Epson Surecolor Industrial Dye-Sublimation Machines Help Florida Fabric Printer Cope With Seasonal Demand

Image Courtesy of Epson

As a large web-to-print manufacturer of home furnishings, Catalyst Fabric Solutions of Florida fulfils orders for a variety of home textiles, including decorative pillows, draperies, blankets, rugs, accessories, towels, shower curtains, and more.

Founded in 2017 as a division of Meno Enterprises, Catalyst Fabric Solutions decided to focus on home textiles due to the rapidly expanding market and unparalleled variety of custom orders available.

Today, their customers have over 10,000 options that can be ordered through retailers and shipped directly to homes.

“We do not pre-print any order, everything we do is a print-on-demand basis and we drop-ship orders within three days,” said Jim King, operations manager, Catalyst Printing Solutions.

“We enjoy being able to provide customers with the ability to order thousands of designs and provide nearly unlimited options.”

The Need For Additional Equipment

With the expected increase of holiday orders, Catalyst Fabric Solution started looking for another printing solution to keep up with the growing demand.

Catalyst Fabric Solutions was searching for a reliable industrial-level dye-sublimation solution that could help increase production on large projects while still producing high-quality output.

When the team heard about the SureColor F10070 from vendors and distributors, it seemed like an ideal solution.

“When looking into our options, we found we could fit one to two industrial dye-sublimation printers from other manufacturers, but with the compact footprint of the Epson SureColor F10070, we were able to fit eight printers into that same space. Utilizing many high-speed machines is critical for us, as they can all be printing different projects at the same time,” continued King.

Easy Installation During the Busiest Time

The SureColor F10070 quickly proved to be an ideal solution for Catalyst Fabric Solutions, allowing for smooth and seamless production.

“The SureColor F10070 printers were installed in December 2020 – in the middle of our busiest season,” said King. “Had they not been a plug-and-play set up, we would have had some real problems, as we were counting on their capacity to meet deadlines. However, they hooked into our network easily and we were able to begin printing immediately.”

Since then, Catalyst Fabric Solutions has been able to print all their photo blanket orders on the new Epson machines, completing them three times faster than their previous printing solutions.

“The quality of output is outstanding,” continued King, “To date, we have had no reprints required on these printers, which is unusual for us, given the ever-changing Florida humidity.”

In addition to providing production speeds, the SureColor F10070 fit well into the Catalyst Fabric Solution warehouse set up.

When looking into the operation of the SureColor F10070 printers, the Catalyst Fabric Solution team was thrilled with the ease of use and the service Epson provides.

“Everything about this printer is user friendly. Whenever I assign a new printing technician to the machine, they never want to leave,” laughed King. “There are so many simple improvements that make a huge difference, such as the touchscreen. It tells us what is wrong and how to fix it. In fact, the first time our printer needed a replacement part, I had no idea –it ordered the part on its own. I only knew it needed to be installed once it arrived at the shop.”

Expanding for the Future

Since installation, Catalyst Fabric Solution has pushed a vast majority of its dye-sublimation projects onto the SureColor F10070 printers.

“The functionality of these printers has allowed us to open our doors to helping other groups from Meno Enterprises produce more product in mass quantities,” said King. “Currently we are printing everything on our Epson printers, from our photo blankets to POS and trade show signage for Meno Enterprises to promotional goods for the ASI market.”

And Catalyst Fabric Solution isn’t stopping there – they are currently working to add an additional 10 SureColor F10070 printers to their fleet.

“Adding more SureColor F10070 printers to the business will help us expand the quantities we are able to produce year around, not just at the holidays,” said King. “It’s an exciting time, and we’re looking forward to watching how our business will grow further.”