Page 32 - Print21 Magazine March April 2021

Revolution in Print
New opportunities
in digital textile printing
Debbie McKeegan from Fespa says there are different business models to consider in the race to cash in on the booming digital- for-textile printing market.
Within the global textile printing marketplace, the share of digital textile printing is growing exponentially. Growth is being achieved within an industry using a wide variety of business models.
The global textile printing
market is expected to be worth
a staggering US$266bn by 2025. Rapid developments in digital textile printing are expected to trigger accelerated growth for print-on- demand production methods, with total market growth currently set
at CAGR 8.9 per cent, according to Grand View Research.
Among these statistics, cotton printed textiles are expected to account for 44.9 per cent by 2025, in terms of global textile volume, as the sustainable agenda gains traction and consumer trends increasingly demand biodegradable and environmentally friendly attributes, also according to Grand View Research.
Within the global textile printing marketplace, the share of digital textile printing is growing. The digital textile printing sector has a forecast growth rate of 17.5 per cent per annum over the next six years, according to Smithers Pira.
Growth is being achieved using
a wide variety of business models. Where the output is digital, many textile printing businesses share certain fundamental characteristics in their business models:
• There is virtually zero or
dramatically reduced finished
stock holdings
• Many are paid before production
takes place
• All are capable of supplying much
faster than their traditional analogue rivals
Above
Textile e-commerce: The customer can upload their design, change colour, manipulate style, and visualise their creation
• Digital output offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to textile manufacture.
However, even within these
mutual characteristics, there are still significant variations in the many business applications using digital print technology for textiles. With huge growth predicted, the textile marketplace offers both a window
of commercial opportunity, and an opportunity to not just build new entrepreneurial business models, but to deliver a clean, efficient and sustainable textile industry.
Witnessing exponential growth
is the web-driven direct-to-garment business model. In this model, the printer uses pre-made blank garments and prints them to order, on-demand, predominantly using e-commerce platforms, using a range of equipment and techniques, printing both by direct-to-garment machinery, and using the transfer printing process, creating products across both natural and synthetic fabrics.
Clients vary from corporate customers at large volume to online sales to individual consumers who increasingly demand customised
garments. With a CAGR rate of 10 per cent, the garment decoration sector offers a substantial opportunity to the printer, entrepreneur or business owner.
As the capabilities of DTG machinery and application technologies develop – new product options continue to expand – to now include sportswear and athleisure garments, hoodies, sweatshirts, jeans, baby wear, nightwear, workwear, and promotional accessories.
Machinery innovations continue to accelerate with companies such as Kornit Digital, Epson, Brother and Ricoh driving technical innovations to ensure that the sector keeps pace with consumer behaviour and retail trends across new markets and applications.
The DTG print-on-demand business model is web-driven, often supported by third party production fulfilment, and enabled via API connectivity, to a growing number of e-commerce platforms. Software now automates the production workflow to facilitate purchase activated
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32 Print21 MARCH/APRIL 2021