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.