colour spectrophotometer for consistent results and the ability to print two rolls of 1.6m material at the same time. Plus, it’s the only dye-sub printer on the market with thermal print heads, meaning no need for expensive engineer visits.” Research into this sector is certainly key as investing in certain materials and machinery drastically affects your quality and workflow if not executed correctly. Iain Clasper-Cotte, managing director at FaberExposize/Northern Flags, states: “Fabrics that appear to have the same specifications can print very differently, so unlike UV or Latex printing where you can almost print out of the box, fabric takes a lot of trial and error to select the right substrates and to develop profiles that deliver the right results.” As a large provider of wide-format print in the UK, FaberExposize has garnered a great deal of expertise in fabric printing, having worked for a number of the world’s biggest print management, advertising, sports, and event companies Clasper-Cotte adds: “We started with inline fixation printers and while they look straightforward, the limitations of control and flexibility meant we actually sold them after only 18 months and moved to separate sublimation with our Monti Antonio and Klieverik machines. 38 ▲ The HP Stitch S1000 comes highly recommended by RA Smart as a practical and adaptable machine for signmakers Mighall explains: “R A Smart was originally established as a bespoke manufacturer of specialist short run textile printing equipment but has since become a large and well-known supplier of digital large-format printing solutions. “The company bared witness to the pioneering days of digital textile print technology in the late 1990s and has partnered with the leading machine manufacturers supplying and supporting customers throughout the UK and Ireland.” R A Smart has a long and rich history in printed textiles as not only a supplier of equipment, but also as a commission screen maker, printer, and weaver. In 2022 the company celebrated its 50th year in business, leading to its reputation and wealth of knowledge. Mighall says: “We’re proud to be partnered with leading machinery manufacturers including Mimaki, HP, Fujifilm, Transmatic, Polytech, and more to bring our customers the latest in digital print technology.” Discussing investable technologies and the industry as a whole, Mighall comments: “Textile printing is one of the fastest growing sectors in wide-format print. The market is heading into a ‘boom phase’ and there’s a great amount of potential to capitalise on. Within textile printing itself, dye-sublimation is one of, if not the, most popular print methods. It’s a perfect starting point because it offers a solution for a vast variety of applications – from sportswear to soft signage – with a relatively easy process. Mighall points out that many wide-format companies can already enter textile printing with the addition of a heat press and an existing vinyl printer and/or cutter. “In my opinion, the HP Stitch S500 is a fantastic place to start. Partner this with a Transmatic calender heat press and you’ll have a 1.6m solution capable of producing stunning prints by the roll.” For businesses after a larger machine, Mighall suggests the 3.2m-wide HP Stitch S1000, adding: “It comes with a built-in ▼ FaberExposize UK has recently expanded its fleet of machinery with new wide-format machines Methods of fabric printing include directto-garment (DTG), direct-to-fabric (DTF), heat transfer, sublimation printing, and screen printing Factoid TASTE FOR SUCCESS / TEXTILE AND GARMENT PRINT email: news@signlink.co.uk February / March 2023 - Issue 245
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