Understanding the depths of design

by marika_gabriel | 19 December 2024 10:00 am

When precision technology meets texture printing

By Ginny Mumm

Interior designers are seeing twin trends of personalization and eco-friendly options rising; correspondingly, digitally printed interior décor is surging in popularity. In fact, the global market for digitally printed wallpapers alone was estimated at US$6.7 billion (C$9.18 billion) in 2023 and is projected to reach US$16.4 billion (C$22.47 billion) by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5 per cent from 2023 to 2030.¹

As print service providers (PSPs) know, digital printing allows consumers and businesses to express their style by easily incorporating custom artwork, images, or design themes. In addition, digital printing allows for a print-on-demand production workflow that saves inventory storage and can easily adjust to satisfy current trends.

As a result of these factors, many PSPs are seeing an increase in demand for custom-printed interior design applications, including wallcoverings, artwork, and décor pieces. We talked with Chris Chivers, owner and founder of Identity Ink in Calgary, Alta., to explore the possibilities in this market vertical for PSPs. We asked Chivers how he began producing custom digital print for interiors, how he grew his business, and the print technology he is excited about today.

Ginny Mumm (GM): Tell us how and why you decided to establish your company.

Chris Chivers (CC): I started Identity Ink in 2009 with a partner I eventually bought out in 2014. Before founding Identity Ink, I was on the graphics side of the marketing communications team for a global manufacturer of dynamic work environments. The catalyst for starting my own company was working with print companies to create branding for spaces for our partners. I realized back then that what I call architectural graphics—printing on office panels and other commercial interior décor—wasn’t part of a typical PSP’s market.

To meet our partners’ needs, I had to pay attention to adhesion and apply graphics to materials that weren’t part of most print shops’ daily work. Often, I sourced the materials for the print shop and then told them how to print on them. Eventually, I figured out I could do it myself. I talked with the company owner, who was a serial entrepreneur, and he supported me in leaving to start my own company and even gave me his business.

GM: What was your shop like when you started, and what does it look like now?

CC: My then-partner and I began Identity Ink in a garage with a good idea and $15,000. We soon moved into a facility on 40^th St. measuring 185.8 m² (2,000 sf), with a car bay. In 2012, we moved into our current facility, which has around 557 m2 (6,000 sf) with an additional 185.8 m² of mezzanine. In 2022, we expanded into the space next door and now have a total of about 1,022 m² (11,000 sf). Ours is one of the cleanest print shops you’ll ever see. We always aim to have it showroom-ready, which also helps us produce high-quality, repeatable output. We currently have 12 employees. At our largest, pre-COVID, we had a staff of 23. The business is very efficient now. 

GM: Who are your clients today?

CC: Two of our largest clients are manufacturing companies DIRTT and Falkbuilt. We sell through their distribution markets throughout North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. We even have some of our products in Antarctica! We also provide print products for various architects, designers, and general contractors.

GM: What kind of technology have you been using lately?

CC: Fortunately, our dealer, ND Graphics, helps us find the machines and materials that work for our business. We have several ultraviolet (UV) printers, laminators, and other equipment, such as computer-numerical control (CNC) machines.

One day, Peter Bourgeois at Drytac Canada showed up unannounced and asked me, “Have you been over to ND to see the Dimensor
S printer? I’ve never seen anything more perfect for Identity Ink.” I went to ND Graphics for a demo day, and within two weeks, I had financing in place and bought it—sight unseen. Its texture printing capability fits our business like a key in a lock. However, COVID-19 delayed everything, and the machine was not installed until late 2022. Like any technology, it takes time to ramp up—it’s not plug-and-play.

ND Graphics has supported us on every level from day one—they are excellent to work with. Even after Roland DG bought the company and formed DG DIMENSE, the Vieka team in Lithuania, where the company was founded, has continued to provide support and follow-up. They offer one of the strongest customer service operations in the world. I strive for my business to be that customer-driven.

GM: How has the printer been received?

CC: The output of the Dimensor S—textural printing—is a new idea. You have to give things time to grow in this (interior design) industry. At the same time, it’s very exciting—there’s nothing like it out there.

What’s great about this technology is that it gives creative people a creative outlet they’ve never seen before. When you can combine texture, colour, and graphics in the same element, it’s exciting. When you talk to clients about it, they can’t seem to keep up. It’s interesting to work through that with them. It’s a challenging concept—but in a very good way.

One of our core values is embracing challenges in client opportunities and introducing them to new ideas. When we introduce our products to our clients, we save DG DIMENSE for last because once we talk about what the Dimensor S can do, they stop listening to all the other capabilities we offer.

For example, we recently met 13 creative minds from a marketing and branding company. We told them about all our new stuff and shared our sample book. You could hear them quietly discussing how this concept would work for their clients.

For many of our clients, the idea of textural printing is just percolating right now. As early adopters, we’re like farmers—the crop is in the field; we just need to wait for it to grow. The good news is we’re out in front with this technology.

GM: What types of applications are you using it for?

CC: We are applying it to the interiors of office buildings, interiors of retail establishments, and our manufacturing partners’ projects. For the manufacturing partners, graphics often need to be mounted on tiles made of medium-density fibreboard (MDF). The size of the tiles varies from our sample tiles of 304.8 mm x 304.8 mm
(12 in. x 12 in.) up to tiles measuring 1.52 m x 3.04 m
(5 ft x 10 ft). When installed, these tiles have gap details in them that are fixed at 4 mm (0.15 in.) wide. We can produce graphics with the dimensionality—or what I call the “puff” —running right up to the edge of the tile, and the graphics then continue to wrap around the 90-degree corner and cover the side of the tile. We can fit the tightest of tolerances because of how the graphics are made.

Our clients love the millimetre-by-millimetre print precision capability. We can have the puff on the flat surface and no puff along the edges, but the graphics continue seamlessly.

GM: What do you see for the future of your production?

CC: Texture printing plays an important role in the future of our business. People are starting to understand the true potential this technology brings. Sandra (from Vieka) threw this idea at me: give creative people the opportunity to license their ideas and provide print solutions in short runs. We could easily see three or four interior design teams, each with their own custom textured wallcoverings. What I would love to do is to have a line with small independent designers. I want to enable a custom line of printed wallcoverings.

When creative people sit down and try to get creative with the latest print capabilities, they love it. I believe the opportunity is there, and the sky is the limit.

When I look at interior design projects in the commercial world, I see many that could benefit from technological advances. This gets me excited about the possibilities ahead.  

Notes

¹ Read the Research and Markets report here: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports /4804788/digitally-printed-wallpapers-global-strategic[6]

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/understanding-the-depths-of-design/

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