. Not a dealbreaker if you're not a dog person, but it is if you'd rather not be near one.

You'll be on camera. Social media is a real part of how we grow, and a lot of that content is filmed on the production floor; machines running, orders coming together, occasionally you talking about what you're working on. You don't need to be a performer, but you do need to be comfortable being filmed and appearing in our posts. If that's a no, this isn't the right fit and that's completely fine.

What you actually need
- Reliability. Orders have ship dates. We need someone who shows up when they say they will.
- Real attention to detail. A logo an inch off center is a garment we eat the cost on. This is the most important trait for this job.
- Ability to follow a written spec exactly: placement, color, size breakdown, without improvising
- Comfortable on your feet for a full shift; able to lift and move boxes of blanks (up to 20 lbs)
- Able to work independently once trained, and to flag a problem early instead of pushing through it

Helpful, not required
Hands-on experience with heat presses, embroidery, screen printing, sewing, sign making, print shops, or light manufacturing. Basic computer comfort. Illustrator or Photoshop familiarity is a bonus but artwork prep isn't the core of this role.

Pay: $18.00 - $22.00 per hour

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18 - $22