Digital textile printing is set to revolutionise the textile industry.  The digital textile printing sector is expected to double its year-on-year global growth and consume nearly two billion square metres of fabric by 2021. In money terms, the textile printing market is expected to be worth $2.6 billion in the next three years.

This phenomenal growth will be driven by increasing consumer demand for personalised products that suits their needs. The rise of e-commerce and the internet accelerates this shift and the volatility in consumer behaviour.

Meanwhile, the textile industry is also, at large, shifting from mass production to mass customisation that is enabled by the advances in digital printing.

The change in consumer behaviour, coupled with benefits of digital printing technology, offers designers more opportunities to find new markets and cater to a variety of consumer tastes.

In the case of Malaysian designer Ellie Norman, her experience using digital textile printing during the 2017 KL Fashion Week showed her that that with this technology, “we can put anything we created on a file onto fabric.”

Digital printing offers greater flexibility in terms of design and users can inject more flexibility into their printing as they can use more complex designs like smooth gradations.

The digital method also enables businesses to focus more on individual and unique customer demands, by giving customers who want more customisation a variety of solutions and products.

Creators can increase their revenue by taking on shorter-run jobs, while increasing their service and product variety.

Nini Marini, a Malaysian artist, was able to bring her art to life on a myriad of home décor and fashion accessories with digital textile printing, customising her art on an array of items for her customers.

Epson’s Digital Textile Printers

Epson offers a wide range of textile solutions. The printers are cost-effective and offer designers a simple and quick workflow. Its droplet technology produces consistent and vibrant colours that are in trend.

Direct to Fabric technology

The specialist direct-to-textile industrial inkjet printer, the Robustelli Monna Lisa, is ideal for all textiles, including made-to-order garments, luxury brands and mid-range fast fashion.

Dye Sublimation technology

Equipped with a robust print mechanism and advanced ink technologies, Epson’s Dye-Sublimation SureColor F Series is great for turning the growing demand for custom-printed products into bigger profits. The design print outs are transferred onto the fabric through heat transfer, known as the dye sublimation process.

With an exceptional print head, The SureColor F-series is well suited for printing polyester fabrics, including sportswear, apparel, soft signage, home décor, as well as accessories.

Direct to Garment technology

The Direct-to-Garment SureColor F2000 technology can be used for cotton products, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts and tote bags. Its imaging technology is dedicated to printing directly to garments, saving you time and extra material costs. The printer features white and colour inks for optimum imaging versatility needed for cotton products.

Ultimately, no matter which digital textile printing technology designers choose, one thing is clear: whether it’s expanding your design or finding new markets, the opportunities that digital printing offers are endless.