Among the many technologies on display at the recently concluded ITMA, digital printing emerged as one of the most sought-after and also the fastest evolving trends in terms of R&D. From just a few players a decade ago, the segment had around 35 players at this edition with many predicting two halls by the next show, four years on at Barcelona. Though digital printing is already a well-established technology, in other areas of application it is relevantly new to the textile segment, but growing very fast. According to industry experts the expansion in volume of digitally printed fabric is around 25% per year and in 2014, textile printing produced about a billion square metres of fabric around the world of which only 2-3% was realised with digital technology.
It is interesting to see that while the industry is still on the learning curve of digital technology, the machines being offered by the various players are very high-end and improving by the day. While speed, quality of prints, easy functionality and ink compatibility are some key areas of R&D, the industry particularly in the emerging markets of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan is still positioned at the entry point. Talking to some garment manufacturers from each of these markets, it was obvious that though they recognize the future potential of the technology as also the need to start looking at it today, but the cost of printing and the lack of understanding of what best suits their setup is still hampering the investments.
With his inherent understanding of the Asian market, particularly in the Indian sub-continent, Vinod Krishnamurty, who has been involved with the technology for almost a decade, shares that the dynamics of printing as a whole is changing. “While at one end the cost of conventional methods of printing is increasing without any real improvement in the quality of printing, the cost of digital printing has been declining. The user has a choice to stick with the old technology at higher price or go in for a much higher technology at some extra cost and that is where the shift is happening,” says Vinod. Adding to the thought, Andrea Turiano, Area Sales Manager, Reggiani says, “Quantities are getting smaller, even in Asia, and it makes sense to invest in digital printing technology which is capable of handling more complex designs faster.”
The sustainable edge enjoyed by digital technology has been highlighted time and again, and according to Tomohiro Ikeda, MD, Mimaki, pioneers in digital printing technology from Japan, one of the biggest reasons for the continuous growth of the technology in textiles is the eco-friendly nature of the technology as against the traditional methods which require not only longer process of operations, but also good quantities of water and energy. “The next decade is going to be very exciting for digital printing industry, as demands for eco-friendly technologies is going to become the yardstick for growth,” avers Ikeda.
However, many digital printers which are upbeat on the future of the technology, frankly admit that the cost of the technology and cost of running the machines is a major constraint even today. “How does a company justify an investment when the demand is still niche and cost of the final output way above the ‘price bracket’ that brands/retailers are willing to pay for value addition,” questions Hayato Kobayashi, Asst. Manager, Textile Business Group, Konica Minolta. Besides, the company has just launched the new Nassenger 10 which is a high volume model to handle bulk production similar to the capacities produced by conventional flat screen textile printers. Kobayashi claims that any manufacturer looking at large lot-print jobs with uncompromised quality will find the new machine very economical.
Responding to industry needs, R&D by all the companies is directed at ‘viability’. In an interesting tie-up three companies, each expert in their field, have come together to introduce textile industry-appropriate digital technology. While Epson is a well-known name in digital textile printing, For-Tex is a leader in dye thickeners and textile pre-and post-treatment machines, and Robusttelli is among the leaders in textile printer engineering and production. “Factories cannot afford any added cost and our new Monna Lisa machines (Monna Lisa Vinci and Monna Lisa EVO TRE) ensure that as they are built for enhanced reliability. Moreover, they can furnish designs with up to 12 colours,” says Paolo Crespi, Commercial Director, For-Tex, one of the proud partners in creating EPSON digital solutions.
One major direction that emerged at ITMA was the evolution of ‘single-pass’ digital printers. Launched at the fair and attracting huge crowd at all its demonstrations, PIKE printer by SPGPrints claims to have raised the bar for single-pass digital printing technology. The technology based on the Fuji Samba print elements has highly accurate and user-friendly print-bar technology, including specialized electronics as well as an ink conditioning and ink delivery system called Archer whose longer jetting distance reduces substantially the risk of head-strike which can damage these expensive components. “Archer technology assures fine line detail, blotches and tonal curves, thanks to its high resolution, large drop-size range and high jetting frequencies,” said Jos Notermans, Commercial Manager, Digital Textiles, SPGPrints, sharing that KBC Fashion GmbH (KBC), of Lörrach, Germany bought the first PIKE machine, setting the ball rolling.
Though, single-pass technology is being touted as the answer for matching the quality and economic viability of rotary screen machines, not everyone agrees with the concept. “We are not interested in single-pass technology and feel that it is not appropriate for textiles since once put in the machine there is no second chance to make changes or corrections as may be required. For a creative application this can be a big disadvantage,” says Andrea. He believes that with proper up-stream and down-stream solutions the scanning system of digital printing is the most productive.
Another experiment which many swear by as the next big development, but many others reject as unsuccessful, is the combination of analogue and digital technology for better performance and economic viability. “10 years ago Reggiani tried to combine the two, but it failed to take off, I don’t think anything worthwhile or revolutionary has happened in that direction to change the fortune of the concept,” says Kevin J Myers, Commercial GM, New Business, Fujifilm Imaging Colorants Limited, bluntly. What he does think is a direction in digital printing as the focus on reliability. “It is becoming important to offer reliable solutions for consistent performance, whether it is inkjet heads, printers or ink and that is where we come in,” adds Myers. The company has just introduced Pro-Jet TX Pigment-based inks with dry heat fixation technology suitable for high-speed printing. Today, more and more companies are looking to use pigment dyes not only because of the environmental advantages (it is not water-based), but also because it involves easier processing; however, most of the pigment dyes available in the market are not of stable composition and damage the ink heads, which has over the time dented the confidence of the industry for pigment dyes. The patented technology from Fuji makes way for stable disposition of the ink under all conditions and temperatures.
Though the concept has grown from just being a sampling help for garment units, the industry is still cautious. “We have a wonderful solution for those looking at home textiles with the newly launched Alpha series of inkjet printer systems which aims at economic efficiency of digital textile printer, but there are also few takers from the Indian sub-continent,” says Vivek Singh, Head Sales, India Operations, Durst. However, he does add that the number of companies making inquiries has increased and bigger companies are looking at installations. The Alpha series offers print widths of 190-330 cm and can be configured with up to 8 colours and 64 Alpha-S print heads that achieve a native resolution of 600 dpi and a print speed of 460 linear metre per hour. With these performance parameters Durst is positioning the Alpha series in direct competition to traditional screen-printing – with all the benefits of digital printing. Compared with the single-pass trend, the Alpha series has the advantage of more economical, more efficient and more reliable printing technology.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
