FESPA unveils latest in textile digital printing

Wide format printers with an interest in digital textile printing found a rich seam of innovation and inspiration at FESPA Fabric 2014, part of FESPA Digital 2014, held from 20-23 May 2014 at Munich Exhibition Centre, Munich, Germany.

About 70 exhibitors formed a clearly defined FESPA Fabric trail through the exhibition floor, highlighting equipment, consumables and services targeted towards visitors with a focus on textile applications, from promotional products, home textiles to printed apparel. Prominent hardware exhibitors on the FESPA Fabric trail included, Anajet, Brother, Epson, Kornit Digital, Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland and Reggiani. Visitors found a raft of exhibitors showing specialist textile substrates and inks, giving them access to a wealth of expertise to help them optimise their digital textile offering to customers.

The Fabric Hub provided an obvious focal point for visitors to FESPA Digital 2014 whose interests lie in textile printing, offering a rich four-day programme of seminars, workshops and a showcase of multiple digital textile applications courtesy of Kornit Digital, alongside an area for networking.

FESPA Fabric sponsor Kornit Digital lead daily tips and tricks seminars for digital direct-to-garment printing, while colour expert Marco Olivotto shared his expertise on achieving consistent colour with textile substrates and inks each day of the show. Professor Marc Van Parys of the University of Ghent highlighted new and recent developments in digital printing for different kinds of textile articles, as well as exploring recent innovations in the creation of new UV inks and lacquers tailor-made for digital textile printing. Christopher Bernat of Vapor Apparel/Source Custom focused on how printers can diversify into apparel printing with dye sublimation, with clear guidance on pricing and profitability. A second session with Bernat looked at the pros and cons of direct to garment versus dye sublimation, depending on application and customer base. Thomas Poetz addressed the opportunity in home textiles in a German-language session, and visitors with an interest in textile homewares also had the chance to hear from Debbie McKeegan, Creative Director of digital textile print specialist Digetex Group, about her companys growth as a provider of graphics and home textiles.