The future of transfer printing DST - Digital Screenprinting Technologies Øster Søgade 10 1357 Copenhagen K. Denmark
Contents Who is DST? What does digital offer? Textile transfers Plastic decoration
Who is DST? DST was founded to develop new industrial solutions that combines digital printing with traditional printing technologies. Based on the world-wide system patents that DST have for the combination of digital printing with screenprinting, DST has developed, markets and sells unique solution for producing textile transfers, plastic transfers for IMD and self-adhesive transfers which is an alternative to traditional self-adhesive labels or direct printing.
What does digital offer? The development within digital printing has taken some major steps since the early days. Today there is no discussion about quality or reliability, it is a given for any industrial press. Besides offering top quality printing, utilizing digital printing also means that you are able to reprint any job with perfect color matching, something which is extremely hard for other technologies as the end result is affected by color mixing, temperature, etc.
What does digital offer? With digital printing, you can mix as many jobs as you want on one sheet without loosing productivity, making production planning much easier and dramatically reducing printing costs. Today variable data printing is widely used by printers as it makes it possible to completely personalize any product, either with a serial number, name, logo, barcode, or make the print 100% variable. This technology also means it is much easier to created limited editions and to fight counterfeit products.
What does digital offer? If the garments are sent to Europe or the US to be sold, using transfers means that they can be decorated or marked as they are sold, dramatically reducing the stock and cost for the seller since they only have to stock unmarked/labelled t-shirts instead of having to stock 8 different versions for different customers, without knowing which ones will sell and how fast they will sell.
Examples of digital
Examples of digital
Examples of digital
Examples of digital
Examples of digital
How does it work? The artwork is printed digitally, at the same time films for the white and adhesive screen is printed
How does it work? The two screens for printing the white and the adhesive is developed
How does it work? The DST white is printed onto the artwork and the ink is cured
How does it work? The DST adhesive is printed on the white and the ink is cured
How does it work? The transfer is now ready to be transferred onto the intended product
Quality The print quality is superior to anything produced with screen printing of offset printing. The transfer is extremely durable and will pass any wash test used in the industry. The choice of different DST adhesives means that transfers can be produced for high temperature washing, dry cleaning, work wear and leisure wear. Today the transfers have passed tests by: Nike Adidas Fruit of the Loom There is no rendering or change of quality from printed substrate to end product
The Green Aspect The DST solution is an environmentally friendly system since the transfers contains no: PVC Phthalates APEO The transfers can be Eco-tex certified since the toners used in digital printing also are environmentally friendly The transfers have passed skin irritation tests conducted by one of the biggest clothing brands worldwide Since all colors are printed digitally customers no longer need to have a big stock of mixed colors are throw away excess color
Advantages No need for expensive separations of multicolored jobs Optimization of production as 2,3,4,5,.. colored jobs can be mixed on one sheet Low consumable cost per sheet / meter Only printing white & adhesive on the screen press dramatically minimizes time used for preparation, setup, waste, cleaning, etc. Proofs printed on the press are actual production samples
Security features Impossible to copy with traditional printing Use of variable data, from basic to advanced Sequential or random numbering Changing barcodes Use of QR (Quick Response) barcodes
Security features Changing logo s Use security toner invisible toner, light up under UV light Use variable data together with security toner Micro text Special colors for specific accounts
Examples of QR codes
Examples of QR codes
Examples of QR codes
Examples of QR codes
Examples of QR codes
Target materials Because of the choice of different adhesives from DST, transfers can be produced that can be applied onto literally any type of garment or material. Some of these includes: Spandex Neoprene Polyester Cotton Cotton blends Stretch fabrics Knit and woven materials Polyurethane and PVC fabrics/films
Applications There are a number of applications for the textile transfer system from DST, however the two major ones are: Product decoration Product marking/labeling
Product decoration Anything from chest logo's, back prints to numbering of sportswear can be printed with the DST system. Unlike for example offset printed transfers which has a rough feeling, the DST transfers are very soft and have a nice feel. Utilizing the digital printing technologies, companies can create limited editions or personalized garments, thereby increasing the value and interest in the garments. You could imagine shirts with personalized greetings from a football or baseball player.
Product decoration Or making individual shirts for the different players on team, making a limited edition shirt when the team wins a certain match, etc. All of the above can be produced without any significant cost since all that is needed is to print the artwork digitally and then screen print the white and the adhesive. If this is to be produced traditionally, up to 16 screens would be needed, or if printed in offset, a high volume would be needed to justify the costs.
Neck labels The DST system offers a unique solution to the branding market branding, care instructions, etc. Today the garments are typically branded either with woven or printed labels or a direct print in the neck (typically 1 color). The limitations to the woven/printed labels are that only limited amounts of information can be added to one label since fine text & logo's can not be printed. This often results in 2 or 3 labels in each garment. Due to the technologies used to produce the labels, it is expensive to add more colors and as most end users do not like the labels since they irritates the skin, most people removes the labels, thereby removing not only the care instructions, but also the logo & brand name.
Neck labels Labels produced with the DST system can be produced in either sheet or roll format so the labels can be supplied in singles or rolls. Due to stability, the 75 or 100 micron liner is used for the singles production, while the 36 micron liner is used for the roll production. The advantage of the roll production, is that the transfer time is no more than 2-3 seconds and the operator only has to place and replace the garment to be labelled.
Neck labels Transfers produced with the DST system can also be used for rebranding, as transfers can be produced that completely covers and already existing label. Due to the quality and fine details that digital printing offers, all information can be included on one transfer: branding (logo), care instructions, size and origin of the garment. The fact that the transfers are printed on a polyester liner is a big advantage in this market, since the transfers are sent to locations that often have a high humidity, which can destroy transfers printed on paper.
Economy Producing transfers with the DST system has a number of financial advantages for the producer due to a number of reasons: Standard prepress operation Drastic reduction in amount of screens to be produced Operator can run press and prepare jobs Screen printer does not need to register x amount of screens No inks have to be mixed and then stored or thrown away All types of jobs can be combined on one sheet Optimal usage of every sheet Reduction of stock
The DST solution Release liner We offer a choice between paper or polyester release liner, depending on the application, the printer or digital press that you are going to use. Polyester: 75 micron, cold peel. Paper: 110 grams, hot peel 110 grams, cold peel Both materials are available for toner based and HP-Indigo enginees.
The DST solution Ink White ink Water-Based, contains no Phthalates, APEO, PVC, solvents or other harming chemicals. Has superior opacity Water-based adhesive contains no Phthalates, APEO, PVC or other harming chemicals. With this adhesive it is possible to get Eco-Tex certification. Plastisol-based adhesive 3 different versions are available for different applications
The DST solution Turn-key The complete DST system has been extensively tested and a number of customers worldwide are running production with the system every day. The range of adhesives means it is possible to produce transfers for any type of garment and at the same time pass all tests in the market including skin irritation, high temperature washing, drycleaning, etc. In short, the combination of digital and screen printing offers the high quality, flexibility & durability that is in the market.
Plastic decoration InMoldDecoration Utilizing the DST patents, DST have developed the first digital industrial solution for IMD production. Like with the textile transfer system, the digital print is screen printed with a white or clear ink & an adhesive specially formulated for the plastic the print is to be molded into. As the product is being molded, the print becomes part of the object with an extremely high scratch resistance and a quality which is superior to what the current technologies used have to offer.
Plastic decoration Hard surfaces A new development from DST is a solution for hard surface decoration. The application is developed for pail decoration, but will also be attractive for a number of other applications within the cosmetic and consumer goods industry. The process is based on a special paper release liner, printable by the HP-Indigo roll-fed devices. After printing, including white when needed, the print is flood-coated with a special adhesive from DST. The print is then ready to be applied to the pail/container by heat and pressure in a roll-2-roll application.