If you’re looking to expand, give it serious thought
Digital garment printing has been making its mark on the digital wide-format industry and has enjoyed significant growth in recent years. The market is expected to grow at an impressive CAGR of more than 18% globally until 2021. In 2016 digital textiles market share was about 2.8% of the overall volume. But the digital print share is set to boom in a segment where the mean growth is just 3% annually. The boom is due to the growing number of fashion brands, and also the growth of events, home décor and hospitality industry sectors.
According to a Smithers Pira report, “The greatest acceleration across the study period will be in clothing, which has the key sub-segments of fashion, haute couture and sportswear. Household textiles are predicted to grow at the next fastest rate. Displays and signage are growing somewhat more slowly—from a larger base—but will maintain double-digit annual growth across the Smithers study period, which will convert into the largest absolute increase in value for 2016-2021.”
It’s now possible for hotel and hospitality chains to have their own exclusive designs imprinted on carpets, flooring, curtains, pillows, bedding, doors, interiors, and other décor items, thereby distinguishing themselves and their brand from competitors. Digital technology makes this all possible in a cost-effective way.
Latest innovations at SGI Dubai 2018
The SGI Dubai 2018 trade show took place during January this year at the Dubai World Trade Centre, an incredible venue for such an event. It showcased signage, printing, imaging, visualization, image processing and graphic imaging. More than 13,000 colleagues came together from around the world for the event. During the show, visitors and exhibitors got to witness the best-kept secrets from industry leaders across the globe. Exhibitors such as Masonlite, Epson, Signtrade, Canon ME, Heliozid Oce, OKI, Copatra, Flex-Europa, Dynagraph, Wellcare Infotech, Bluerhine, Mutoh, and others, were all present with their latest products. SGI Dubai is a globally recognised business forum, which comprises seminars and workshops led by industry pioneers. A couple of textile printing manufacturers at the show were Epson and Mimaki. Let’s look at what they showcased.
Epson
Epson launched its brand-new SureColor SC-F9300 64” dye-sublimation textile printer for fast, high-volume clothing, textiles, interiors, furnishings, merchandise, and soft signage production, with precision dot technology and ultrachrome DS inks. The SureColor technology produces fast printing up to 108.6 sq. metres per hour. This new flagship model is an evolution of Epson dye-sublimation technology that allows users to produce colourful textiles more quickly and at an even higher quality. Whether you’re looking for productivity for high-volume sports apparel printing, or printing intricate details for fashion and home décor, the SureColor SC-F Series of dye-sublimation printers is worth looking at.
Mimaki
The Mimaki Tiger-1800B is an industrial high-speed, direct-to-textile/transfer and dye sublimation printing system designed for production runs. This 74.8” digital device includes an adhesive belt transport system with belt-washing technology and in-line heat drying unit. It can be configured as both a direct-to-textile printing and a paper transfer dye-sublimation model. Ideal for nearly any digital textile application, the Tiger-1800B printing system can deliver large-scale production at manufacturing sites and small-scale production at on-demand sites. The Tiger-1800B printer is a production model featuring 16 printheads in a staggered array for direct-to-fabric model (or eight printheads for dye-sublimation transfer model), resulting in very high print speeds of up to 4,144 square feet per hour. Applications include fashion textiles, performance apparel, soft signage, interior décor and more. It is definitely worth a look.
Digital garment printing is starting to make headway in many kinds of applications, has enjoyed significant growth in recent years, and it looks like it’s ready to grow even further. It’s worth considering if you’re contemplating expanding your print business.