Fashion and beauty product retailers are also switching to the richness, beauty and feel of fabric graphics to reflect their sophisticated and elegant brands. For many point-of-purchase (POP) display applications, retailers are drawn to the visual effects of backlit graphics, so translucent textiles are being designed accordingly.
The hospitality, museum and theatre décor markets are also strong customers of fabric graphics. And while sign shops continue to mainly focus on commercial wide-format graphic applications, there are other markets the same equipment could help them serve, particularly in the future. Already, such items as upholstery, apparel, drapery, curtains, pillows, carpets, backdrops, custom furniture and other elements of interior décor are being decorated using digital textile printers, though usually in very short runs and one-offs. Just as digital printing has already taken over and continues to dominate many areas that were once served by offset and screenprinting systems, so too is there enormous potential for digital textile printing to take over much of the textile screenprinting and rotogravure markets.
A maturing market
As digital printing technology continues to mature in terms of speed and capacity—and as PSPs gain stronger knowledge of new processes—there is room to absorb market share from traditional textile businesses. Fabric graphics have a high perceived value, which is opening doors for sign shops to serve higher-end clients and increase profit margins.
This is especially true at this early stage of an emerging industry, when fabric graphics are not as heavily commoditized as vinyl banners and other signage applications. With profitability and demand for better products driving improvements in digital imaging and printed output, innovations will continue for years to come.
Michael Syverson is director of special projects for PrinterEvolution, which develops a range of textile printers. For more information, visit www.printerevolution.com.
