We hear an enormous amount from printer manufacturers about the opportunities afforded PSPs by textile printing. Yet, our Widthwise survey findings show relatively little exuberance in this sector when it comes to the oft forecast moneyspinner. So should you be having another look at textile print kit?
Of the 201 UK/Ireland large-format PSPs polled for Widthwise 2022, under 10% are involved in textile printing for garments, under 5% for banner/flags - and textile printing for home/interiors barely registers. Under 10% own a dye-sub machine, and of those buying a new large-format printer in 2022/23, only 4.08% said it would be dye-sub. Nevertheless, the printer manufacturers are convinced that there’s still enormous scope for their textile printers in this graphics-focused wide-format digital print sector - and here they flag up the kit they believe best suited to this market.
Agfa
Agfa recommends the Avinci CX3200, a dye-sub roll-to-roll printer of 3.2m width, that was introduced in June 2021. The Avinci prints on a variety of polyester-based materials for soft signage and décor applications. The company points out that being able to print directly to fabric is easy and ideal for fast handling and for special applications such as flags, where showthrough is a benefit. Agfa says the use of transfer paper allows for super sharp prints, eliminates any set-off, and keeps media waste to a minimum. In addition, it extends the application scope to non-coated polyester fabrics.
Epson
Phil McMullin, pro graphics head of sales, Epson (UK), stresses that the textile printing market continues to be a growth area for the company and that its large-format textile printers “all deliver consistent quality driven by micro piezo printhead technology that gives our printers an industrial, fit-and-forget quality, which helps minimise the intervention and after-sales service time and costs from the end-user”.
He points out that “all printer components are produced in Epson-owned factories to enable it to better guarantee the sustainability of the products at every stage of the lifecycle, from design and manufacturing to transport, usage and recycling. This also helps achieve greater control of our product lifecycle and supply chain footprint.”
Pricewise, Epson’s textile printer range starts (RRP ex VAT) with the £4,795 44in-wide SureColor SC-F6300 dye-sub machine and goes up to the £162,000 Monna Lisa 8000 range of direct-to-fabric printers that can handle natural fabrics including silk and cotton. In between are the £10,995 SC-F2100, £11,250 SC-F7200, £20,700 SC-F9400H, £33,995 SC-F3000, and £75,000 SC-F10000H.
The latter is a new 76in-wide, 6-colour dye-sub printer for polyester-based fabrics. It can be configured with either light colours or fluorescents via a 10-litre bulk ink system. Remember that the 64in-wide SC-F9400H can also print with Epson’s fluorescent yellow and pink inks.
Epson’s DTG printer offering comprises the SC-F2100 and its more robust big brother, the SC-F3000, which is designed for higher productivity and has a staggered head configuration that lays down white and colour in one pass.
Durst
Durst flags up its 3.3m-wide P5 Tex iSub, launched in April 2021. The machine has inline fusing for direct printing onto polyester fabrics - though it can also be used with transfer papers. And there is an integrated finishing unit that can sew/stitch media.
The maximum print speed is 383m2/hr when the 330cm print format is fully utilized. Access to two rolls via the Multiroll option makes changing materials easier and a Dualroll option allows two rolls with a width of 1.6m to be printed.
The Sublifix dye-sub ink, developed by Durst, is said to deliver vivid colours, even on difficult media such as blackback or backlit - and Durst says the iSub contactless technology ensures excellent colour consistency and sharpness of detail. The Durst Rip plays a central role too in ensuring consistent colour across all media.
“The P5 Tex iSub is proving its reliability in 24/7 operation and deliver a significant increase in quality to our customers,” says Peter Bray, managing director, Durst UK/Ireland.
HP
The HP Stitch and Latex portfolios “offer PSPs an ideal textile printing solution at a great range of price points” says Jane Rixon, large format production business development manager, HP UK/Ireland.
HP Stitch dye-sub machines have 1.6m and 3.2m widths respectively and print direct-to-fabric or onto transfer paper. “With this technology, HP has simplified colour management and has made it easier to achieve consistent colours and high-quality prints on a wide range of media, saving users time, money and ensuring customer satisfaction. The HP Stitch has been designed specifically for new to dye-sublimation professionals, prototyping departments and growing print providers looking to expand their offerings to end-user customers,” stresses Rixon.
Bear in mind too the 54in, 1.6m, 2.5m and 3.2m HP Latex printers - the relatively new Latex 700/800 Series offering a white ink option. “PSPs wanting to print on the most diverse range of substrates, from natural fabrics to synthetics, need look no further than this technology,” Rixon says, reminding PSPs that: “This water-based ink technology performs in a very similar way to pigment ink and offers huge environmental benefits. The HP Latex technology delivers stunning results with consistently high image quality across a wide range of applications.”
The dual-device solution delivers simultaneous and continuous printing and cutting in a single, integrated workflow.
When it comes to workflows and colour management options, both the Stitch and Latex printers are fitted with internal spectrophotometers. It’s also worth noting that the large-format printers are Rip independent, and Rixon points out that HP continuously assesses ways to improve workflow solutions - as with the likes of the HP Print OS app.
Mimaki
Mimaki’s history in textile printing stretches back to the 1990s and its portfolio incorporates machines that it says meet the varying needs of large-format PSPs looking to either take the plunge into a new market or expand their existing textile printing capabilities.
The company makes the point of reiterating that dye-sub is an ideal entry point for PSPs taking their first steps, and that by printing onto transfer paper, polyester prints can be produced via a heat press or calendar. Mimaki’s entry point into dye-sub printing is the TS100-1600 - a 1.6m-wide printer that costs circa £10,000. As part of the 100 Series it benefits from trickle down core technologies found on Mimaki’s industrial printers that aid ease of use, ensure high output quality and minimise wastage.
For those requiring higher output, the newly launched TS330-1600 is Mimaki’s latest high production dye-sub printer, with headline print speeds of up to 135m2/hr. Priced at £23,995 it offers scalable production with an optional mini jumbo roll and 10kg ink supply.
For those wanting to print onto natural materials such as cotton, direct-to-textile machines using reactive or pigment inks provide an answer and Mimaki flags-up its £24,995 Tx300P-1800MkII model. This incorporates features such as a trough sited below the printhead - used to capture any ink that permeates through the material to avoid it marking off on the reverse - and a feed and winding mechanism that helps the fabric path through the printer.
The Mimaki Tx300P-1800MkII can be loaded with two different inksets (eg pigment and dye-sub) for flexibility and the ability to print to both natural materials and heat transfer paper. “For customers requiring the option to rapidly respond to customer demand, by offering a broad portfolio of materials, it represents the holy grail of textile printing,” says Duncan Jefferies, head of marketing and business development at Hybrid Services, Mimaki’s distributor for the UK and Ireland.
Its stablemate, the Tx300P-1800B, incorporates a sticky belt to enable printing to even the most stretchy or lightweight fabrics. With its integrated belt washer, even sheer materials like voile can be printed onto. The Mimaki Tx300P-1800B costs £69,995 and as is the case with all prints onto natural fabrics, will require some form of finishing equipment to fix the ink into the material.
Roland
The DG ZT-1900 industrial level dye-sub printer is spotlighted by Roland for existing users of digital dye-sub printers seeking to increase production. The 190cm wide machine has a hefty price-tag at £102,999, but boasts printing speeds of up to 220m²/h and has a heavy-duty feeding system for jumbo rolls of up to 450kg and 600mm diameter, enabling unattended printing.
The printer - which incorporates four Kyocera printheads - uses highly pigmented water-based inks to deliver vibrant solid colours across an extensive colour gamut. And Roland says low running costs will also benefit anyone working to extremely tight margins.