that it is now possible to mark up almost any kind of garment,” he says, continuing: “For those companies working in the B2B market all kinds of branded workwear is in demand. This can involve significant amounts of a garment being printed or more likely just the addition of company logos on various parts of a garment, for instance the sleeve. “Historically, the garment decoration market has been served mostly by small scale manufacturers taking various components from different sources and creating printing equipment targeted at the smaller producer. As the market has grown and bigger producers have stepped in to fill the increased demand, so have the more well-known manufacturers, such as Epson, starting to design and build printers for this customer base.” Looking at investment in new machinery, McMullin says those businesses stepping into the garment printing market for the first time should look at Epson’s entry-level hybrid systems such as the SureColor F1000 or slightly bigger F2200. He explains that both printers offer the ability to easily print onto natural and man-made fabrics without changing ink. Drilling down into the details of the two machines, the SureColor F1000 is a desktop hybrid direct-to-garment (DTG) and DTF printer. According to Epson, it is the only printer of its type to include white ink, enabling it to print directly onto dark garments and film. As for the SureColor F2220, also a hybrid DTG and DTF solution, Epson says that it has been developed for businesses demanding accuracy, speed, and the ability to produce customers’ complex designs on a variety of garments. Finally, for those looking to upgrade an existing DTF system, McMullin points to the new SureColor G6000, which he says offers “exceptional” image quality and productivity, while volume DTG companies may consider the SureColor F3000 for industrial scale output. Repeatable Revenue Streams Also weighing in is Rob Goleniowski, regional general manager of the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Baltics at Roland DG EMEA. He says garment printing remains a strong growth area, particularly as demand shifts toward short-run, customised, and on-demand apparel. “Technologies such as DTF have significantly lowered barriers to entry whilst expanding the range of applications printers can profitably produce,” Goleniowski says, continuing: “DTF enables high-quality, durable prints without the setup time, waste, or volume requirements of traditional screen printing. “It also removes many of the limitations associated with DTG, such as fabric restric35 www.signlink.co.uk Issue 263 - February | March 2026 GARMENT PRINTERS | ROB FLETCHER Printing technology has also evolved so that it is now possible to mark up almost any kind of garment ▲Resolute says a quality printer is defined by consistency, reliability, and intelligent ink management Research suggests 70% of T-shirts worldwide are made using screen printing 70% ▼ Epson says its new SureColor G6000, offers “exceptional” image quality and productivity
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