Tech-Knowledge

Have you a slick workflow that harnesses the full potential of your kit line-up or is there room for manoeuvre?

“When customers first look at investment they tend to focus on the biggest capital expense and how they expect that to add to their bottom line,” states Paul Bates, EskoArtwork regional business manager UK and Eire. “But what they often don’t consider is the added pressure this puts on all their departments and the potential bottlenecks this could introduce into their workflow.

Sophie Matthews-Paul looks at how developments have impacted upon inks and substrates for digitally printed textiles.

Perhaps it became a myth as the years passed that a textile coming under the digital heading is a material that has been used in conjunction with a machine which can print inks or dyes specifically for fabrics. Where this misconception originated is anyone’s guess but, depending on the end application desired, there’s no reason why many applications can’t be produced using other chemistries.

There’s been a surge of new machines this year, but who’s going to buy what? Sophie Matthews-Paul comments.

Digital textile printers now cover the entire gamut of investment paths. Key introductions thus far have concentrated mainly on dye-sublimation, although there are other options coming on line, but for the purposes of the display sector, this remains the most popular process.

As predicted in my crystal ball gazing feature at the start of 2011, as far as the wide-format sector is concerned we have seen enhancements to existing printer platforms, along with improvements to inks and drying; but there have been no real show-stopping introductions.

This is, in truth, a very healthy state of affairs. That existing engines have been extended to cover different market segments should be regarded as a positive, with most manufacturers introducing new additions and the first to admit that they are using their established technologies to eke out revisions for future equipment.