Printed textiles on demand
Google asked for T-shirts with 11 different printed characters featured in its Androidify campaign. Time to delivery: 2 hours. Garment Printing, an industry leader in personalized and customized clothing, took on the challenge. Their use of digital textile printers reflects a growing trend within the industry.
When technology giant Google called, it was clear that there was not much time to waste. Google asked for T-shirts with 11 different printed characters featured in its Androidify campaign. Time to delivery: 2 hours. Garment Printing, an industry leader in personalized and customized clothing, took on the challenge. And made it. Increasingly, Garment Printing uses direct to garment digital printing (DTG) to fulfill the needs of its clients, which include big names such as the supermarket chain Tesco, Facebook, Deutsche Bank and the BBC. Direct to garment (DTG) printing is a digital printing process using specialized inkjet technology and specialty inks that are absorbed directly by the textile fibers.
Garment Printing’s use of digital textile printers reflects a growing trend within the industry. While digital printing is still a small segment in the overall textile printing market, it is growing rapidly. According to an Infotrends study, the textile digital printing industry is expected to double every two years. In 2012, the value of digitally printed textile garments, décor items, and industrial products was calculated at 10.3 billion USD.
Google is not the only high-profile client that turned to London-based company Garment Printing. FESPA, the Federation of European Screen Printers Associations with members in 37 countries, needed branded t-shirts for several different events, the FESPA Digital 2014 and the Sign Expo 2014 among them. The t-shirts had to have different designs for each event and the names of different sponsors needed to be printed on them.
Garment Printing decided direct to garment print (DTG) would be the best solution. Of course, stakes were high in this order with printing professionals inspecting and wearing the t-shirts. FESPA seemed happy, if their status as a returning client is any indication. Garmin Printing’s Director Gavin Drake was thrilled that their work had fulfilled the high expectations: “Printing for an industry-leading global federation is an honor for every company, and it confirms the confidence we have in our services”, he said in a statement.
Garment Printing works with musicians, small fashion labels, universities and charitable organizations and fulfills their needs for printed textiles ranging from t-shirts for fundraising campaigns to tote bags and fashion items. For its corporate clients, the company offers all printing techniques available on the market: screen-printing, embroidery, transfer printing, DTG and all-over dye sublimation printing.
The success of Garment Printing illustrates the growth of an industry that equipment manufacturers have clearly noticed. A number of printing companies have released DTG printers, Epson’s Sure Color F2000 series among them. Garment Printing uses GT-3 Series Garment Printer with CMYK and 4 White Print Heads made by Brother, Kornit DTG Machines and a VIPER XPT-6000 Pre-Treatment Machine.
