▼ Soyang Europe announced the launch of SoStick in January, a new range of selfadhesive vinyls 63 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 354 - May / June 2025 TEXTILE PRINTING at a CAGR of 7.4% to 2030. According to analysis from Towards Packaging, the textile printing market is due to see even larger relative growth, increasing at a CAGR of 12.75% from 2024 to 2034. Making the Most of Materials Soyang Europe is a manufacturer and distributor of digitally printable wide-format and superwide-format media and surface coverings for multiple industries including signage and display, design, marketing, construction, and décor. For Shane Furness, procurement director at Soyang Europe, choosing the right material supplier is a vital step to producing the kind of textile prints that will bring customers back again and again. “With the ever-increasing costs within the industry,” Furness says, adding: “It is important to choose a supplier who understands the textile printing market. “As a distributor in this sector for nearly 20 years, we at Soyang Europe understand the difficulties that print companies face, and we look to support them with the latest advancements in textiles. We have a large stock holding of product and a direct link to our factory. All this helps to keep costs as low as possible while retaining the advantages of consistency of supply and product quality.” Continuing on the theme brought up by both McMullin and Menéndez, Furness also sees the biggest advancement in recent years being the increase in sustainable textiles. “The options are vast and the increase in availability of textiles produced with recycled content at a competitive price point means that these products are now a genuine option for both the printer and their end customer,” he explains. Soyang Europe, headquartered in Altham, Lancashire, offers seven different PVC-free banner material solutions and seven further textile products made from recycled PET yarns. These ranges cover a wide selection of material uses including backlit fabrics and black back banner material. On its website, Soyang stresses that “PVC-free is no longer the niche choice. Nor is it the case that choosing the more eco-friendly option means settling for lesser durability or print quality." In his description of Soyang’s material range, Furness hints at further solutions to be released in the future: “We are constantly working with our factory to introduce more and more lines that offer innovative solutions for our customers and their end users”. Along with its partner factory, Soyang Technologies, the company is striving to consistently improve the quality and the number of products available to the end users. As Furness puts it: “The main factory in China is continually investing in new machines and people to ensure we stay at the forefront of the industry.” When asked about the strength of the textile market, he insists that the market continues to grow here in the UK as well as the rest of the world. “With the advances in print machines, finishing equipment, and textiles, the market looks set to continue to go from strength to strength. “The market for textiles is quite mature, and the new innovations are going to be variations of current items already out in the market. A huge amount of time and effort is being diverted into the creation of more environmentally sustainable products; this cannot be seen as anything other than a great thing for the digital print market.” Very Valuable Vision We have so far spoken to hardware, finishing, and materials specialists within the growing textile market, gathering insights on what to consider when choosing your kit and media options, but what is the perspective of a company on the ground, producing bespoke textile prints to order? Along with its extensive range of tradeonly display solutions, Very Displays has expanded its capacity to offer wide-format trade printing and finishing in-house, particularly textile options such as banners and flags. Its current arsenal of textile printing solutions includes an Agfa Avinci CX3200 direct dye-sublimation printer, a Teleios Dgen Grande H12 with a halogen-based drying system, and a Canon Colorado M3 UVGel press. For Kirsty Corcoran, marketing manager at Very Displays, there are a range of factors to consider as a textile PSP. “The complexity of finishing is a key factor,” she points out. “Textile finishing can be more complex than other substrates due to the precision required for cutting and sewing to shape, as well as hemming, which can result in the need for additional machinery and labour to finish to a high standard.” Alongside its printing solutions, Very has refined its finishing options to cover every eventuality. Finishing machines at its disposal include a Titanium digital cutter from International Graphic Supplies (IGS), The global textile market has been valued at £1.44trn in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% to 2030 £1.44trn With the advances in print machines, finishing equipment, and textiles, the market looks set to continue to go from strength to strength
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