Industry Insights & Opinion
THE IMPACT OF RISING COSTS AND GLOBAL TEXTILE SUPPLY CHAIN INSTABILITY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Tony Lord, president of Flint OPS: “The pressures facing the print industry have unfortunately shown no sign of dissipating. Rising inflation, increasing fuel and energy rates, and increased demand on raw materials have all contributed to further price increases throughout the print supply chain. The challenges faced by the printing industry are some of the toughest in living memory and it is impossible to predict when we might begin to see some relief
TWO STEPS FORWARD: RASPBERRY CREEK FABRICS PATENTS A UNIQUE PROCESS FOR DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING
“Utah-based Raspberry Creek Fabrics recently received a patent for unique web-to-print software for roll-to-roll fabric printing which automates the step-and-repeat process in a way that creates the smallest possible file, speeding the printing process.” Senior editor Cary Sherburne talked to co-founder Justin Rammell about the process."
MEET PHOEBE LEWIS - CREATING PIGMENTS FROM SEAWEED FOR INDUSTRIAL TEXTILE PRINTING?
“During the research stages of my project I wanted to showcase seaweed in a way that it would not normally be recognised - I discovered that to be its abundance of unusual pigments. This led to more research and discovery and has helped continue the project further into multiple possible applications. I chose ink initially because during lockdown I began experimenting with what I could make from home and this very naturally progressed into textile dye baths as well as trying other methods such as block printing with thicker ink recipes.”
MICHAEL CINCO THE GRAND MASTER OF DUBAI'S ELITE FASHION SCENE ADDS A SOPHISTICATED TWIST OF PRINT WITH EPSON
“Now an established and world renown designer. The Michael Cinco brand has gone forward to win many, many awards. Michael does not compromise on quality or couture; his creations are deservedly expensive; they represent the true definition of couture – they are an art form.”
NEW APPLICATIONS AND INNOVATIONS FOR UV PRINTING AND INTERIOR DECOR SHOWCASE AT FESPA PRINTERIORS
“Whether the substrate is paper or textiles, or glass or wood, one UV print machine can serve multiple industries, materials and applications. From decorative glass panels and textural wood finishes to large scale statement murals and artistic metallic print bases and Textiles.”
A QUICK ROUND UP OF THE INNOVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES ON OFFER FROM HEADLINE SPONSORS AT THE FESPA GLOBAL EXPO
“Here’s a quick roundup of the technologies and new product launches for 2022 – NOT TO BE MISSED - that will be on-site in Berlin. FESPA Global 2022 has four major sponsors for their landmark event: Durst, Mimaki, Brother and HP.”
PRINTERIORS TO SHOWCASE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES FOR INTERIOR DECOR IN BERLIN - MAY31ST - 3RD JUNE 2022
“The Printeriors booth has been created with sustainability front of mind, all of its components can be reutilised and have been designed and created using responsible, ethical production process wherever possible. Materials too have been carefully selected to showcase new developments and responsibly sourced printing technologies and media.” Debbie McKeegan - FESPA Textile Ambassador
BRITISH DESIGNER BRAND GILLIAN ARNOLD CONTINUES TO EXPAND WITH HP TO BRING WALLPAPER PRODUCTION IN-HOUSE
“As a creative team, Gillian Arnold realised early on in their business plan, that managing production in-house would give them absolute control of their supply chain. A decision that has served them well and continues to unlock new product opportunities and to expand their business organically into new market sectors.”
LEARN HOW THE COMPANY DIGITAL SPACE CREATED A NEW WALLCOVERING BUSINESS WITH EPSON SURECOLOR TECHNOLOGY
“Digital Space offer custom printed wallcoverings. No project is too large or too small. Service is important to this family business and all customers are treated equally. Customised wallcoverings offer huge growth potential in a sector that continues to expand. Alan attributes their success to the fact that they offer a turn-key solution. They manage every part of the process from the initial site inspection, through printed production and on to fitting which is also part of their service.”
IMAGECO PARTNER WITH HP TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER SUSTAINABLE PRINTED PRODUCTION FOR RETAIL GRAPHICS AND POS
“When we saw the quality coming off the HP Latex 800W, and once we had evaluated the positive impact the machinery would deliver for our factory’s environmental workflow, we knew that it was the right technology for us. We were also impressed by HP’s recycling programs. Being able to recycle our HP Ink cartridges with HP Planet Partners, ensures that our waste products don’t become new products and don’t end up in oceans or landfills.”
INDUSTRY TRENDS: THE DIGITAL IMPERATIVE AND THE DIGITAL WORKFLOW ACCELERATE PACE
“Digital manufacturing technologies continue to disrupt the traditional workflow of the textile industry. Market shifts have created new channels and opportunities where workflow software solutions (which were initially created and deployed to bridge analogue and digital technologies) now enable parallel or independent production across continents – and facilitate close proximity production.” FESPA
DESIGNER Q&A - MEET CHARLOTTE RAFFO OF THE MONKEY PUZZLE TREE - LUXURY INTERIOR FURNISHINGS - WIN BRIT LIST AWARDS
“Winning the award for “Best in British Product Design” were Charlotte Raffo and the team at the Monkey Puzzle Tree for their unique Metamorphosis linen union. Metamorphosis was created in collaboration with artist Kirsty Greenwood and is a fantastical large-scale design on a natural undyed and unbleached linen union fabric.”
HOW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND DATA EMPOWER NEW BUSINESS MODELS AND GROWTH - A VISION OF THE FUTURE ACCELERATED BY THE PANDEMIC
“Facilitating savings in a whole line of resources, from physical storage and production space to time and energy, micro-factories ultimately have the potential to significantly increase profitability for garment manufacturers, with the additional benefit of being easily scalable as production increases.” Mark Sollman - Mimaki
BRITISH FASHION JUST TOOK A LEAP FORWARD TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING - THE FASHION TECH INNOVATION CENTRE
“When we all talk of nearshore or close proximity production, there is always an unspoken truth. Sewn manufacturing (or CMT to those within the industry) – and its local availability. Textiles once printed, are always cut and sewn into a final product. Supply chain challenges of the last two years have exposed a sewn skills gap, and further highlighted a significant lack of manufacturing knowledge readily available here in the UK – making the reshoring of sewn goods in any volume a difficult proposition.”
ISA SPA OF LOMBARDY - LUXURY ITALIAN FASHION AND EPSON MONNA LISA DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
“Luxury is our one and only reference market. ISA collaborates with brands that are positioned at the top end of the market, and our strategy is to provide exceptional service, quality and innovation with no compromise. All of which demands very high-quality prints and high-performing fabrics”
EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION - THE CREATIVES IN RESIDENCE PROJECT CLOSES WITH A SPECTACULAR SHOWCASE
“The projects aim was to deliver a learning experience where the graduates would benefit from practical learning, expert tuition, hands-on access to digital equipment and the full support of the CMYUK team alongside industry mentors and peers. The graduates have also benefited from the combined efforts of the sponsors application specialists who have visited the site to share their expert knowledge and training.”
DISCOVER HOW WHITE INK TECHNOLOGY FROM HP IS PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF INTERIOR DECOR TO CREATE NEW APPLICATIONS FOR PRINT
“A number of industry practitioners from across Europe joined the webinar to share their inspiring case studies and their knowledge and practical experiences. Representing a huge variety of high value applications for public spaces, like offices, hotels, retail food environments and other décor applications.”
EXPLORING COLOUR MANAGEMENT FOR THE METAVERSE AND OMNI CHANNEL RETAIL TO REDUCE RETURNS
“If we look at the fashion sector, the most common reason for return is incorrect sizing. The second is poor colour and that’s what we will focus on today. The impact of poor colour management must be addressed and resolved if we are to really switch to on-demand manufacturing and accurately replicate the digital twin.” FESPA