DTG PRINTING MACHINERY SS/2023 REVIEW: STELLAR GROWTH AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO EXPLORE
“From Inkthreadable to Printful the DTG success stories abound, as the DTG sector, driven by all these factors begins to meet the market expectations of a textile segment in substantial and irreversible growth.
As a vibrant and innovative sector, there is a lot to look forward in the years ahead.”.
Direct to Garment production goes from strength to strength, with a vertical assent predicted.
Stellar growth in the use of direct to garment digital textile printing machinery continues to provide a unique and highly successful business model, gaining traction worldwide. As a technology built to deliver speed to market, its built for on-demand production and as such sustainable manufacturing - driving down inventory and production costs.
The direct to Garment printing market, which stood at US$ 822 million in 2022 is predicted to rise at annual growth rate of 8.3% to US$ 1,820 million by 2032. (FMI).
This represents a more than doubling in size of the global market over a ten year period, that many experts attribute to the unique advantages of direct-to garment printing.
These advantages include ease of entry, a nil finished inventory business model and moving in lockstep with the market shift to customisation and print on demand ecommerce.
As a sector Innovations continue to drive the agenda.
Kornit Digital have made considerable steps with their inks particularly for Polyester fabrics, where their Neopigment™ Olympia ink is their unique, innovative ink for high-quality printing on polyester. Delivering a wider colour gamut, solid colour coverage, and precise pantone colour-matching. This eco-friendly ink is manufactured in-house and specifically designed for Kornit systems to meet the highest sustainability standards.
Outstanding durability and hand feel with a higher L value and opacity for bright prints is achieved, along with increased strength and flexibility to improve print elongation. All of these attributes ensure that the Kornit Digital machinery achieve the highest retail quality and durability standards.
As far as supply goes, there is an abundance of apparel blanks manufacturers who are queuing up to supply the Direct to Garment Industry. From Fruit of the Loom and Bella Canvas in America to numerous wholesalers throughout Europe, the prospective producer has access to the widest range of blank apparel, from T-Shirts and Hoodies and from Sweatshirts to V-Necks. Consumers now demand responsibly sourced apparel, and in the DTG arena the sourcing routes are adapting to assure that organic, certified cellulose and rPET recycled polyester print bases are in good supply.
Machinery is available for all business models (of all scales) and production speeds continue to accelerate. By example: The Brother GTX Pro bulk is stated “to produce 1,400 T-Shirts a week on a single 8-hour shift”. Brother offer their own ink formulation in support of their technology and inks are certified by Oeko-Tex®, GOTS and are also CPSIA compliant to help ensure they are safe for printing and therefore environmentally responsible.
Looking to the year ahead - providing the ultimate in speed, efficiency, flexibility and profitability we arrive at back the Kornit Digital range of DTG machines.
As if the XDI profile ink system isn’t enough, Kornit machines from the Atlas to the Vulcan provide the perfect platform for an up to date and profitable digital printroom, and with 2023 Kornit are about to promote their new Apollo system. The manufacturer recently unveiled the Apollo machine, which uses its Max technology to offer “the highest retail quality combined with full automation control and integrated smart curing processes”.
The printer also utilises technology from Lichtenau, Germany-based Tesoma, Kornit’s most recent acquisition. Kornit said “the single-step end-to-end system addresses accelerated post-pandemic market trends for streamlined supply chains and production near-shoring.”
It is expected to be available in mid-2023, following early customer engagements in the second half of 2022.
So, with innovation, efficiency and speed of production the Direct to Garment Industry moves inexorably upward.
The machinery agenda has also moved apace – the dawn of the hybrid.
Of particular attention is the development of Hybrid DTG printing, where screen printing and digital printing are combined on one platform. A stand-out here is the Kyo Hybrid DTG Printer from Aeoon of Austria.
The Kyo Hybrid Series is the first real combination of a screen printing and digital textile printing which combines the advantages of both. It is the ideal printer for companies with a high volume production needs and offers a unique set of production flexibility.
In addition to stand-alone DTG printing or screen printing, a combination of both printing processes can also be easily integrated. This combination achieves significant savings in the consumption of white ink, while delivering a premier finish.
From Inkthreadable to Printful the DTG success stories abound, as the DTG sector, driven by all these factors begins to meet the market expectations of a textile segment in substantial and irreversible growth. And with Hybrid print solutions now added to the mix there is a lot to look forward in the years ahead.
Colour Is Too Important to Leave to Chance
Print will always be the part of the garment people see first.
But the sum of all parts — the fabric, the trims, the fasteners, the finish — is what determines whether a design actually delivers on its promise. Brands that continue to treat colour as a single creative decision, rather than a coordinated technical discipline spanning their entire supply chain, will keep paying for it in re-dips, delays, and disappointed design teams.
A Century of Textiles, and an Ever-changing World
Few companies can trace their roots back more than a century and still count themselves among their industry's innovators. Texia, headquartered in Monistrol de Montserrat, Spain, is one of them.
But the story of Texia is not simply one of longevity.
It is a story of continual reinvention. As the textile industry has grown more global and competitive, Texia has repeatedly reshaped its business, investing in technology, developing its own brands, and placing sustainability at the centre of its mission. In doing so, it offers a compelling example of how a heritage manufacturer can lead rather than follow through a period of profound industry change. Image Credit: Texia
What are we craving Ultimately?
The instinct to slow down while simultaneously optimising every measurable aspect of life isn't a passing curiosity. It's a structural response to a world that feels increasingly unstable, and it's reshaping what people expect from their homes, hotels, workplaces and healthcare environments alike.
For the design and manufacturing sectors, this means rethinking both product and process.
The Structual Shift is Real and its Already Here
Volumes are moving east, where digital production is accelerating rapidly. Consumer behaviour has shifted.
Demand is now driven by personalisation, shorter buying cycles, and an expectation of near-instant responsiveness. Regulatory pressure is intensifying, with supply chain transparency now a legal and commercial fact in many markets. And margins? They are under sustained, structural pressure.
This is not a temporary disruption. It is a fundamental reordering of how textile manufacturing must operate.
The Challenge: Standing Firm as the Industry Shifts
The wallpaper landscape has changed dramatically. Digital printing has lowered the barrier to entry, spawning countless direct-to-consumer brands and pushing much of the market towards faster, cheaper production.
At the same time, manufacturing in the UK has grown steadily harder - rising minimum wage, national insurance, energy and substrate costs all bear down on margins. Surface Print have embraced all of these challenges - and stand resolutely prepared for the future.
From Helsinki's printing mill to Paris's Le Marais, discover how Marimekko is scaling a design-led brand with purpose, craft, and bold innovation.
But what makes Marimekko's story compelling is not just its aesthetic legacy?
The word "toxic" carries weight. It conjures danger, harm, and things best avoided.
“Yet in the textile industry - Where between 3,000 and 10,000 chemicals move through the supply chain, a reflexive fear of the term is one of our biggest obstacles to progress.”
This article distils the key takeaways and what buyers, designers, and brands should be asking right now.
What Is the Digital Product Passport?
At its core, a Digital Product Passport is a digital record attached to a physical product - For a printed textile product, this means the DPP would capture data on the substrate, inks and dyes used, the printing process and technology, chemical compliance, environmental impact (including water and energy use), supply chain traceability, and end-of-life instructions.
The Market Gap that Changed Everything
Future Fashion was founded in 2019, timed deliberately to coincide with a pivotal moment in global textile technology: the commercial launch of the EFI Reggiani BOLT Single-Pass digital printing system.
The founders recognised that single-pass architecture had fundamentally changed what was industrially possible - and that Pakistan's domestic market had yet to catch up.
Print is no longer defined by the inefficiencies that once characterised it…as advances in production processes and technology have significantly improved its environmental performance.
Taran Rai, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Epson explains why?
The story of what happens when young designers access digital technology is still being written.
What once was a theoretical sustainability goal seems to have shifted into an active regulatory reality.
Is the Textile Market Finally Recovering?
After a difficult few years, there are genuine reasons for optimism. Duncan was candid about the challenges: "The market for textiles has been very difficult over the last three years. I'm not going to hide the truth there. But the tide is turning.“
A profound shift is currently reshaping the sector
Changing consumer expectations demand greater design diversity, faster turnaround times, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
To thrive, interior brands must adapt their supply chains, bringing production closer to the end consumer and moving away from bulk manufacturing.
Digital textile printing offers a definitive solution to these operational bottlenecks.
Digital transformation doesn't announce itself.
It accumulates - one innovation at a time - until an entire industry looks back and realises the ground has shifted beneath its feet. That's precisely where textiles stands today.
The conversations happening now about AI, automation, sustainability, and digital product passports are not theoretical. They are shaping decisions being made on factory floors and in boardrooms right now.
“By leveraging advanced digital textile printing, Marylene Madou has successfully merged traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. Her approach offers a blueprint for how independent designers can scale their brands globally while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.”
The textile industry is undergoing a vital transformation. As the insights from Techtextil and Texprocess reveal, the path forward relies on a combination of sustainable hardware, intelligent chemistry, and seamless digital workflows.
From Zimmer's industrial-scale energy reductions and Stratasys's on-demand 3D embellishments, to Kornit's single-step technical printing and the unified digital ecosystems of NedGraphics and Optitex, the tools for change are here. To stay competitive, brands and manufacturers must adopt these innovations, moving away from fragmented, wasteful processes towards a truly connected, circular economy.
Friedmans stands as a testament to the power of combining traditional textile knowledge with forward-thinking innovation.
“Operating from their UK headquarters, Friedmans now serves a diverse array of sectors, including swimwear, dance, entertainment, sportswear, interior decor, prosthetics, and even pet apparel. With a strategic supply chain that reliably serves clients worldwide”
The apparel decoration industry is decisively moving away from isolated, analogue production tools toward connected digital manufacturing environments.
"Kornit’s unwavering commitment to transformative technology continues to disrupt the status quo. For business leaders and innovators ready to capture the future of apparel manufacturing, the path forward is clear”
The Urgent Need for Sustainability at Scale
The transformation at Coats provides a vital blueprint for the wider textile and apparel sector. True sustainability cannot be achieved in silos. As Dearing emphasised:
“Cross-industry collaboration is the engine of meaningful change. Brands, machinery suppliers, chemical providers, and fibre producers must act as an interconnected ecosystem”
Today’s customers demand superior product quality, real-time data visibility, and lightning-fast turnaround times.
For large-scale garment decorators, managing these expectations while balancing seasonal demand fluctuations - such as the massive surges seen during Black Friday - presents a monumental challenge.
"Relying on transactional vendor relationships and outdated legacy equipment is no longer sufficient to secure long-term stability and growth.”
Printing method is never a secondary detail. It shapes the entire life cycle of a product, from concept to customer. In today’s fashion industry, where margins are tighter and speed matters more than ever, technical knowledge has become a competitive advantage.
“The future of textile design belongs to professionals who can combine creativity with execution, aesthetics with practicality, and vision with production reality”.
Shanghai, China – August 2026 – Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition 2026 is set to open its doors on 25 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), welcoming thousands of global industry players across three days of sourcing, networking, and trend forecasting.
Spanning 240,000 sqm, the edition will feature over 3,500 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions, organised under four key pillars: Fashion Forward, Performance Textiles, Sustainability, and Textile Future.
From 27 September 2026, stricter rules against greenwashing and higher requirements for sustainability labels will take effect in the European Union.
OEKO-TEX® has taken the new provisions as an occasion to further develop its governance structure.
In doing so, OEKO-TEX® not only meets the requirements of the EU Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo, EU 2024/825) but also prepares itself for future regulatory developments.
Munich, Germany – August 2026 – PERFORMANCE DAYS is set to premiere the Sustainability Exchange at its upcoming trade fair, taking place 13–14 October 2026 in Munich.
The new dedicated space brings together leading voices across certification, compliance, circularity, and collaboration to help industry professionals translate complex sustainability challenges into practical solutions.
New Delhi, India – August 2026 – IKEA, the global home furnishing retailer, has announced its partnership with the Regenerative Cotton Accelerator Programme (RCAP) as a strategic member.
The partnership will see IKEA join RCAP's Steering Group, contributing its cotton sourcing and supply chain expertise to accelerate the adoption of regenerative cotton across India.
Launched in February 2026, RCAP is a joint initiative by Solidaridad Asia, WWF-India, Regenagri and Control Union..
The invention, a dark adsorbent material that can be added to wastewater and separated with a magnet, builds on the team’s 2022 breakthrough in microplastics removal, extending performance to much smaller particles and more complex wastewater.
Microplastics are an increasing global concern, with growing evidence of their presence in water systems.
The researchers say the ability to remove micro‑ and nano‑plastics under practical conditions sets this work apart.
Winterthur – Switzerland - July, 2026 – Recycling Powerhouse Ltd. was established in July 2026 to industrialize, standardize and scale textile recycling.
Based in Switzerland, the venture will operate a franchise-driven business model that enables the production of high-quality, certified recycled yarns.
The project is supported by the following partners: Rieter Group, the world’s leading system supplier for natural and man-made fibers, Säntis Textiles, a Swiss textile engineering company, and Valvan, a Belgian sorting technology company.
Singapore, July 2026 – DyStar, a leading specialty chemicals company with more than a century of expertise in product development and innovation, today announced the release of its FY2025 Sustainability Report, marking a significant milestone in its sustainability journey and reinforcing its commitment to long-term value creation
Germany, France and the Netherlands are advocating coordinated European action against ultra-fast fashion.
The three Member States raised the topic at today’s EU Environment Council in Luxembourg, and called on the European Commission to make existing and planned EU provisions more effective against short-lived, low quality textiles.
Their call was supported by other Member States, including Slovenia and Denmark.
LONDON, June 11: Textile Exchange has published its new polyester Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, providing robust, accurate, and credible data to strengthen the fashion, textile, and apparel industry’s understanding of the impacts of different types of polyester production.
The study is the second in a series of LCA studies led by Textile Exchange and addresses key gaps and limitations in the LCA data currently available for polyester.
Widnes, Cheshire - 5 June 2026 – On World Environment Day, Roberts Group International has announced a pioneering partnership with St Helens Council, Seamster & Shepherd, and Hope Academy.
The initiative, titled Hope for the Earth: From Reclaimed Textiles to Sustainable Student Fashion Show, empowers students to transform reclaimed textiles into original fashion pieces ahead of a summer showcase event in July.
The collaborative project addresses the urgent need for circularity in the fashion industry by bringing the sustainability message directly into the classroom.