The digital textile printing market is growing rapidly due to the rising trends in customization, smaller batch production, faster product availability and higher ecological requirements. At ShanghaiTex 2019, several printer manufacturers introduced how their innovations meet the latest market requirements.

EFI Reggiani featured sustainable printing solutions for direct-to-textile production and denim dyeing under the theme of Innovation in Green.

The company showcased the future in innovation with the range of superior-quality EFI Reggiani scanning digital printers; the company’s short and environmentally friendly direct sublimation process offering; a new FUOCO acid ink range; and DENIM technology, a highly sustainable, breakthrough continuous indigo rope and warp dyeing and denim fabric finishing solution.

EFI Reggiani featured sustainable printing solutions under the theme of Innovation in Green.

EFI Reggiani VOGUE is designed for direct-to-textile printing in fashion and sportswear applications. 

In an exclusive interview with CTA, EFI Reggiani Senior Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni said: “The sustainability development in the textile industry has been very important. In the past, being sustainable is just a slogan. But now, more and more consumers are considering sustainable garments and the brands are launching green products to fulfill market needs.”

“Textile solutions from EFI Reggiani are changing the way textile and apparel products are designed and produced, bringing environmental sustainability to the industry in a big way,” said Genoni. “For example, the VOGUE printer is rewarding textile producers that not only deliver high efficiency, but also sustainability and a lower environmental impact.”

EFI Reggiani team at the press conference. (First from the left) EFI Reggiani Senior Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni.

The EFI Reggiani VOGUE is an industrial textile printer designed for direct-to-textile printing in fashion and sportswear applications. The VOGUE printer is capable of using virtually any type of textile ink. At the show, it was running with EFI Reggiani IRIS sublimation inks to showcase direct-to-textile printing. The EFI Reggiani direct sublimation process ensures superior colour brightness and penetration, as well as fast turnaround time, while increasing sustainability by avoiding transfer paper waste.

Genoni said: “The VOGUE printer boasts an innovative recirculation system that saves ink and reduces maintenance during machine operation and between stoppages. The recirculation system also reduces the need for specific air conditioning and humidity controls, saving energy and reducing overall usage costs.”

EFI Reggiani develops and produces a whole range of water-based inks from reactive to direct disperse and disperse sublimation, pigment and acid. New at ShanghaiTex is the EFI Reggiani FUOCO range of water-based acid inks, which are specifically designed to deliver superior-quality prints for highly demanding textile applications with unmatched colour depth and vibrancy.  

Ricoh Company, Ltd., introduced Ricoh’s Digital Micro Factory (DMF), Direct to Garment printer "Ricoh Ri 100" "Ricoh Ri 1000" and a number of print heads at the show.

At the same time, during a press conference, the company launched the RAMP-UP RICOH Apparel Manufacturer’s Partnership by Universal Platform.

Ricoh introduced DMF workflow at the booth.

During the press conference, Koji Miyao, Chairman and General Manager of Ricoh China Co., Ltd. said, by incorporating sustainable development concept, Ricoh Group will continue to develop technologies in the printing field to open more possibilities.

Koji Miyao, Chairman and General Manager of Ricoh China Co., Ltd.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya Morita, Corporate Vice President of Ricoh Company, Ltd., and General Manager of Industrial Printing Business Group, announced the concept of Digital Micro Factory (DMF) and officially launched the consortium, committing to solve social problems on environment and safety for apparel production eco-system.

As introduced, DMF provides a workflow to manage all processes from textile design to shipment. DMF is an open system that can be connected to other printers or machines of other vendors. The workflow is traceable for printing textiles, cutting and sewing processes, while errors can be prevented and production efficiency can be improved.

Morita also revealed that the company aims to realize the sales of DMF workflow cloud solution and textile printer of JPY 10 billion by 2025.

Indian digital printing technology supplier ColorJet India Ltd. is eyeing to expand its footprint in the Chinese Market, deriving volume growth in the world's largest textile market.

According to an IDC report, the company has more than 33% market share in the super wide format digital ink printers in India.

Kamal Kulshreshtha, Head of International Business Development & Sales, ColorJet India Ltd. told CTA that the company has already established a team in China and is gradually developing its business.

“The Chinese market has maintained a strong momentum in the past few years, so we hope to successfully enter the Chinese market in the next few years,” he explained.

Kamal Kulshreshtha, Head of International Business Development & Sales, ColorJet India Ltd. and the high-performance printer Metro.

ColorJet ran live demonstrations of its most preferred direct to fabric printer Vastrajet on pigment ink. The Metro, a high-performance printer on reactive inks for fashion apparel producers, was also on stage.

The Vastrajet is equipped with ColorJet's latest technological innovation AiSTM (Adaptive Ink System), and was designed to print directly onto various types of natural and synthetic fabrics such as cotton, polyester and blends.

It is available in four and eight color variants, and is built on industrial grade jetting assembly. For outstanding print quality and registration, it uses an adhesive belt with built-in automatic washing system.

The Vastrajet direct to fabric printer has a compact design.

Meanwhile, the Metro is a modular, versatile industrial production printer with Kyocera print heads. It is equipped with variable drop printing technology which enables higher resolution of 600x1800dpi. The productivity can reach up to 350sqm per hour.

“Order volumes this year have been exceptionally strong, so we are looking forward to continuing the momentum by having live systems running at ShanghaiTex. China is the biggest market and ColorJet will be looking to make its presence felt in China,” concluded Kamal Kulshreshtha.