A fashionable market
Diversification has been spoken about at great lengths in recent years in terms of how print companies can protect their business moving forward and help ensure a bright, profitable future. Given the events of the past two years, this is now more important than ever as printers seek to return to growth.
Textile print is one of many markets often talked about when it comes to traditional print companies expanding outside of their usual areas and taking on new work. But given the popularity of this sector and the amount of printers that have already made the move, are there still growth opportunities?
Here, we speak with suppliers and print companies involved in this sector and take a closer look at examples of work to help highlight the vast amount of work on offer in textile print.
A natural add-on
Hybrid Services is the exclusive distributor of Mimaki kit in the UK and Ireland, and many of these devices are suited to textile print work. Duncan Jefferies, head of marketing and business development at Hybrid, says opportunities for print providers to expand into printed textiles continue to present themselves.
“Whether through offering an extended product range or breaking into new markets, printing to fabric is a natural add-on to any print provider looking to increase its offering,” Jefferies says.
He adds: “Textile printing is seeing significant growth for several reasons. The personalisation market is booming – with the web-to-digital print sector performing very strongly, as distanced families and friends send customised presents, furnishings and prints. Equally, the demand for bespoke fashion and décor continues to grow, with consumers enjoying the opportunity to style important areas of their lives.
“The retail and leisure sectors all benefit from utilising textile graphics, with lightboxes, window displays and other fabric installations decorating the high street and hospitality environments as consumers have returned.”
Jefferies continues that print companies currently offering a display graphics and signage portfolio will benefit from supplying textile lightboxes, feather flags and workwear – all achievable with a range of print technologies, and potentially with existing hardware. He adds that investing in new print hardware like Mimaki’s latest entry-level dye-sublimation printer, can create opportunities to supply new markets, such as apparel or décor printing.
The new Mimaki TS100-1600 is available at an entry-level price of £9,995 and can print at speeds of up to 70sq m/hr. Jefferies says the 1.6m-wide machine can be used for printing sportswear, apparel, furnishings, soft signage and other textile-based applications.
Mimaki’s entry-level TS100-1600 dye-sublimation printer can be used for sportswear, apparel and other applications
For those companies already established in textile and seeking to enhance their offering, Jefferies points to the Mimaki Tx300P-1800 MkII, which he says offers busy print providers the versatility of running two ink sets.
O Factoid: Mimaki’s new TS100-1600 entry-level machine can print at speeds of up to 70sq m/hrO
“This affords unparalleled flexibility for print companies, designers, universities and bureaus to offer a broad range of products, unconstrained by ink type,” Jefferies says, adding: “Add in the capability to print both direct to natural fabrics and via paper transfer to polyester, and it’s possible to really expand a print operation that could quite conceivably offer a cushion, textile lightbox and sports jersey in the space of a few hours.”
A flexible solution
Elsewhere and Roland DG has responded to rising demand in the textile print sector with the launch of its new Texart XT-640S-F. Billed as a flexible and hybrid direct-to-textile and direct-to-garment solution, the printer has been designed to address short-run printing in the apparel and textile industry.
Roland DG’s new Texart XT-640S-F can be used to produce a wide range of textile applications
“In recent months, we’ve been working in collaboration with a number of our Italian textile customers to design a flatbed machine that is purpose-built for the ‘fashion drop’ generation,” comments Paul Willems, director of business development and product management at Roland DG EMEA.
“The result is the Texart XT-640S-F, our most flexible textile printer to date, and a product that will help garment manufacturers to capitalise on the demand for short-run printing and incorporate it into their workflows,” he adds.
Willems explains that the new printer is being targeted at apparel print houses and garment manufacturers, but can also be used to create fashion, sports and leisurewear, apparel and street attire, thus making it appealing to those print companies seeking to move into or grow their presence in the textile print segment.
The Texart XT-640S-F can print on a wide range of fabrics including cotton, cotton-rich blends, white polyester, denim and leather, while its CMYK plus high-density white set-up delivers printing onto both white and coloured garments.
The product is available in three bed sizes, with a vacuum table included, and offers an optional jig system enabling up to six garments to be printed in a single workflow. Operators can ‘load and leave’ instead of constantly supervising the print process, freeing them up to focus on other activities.
“Roland DG has always been known for leading-edge technology development across different ink technologies and is now evidencing its ingenuity in the textile print arena,” says Willems, adding: “This solution provides an affordable mid-range option to textile businesses who want to step up or scale up existing operations, with the flexibility to deliver on their future growth ambitions.”
Tackling trends
Taking a closer look at companies active in this market and ICON Printing founder Alex Econs offers an insight into some of the key trends he has seen in the textile print sector. In recent months, the company has noted a rise in demand across a number of markets, including hospitality following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.
“We have seen increasing numbers of bakeries, breweries, restaurants and even coffee shops investing in merch that doubles up as both staff uniforms and sellable wares,” Econs says, adding: “The hospitality industry has always been quick to capitalise on retail opportunities but never at the same level as during the pandemic.
“At ICON Printing, we have seen a 143% increase in t-shirts and tote bag orders since 2019 from coffee shops alone.
“As the independent bars and restaurants continue to rise in popularity, expect to see continued growth of merch. Forget cheap, overly branded souvenirs - this is merch with serious design kudos and flair. If there was ever a time to invest in merchandise for your hospitality venue, it’s now.”
Econs also highlights the wider use of streaming services such as Netflix as reasons behind certain trends, with demand from customers for merchandise based around some of the more popular shows on Netflix leading to the production of new printed pieces.
“Stranger Things’ nostalgia trip single-handedly revitalised the public’s love of the 1970’s, and Netflix was quick to capitalise on the fixation,” Econs says, adding: “From video games, board games, pinball machines and even their own burger, the media giant’s focused approach to expansion has allowed for a continuous relevance across social media.
Popular Netflix series Stranger Things has led to the creation of all sorts of new textile print applications such as t-shirts and hoodies
“Netflix’s most recent breakout success was Squid Game. Not only did green and white tracksuits become an instant best-seller shortly after the series premiere, but sales of white slip-on Vans have also increased by a staggering 7,800% since the series premiere.”
Econs also picked up on the rise of supermarket fashion, focusing on Lidl and the launch of its #LidlByLidl merch range of distinctive and playful blue, red and yellow trainers, socks, swimming shorts and tote bags. Aldi also recently released its own line of sportswear and loungewear in the form of Aldi Mania.
“We have seen a number of supermarkets release merchandise over the past year and from the news coverage and social media storm we have seen it generate, it is undeniably a great marketing tactic for brands. It’s become very apparent to us that Brits love novelty merchandise and supermarket merch is this season’s must-have item,” Econs says.
“From previous client projects at ICON Printing we know that brands with a playful tone of voice can cause a bit of a stir with logo-centric design, recognisable colour schemes and some savvy marketing to transform what is essentially very simple clothing items. If you’ve got the personality, you can create great merch to match.”
New developments
Another company heavily involved in this sector is trade supplier Very Displays. Andy Elliott, sales manager at Very Displays, says there are plenty opportunities for expansion in the market, saying some of its best-selling products are showcase textile printed graphics.
Very Displays says some of its best-selling products are flags and tube fabric displays, which showcase textile printed graphics
“Here at Very Displays we are continually developing new solutions both in our indoor and outdoor ranges that display textile print,” Elliott says, adding: “This helps feed the machines of our trade customers that print textile in house, and the trade customers that don’t have this capability can lean on us for the full solution at trade prices.
"Consumers have an appetite for textile print and it’s frequently used everywhere we look.
Some of the benefits of textile print is that it’s vibrant, lightweight, compact to transport, without joins, machine washable and of course recyclable.
“Naturally, there is still a huge demand for traditional large-format display products however we’ve seen one of our main growth areas is for textile printed solutions. The consumer will generally contact their traditional printer for textile print so it’s crucial the printer is up to speed with what’s available so they can fulfil their customer’s needs.”
In terms of advice for those companies considering a move into the market, Elliott says they should first take a moment to understand the core textile display products that get asked for regularly and lean on the expert team at Very Displays for any queries.
“We are here to help and support the trade, so they can give their customers what they need,” Elliott explains, adding: “You will be surprised how many enquiries you can say yes to by having a simple understanding. We have unbranded literature full of valuable info and will be launching a new textile print catalogue in 2022 to help our trade customers.”
There are clearly still opportunities to move into the textile print sector, while those already active in this market can access all sorts of work and continue to grow their business as a result.
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