Hey y’all — it’s Shannon from The Twisted Hippo, and I’ve got a story. It’s not a fairytale. It’s not exactly a love story. But it is the end of a very expensive chapter… and the start of something better.
After years of limping along, I’ve officially broken up with my Ricoh printer.
This machine has been the backbone of my business — but also the source of endless frustration. Over the past year, I’ve dealt with repeated error codes (many of which I was told to just “ignore”), maintenance headaches, and costly part replacements. When the printhead failed again, I was faced with yet another $2,250 repair bill.
At that point, I had already spent nearly $10,000 on repairs — for a printer that cost me $14,000. I couldn’t keep pouring money into a machine that just wasn’t built to last in a real-world, small-biz setting like mine.
The decision became clear:
✅ I’m no longer investing in a machine that doesn’t invest back in me.
So I did what had to be done:
Ricoh is out.
Epson is on the way.
I’ve officially purchased the Epson F7220, a machine known for reliability, durability, and the kind of support that small businesses like mine need to grow. It’s not here yet — but just knowing it’s coming feels like a deep breath after a long, uphill climb.
This transition hasn’t been easy. Downtime is hard. Pausing production is stressful. But I truly believe this is going to be the shift that helps The Twisted Hippo step into a new era — one with faster prints, better quality, and fewer “surprises” behind the control panel.
To everyone who’s stuck by me, shopped with us, and cheered me on: thank you. Your support during this in-between phase means everything.
🚨 In the meantime, I need your support more than ever.
To help keep things running while we wait, please check out:
🧢 Hand-pressed Hats
✨ Handmade Earrings
🎁 Curated Gift Collection
🎨 Handmade Art Kits
⭕ Tic-Tac-Toe Boards — fun, functional, and made in-house!
🏖️👜 Coming Soon - Custom Bogg Bag Tags
Every order truly makes a difference right now — and I can’t thank you enough for cheering me on through this transition.
We’re not just printing shirts. We’re building something better — one decision at a time.