A few days separate us from the start of Print4All (May 3-6), which already promises to be one of the hottest events of this printing season.
Great attention will be given to the issue of sustainability, which cannot and should no longer be a slogan, but can be translated into actions and produce concrete changes.
In the textile industry, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing has proven to be more alive than ever, thanks to investments made in developing increasingly advanced solutions and an increasingly broad portfolio of applications. The acceleration given by the demand for on-demand productions and the birth of many successful web-to-print activities is one of the factors driving the evolution of this sector.
Among the novelties present at the fair that perfectly meet the new need for extreme customization of the market is Ricoh Ri1000, which will be presented at the fair and which integrates smart technology, speed and high quality results. A system that guarantees versatility and flexibility, thanks to four-color and white printing technology to create striking patterns even on dark clothes. The large print area allows you to customize a large number of items (t-shirts, bags, polo shirts, hoodies) in different types of substrates (synthetic, natural, mixed fibers) in just a few minutes. Also Epson will present its direct-to-garment solutions, which guarantee high productivity, speed and can print on a variety of light and dark cotton garments. The SC-F9400H printer equipped with yellow and pink fluo inks will be present at the stand. The ink packs are equipped with additional capacity to guarantee greater autonomy and, consequently, more competitive production costs.
Another theme of the center will be the digitization of logistics which, according to what was also stated by Anabel González, Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is simplifying the functioning of the supply chain and the post-Covid economic recovery. The latter translates into a reduction in the percentages of unsold goods and inventories. The introduction of increasingly advanced workflow management systems has made it possible to create limited editions with a high degree of customization.
Marco Pieri, owner and manager of the industry area of Offitek, a company specialized in providing professional and industrial solutions for digital textile and large format printing, confirmed this in an interview on the Fair’s website. “The trend of the moment is, without a doubt, sustainability. Digitizing its production flow allows companies to meet the needs of reshoring and print-on-demand; returning to production on site reduces time and costs related to logistics. – explains Pieri – Thanks to our solutions it is also possible to print micro-productions on demand, reducing waste and stocks to a minimum. We use ecological and biodegradable inks with the highest certification standards such as OEKO-TEX and GOTS.”