Be a Trendsetter
When it comes to the subject of textile and garment print, conversations about the sort of work on offer in this sector can go on for some time. This is mainly due to the sheer volume of sectors within these two markets and, perhaps more importantly for those printers on the lookout for ways to grow their business, where they can make the most money.
Print service providers (PSPs) need to identify the areas with the most potential for growth, as well as ensure there is enough demand among their current client base to ensure they can make a successful move into the market and that they have the right level of both kit and knowledge to take on this one.
Here, Print Monthly speaks with several manufacturers and suppliers that work with print companies across these markets to find out more about where the core opportunities lie for those seeking to expand and how they can go about capitalising on demand for textile and garment print.
Ups and Downs
Up first is Agfa, which counts larger-format textile print solutions among its portfolio of solutions. Mike Horsten, senior PR and press manager for digital printing and chemicals at Agfa, explains that there is a lot of consolidation in the textile markets with several key trends having emerged in 2024.
Agfa says its Avinci CX3200 is a popular choice for textile print work
“Many smaller companies are now investing into equipment for direct to fabric (DTF) garments or DTF systems,” Horsten says, adding: “On the other hand, the fashion productions are slowing down in Europe and moving back to low labour countries. The exception is soft signage where there is a trend for higher speed and higher quality prints needed for backlit and other specialty applications.
“In terms of target areas for PSPs, they should consider that any event company, stage companies, theatres, and other show companies can use textiles and benefit from many of the textile applications like low weight, recyclability, and ease of installation of the fabrics. Selling textiles into these segments makes sense and is a win-win for PSPs currently offering this type of media.”
Going into further depth, Horsten says Agfa has many customers that are printing for growth markets in textiles, counting the Olympics, trade shows, football centrepiece openings, branding of events and music festivals as among the projects they have been working on. Horsten says many of these events in the past have been using vinyl and hard materials for the events but, unfortunately, these materials are heavy and not easy to dispose.
“Textiles enabled these organisations to offer the right product to the right audience,” Horsten says, adding: “Textiles are a sustainable way to work and print; they’re easy to handle, lightweight, and fast in production.
Textiles are a sustainable way to work and print; they're easy to handle, lightweight, and fast in production”
“The trend is up, and Agfa is ready for this trend with its own developed and produced high ink load sublimation inks, the fast high-quality printers like the Avinci and the software complement of Asanti. Offering the ECO Passport certification, low ink usage, and a good cost per square meter price is what makes the difference in the market.
Horsten picks out both backlit and front-lit as common applications in these areas, but also highlights short-run full-colour flags, as well as event dressing as areas for PSPs to consider when looking at ways to grow their business.
“The big advantage is that making a backlit with textiles is that there is no cracking of inks on the media leaving ugly patches,” Horsten comments, continuing: “This results in bad back-lits especially if the images are dark. As for event banners like cycling the use of non-woven materials is an absolute benefit for long and powerful messaging.”
Large-format Shift to Textiles
Also weighing in here is RA Smart, an approved distributor of HP machinery in the UK. Alex Mighall, who is responsible for sales and marketing at RA Smart, agrees with Horsten in terms of opportunities with textiles in the exhibition sector. He says this is particularly true with tension framing systems and having the ability to produce high-quality exhibition stands that are quick to erect and reusable.
“The added benefit of working with textiles for this sort of work is that shipping is much easier as all the graphics can be folded up small,” Mighall says, adding: “Couple this with a compact and versatile framing system, such as REXframe, and you can save a considerable sum in transport and labour costs, increasing your return on work as a result.
“It would appear that the large-format graphics market continues to pivot towards textiles; these are a more versatile and sustainable solution for signage and exhibition work, and we expect this to continue leading into 2024 and beyond.”
So, what machinery does RA Smart have to support those PSPs looking to take advantage of demand for this work? Mighall says that the company has seen “great” success with the HP Stitch S1000 3.2m-wide dye-sublimation printer in recent time, with multiple installations of the machine throughout the past year both in the UK and Ireland. The HP Stitch S1000 offers both fabric and dye-sublimation printing. It runs at a top speed of 220sq m/hr and can handle material as wide as 3.2m and roll weights of 300kg.
“The HP Stitch S1000 would be the ‘go-to’ recommendation for anyone looking to get into superwide 3.2m dye-sublimation printer, or even those looking for very high production at 1.6m wide, as there is now the option to run dual roll technology,” Mighall says.
The HP Stitch S1000 offers both fabric and dye-sublimation printing
However, if space is a premium or do not need a machine this wide, Mighall says the HP Stitch S500 could be an effective solution. This 1.6m-wide machine features much of the same technology as its bigger brother, such as automatic maintenance and end-user changeable printheads, but takes up less space in the print room.
“Users can still expect impressive production print speeds and still benefit from the ability to be able to choose between printing directly onto substrates or via paper transfer,” Mighall says.
Exploring Opportunities
There are clearly opportunities for growth in the textile and garment print markets. But what about those companies that are already succeeding here? HP has plenty of examples of companies doing exactly this with its HP Latex technology.
HP says its Latex printers can also be used for textile work. Pictured: work produced on the HP Latex S1000
In South Wales, diversified PSP DecTek took on a new HP Latex 2700W in December 2022, purchasing the machine from approved HP distributor Papergraphics. Director Mike Beese says in addition to delivering work on a range of materials, the new printer offers a more sustainable option that makes its services even more attractive to like-minded customers.
“HP Latex technology is very much focused on sustainability and environmentally friendly inks,” Beese says, adding: “The machine prints on an industrial scale to the highest print quality standards. The operating software is also very simplistic and informative, allowing the operator to control quality and effective workflow.”
Such has been the impact of the installation, Beese says DecTek has won work from new trade partners. This, he says, was possible due to the new product ranges that it can print on the HP Latex 2700W.
Beese picks out the interior décor market and applications such as wallpaper and textile products, while also revealing that DecTek has grown its banners and signage portfolio on the back of the HP Latex 2700W investment.
“We are able to support high volume requirements with both consistent quality and speed of manufacture,” Beese says.
The Next Step
Elsewhere, and another manufacturer, Kornit Digital, offers several examples, the first of which is Star Editions, an Ipswich-based licensed apparel producer and retailer, offering custom and personalised apparel featuring pop culture such as Doctor Who and Peppa Pig.
Kornit Digital offers hardware solutions and a workflow option in the form of KornitX
The company installed its first production system from Kornit Digital in 2022 and followed up on this with another investment in 2022. It also runs the KornitX workflow solutions, which integrates with its online store. To support further growth at the business, Kornit introduced Star Editions to the third-party marketplace for leading retailer Next.
“Having a digital supply chain means we can customise and personalise the pieces people want, down to the single unit, and deliver it quickly and profitably every time,” Star Editions chief executive, Will Marston says.”
Phil Oakley, sales director at Kornit Digital, also comments: “Star Editions offers a perfect demonstration of how Kornit is moving beyond mere production excellence to create digital supply chains, link consumers and designers to the producers best equipped to fulfil their demand with precision, and usher in a new model that empowers retailers to adapt and grow while eliminating time, waste, and risk from the pixel-to-parcel experience.
“With on-demand production, licensors like Star Editions can leverage the content people want and connect all the dots to tap into growing markets – entirely new online ecosystems, really – while empowering consumers to create with abandon, and offering a virtually unlimited range of product possibilities, because you’re only making what actually sells.”
Also working with Kornit Digital is Hairy Baby, which, based in Cork, prints garments and apparel with Irish themes. Founded by Daragh Murphy, formerly a DJ, the company began with screen printing and vinyl transfer printing, but recently switched to Kornit Storm HD6, and in doing so became the first company in Ireland to adopt Kornit Digital technology for digital direct-to-garment production on demand.
“Speed of print, the reliability factor, and the cost per print were the three main factors for me,” Murphy says, adding: “Once we first saw our design roll off the Kornit, we said that’s it, we’re sorted here. This is brilliant. At present we have a lot of demand for crazy graphics, and the only way we can reproduce these is by using Kornit technology. With Kornit Storm HD6 it’s a beautiful smooth print, perfect colour every time, everyone’s a winner.
“The print-on-demand market in Ireland was pretty much non-existent until we arrived on the scene. There’s a lot of new brand start-ups in Ireland and up until now they’ve been getting a lot of their T-shirts printed abroad. By having a print-on-demand system here using the Storm HD6, we’ve nicely captured that market.”
While already busy markets, the evidence here suggests there is plenty of room for growth and success across the textile and garment print sectors. The key is to establish where the most realistic opportunities are, ensure you have sufficient demand and kit yourself out with the right tools for the job.
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