Profitable short runs and personalisation are set to drive the digital textile printing industry to double in size every two years. Of the global textile industry, value at a trillion dollars, an Infotrends study has found that digitally printed textile garments, décor and industrial products was valued at US$10.3bn in 2012. The research suggests rapid growth is ahead with sales of digital textile equipment and ink expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39 per cent, which means the market will more than double every two years.
US print outfit Spoonflower allows website users to upload and sell their own designs as fabric, wallpaper and giftwrap
The growth is largely thanks to new digital printing technology that is lowering barriers to entry for smaller printing companies, who are keen to embrace new markets based on shorter runs and personalisation. The textile market follows the trend in the paper printing world, with shorter offset runs migrating to digital – as rotary and flatbed screen textile printers need individual screens for colours and patterns and are not cost-effective for short runs. Digital textile machines, on the other hand, can run short jobs at a fraction of the cost and setup time and are making even one-off personalised pieces affordable. While the fashion industry is increasingly interested as it shies away from mass production, interior decoration is another market as curtains, blinds, furniture upholstery and carpets can now be customised. Several digital textile printers have arrived on Australian shores this year and Australian printers looking to diversify into growth markets saw them on display at Visual Impact. Epson launched textile printers fitted with its new PrecisionCore inkheads, including the SureColor F7100 for medium to high volume fabric and soft signage production. Roland DG just launched its first ever textile printer with the 64 inch RT-640 dye sublimation transfer printer, available next February and running at 22sqm an hour. Finally, Australian technology developer Impression Technology is offering dye sublimation printer and software packages for textile printing under its Pigment.com brand starting at $30,000. The consensus among suppliers at the expo was that Australia is similar to the US in that the market has been slow on the uptake of textile printing, behind the UK and Asia, but interest is rising.
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