Up, Up and away

Whilst many in large-format are sat in the airport looking at the departure board, trying to decide where to go next, some in the market have already left the terminal and are en route to a highly lucrative destination – textile printing.
Since becoming the UK distribution partner for Berger digital fabrics six months ago, CMYUK has seen a dramatic growth in sales of fabrics. To date most of the digital fabric printing market has been about niche, low volume applications, however, the real volume market is in retail. There are already printers producing tens of thousands of square meters of fabric a month to this sector and the trend is set to continue. The high-end retail market constantly strives to differentiate and internal soft signage is the perfect way to do that. As high-end retail adopts new technology the rest of retail is sure to follow as the cost of ownership decreases. At this point there will be a real volume market and that date is fast approaching.
The digital fabric printing market continues to be dominated by dye sublimation, a technology that scares most digital print companies to death. They have to invest in a dedicated fabric printer that produces images that look nothing like the finished product and then they have to run it through a hot mangle that makes the fabric shrink and the image come alive. You are then left with a product that has to be finished, usually with a sewing machine and most printers can’t sew! I have spoken to many of the early adopters in this market and they have all gone through the same painful learning curve but those that have stuck with it have reaped great rewards. The high technical barrier to entry has prevented the majority of printers from adopting and therefore kept margins high.
In order to enable a volume market there not only has to be market demand but there has to be production capability to meet that demand at a reasonable price. The pain of the early dye-sub adopters cannot continue if this is to become volume market. Every indication is that this landscape is changing. Mainstream wide-format printer manufacturers now offer credible high volume dye-sub solutions. Fabric manufacturers like Berger now offer a massive product range with very consistent production characteristics that work not only on dye sub but equally well on UV and latex technology.
There are hundreds of digital printers in the UK who don’t even realise that they can already access this lucrative retail market without the need for any further hardware investment - they just need to buy the right substrates for their current printers. Retail frame manufacturers have now developed systems that even negate the need to find someone that can sew. The technology is becoming faster, more robust and easier to use.
Digital fabric is not yet a market demand led product. Those that have made the investment in fabric printing have also invested in actively selling the concept to their customers. Their ability to differentiate their offering from the general digital print market has been the key to their success. Some of our customers have pushed the boundaries even further and are now offering dye-sublimated carpet and UV printed cushioned vinyl flooring. CMYUK has been able to source the products but it is our customers who are actively generating the demand. Digital flooring is a niche market but like fabric, one that will grow rapidly in the next two years. A great example of maximising the value of an existing asset to access a new market.
Those that think that the digital fabric printing market is still at the Wright Brothers stage are sadly very misguided. There is a mass of print being produced on fabric in the UK market at the moment and that volume of print is only going one way and that is up into the sky blue and beyond. Time to get on a flight before it is too late!