Greeley print shop on standby to press thousands of Denver Broncos AFC Champions shirts

If victory had a soundtrack, it might echo like the rhythmic thumps and whirs inside Topshelf Printers. The Greeley shop is far from the roar of Empower Field at Mile High or Ball Arena, but it's where some of Colorado's biggest sports moments have been pressed into cotton.

Shirts fans rush to buy after a championship win often begin in the Northern Colorado facility, sliding out of machines that can produce tens of thousands of T-shirts in a single day. That capacity, paired with a reputation for speed and precision, is why Chief Sales Officer Blake Burroughs says major companies like Fanatics and Nike tap Topshelf during high‑stakes playoff runs.

"Typically, it's one initial order, and it can range anywhere from 6,000 shirts to probably 30,000 to 40,000 shirts," Burroughs said. 

This weekend, they've been selected for printing the official AFC Championship shirts if the Denver Broncos clinch the title. For now, the artwork is off‑limits as designs for league‑licensed merchandise are locked down tightly until the moment of approval. Burroughs can only hint at what's coming. When asked whether he could give a single clue, he grinned.

"It's going to have orange, blue and white on it and say 'AFC Champions' for sure," he said with a laugh.

Everything else -- the screens, the ink, the stacks of blank shirts -- is ready and waiting. Topshelf cannot begin printing until Sunday's game ends, and they receive the official go‑ahead from Fanatics.

"Once the game is over, we'll get the thumbs up to print it," Burroughs said.

When that happens, there's no easing into the work. Burroughs explained at least four presses will fire up as the game winds down, operating from sunset to sunrise.

"Five o'clock is when our presses would start," he said, "and then we will run until the shirts are packed up and picked up."

The overnight sprint will involve at least a couple dozen employees working side by side in what Burroughs describes as a chaotic but energizing environment. 

"This place turns into chaos and madness, and we run through the night," he said. "But it's really good for all of our staff. We get to see everybody come together when we start printing shirts after a big victory."

General Manager Mike Turner has been through this routine several times. Not only for the Broncos, but for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, too.

"We did the Western Conference champs, and we did the Stanley Cup champs," Turner said, standing among rows of machines already prepared for Sunday's possible production marathon. 

One of his favorite moments comes long after the presses quiet down. 

"It's really fun to go down to the stadium a week after, even the next season, and the gear that you printed is in those shops," he said.

Turner also addressed a common misconception about championship merchandise.

"Everybody presumes they come from overseas, and then, if you don't win, they all go to Africa, to be sold on the side market," he said. "But that's not really how it works." 

Burroughs added many companies like Nike now recycle unused gear. 

"They'll shred it and turn it back into re‑spun cotton and use those shirts again," he said.

With all preparations in place, Topshelf employees will spend Sunday doing what they always do during big games: waiting. They'll listen for the AFC Championship's final whistle, the call confirming they can begin printing, and then turn a digital design into thousands of shirts worn by fans across Colorado.

"We're preparing in a way that we are printing on Sunday and hopefully in a few weeks we're gonna do it again," he said, hinting at a possible Broncos Super Bowl print run.

Should the Broncos clinch the AFC title, fans can pick up the Topshelf Printers-made shirts at major retailers beginning early Monday morning.