“Textile production has been transformed in the last 10 years by the introduction of industrial digital printing based on inkjet technology. While there were early forays into digital printing in the 1970s with the Millken Millitron digital carpet printer, the first commercial inkjet textile printers were introduced in the 1990s with early examples like the Stork TruColor Jet Printer (1991) and the Ichinose Image Proofer (1999)” - Guest article written by Tim Phillips - IMI EUROPE

The commercial benefits offered to the fashion industry are many, and as technology gains traction and print process and speed continue to evolve, we can look forward to a new decade of innovation. For moment the story is focussed on garment decoration – and yet for the future the wider benefit of 3D printing will be the manufacture of the textiles themselves – to be continued…

“The scope of UV wide format printing is enormous, customers are constantly discovering new applications.” Bobby Grauf – Agfa UK | FESPA

“At the heart of Italy’s Como region, the Mantero family have been manufacturing high quality printed textile collections for over a hundred years. The company designs, creates, weaves and prints accessories for the luxury and high-end fashion brands.” Mantero | EPSON

“As the pandemic draws to a close digital textile printing is continuing to carve an innovative path to the future of printed production. The growth of digital textile pigment printing is continuing apace - driven by its of ease of use, speed of production, cost efficiencies and sustainable attributes.” FESPA

“Printing designs on carpet and mats has been done for many years and technology has evolved. In this article Bob Balings shares some background information on the different carpet printing technologies and the evolution and problems” - Bob Balings | BOB MATS.BV

“When The Fabricant was founded in 2018 digital fashion barely existed as a concept, and the idea of a digital atelier crafting couture for the non-physical environment? Forget it. It meant not only signing up for the wild ride that is start-up life, but also creating a new industry for the company to operate in”. THE FABRICANT

“Much has changed during the cause of the pandemic. We have all had to adapt to a virtual world - there have been many challenges, but with those forced events, unexpected benefits have emerged – a tsunami of virtual knowledge”. HP

“By the end of the year, we'll probably be in a better position that we were before the actual pandemic hit - because we've picked new customers thanks to our new HP technology and our expanded business model.” MPS | HP

“The digital textile industry is underpinned by a network of fabric suppliers and distributors, many of whom serve the traditional textile sector.” Image Credit: CMYUK - AVALANA FESPA

“This requirement for a new depth of image handling and the addition of embedded production data will ensure that the design integrity required for “print-on-demand” is delivered, reducing waste in all aspects of textile production and the supply chain”. - FESPA

“Packed with print, colour and creativity the audience was enveloped by the passion and creativity of this talented fashion designer. His garments are a celebration of life and time”. Using digital textile printing technology in collaboration with Epson” RICHARD QUINN X EPSON

“Collaborating with designers across the globe, Emily Ziz holds an archive of unique designs all of which are available across a diverse range of printed products – customised to meet the demands of the interior design and décor industry”.- EMILY ZIZ

“It is well known that traditional textile printing systems are heavy on water and energy consumption. For example, it was recently estimated that analogue textile production systems use around 93 billion cubic metres of water annually.” ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION -FESPA

“The pandemic has placed increased focus on supply chain issues in textiles and apparel, but a lot of this has been figuring out how to manufacture the same items more efficiently, especially Fast Fashion”.Cary Sherburne - WHAT THEY THINK

“Huge congratulations go to Jasmin Bourne of the Manchester Fashion Institute - winner of the prestigious Christopher Bailey Award at GFW 2021 which celebrates 30 years, this year and remains an essential launch platform for the fashion industries next generation.”

“With just 6% of the world’s printed textiles produced digitally and an increasing demand for personalised goods there is a great opportunity for growth” Tom Owers - EPSON UK

Décor is an evolving space. Colours, materials and design styles change rapidly . The big change that is taking place now is the reopening of public spaces - we are all hankering to re-connect. Terry Raghunath - HP