Marrying fashion and technology, the Epson “Digital Couture” event in February featured 11 designers’ collections created using Epson’s dye sublimation printing and demonstrated the design freedom and capabilities of the technology for the fashion industry. “Many print companies today are looking to limit SKUs and the amount of media they need to inventory, Compton said. “Picking one fabric as a ‘workhorse,’ fabric is a viable idea and is being put to good use by savvy printers. “With a great fabric vendor, it is fairly easy to choose a fabric that will fit multiple needs and end uses such as tablecloths, backdrops, front-lit banner and banner stand applications, as well as many other applications.” While picking one fabric as a constant and reliable product for meeting a wide variety of customer demands and end uses is a great idea, there are print opportunities requiring specific fabrics to be sourced and used, Compton added. Examples include backlit fabrics, fabrics for display that require an optimum look or hand, and print projects that require the PSP to always provide an excellent white point with roll-to-roll consistency for reorders and reprints. Customers grow reliant on the printer’s ability to be consistent, he added. Once this reputation is attained, it becomes much easier to capture continued business and new opportunities within your customer base. “Many customers are now specifying a particular fabric for their end use,” Compton said. ”The key growing trend in the market is to ensure you can provide a fabric that meets the customer requirement. “Better, it is important to be knowledgeable of fabrics in the market that can meet or exceed customer needs. Often customers call out a fabric by a trade name that may not be their best option.” He advises finding a fabric vendor able to provide viable solutions and options while being proactive with customers and supplying them with sample books that allow them to choose products best suiting their needs. For print shops, this proactive approach not only limits the amount of fabric that must be inventoried, but also shows customers that solutions can be offered for all their needs. “With the wide variety of fabrics available, print shops are facing the challenge of having to deal with many suppliers to meet the needs of one customer that requires one fabric,” Compton said. “This can cause headaches from sourcing to inventory to supply. As a printer, educating yourself and your company regarding fabric options and opportunities is critical. Finding a supplier who is willing to work with you and your customers is crucial to success.” What to Ask Customers Producing a high-quality product starts with understanding the end use and requirements customers have for finished products. As Compton said, many print jobs can be met with a “workhorse” fabric. But all fabrics are not created equal, and you must make sure you have the right one. “The backlit print market is one of the fastest-growing markets in the industry,” he said. “However, not every fabric is suitable as a backlit fabric. The optimum backlit fabric should be constructed in a manner that not only provides premium print results but also virtually eliminates wrinkles when inserted into a backlit frame. You should not be able to see pinholes or hot spots where the lighting behind the fabric shows through which will detract from the finished product.” Determining upfront the end use of the finished product is the crucial starting point toward a goal of exceeding customers’ expectations. That means determining the look and feel of the piece, and the durability desired, he said. §§Is it a tablecloth or backdrop to be used once or many times? §§Is it for a roll-up banner stand needing to stand the test of time? §§Is it a flag fabric requiring complete penetration that will eliminate the cost and labor of printing two sides and additional sewing? “Relying on your fabric vendor to help you achieve the desired finished product for your customer is a necessity,” Compton said. Tischer reported the questions to ask customers go beyond whether the use will be indoor or outdoor and how the materials will be finished. Customers may need a product that has a particular denier or thread count for longevity outdoors. “If it’s indoors, you’re getting into more of the application, and what type of hand or stretch characteristics are necessary,” he added. “We try to be more of a solutions provider, rather than saying, ‘Just use this fabric.’” Jaimie Mask, product line manager with LexJet Corpora Wide-Format I MyPRINTResource.com maging | July 2015 15
Wide-Format Imaging July 2015
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