Page 44 - Print 21 Magazine Jul-Aug 2020

Digital Textiles
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Ricoh
To date Ricoh has been concentrating
on direct-to-garment printing, with a similar choice of entry level bench top Ri100 through to more productive Ri6000 printing on cotton materials.
This is just the start for the supplier.
It has developed a micro factory concept for printing from orders placed through an online portal. This triggers a production process that involves printing the fabric, cutting, sewing, inspection, packing, and dispatch.
The inkjet process will reduce over- production in the fashion industry, says Ricoh. Inkjet also has a key advantage over the existing screen and dye printing processes in eliminating washing stages that can create pollution.
Ricoh has brought out its own range of DTG machines: the Ri3000 and Ri6000, and the entry-level Ri100. According to Henryk Kraszewski, senior product manager for commercial and industrial print, the all- in-one Ri100 is the smallest, safest, and cheapest DTG printer in the industry.
“It has the most appeal to those just entering the industry – even those
who didn’t know they could print onto garments themselves. The one device can print and cure, whereas every other DTG requires a separate heat press for the curing,” he says.
“They can print on t-shirts, tea towels, pillow cases, aprons, and so on. A design or image can be produced or shared and immediately sent across and printed – there’s a wi-fi setting.”
According to Kraszewski, the low cost of entry and ease of use makes it ideal
for print businesses looking to enter new markets with minimal investment. The Ri100 retails for less than $8000 through dealers.
Epson
Epson has been pushing at the direct
to garment opportunity with its first dedicated fabric machine launched
eight years ago. The company has now introduced an entry-level dye sublimation printer. This is the SC F500, a 610mm printer. A heat press will be needed alongside the printer, perhaps an investment of less than $6000 overall to reach a set up suited to printing sports apparel, and which is simple to handle.
The aim is to take away the pain of printing dye sublimation. The process requires some thinking and understanding of the heat stage to get the best out of the print, making adjustments to temperature and pressure for the material. But compared to what printers are used to understanding it is fairly basic stuff.
The new machine can be supplied with matched ink and transfer paper to ensure the best match for material and printer.
The new press will build on the success of the larger 1.1-metre and 1.6-metre Epson printers. Anything that can carry a polyester coating can be decorated using the transfer material. This includes a wide range of solid objects and Chromalux aluminium panel. The 140ml ink cartridges will sell for around $50, considerably below the $2 per ml that many inks sell for.
Epson also supplies DTG printer the SureColorF2160. The F2160 is Epson’s latest generation DTG printer. It features enhanced production flexibility, higher productivity, reduced maintenance, and a lower running cost.
Optimised for customisation and value- adding on cotton based garments such as t-shirts, polo tops, jeans and sweats, it will image onto a range of polyester sports and leisure wear, and can also be used for promotional and décor items including tote bags, tea towels, and cushions.
Prints can be made on pre-cut fabric or directly to finished garments with
gamut achievable using the new Innobella Textile Inks developed for the GTX.
These newly formulated Okeo-Tex Eco-Passport certified and CPSIA compliant inks are supplied in replaceable ink pouches, using less plastic than traditional cartridges – reducing the impact on the environment.
The white ink circulation system and wet capping station help to reduce both maintenance costs and time. The easy to use interface featuring full colour display and 800Mb built-in memory, allows you to maximise your workflow and queue multiple print files, preview on screen and print directly from the device.
HP
The new HP Stitch dye sublimation printers are aimed at textile printing for sportswear/ fashion, interior décor, and soft signage applications, which are all experiencing healthy growth, says Jeremy Brew, large format application specialist at HP.
“Décor and fashion application trends, on demand production, and personalisation are boosting digital print growth.
“The digitally printed textiles market is experiencing double-digit annual growth, forecast to reach $5.5bn by 2023, according to Smithers. We look forward to more digital print transformations being realised with the arrival of the new HP Stitch S series,” he says.
The range includes the HP Stitch S300 64” Printer, the HP Stitch S500 64” Printer, and the HP Stitch S1000 126” Printer. The S300 has the first user-replaceable print heads and is pitched at printers new to the dye sublimation market.
Mutoh
In textile printing, Mutoh has both direct to garment and dye sublimation systems, with its ValueJet 1948WX able to print 125 square metres an hour of dye sub paper. Mutoh also has its ValueJet 1938TX DTG printer.
Russell Cavenagh, general manager
of Mutoh Australia said, “Textiles is a growth opportunity, and Mutoh has solutions for whatever approach a printer wants to take.”
The 1938TX can print on closed, open non-stretch and limited stretch fabrics thanks to the incorporated ink gutter and a newly engineered high-end fabric feeding, tensioning and take-up system which Mutoh says will guarantee worry- free feeding and transport of fabrics.
Using Mutoh’s new water-based textile pigmented inks, the VJ-1938TX enables direct printing on cotton fabrics, rayon or mixed fibre fabrics. The VJ-1938TX printer can also jet Mutoh’s genuine DS2-series universal sublimation inks for direct printing onto polyester fabrics. 21
All printed by HP: Wall covering, chair covering, light shades
a heat press used to fix the dye. The printer can be ordered in a
four-colour configuration for high speed volume production as well as a five-colour configuration for flexible CYMK + white work.
Brother
The Brother GTX has an expansive range of interchangeable platen options, helping accurately position and print shirt fronts, backs, wraparounds, pockets and sleeves, hoodies, socks, caps, bags, and shoes.
It has a maximum print area of 40 x 53cm and a larger colour
44 Print21 JULY/AUGUST 2020