María Renée Ayau and Nicholas Hellmuth May Textile Printers. + additional comments

Transcription

1 María Renée Ayau and Nicholas Hellmuth May 2011 Textile Printers + additional comments ISA Sign Expo 2011

2 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo 2011 Please Note This report has not been licensed to any printer manufacturer, distributor, dealer, sales rep, RIP company, media or ink company to distribute. So if you obtained this from any company, you have a pirated copy. Also, since this report is frequently updated, if you got your version from somewhere else, it may be an obsolete edition. FLAAR reports are being updated all year long, and our comment on that product may have been revised positively or negatively as we learned more about the product from end users. To obtain a legitimate copy, which you know is the complete report with nothing erased or changed, and hence a report with all the original description of pros and cons, please obtain your original and full report straight from Your only assurance that you have a complete and authentic evaluation which describes all aspects of the product under consideration, benefits as well as deficiencies, is to obtain these reports directly from FLAAR, via Copyright 2011 Contents Textile Printers 1 at ISA Sign Expo d-gen 2 D.G.I. 5 DigiFab 8 Graphics One 12 Mimaki 14 Mutoh 17 Splash of Color 18 Calendering and Heat Transfer Machines 20 FLAAR Reports on textile printers 23 Observations on the venue for ISA Photo on cover: d-grn print samples.

3 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo 2011 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo ISA is one of the best known and largest signage trade shows in the United States, this year it was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The market for textile printing is growing fast; more and more companies are now developing their own printers, inks, and media to be able to get a piece of this market. If you are interested in printing onto textiles you should take into consideration the printer size depending on your needs: printers of under 74 inches are ideal for apparel, flags, promotional items, and small signage, while printers of over 74 inches are ideal for large signage, upholstery, curtains, and home furnishing. Five members of the FLAAR staff attended ISA this year, to gather information and search for the new trends on wide format digital textile printing. My name is Maria Renee Ayau. I am the person at FLAAR who is working with textile printers, as well as other members of our staff such as Silva Herrera, who works in Barcelona. Here is a list of the textile printers that exhibited this year at ISA, plus comments, and comparative charts. FLAAR staff from left to right: Pablo Martínez, José Melgar, María Renée Ayau, Nicholas Hellmuth, and Sofía Monozón, FLAAR booth at ISA 2011.

4 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo d-gen Teleios GT -gen exhibited one single Teleios GT printer in their booth, which was launched at FESPA Munich 2010 for Europe and FESPA Americas 2011 for the rest of the world. The Teleios Gt is a direct to fabric printer that can be used with different types of ink dyes, this allows it to print on a wider range of fabrics made from natural, synthetic, or blended fibers. The Teleios GT differs from the regular Teleios in that the GT consists of two large units. The regular Teleios is simply the printer by itself. d-gen Teleios GT side view, from left to right: printer, heat fixation unit, and take-up unit.

5 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo The Teleios GT comes with an integrated heat fixation unit, which maintains consistent heat, so the color is impregnated onto polyester textiles at the same time they are being printed. Another feature, is that the printer comes with integrated take up unit and a built-in dryer, so you have everything you need to print in one machine. The printer, take-up unit and heater are independently controlled, this allows you to stop or pause a task without interrupting the rest. Printed material coming out from the heating unit to the take-up unit. Andrea Negretti, Nicholas Hellmuth, and María Renée Ayau at d-gen booth.

6 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Since ISA 2011 was held at Las Vegas, d-gen was printing some casino themed images onto flag material. The images had very nice colors even before they passed through the heater, obviously when they came out of the heater you could see the already brightly printed colors pop and come alive. Model Print Width Media Thickness Media Roll Diameter Teleios GT Media Natural Fibers Cotton Synthetic Fibers Other fibers 74 (187.9 cms) 0.47 (1.2 cms.) (40 cms.) Polyester blends Flag material Ink Type Disperse dye, acid dye, reactive dye Print Heads RIP Brand Colors Price Brand and model Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Power Consumption d-gen 8 colors $158 (2 kilos) Seiko 508 GS Variable: 12 pl, 24 pl, 36 pl d.gen Textile Software Rip Post-heating Printer Price $145,000 Warranty How many months? 12 months Does it include print heads? On the left side, you can see the media coming out from the printer and on the right, the media going into the heat fixation unit kw (printer), 9kw (heater) Yes, if you use d-gen inks Las Vegas themed flag material comming out of the heat fixation unit.

7 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo D.G.I. Fabrijet Fabri-T (1806) D.G.I. exhibited three printers in their booth: two solvent printers and the FabriJet Fabri-T textile printer, they also had a small display featuring LED modules. D.G.I. made UV-cured printers many years ago; then Dilli and D.G.I. decided to divide the market, with Dilli focusing on UV-cured and D.G.I. focusing on solvent printers. The two companies are owned by brothers. But in the last two years D.G.I. has realized that solvent printers are falling out of favor in Western Europe and North America, so D.G.I. has decided to move into textile printing to keep their momentum. The issue is that they are late to the market, because Mimaki, d-gen, DigiFab, and all the Italian companies have been players in the textile market for many years already. Any new player will need to offer a really good printer, and at lower cost. Fabri-T is a dye sublimation paper transfer printer with an integrated heating unit system. One advantage of this printer is that the print does not need any post- treatment, like washing. It prints on the transfer paper which is placed onto the fabric to adhere the image with a heat transfer machine. D.G.I. FabriJet Fabri-T (1806) printer.

8 Apparel samples printing with D.G.I. FabriJet Fabri-T (1806) printer. Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo

9 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo This textile printer is for signage and apparel. At ISA, D.G.I. exhibited several samples of apparel, primarily sports ware and beach ware, which are specifically difficult to print because of the elasticity of the material, since they are mostly spandex and lycra blend fabrics. D.G.I. also exhibited a nice day dress printed on a sheer polyester blend fabric, with a nicely printed abstract pattern. Model Print Width Media Width Media Roll Diameter Fabrijet Fabri-T 71 (181 cms) 72 (183 cms.) 7.87 (20cms) Media Natural Fibers Cotton, silk Synthetic Fibers Other fibers Polyester blends, satin Stretchy fabrics: spandex, lycra Ink Type Dye sublimation Print Heads Colors Brand and model Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Power Consumption 6 CMYK, lc,lm Konica Minolta 14pl Post-heating 3.74kw Printer Price $35,000 Warranty How many months? 12 Does it include print heads? yes Swinwear and sports apparel printed samples. Polyester blend dress (left photo), sportscaps and swimsuits (right photo) and other printed samples.

10 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo DigiFab StampaJet I-64 StampaJet BP-64 The most notable difference between these printers is in the ink feeding system, the StampaJet I-64 has ink cartridges while the StampaJet BP-64 has 2000ml. ink tanks. On the subject of inks, the StampaJet BP-64 can print using disperse, pigments, and dye sublimation inks; while the other model can also print with acid and reactive inks. Ink cartridges for the DigiFab StampaJet BP-64 printer. Bulk ink system for DigiFab StampaJet I-64 printer. Model StampaJet I-64 StampaJet BP-64 Print Width 63.3 (161 cms) 63.3 (161 cms) Media Thickness 3mm 3mm Media Roll Diameter 11 (28 cms) 11 (28 cms) Media Natural Fibers Cotton, silk Cotton, silk Synthetic Fibers Polyester blends, nylon, rayon, satin Polyester blends, nylon, rayon, satin Other fibers Stretchy fabrics: spandex, lycra Ink Type Acid, reactive, disperse, pigment, dye sublimation Disperse, pigments, dye sublimation Print Heads Colors 4 or 8 4 or 8 Brand and model Epson Epson Drop size Variable Variable RIP Evolution RIP Software Evolution RIP Software Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Post-heating Post-heating Printer Price $42,995 $159,000 Warranty How many months? Does it include print heads? Yes Yes

11 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo The other visible difference is the adhesive belt transport system on the StampaJet I-64. This belt makes printing onto elastic fabrics possible, since the fabric adheres itself to the belt so it doesn t stretch during printing to avoid image distortion and provide perfect registration. The I-64 model, comes with a rotary washing unit that removes all excess ink from the adhesive belt, to prevent back printing onto the fabrics. It also has two hot infrared driers, one before the printed fabric rewinder to dry off the print, and the other after the washing station to dye the belt and activate the glue on the sticky belt. Adhesive belt on the StampaJet I-64 printer (above) and pinch rollers on the StampaJet BP-64 printer.

12 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Both models come with the DigiFab s Evolution RIP (Evolution RIP, Evolution RIP Plus version for textile and Graphic s, Evolution Graphic RIP, Evolution Graphic RIP Lite). Alex Izmirlian, DigiFab and María Renée Ayau, FLAAR Reports using DigiFab Evolution RIP software. María Renée Ayau isnpecting printed samples at DigiFab booth.

13 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo DigiFab offers several advantages: first, they have years and years and years of experience in the textile market. Second, DigiFab is 100% dedicated to the textile market. Third, DigiFab offers their own textile RIP software (Evolution RIP). So DigiFab is not a box pusher: they are a source of knowledge and experience about all aspects of wide-format inkjet printing of fabrics for any applications. Avenik Izmirlian, president of DigiFab with StampaJet I-64 DigiFab StampaJet IBP64 textile printer.

14 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Graphics One FlagMaster RIO Pro 54 Graphis One exhibited at ISA 2011, the Flagmaster 44 direct to fabric printer specially designed for flags and banners, and has an integrated heat fixation unit, so no transfer paper is needed on the printing process. It also has an integrated front heater to quickly dry the fabric, and an adjustable tension control bar to stabilize the fabric while printing. One advantage of this printer is that it can print full bleed up to the 44 inches of media width, unlike other printers. Model FlagMaster 44 Print Width 44.2 Media Thickness 2.1 mm Media Natural Fibers Cotton Synthetic Fibers Other fibers Polyester blends Flag material Ink Type Dye sublimation Print Heads RIP Brand Colors 4 Price $150 Brand and model Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Power Consumption GO Xtreme Dye Sub Inks Epson Dx5 Variable Wasatch SoftRIP Post-heating Printer Price $24,995 Warranty How many months? 12 Does it include print heads? Amps / 13Watts Only for 6 months GO Flagmaster 44 flag printer at Graphics One booth.

15 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo GO RIO Pro 54 was also exhibited at Graphics One booth, this is a water-based dye sublimation printer it prints directly onto the transfer paper. Some of the samples exhibited at ISA, included apparel, textiles, and promotion items. Graphics One is a Mutoh distributor, especially for Latin America. So some of their textile printers have a Mutoh chassis. Graphics One also has contacts in China, so can source both printers and fixation units there too. Model RIO Pro 54 Print Width 54 Media Thickness Media Roll Diameter 3 2.5mm Media Natural Fibers Cotton, silk Synthetic Fibers Polyester blends, nylon Ink Type Dye sublimation Print Heads RIP Brand Colors 4 Price $155 Brand and model Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? GO Xtreme Dye Sub Inks Epson Dx5 Variable: down to 35pl Wasatch SoftRIP Post-heating Printer Price $12,995 Warranty How many months? 12 Does it include print heads? Only for 6 months GO RIO PRO 54 printinting samples at Graphics One booth.

16 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Mimaki TextileJet Tx-400 JV Mimaki exhibited several printers at ISA 2011, two of them were textile printers: the TextileJet Tx-400 and the JV printer. Model Print Width Media Thickness Media Roll Diameter TextileJet Tx (185 cms) 0.27 (7mm) 10.6 (27cms) Media Natural Fibers Cotton, silk, wool Synthetic Fibers Other fibers Polyester blends, satin, nylon, rayon Mesh, poplin, knitted fabrics, flock cloth Ink Type Dye sublimation, reactive dye, acid dye Brand Colors Mimaki Sublimation Dye Ink: 4 (CMYK or Bl, M, Y, K), 6 (CMYK, Lm, Lc or Bl, MYK, Lm, Lbl), 8 (CMYK, Lm, Lc, Bl, Lbl) Print Heads RIP Price $164 Brand and model Ricoh 4 Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Acid or reactive ink: CMYK and 4 others: Lc, Lm, Bl, Or, R, Lk Variable: 7pl 35pl RasterLink Pro 5 SG Post-heating Printer Price $98,000 Warranty How many months? 12 Does it include print heads? Yes Mimaki TextileJet Tx-400 textile printer.

17 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Mimaki TextileJet Tx-400 can be used with dye sublimation inks to print directly or to do transfer printing. You can actually use three types of ink with this printer: dye sublimation, reactive dye and acid dye, for now, Mimaki is still doing tests with pigment inks to be used with this printer. The printer comes with a bulk ink supply system that can hold two litter containers, on 16 slots. When one container is empty it automatically is switched and the inks is supplied form the next container, this allows empty containers to be replaced while printing. Bulk ink system of the Mimaki TextileJet Tx-400 printer. Here you can see the two litter ink containers. Ink containers of the Mimaki JV textile printer, front and side views.

18 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Mimaki JV can be used with both dye sublimation for transfer paper for polyester blends, or water-based solvent inks. This printer has 3 heaters: pre-heater, print heater, and postheater to increase drying times. During the trade show some watercolor-like images were being printed onto transfer paper, which was immediately rolled dry, thanks to the heater system of the printer. Of the four Japanese solvent printer manufacturers, Mimaki has the most experience making printers for textiles. This by itself is not automatically a guarantee that their printers are inherently flawless, but Mimaki does have a long-range and long-term commitment to textile printing. The 2.6 meter JV34 is a relatively new printer. Model Print Width Media Thickness Media Roll Diameter JV (236.2cms) 4mm 9.8 (25 cms) Media Synthetic Fibers Polyester blends Other fibers Flag material Ink Type Dye sublimation or solvent Print Heads RIP Brand Colors Mimaki 4: BL, M, Y, NK Brand and model Ricoh 4 Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Variable RasterLink Pro 5 SG Post-heating Power Consumption 2 x less than 1,400W Printer Price $200,000 Warranty How many months? 12 Does it include print heads? Yes Mimaki JV textile printer.

19 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Mutoh ValueJet 1628 TD Mutoh launched the Valuejet 1628 TD at SGIA 2010, the most distinctive characteristic of this printer is that it has dual print heads, so you can print faster or have different kinds of inks loaded simultaneously. The ValueJet 1628 TD printer works with acid, reactive, and disperse dyes as well as with pigments or dye sublimation inks. So if you are printing with acid dye onto cotton, you can switch to dye sublimation onto polyester, by just switching the print job from one set of heads to the other. Just be sure that you have a roll press or heat steamer for acid and reactive dyes. Model Print Width 63.2 Media Thickness ValueJet 1628 TD Warranty How many months? 12 On the subject of switching inks, realize that although you can indeed switch ink types, this wears Does it include print heads? Yes out the printheads because you have to purge out one ink completely before you add the other ink type. Yuhan-Kimberly was always very forthright about stating this clearly: yes you can switch inks, but out in the real world this is not recommended. The price of the printer is lower than other printers in the market, although you have to take into consideration some of the other printers are for heavy duty use, thus the price. An optional take-up roll unit for this printer is available for an extra $2,000, though it is not mandatory. 4mm Media Roll Diameter 7.8 Media Synthetic Fibers Polyester blends, cotton sateen, cotton sailcloth, nylon flag Ink Type Acid dye, reactive dye, pigment, disperse dye, dye sublimation Print Heads Brand Mutoh Eco-Ultra Ink Colors 4 (2 ink types) 4 x 2, 6, 8 Brand and model Epson Dx5 RIP ONYX 7 Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Post-heating Printer Price $29,995

20 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Splash of Color Heatwave DPF-74 Splash of Color had a booth at ISA At first it was not very easy to identify, since the logo on the back wall decoration was rather small. So it was a good thing the printer stood out so people were able to find it. The Heatwave direct to fabric printer, has a Roland chassis, roll-to-roll operation and an integrated sublimation unit by ATP Color (of Italy). The sublimation unit is a heated calender, steel roller that maintains consistent heat from edge to edge, instead of an infrared oven. You can print polyester blends, as well as elastic fabrics, since this printer has a cork covered roller to maintain the elastic materials in place while printing. ATP Color sublimation unit on Heatwave printer. Heatwave DPF-74 textile printer at Splash of Color booth.

21 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Heatwave was printing onto satinated polyester; colors really popped on this shiny material, a bottle of beer was being printed, a nice detail from the water drops of the beer bottle being printed, could be appreciated. Heatwave printer satinated polyester print samples. Model Print Width Media Thickness Media Roll Diameter HeatWave DPF (182.9 cms) 1mm (35cms) Media Synthetic Fibers Polyester blends Other fibers Flag Material, spandex, lycra Ink Type Dye dispersion sublimation Print Heads RIP Brand Roland Colors CMYK x 2 Price $ Brand and model Epson Dx 4 Drop size Is there pre- or post-heating needed? Power Consumption Variable VersaWorks Post-heating 8kw Printer Price $90,000 Warranty How many months? 24 (parts and labor) Does it include print heads? Yes, 12 months if you don t use Roland inks Keith Faulkner (Splash of Color), Roberto Martellano (ATP Color), Nicholas Hellmuth, and Maria Renée Ayau (FLAAR Rrports) at Splash of Color booth.

22 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Calendering and Heat Transfer Machines Advanced Innovative Technologies (Mimaki) DigiFab DigiHeat

23 EastSign Flatbed FOT-1015 MOT-1700 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo

24 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo Graphics One GO Calender DS67 Monti Antonio (Durst booth) Model 72

25 Textile Printers at ISA Sign Expo FLAAR Reports on textile printers We have reports on specific brands when there are opportunities to be provided all the documentation on the printers (User Manual, tech support manuals, etc), when the manufacturer can provide time and personnel to train our staff on the operation of the printer, when there is an opportunity to do print samples, and when there is at least modest funding so we can put together the results in a full-color report. In the long run we also prefer to visit the factory and visit an end-user. For DigiFab our next step is to visit end-users, at which point we will update our reports. In the meantime we have our FAQs report on these printers. There are also FLAAR Reports on MTEX textile printers based on several days of testing in the demo room in Europe and visiting a customer site in northwestern Spain (Vigo). Observations on the venue for ISA 2011 The ISA 2011 Sign Expo banners and signage were visible once you entered the convention center, but walking to the convention center no signage was available to the visitors looking for this trade show or the other convention on medical supplies which was also held at this venue.