The digital textile printing market is growing rapidly due to the rising trends in customisation, smaller batch production, faster product availability and higher ecological requirements. At the ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018 in Shanghai, two digital printer manufacturers shed lights on how their innovations meet the latest market movements.

Kornit Digital’s solutions match the short-run trend

Kornit Digital globally launched the Storm HD6 as it participated in the exhibition.

The new model allows mid-size businesses to benefit from high-definition image quality and improved hand feel, as well as a substantial reduction in cost per print.

Kornit said the Storm HD6 was launched after the successful adoption of its HD technology in the market.

It reported that 150 HD systems and upgrades were ordered by October since it released the Avalanche HD in the first quarter of this year.

Although the Storm HD6 direct-to-garment printing system was not displayed at Kornit’s booth, the model was promoted to potential customers and ready for purchase.

According to Ms Grace Gu, General Manager, China, Kornit Digital Asia Pacific Ltd., Kornit has more than 10 series of products for different markets. Customers in Europe and the US are less sensitive to price and have higher requirements, while there are a lot more e-commerce businesses in those countries.

She said that China market moved a bit slower than Europe and the US, but the products have good potential for growth. “Development of e-commerce in China is progressing though not as fast. E-commerce is an area that we have continued to develop. More than 100 units of Storm II have been sold in China so far.” 

The new Kornit Storm HD6 includes six color channels (CMYK, Red, Green) plus white, for a wider gamut and improved spot color matching. Users can easily reproduce the true colors of licensed sports teams and accurately match corporate logos. The Kornit Storm HD6 will reduce the ink consumption by approximately 30% compared to the current Kornit Storm Hexa, – meaning higher print quality at a lower cost per print.

Kornit’s NeoPigment Rapid ink, specifically developed for Kornit’s HD technology, offers an improved hand feel, as well as increased opacity and saturation of white ink. The print quality is further enhanced by ColorGATE’s Professional RIP solution, adding advanced color management and screening capabilities, improved white base creation and pre-defined color libraries for ultimate color matching.

Ms Sandy Lui, Marketing Director, Asia Pacific, said Kornit’s machines do not require pre- or post-treatments in the printing process and use pigments that invented by the company.

The technology has great potential in China because it is eco-friendly and waterless printing, she explained, and HD technology was developed in response to market demands: good hand feel, low cost, quick response to market, customisation and small-batch production.

Ms Gu added that the trends of digital printing brought energy to the traditional textile industry. “In the past, people thought digital printing was only for T-shirts, but that’s only a part of it. It can also be for other clothing from jeans and knitted products, nonwoven bags and home textiles, etc.”

She said Kornit will continue to promote its digital printing technology to new and old customers. “From day one, Kornit’s direction is eco-friendly and customisation, while other companies always do different things and not so specialised,” she said. “Kornit has its own software, machines, pigment and printing services. That’s our advantage.”

MS Printing Solutions working towards sustainability

At the show, MS Printing Solutions S.r.l., a subsidiary of Dover Corporation, displayed two best-selling machines in China, which are JP7 and JP4.

Mr. Alessio Zunta, Business Manager of MS Printing Solutions said that the two exhibits are designed for the different volume needs of the digital printing segment. JP4 is a small industrial printer with the production speed up to 8 colors of 155 square meters per hour. It can accommodate up to 8 print heads with a standard resolution of 600 x 600 dpi.

The medium-sized industrial JP7 printer has recorded the production speed up to 8 colors of 255 square meters per hour. The printer can accommodate up to 16 print heads, while offering a standard resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. 

As introduced, the common features of all MS digital textile printers include drop size from 4 to 72pl, open software system, embedded remote diagnostic, and embedded web server for cost report.

He underscored that a very important concept which distinguishes MS product range from its competitors is the S.P.R. (Same Print Result). It allows customers to select any level of the product range and achieve the same print result, by using the same ink and software.

Talking about the industry trend, Mr. Zunta pointed out that the company is working toward sustainability. “Traditional printing makes pollution and waste a lot of water and electricity. Our digital printers almost don’t have any wastes.”

Compared to traditional fabric printing methods, he said that the Digital Textile Printing (DTP) by MS Printing Solutions requires less water because fabric washing is unnecessary and there are no screens or printing rolls to clean. The process also reduces dye and chemical waste, lowers energy consumption and requires far less room because the printing equipment is smaller and storage of screens and cylinders is eliminated.

Meanwhile, Mr. Zunta said that China is one of the biggest markets for the company. Other markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh are also growing significantly.

He was satisfied with the sales performance of the company. “In China, a total of 200 machines have been sold until now and we have two single-pass machines in China. Globally, we have sold over 2000 machines and almost 30 single-pass machines.”

In addition, he disclosed that the company is going to launch a smaller and more affordable single-pass machine at ITMA 2019.