Media: Weaving Dreams The very breadth and scope of these digital inkjet fabrics makes it difficult to pick just one. But should you have to? By Jeffrey Steele of them work with digital printing, whether the type of printing be direct print or dye sublimation? Picking One First, let’s turn to the question of picking a fabric, and whether it is advisable to pick just one. Due to the versatility of dye-sub applications, such as soft signage, flags, sportswear, promotional items, home décor and fashion, an extensive range of fabric options is available to providers, said Reed Hecht, product manager, professional imaging with Epson in Long Beach, CA. Epson’s SureColor 7170 was engineered from the ground up for dyesublimation industrial textile, true roll-to-roll manufacturing. The Lounge and Learn Display Area from the 2015 ISA Expo was printed on fabric (TVF’s Tri Poly). Display by Freeman. There exists a veritable cornucopia of fabrics on the market for wide-format digital printing. The very breadth and scope of these fabrics makes it difficult to pick just one. But should you have to pick just one fabric? In the pages ahead, we examine the selection of fabrics for wide-format digital printing, focusing on several questions. First, what do you need to ask your customers to ensure you have the right material? Next, what do you need to ask manufacturers to ensure you can create high-quality products? Finally, what are the differences worth noting between cotton, cotton/poly, silk, satin, polyester, and other fabrics? And how do each A dye-sub shop typically provides several different print services, meaning the shop will likely be able to offer more than one fabric to customers. According to Eric Tischer, Baltimore, MD-based president of Verseidag US Inc., this is much less a “one-size-fits-all” market than ever before. That’s because fabric manufacturers are increasingly unveiling new products developed to fit very specific applications in today’s market, he said. To narrow down the choices, the quest must begin with the type of print output the print provider is offering. “Our textiles or vinyls will act differently for latex, UV, direct and transfer dye sublimation or solvent,” said Tischer, whose company markets seemee for the digital print applications, and duraskin for architectural fabrics such as structures, tents, biogas domes, truck tarps, and other applications. “We’re always trying to make sure we’re optimizing the fabric for the specific application the print provider and their client require.” Picking just one fabric is not an easy task, said Mike Compton, business development manager for Top Value Fabrics, in Carmel, IN. “The key to picking the right fabric is to understand the details of what the end user desires in the finished product,” he said, adding that key considerations include all the following: §§Who is the end user? §§What are the requirements for durability? §§Will the piece be used for indoor or outdoor purposes? §§What is the look and feel the customer is seeking to achieve? §§How long will the finished product be used? Will it be short term or long term? 14 Wide-Format Imaging | July 2015 MyPRINTResource.com
Wide-Format Imaging July 2015
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