Blowing in the wind
You only need to take a short stroll down your local high street to see how textile-based printing is now a viable competitor to the usual posters and banners. Many shops have outside areas cordoned off by material made from ship’s sails material, all printed with vibrant colours and corporate logos. Very large signage outside buildings, such as departments stores, are often made from mesh signage that is able to withstand heavy winds. This type of signage simply would not have been possible with a paper or PVC-based material. But they do represent a great opportunity for sign-makers.
As digital textile printing continues to go from strength-to-strength, it is the hardware manufacturers’ ability to respond to customer demand that is driving it forward. A select group of printer manufacturers have a range of machines that work—and work well. They are easy to use, relatively inexpensive to run, and are available to textile specialists and commercial printers alike.
While ending in failure, the first ever attempt to cross the Antarctic continent was
attempted by Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Pictured: one of the twelve flags, twelve lengths
of bunting, and two banners that were used to promote the expedition that were
printed on the DuPont Artistri 2020
Selecting the right technology is almost as important as getting the best printer. Graham Wilkinson, Hampshire Flag’s managing director comments on what they look for in a printer: “We look for a robust heavily engineered printer due to the large volume that we put through the machine. We also require high print quality for pantone matching, which is particularly important because of the brands we work with, and also for print accuracy. The print speed is also a very important element, along with how long it takes a job to be set up. So when we’ve RIP’ed a file we want to know how long it takes from having a file ready to being able to print it.”
The Hampshire Flag Company, based in Waterlooville, is a family-run business, established more than 30 years ago. It focuses on producing hand sewn national and international flags, digitally printed flags, PVC banners, marine flags, bunting and table flags, in addition to offering a bespoke flag design service.
When we’re buying a new machine we really do an extensive amount of our
own research. We do our own print speed checks, so we will time
ourselves from printing through to the time it takes to stop and clean
it”
O Factoid: Yarn, fabrics, and tools for spinning and weaving have been found among the earliest relics of human habitations. Linen fabrics dating from 5000 BC have been discovered in Egypt O
The DuPont Artistri 2020, a fully integrated, production-capable, digital textile printing solution designed for printing textiles, apparel, home furnishing, flags, and banners. It has throughput capacities of 30 to 50 square metres per hour and resolutions up to 720dpi at a printable width of 1.8m (71").
“We’ve used the DuPont Artistri 2020 on and off for the last six years; however we are always looking at new technology and the new machines that are coming out. We have an ongoing interest in the industry and in the next two years we’ll be looking to changing to a new generation machine—we’re currently reviewing a few,” Wilkinson concludes.
Mutoh: high-volume quality
For many sign-makers, dye-sublimation printing is proving to be a more cost-effective route into this market. Many of the leading printers in the digital wide-format inkjet market now have a dye-sub version, and we will look at some of these, starting with Mutoh and its ValueJet 1638W and 2638W. These printers feature a staggered dual head setup (2 x 4-colour). Colourgen is Mutoh’s excl-usive UK distributor; its product marketing manager, Melanie Enser, says: “Mutoh’s Intelligent Interweaving print technology enables the printer to deliver ‘high-quality’ for volume producers.”
Mutoh’s 2.6m wide ValueJet 2638 can churn through apparel printing with
quality and reliability
She adds: “However, what really makes it stand out is the quality at high speeds. It also delivers the industry’s deepest black, which is key for many soft signage applications.”
The ValueJet 1638W offers production speeds of up to 65sq m/h at 360 x 360dpi, while the ValueJet 2638W offers production speeds of up to 72sq m/h at 360 x 360dpi. Both printers support all typical dye sublimation transfer paper weights from 66 to 150gsm.
Enser concludes: “The printers are targeted at high-volume production of soft signage, apparel, and textile printing using Mutoh Disperse Dye ink. They are ideal for soft signage and graphics, as well as home decoration, flags and pennants, sports goods, app-arel, and a variety of other items such as mouse mats, umbrellas and mugs.”
Roland DG reliability
For Roland DG, we are focusing the SOLJET PRO4 XF-640, which our Authorised Dealer Sabur Ink Systems is supplying for a wide range of dye-sublimation applications. Rob Golen-iowski, business manager, sign and graphics for Roland DG, explains: “This printer, also known as ‘The Beast’ has been proven to produce vibrant, detailed images at incredible speeds using dye-sublimation inks. It has a dual CMYK ink set to provide a wide colour gamut, quick drying prints, and outstanding long-term outdoor durability.”
The dye-sub version of the printer supplied by Sabur incorporates Manoukian high-definition sublimation inks, which have been designed to optimise image quality and colour on a wide range of sublimation applications. Ink cartridges are loaded into a redesigned unit at the front of the machine, which also minimises the printer’s footprint. Sabur claims that the XF-640 printer running with these dye-sublimation inks produces a range of stunning, durable outdoor and indoor banners, sportswear, canvas art, soft furnishings, ceramics, exhibition graphics, roller banners, and pull ups quickly and at high quality.
Roland DG’s SolJet Pro 4 XF-640 with dye-sublimation inks is designed to give
sign-makers a route into soft signage
Goleniowski continues: “The key strengths of the machine are its outstanding all round value for money package, coupled with the perfect balance of speed, quality, and reliability. This is all wrapped up in a Roland DG package; it is supplied with the Roland VersaWorks RIP software and the latest style take-up system, so users can easily print full rolls of transfer paper in a very fast time.”
Mimaki’s broad range
Mimaki has made great strides in the area of both dye-sub and direct-to-textile printing. Hybrid Services is Mimaki’s exclusive UK distributor and national sales manager, John de la Roche, has been instrumental in this growth: “Digital dye sublimation printing is fascinating, satisfying, relatively simple, and above all is a profitable technology that suits our market perfectly.
Whilst by no means replacing it, digital print does a lot of things that
embroidery and screen printing can’t, and at the same time, sits
alongside it extremely well”
“Whilst by no means replacing it, digital print does a lot of things that embroidery and screen printing can’t, and at the same time, sits alongside it extremely well.”
The Mimaki TS34-1800a dye-sublimation printer is a production 1.8m dye sub printer suitable for sportswear, display graphics, and the apparel market. It includes Mimaki’s new generation print heads in a staggered array up to 45sq m/h production speed. De la Roche adds: “This printer has been designed specifically for the sublimation transfer market, with high speed and quality in mind. Sublimation transfer printing is widely utilised for sportswear appli-cations due to the elasticity and quick-drying capability of polyester material, and in the growing market of soft signage applications, such as flags, retail in-store banners, and tapestries.”
Digital textile printing can mean that the rulebook goes out of the window. Pictured:
creative ouput from a Mimaki TS34-1800a
More recently, Mimaki has launched the TS500-1800, based on the new 500 series engine. Mimaki claims this printer can achieve an unrivalled speed of 150sq m/h on sublimation paper. The printer features Mimaki’s Degas-sing Module to allow the use of Mimaki’s bottle-fed Sb300 inks and a mist removal filter to enhance print stability.
The expectations and demands of print buyers will always be what shapes the industry, and these are, as always, changing rapidly. For textile requirements, this is taking the form of a continuous desire to personalise short run products. Getting multiple sponsors on a sports shirt is now a relatively simple function and this is certainly an incremental business opportunity that sign-makers should not be missing out on. Hardware companies have had to respond and respond well to their customers and in many cases have produced easy-to-use, reliable machines that can generate significant opportunities for business growth and profit.
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