News February 05, 2026
Obituary: Michael Vasilantone, Vastex International
A gifted engineer and innovator, Vasilantone was an instrumental figure in the development of the modern decorated-apparel industry.
Key Takeaways
• Michael Vasilantone, founder of Vastex International and a major innovator in screen-printing and decorated-apparel technology, died Dec. 24 at age 95.
• Vasilantone held 14 patents and co-founded Vastex in 1960, building machinery now sold in 50 countries and earning industry recognition for decades of technical innovation.
Michael Vasilantone, founder of Vastex International and a pivotal figure in the development of the decorated-apparel industry, died peacefully in his home Dec. 24. He was 95.
Michael Vasilantone, founder of Vastex International, exhibits his patented screen-printing equipment at a trade show in the late 1980s.
“We are all deeply saddened by the loss of our founder,” said Mark Vasilantone, Michael’s son and the president of Vastex. “My dad’s brilliance, passion and dedication to new machinery designs and quality construction were, and still are, the heart and soul of Vastex. He made an indelible mark not just on our company, but the entire garment-printing industry here and around the world.”
A gifted engineer, Vasilantone filed 14 patents over his lifetime. Among his innovations were the dual rotary printing press, in which pallets and printheads both rotate; the four-way stretch hold-down for printing jackets and dual-layer fabrics; the first small-product electric infrared dryer; an air recirculation system for dryers; a belt alignment/tracking device; and a mechanical squeegee.
Vasilantone was also an accomplished artist, evidenced by this 1955 self-portrait.
“My father revolutionized screen printing as we know it,” Mark Vasilantone said, “combining his talents as a born inventor with his experience as a screen printer, improving the effectiveness of equipment initially for his own screen-printing business, but ultimately for the entire industry.”
Together with his wife, Fannie, Michael Vasilantone founded Vastex International in 1960 to develop, manufacture and market machinery that’s now sold in 50 countries. The couple retired in 1999, turning ownership of the company to Mark Vasilantone.
In 2023, Printing United Alliance bestowed the Joe Clarke Innovator Award for Screen-Printing Technology to Michael for dedicating his career to improving the screen- and digital-printing industry through inventions, innovations, technical improvements and education.
He’s survived by his wife, three children, 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.