A softer solution

International airports are always strange limbo-like areas to spend your time as you transition from one country to another. You are essentially suspended without any real demands on your time, normally resulting in aimless meandering from shop to shop before you have your next cup of overpriced coffee.

It was in this zen-like, and highly-caffeinated, state of mind that I found myself at Amsterdam airport on my way back from an international exhibition. Walking down the bright white corridors of this temple to consumer spending, I peered without interest at generic window displays. This was until I got my sign geek on, stopping and staring in wonder at the vivid hues of ten large-format displays, advertising a variety of exotic holiday destinations.

On closer inspection I realised, rather than standard backlit PVC or paper banners, these were actually textile prints stretched over a tension frame, back-lit by an LED matrix array.  At this point, I wondered if it was just my well-developed sign obsession causing the fascination. But sitting opposite the series, drinking one of those overpriced cups of coffee, I saw time and again a stream of tourists stop, touch and marvel at the vibrancy of the images. This engagement no doubt caused the advertising buyers to revel in sheer ecstasy at the return on their investment.

The possibilities associated with textile printing are a brave new world for many sign-makers, but speaking to those most closely involved with the sector, it is also rich with possibility.

Breaking in

Although demand for the output of textile printers is growing, due to advances within new sectors such as soft signage, there are some key issues worth considering before final decision making, as Aaron Burton, digital development director at Sabur Ink Systems, explains: “The main difficulty to entry into this sector is the initial investment in the machinery itself. Our entry-level machine is a Roland RE 640 (23sq m/hr), which would be converted specifically for transfer sublimation work.

“If however the requirement was to print direct-to-textile a further conversion would be required with the added possibility of a fixation heat system being directly fitted at the end of the print process, alternatively a separate calendar press can be used for final fixation.  Should sublimation via transfer paper be your choice then after print a flat bed heat transfer press or calendar press solution would be required to complete the production process.”

It is this seeming complexity that has meant that, traditionally, sign-makers in the UK have shied away from getting involved in textile printing, leaving it to a small number of niche businesses that catered for historically low demand. Today’s market is very different from even two years ago however, with European trends influencing signage buying fashions on these shores. This has resulted in a rapidly growing demand for everything from tear drop flags for festivals, through to canvas prints for retail window displays.

This said, Duncan Jefferies, marketing manager for Mimaki’s exclusive UK and Ireland distributor, Hybrid Services, agrees with Burton when it comes to analysing what it takes to get involved: “It is easy to see how some companies feel there are barriers to entry into this sector. Textile printing covers a very broad gamut of applications; which includes garment decoration, branding outdoor spaces with flags and soft signage, building wraps and cafe barriers, right through to high fashion, so focusing in on what product or service you want to create is perhaps the hardest thing to do.”

Another central textile printer supplier is Colourgen, which stocks Mutoh’s range of direct-to-textile and dye sublimation machines. Its product marketing manager, Melanie Enser, also believes there are key factors that need to be considered when planning a move into textile printing: “There are a few perceived primary barriers. One is the investment cost, although this will always be an issue when you diversify no matter your business or industry.

Obviously you have got to buy the printer, and then depending on the printing technology, a calender or heat press, but Mutoh have tackled this is the form of the Unifixer 65 universal heat press, which is ideal for all dye sublimations and requires an investment of £17,295.

Then you have the finishing side of production such as the trimmers, sewing machines and then you may also have to recruit some skilled labour. There is also the perception that colour management is more challenging, but in fact, it’s remarkably easy once you know how.” 

Enser continues: “As a result of these factors quite a few sign-makers will prefer to buy in textile orders and still make a good profit on it. This allows them to test the market and build a client base before investing. Colourgen has several relationships with print providers in this sector that service smaller companies. 

This latter point is perhaps central to any decision to invest in a wide-format textile printing solution. This is essentially because it is easier to diversify into areas with less capital risk, but of course the consideration here is that these areas are normally much more saturated.

One of the biggest challenges is indeed that the cost of entry is quite significant,” explains Stewart Bell, managing director of Digital Print Innovations (DPI), adding: “Whereas you can buy a small solvent machine for eight or nine thousand pounds, if you’re looking at a dye sub machine then you need to buy a printer and then sublimation units. On top of that, when you have two pieces of equipment you have the challenges of colour profiling, as whether you are doing dye sub or direct-to-textile you have the colour changes that occur when you start sublimating.”

Bell also emphasises that dye sublimation colour initially comes out as fairly, ‘washy’. He adds that as a result, colour profiling is an essential investment and skill area to get perfect and vibrant prints.

Getting started

So, is it really more difficult investing in a textile printer than its traditional wide-format solvent, latex or UV cousins? Hybrid’s Jefferies believes the answer is simple: “There is a perception that textile printing is complicated. It isn’t. Doing it well is about constraining variables and in dye sublimation printing there really aren’t any more processes than, say, producing a laminated vehicle graphic. For a vehicle wrap, you are printing onto a substrate and finishing it with an over laminate. To deliver a simple dye sublimation print, you are printing onto paper and then just transferring that to fabric by putting it through another machine to create a product. People should not be scared or put off by investigating this area by perception alone.”

Another factor to consider is while investment is more considerable than other wide-format sectors, it is also true the returns are also more impressive—especially if you get in at the ground floor of a market that is growing rapidly. For many in the industry this is the right approach, starting small and then growing a product and services list based on textile printing. With this in mind, it is perhaps helpful to know what is out there at this level and what kind of business can be created.

Jefferies continues: “It’s important to remember that there may be products people can produce on their existing wide-format machines, so they could take a printer used for vehicle wraps, banners or pull-ups and do garment marking on that, or print to canvas and start to add in new areas of revenue.

Dye sublimation printing is one of Mimaki’s specialities and a big development area for the company. As a result they have a variety of different avenues into textile printing, because beyond polyester, there is also the capacity to print to cotton and silk for furnishings and fashion.

Polyester, though, is the easiest route to go down to get started according to Jefferies. This is because the investment can be smaller and the process simpler, with a 1m Mimaki TPC-1000 dye sublimation print and cut machine the starter option from the company. This kit has the same core sign-making print and cut technology as Mimaki’s CJV30 Series, but runs with dye sublimation ink. The CJV30 prints to transfer paper, cuts it out and then with a heat transfer process, the ink is sublimated to the polyester.

Jefferies highlights that for starter businesses, a broad range of polyester fabrics are available that mimic natural fabrics and ‘morph into different finishes’. The dye sub process can also be used to print onto rigid materials with a polyester coating, meaning other product and service areas can be added such as ceramic mugs, bags and sports wear. The investment level for this type of equipment is £10,500 pounds for the printer and sfotware, with around £1,000 then needed to invest in a good quality, starter, flatbed heat press.

Looking to Mutoh’s options, Colourgen’s Enser says demand for direct-to-textile and dye sublimation printers is, ‘split down the middle’. She explains that direct-to-textile caters for those looking at doing volume work on flags and banners, but for higher quality applications such as art prints, high end retail soft signage, sportswear and fashion, then dye sublimation is necessary.

Supplied by Colourgen, Mutoh’s dye sublimation printers come in the form of three models, firstly the 54” ValueJet 1304W. At an investment level of around £7,200 for the printer, products such as tear drop and suspended narrow vertical flags—seen outside most Tesco store fronts—as well as indoor soft signage displays—often seen in the likes of IKEA and Homebase—can be created. The next model up is the ValueJet 1604W (64”) at £11,790 which outputs at up to 22sqm/h.  Top of the range is the newly launched 1.6m ValueJet 1638W at £18,190.  This 1440dpi production machine features a staggered dual head which produces output speeds of up to 65sqm/hour. This replaced the previous Viper and Viper Extreme models, but with two to three times the performance according to Enser.  She also says a 2.6m version will be available at the beginning of 2014.

In addition to the RE 640, Sabur’s entry level options also include the Roland SolJet Pro III XC-540MT, which features the ability to print fluorescent yellow and magenta in addition to CMYK.

Burton highlights one customer who adapted his RE 640 to print lanyards for festivals and conferences, building a successful business out of it.

Growth pains

Moving up to the middle ground of the industry in terms of investment, there are significant gains to be had in terms of speed and size of output. This essentially allows for greater volumes to be handled, but also opens up a wider expanse of products that can be created from full flags to high-quality dye sublimation printed suspended cylindrical stretched banners—see picture opposite.

Burton highlights that Sabur’s offering in this sector focuses on its range of four mid-level investment La Meccanica direct-to-textile Qualijet printers and the new 64” Roland SolJet Pro IV XR-640, capable of print speeds of 49sq m/hr. The La Meccanica models feature sticky belt systems for enhanced registration, with an investment level around £56,000 to £75,000.

When it comes to Mimaki’s mid-level investment range, Jefferies highlights the TS3-1600 and TS34-1800A as solid options to build a business round. He is particularly enthusiastic about the latter, which at around £26,000 represents an economical investment when compared to the overall market. The 1.9m wide TS34 will run at between 20 to 30sq m/hr and is described by Jefferies as, ‘a lot of business in the one machine’, adding: “The print width gives customers a lot of space to produce garment panels for sports jerseys and it also has great potential for soft signage. A consideration for creating services such as printing flags is that you need ‘show through’.

For creating banners, flags or soft signage in any volume, the requirement for a rotary calendar press needs to be combined with investment into options such as the TS34-1800A. This also allows for the creation of products such as the long fabric strips often seeing hanging from shopping centre atriums.

The Mutoh ValueJet 1638W is the company’s flagship
dye-sublimation printer, capable of creating a
range of soft signage and printed textile products

Enser highlights that the ability to set up the machine, and its 104” big brother the 2628TD (24 to 41sq m/hr), for either direct-to-textile or dye sublimation printing, ‘future proofs’ them and allows for diversification when it is needed further down the line in a company’s growth. 

New direct-to-textile machines to replace the Viper TX and Viper TX Extreme with similar performance improvements as the ValueJet 1638W are also reportedly set for launch next year.

DPI’s Bell recommends the MTEX1600 as its medium-level investment option, dubbing it an, ‘all in one’. This is because it prints direct-to-textile and then it can be sublimated and fixed directly out of the machine. This is as opposed to printing to transfer paper or direct-to-textile on a roll, taking the roll off the machine and then putting it through a separate calendar unit. DPI is seeing demand for such an option coming from sign-makers who have had requests for soft signage from mainly retail clients. The specific request has been for perfect black reproduction, something Bell says the MTEX—a Mimaki JV5 chassis coupled with an additional fixation unit—caters for. 

The investment initially seems considerable, requiring around £59,000 for the MTEX1600. But as there is no need to invest in additional fixation equipment this brings the price into context. The big demand for its output, according to Bell, centres on the creation of tear drop stretched banners, small flags, pop-up graphics, and light box prints such as those I described at Amsterdam airport.

Bell also counsels that in order to overcome fears of what is seen as a, ‘magical art’ with dye-sublimation printing, DPI has created its ‘Digital Print Innovation Centre’ which houses a full end-to-end production suite. This allows a customer see every step in creating in this case a soft signage exhibition panel from computer image, through printing and finishing, to application.

The big time

(Above and below) Mimaki has created a
range of solutions for printing flags and
banners, a burgeoning new area of opportunity
for sign-makers

As a result of the more hefty investment costs associated with textile printing and the creation of soft signage, perhaps the most difficult area to break into is volume or ‘long run’ work. This is primarily because, while many sign-makers have entry-level wide-format capability, there are few that can muster the capital investment to get into the big leagues. This opens up an opportunity to supply these companies with a trade service and allow them to say, ‘yes’ to their customers. The smaller sign-maker can then also add value to the prints through print finishing and product fabrication.

All of this blue sky thinking of course is dependent on the kit itself. Mimaki’s high volume production offering through Hybrid tops out with the TX400, which allows for printing to a broad range of polyesters and has been designed with low ink costs and high performance in mind. Jefferies also highlights the brand new TX500 and TS500 as good options, capable of handling 100 to 150sq m/hr. Its flagship model however in this area is the  3.2m wide, grand format JV5-320DS, with an investment point of just under £100,000, with the additional value of a rotary calendar press needed in the ball park of £45,000 to £70,000.

Jefferies highlights that although this may seem like a very serious investment, the proof is in the pudding: “We really champion the multiple machine route and the superior quality that dye-sublimation can provide. If you have seen the impressive, suspended cylindrical stretched banners at exhibitions, this quality of colour and accuracy is paramount for recreating logos and corporate graphics.

Unlike direct-to-textile machines with an in-built fixation unit, you can run multiple JV5’s, but still only one rotary calendar system to handle their output. Even more importantly, you have the ability to print to both transfer paper and fabric, opening up many new creative and revenue generating avenues too. This negates any saving you get by buying a machine that does not require separate fixation and the result is a quality of output necessary for today’s demand requirements.”

Turning to Colourgen, Enser highlights the previously mentioned ValueJet 2628TD is the top- end of its line-up. Its lower price point, at £39,990, is reflective of its smaller width and lower speeds than other, ‘big time’ options, but is perhaps a good solution for those who want to build a more industrial service from the ground up. Enser also emphasises that buying patterns suggests that customers are investing in more than one machine, using the extra width and relatively low price point, but achieving industrial volume levels with extra capacity.

“The whole textile market in the UK is not nearly as developed as it is overseas,” says Enser, adding: “Colourgen specialise in the soft signage area with the Mutoh machines, but as more people get involved it is beginning to gather speed driven by applications on show.

"An option like the 2628TD is for those who already have the capability to print textiles at around the 64” mark and want to add a more rapid profit generation element to their business.

An option like the 2628TD is for those who already have the capability to print textiles at around the 64” mark and want to add a more rapid profit generation element to their business”

“I firmly believe that as more company’s in the UK become burdened with every spiralling transport costs that soft signage will only become more popular.”

They key element for Colourgen’s Enser is that supply company’s need to work on setting up demonstration suites to educate their existing wide-format customers in other sectors about soft signage production—demystifying it as a, ‘magic art’.

This is exactly why Bell says DPI created the Digital Print Innovation Centre, the centre piece of which is its MTEX3200. At £135,000 it represents a considerable investment for many, but as it has the same in-built fixation unit of its 1.6m little sister, does not require investment in a separate dye sublimation fixation unit.

“I personally think direct-to-textile printing is much easier than having to put it through a sublimation unit,” argues Bell, who adds: “You can control everything on the fly with the printer, as the fixation unit speaks to the printer and vice versa. If you are printing onto transfer paper and then onto another roll there is a lot that can go wrong if you don’t know what you are doing.”

The MTEX3200 from DPI has an in-built fixation unit

Also as the MTEX solution is an, ‘all in solution’ Bell emphasises that this means, ‘the speed you print at is the speed you produce’. This is as opposed to taking the material off, then onto a transfer press, which increases the overall turnaround time.

Bell also highlights that the key for any textile printing system is that the ink should not mark or offset onto the machine itself—a common problem with early commercial designs. This is normally when the silicone oil component of the inks is left behind when heated over 150 degrees. The key problem is that the residue then marks the clear white areas of the print and downgrading its quality.

DPI is soon set for a raft of product launches for the MTEX systems, with Bell explaining that the development is being driven by tangibly growing demand for soft signage across the UK. The new releases will take the form of systems with greater speed capabilities in 1.8 and 2.6m widths using dye-based reactive, acid, disperse and pigmented inks for a range of fabrics.

Moving back to Sabur’s offering, Burton highlights that its top end direct-to-textile system is the La Meccanica Qualijet K. Featuring an integrated fixation unit, the machine comes in either 8 (140 to 300sq m/hr) or 16 (250 to 500sq m/hr) Kyocera print head versions. In terms of width, the systems come in 1.8, 2.4 or 3.4m models, with an investment level beginning around £260,000. While this may seem like an impressive price tag, its output to price ratio is actually below average, keeping it mind it does not require investment in a secondary fixation unit.

Realistic prospects

Creative inspiration, in-depth research and a core target demographic seem to be the central elements needed to create a sustainable soft signage or textile printing division, no matter your investment capabilities. And perhaps the most interesting single fact to take away from all this information is that the development on both the supply and demand side of the market has only been sluggish due to the last four years of poor economic growth.

Today it seems to have finally gained some traction and the technology development and market forces combination seems to have formed a potentially very profitable mix.