Vastex International Founder Michael Vasilantone passes

Michael Vasilantone, the founder of Vastex International, died peacefully in his home on Dec. 24, 2025, at the age of 95.

“We are all deeply saddened by the loss of our founder,” said Mark Vasilantone, Michael Vasilantone’s son and president of the company. “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 on the entire garment-printing industry here and around the world.”

A gifted engineer, Michael Vasilantone filed 14 patents, including the dual rotary printing press (in which the pallets and print heads both rotate), the four-way stretch hold down for printing jackets and dual layer fabrics, the first small-product electric infrared dryer, the air recirculation system for dryers, a patented belt alignment/tracking device, and a mechanical squeegee.

“My father revolutionized screen printing as we know it, 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,” said Mark Vasilantone.

Michael Vasilantone received the 2023 Joe Clarke Innovator Award for Screen Printing Technology for dedicating his career to improving the screen- and digital-printing industry through inventions, innovations, technical improvements, and education.

Together with his wife, Fannie Vasilantone, Michael Vasilantone founded Vastex International in 1960 to develop, manufacture, and market machinery that is now sold in 50 countries. The couple retired in 1999, turning ownership of the company over to their son, Mark Vasilantone.

Michael Vasilantone is survived by his wife, three children, 10 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.