Textiles
Printed textiles have been around for thousands of years and will probably be around for thousands more.
The industry today, however, faces unprecedented challenges…
Digital printing offers the prospect of shorter lead times and run lengths, as well as potentially unlimited repeat sizes and colourways. But, digital printing comes with high capital and running costs. How can owners of traditional analogue (usually rotary screen) leverage their investment in digital printing to get the best of both worlds – combining digital sampling and short run printing with low cost conventional production?
And, in an increasingly environmentally conscious world, the textile industry does not enjoy a good reputation. Traditional methods of colour matching (essentially by trial and error) increase both cost and lead times and generate huge amounts of unnecessary waste and pollution.
Low productivity was not an issue while production remained in low cost markets and long lead times were accepted as inevitable. All of that is now changing. Market leading textile printing businesses are now staffed by well trained, tech savvy, staff who employ cutting edge technology to deliver higher quality results, more quickly and at lower cost than ever before by combining the best of digital and analogue printing technologies.
Digital printing holds the key to lower costs, shorter lead times, reduced inventory and dormancy and reduced environmental impact.