Ricoh’s Ri 1000 DTG Printer Is Used By French Sportswear Supplier To Produce Themed T-Shirts, Hoodies And Kit Bags
Based in the Île-de-France region of north-central France, TCA Sports is a small but highly entrepreneurial sports clothing supplier.
The company provides high quality teamwear - bespoke basketball, volleyball, football and rugby kits, decorated in team colours - to local and regional sports clubs.
The company’s stylish teamwear stands out on the field of play.
Using its own in-house design team, TCA Sports is able to create custom-made team kits in a wide array of colours, styles and sizes.
The supply is outsourced, with the garments mass produced by an external supplier using a dye-sublimation process.
Extended Product Range
TCA Sports supplements its teamwear business by supplying themed promotional merchandising to the same customers.
Created in partnership with the clubs and designed to appeal to both team members and supporters, the merchandising includes themed T-shirts, hoodies and kit bags.
The supply requirements are different to the company’s teamwear business.
The order quantities are usually smaller, and a faster turnaround is required.
To provide a flexible service and maximise its own profits, TCA Sports prints these
garments in-house using a Ricoh Ri 1000 Direct to Garment (DTG) printer.
Direct To Garment Printing
The teamwear business is seasonal, with team kits typically ordered well in advance of the playing season.
Selling event-themed merchandising enables TCA Sports to extend its sales window.
Using the Ri 1000, TCA Sports can update its product range and reach out to clubs with new ideas throughout the year.
The Ri 1000 is used by TCA Sports to print themed messaging directly onto T-shirts, hoodies and other merchandising. The five-colour process (CMYK+W) allows stunning graphics to be printed onto coloured garments.
And, with Ricoh’s eco-friendly inks absorbed into the weave, the garments have a soft and luxurious finish.
Simple Production Process
TCA Sports finds the technology easy to use.
The Ri 1000 can print around 30 T-shirts per hour, and the digital process allows garments to be individually personalised.
The printer’s touchscreen panel simplifies operation.
Designs can be previewed on the display and progress monitored in real time using the viewing window.
The only drawback identified by TCA Sports is that pre-treating individual garments can be time consuming.
To overcome the issue, TCA Sports sourced a range of pre-treated T-shirts. Because the T-shirts are made from natural cotton and Ricoh’s inks are ECO PASSPORT certified, TCA
Sports is able to market the garments as eco-sustainable
