Textile and fabric printer Mereton Textiles has become the first company in Australia to install Mimaki’s textile pigment transfer printing system, TRAPIS.
Founded in 2004, family-owned and operated Mereton Textiles specialises in custom printing on natural fibre fabrics, polyesters, vinyl, and wallpapers.
The company’s services include sublimation printing for soft furnishings, residential and commercial applications, fashion, and swimwear, as well as natural fabric printing including linen, cotton, printed vinyls, laser fabric cutting artwork services, and more recently, direct to film printing.
Over the past year, the company has significantly expanded its operations, relocating to a larger facility in Penrith, Western Sydney, and investing in new equipment to boost production capacity.
The latest addition to Mereton’s lineup is the TRAPIS (Transfer Pigment System) system – a two-step textile pigment transfer printing technology developed by Mimaki.
TRAPIS eliminates the need for pre-treatment and washing, resulting in up to 90 per cent less water usage compared to traditional methods. This nearly waterless process is ideal for a variety of applications including home textiles, and enables high-quality, vibrant prints on a broad range of materials – from natural fibres to blends and synthetics – using a single ink set.
Fabian Aliano, general manager at Mereton Textiles, said the TRAPIS system has not only increased production speed and volume but also aligns with the company’s commitment to sustainability.
“Being the first in Australia to [install TRAPIS technology] enables us to do things that others can’t do,” Fabian said.
According to Joe Aliano, managing director of Mereton Textiles, one of the key advantages of TRAPIS is the broad range of fabrics it can be used with.
“[TRAPIS] is not limiting us to a certain range of fabrics. There’s no pre-treatment or post-treatment required, so it opens the doors for our clients to even supply fabrics that we might not have previously,” Joe said.
“Before, natural fabrics weren’t an option. It had to be fabrics that we had. Now, it could be a woollen fabric that a client wants to give us, or a silk fabric. So, there are new avenues that we’re seeing open up, which is very exciting. By having no limitations, the opportunities we can create using our imagination is endless.”
Fabian emphasised that sustainability remains a top priority for the company, and TRAPIS aligns with that mission.
“TRAPIS is at the forefront of the eco-conscious movement. It was the catalyst that made us say, ‘Mimaki with TRAPIS is taking the initiative to push more sustainable ways of printing and sourcing sustainable materials; let’s take that same stance and push it across all our Mereton range’. The responsibility is on all of us. Mimaki has done theirs; we’re now doing ours, and it’s also up to clients to do theirs – we will push that responsibility onto our suppliers as well,” he said.
“As a company, we’re moving towards the direction where everything is cleaner, more energy efficient, and safer for the environment.”
In addition to sustainability, TRAPIS has also delivered a noticeable boost in print quality.
“When you compare TRAPIS to our already implemented natural printing process, the colours are at least 50 per cent brighter,” Fabian said.
“The penetration on the fabric is better. The overall appearance has more life to it. It’s no longer in the fabric; it is the fabric. I think that’ll really resonate with a lot of customers as well.
“It will give our customers more confidence in the quality they are seeing and also what they want to envision on their product.”
He added that the versatility of the TRAPIS system is helping expand Mereton’s product range.
“The TRAPIS versatility does allow us to expand our product range. Previously, we’re limited to [specific] weight cottons and linens; it now opens the doors to other products that we previously could not directly print on with our old system. TRAPIS allows us to print on virtually anything we want,” he mentioned.
Fabian said the installation of TRAPIS system into Mereton’s operations was a smooth transition, crediting the support provided by Mimaki and its team throughout the process.
Watch Joe Aliano and Fabian Aliano and from Mereton Textiles discuss the TRAPIS system below
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