The growing impact of digital textile printing

by all | 8 September 2016 10:00 am

By Peter Saunders
One of the hottest trends in digital wide-format printing today, thanks in no small part to ongoing technological developments, is textile graphics. Vince Cahill, owner and president of technical market research and consulting firm VCE Solutions, has been keeping a sharp eye on this market as it evolves.

Cahill began screenprinting in the 1969, developed a method for printing silk fabrics in the mid-’70s and was introduced to digital carpet printing in 1980. He went on to help develop two transfer material distributors, Specialty Materials and Newhill Technologies, and to lead digital printer manufacturer Datametrics in the late ’90s, followed by Industrial Printing Solutions (IPS) in 2003. Along the way, he tracked continual developments in the industry.

Sign Media Canada recently caught up with the long-standing expert to hear his thoughts on the current state of the market.

Q: How big is the overall market for digitally printed textiles?
In 2015, digital reportedly accounted for 3.6 per cent of all textile printing, which is estimated to represent about 1.15 billion m² (12.4 billion sf) out of a total of 32 billion m² (344 billion sf). The World Textile Information Network (WTIN) projects 1.7 billion m² (18.3 billion sf) of fabric will be digitally printed in 2017, accounting for 4.9 per cent of a total 34.7 billion m² (373.5 billion sf) of all types of printed fabrics. So, both printed textiles in general and digitally printed textiles in particular are continuing to grow. And digital textile printing has begun to replace rotary and flatbed textile screenprinting for some companies.

WTIN expects about 100 industrial-speed single-pass inkjet printers to be installed around the world by the end of 2017. According to the equipment suppliers I spoke to at the organization’s 2016 North American Digital Textile Conference, the current number is between 20 and 30. The reason hitting that projected total of 100 in 2017 is possible is because a number of new manufacturers are joining those that are already selling single-pass machines in the market.

Q: Within that overall industry, how big is the wide-format market?
Soft signage, including applications for both indirect dye sublimation and direct-disperse dye inkjet printing, accounts for a significant portion of the market. I estimate soft signage and related inkjet-printed display textile graphics represent about 39 per cent of all digital textile printing.

They will likely decline as a percentage of the whole, however, as digitally printed apparel and home furnishings gain further traction. By the end of 2017, WTIN projects, ‘home textiles’ will grow to 14 per cent of digitally printed textiles. Inkjet pigment printing currently accounts for about seven per cent of all digitally printed textiles.

Q: Which methods are used to produce that output?
Much of the soft signage market is served by a significant number of the approximately 30,000 roll-to-roll (RTR) textile printers installed worldwide. Most of these are relatively low-production-speed scanning-head devices.

Digital dye sublimation transfer printing and direct-disperse dye printing are primarily used on polyester fabrics for soft signage. Both direct-disperse dye and pigment printing are on the rise. Some nylon fabrics are also used.

Q: To what degree are wide-format digital textiles growing?
Estimates of soft signage’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) vary from 11 or 12 per cent to as high as 30 per cent. For my tracking purposes, I have now settled on an average of 17.4 per cent CAGR.

Q: What challenges do sign shops face as they enter the digital textile printing business?
Signmakers need to realize the production of soft signage involves many components, not just a digital inkjet printer. In addition to the printer and its inks, investments are also required for preparation, design, raster image processor (RIP) software, colour management, profiling, colour matching, spectrophotometers, fabric cutting and sewing, finishing, frame building, assembly and installation.

Q: What technologies do sign shops tend to already use that would be useful for producing fabric graphics?
Signmakers may already have the appropriate design software, a flatbed cutter, shears and machines for building fabric graphic frames.

Q: And what technologies are they likely to need to add?
They generally need new RIPs, colour profiling and management systems. They may also need to add workflow management software, curing equipment and finishing systems.

Q: What tend to be their needs in terms of heat presses?
Flatbed or calender heat presses are needed for transfer-based sublimation and direct-disperse dye printing on polyester. Tunnel dryers and heat presses are also important for pigmented ink prints.

Q: Speaking of finishing, how are digitally printed fabrics being mounted and installed?
One method for hanging soft signage is to use rods in top and bottom pockets, but locking metal frames—typically made of aluminum—are also widely used today. Specialty frames that roll up and are easily transportable are very popular, too.

Frames and finishing equipment offer an opportunity for signmakers to provide ‘total solutions’ to their customers, which will add greater value in terms of sales and profits.

Q: What other trends will affect this market in the future?
The digitally printed soft signage market will be affected by the greater use of automated sewing systems for creating the aforementioned pockets and for finishing signs. As wide-format inkjet printing speeds continue to increase, finishing work—including cutting and sewing—
could otherwise present a production bottleneck and thus limit the capturing of new opportunities, so automation will be key.

The outdoor durability of graphics produced through transfer-based and direct-disperse dye sublimation will be further extended with new improvements. I can envision light-
emitting diodes (LEDs) being incorporated into printed soft signage for greater outdoor impact and nighttime viewing, perhaps even with thin-film photovoltaics and batteries to supply electrical power within the graphics’ construction. And I could also see three-dimensional (3-D) printing being adopted by soft signage shops to enhance images in new ways in the future.

With files from Vince Cahill, owner and president of VCE Solutions. For more information, contact him via e-mail at vince@vcesolutions.com[1].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/the-growing-impact-of-digital-textile-printing/

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