by [TC]²
A monthly column of technology rambling, rumination and reality
By: Jud Early, Corporate Vice President, and Chief Technology Officer, [TC]²
February 2006
Hello, faithful readers,
The tag line below the masthead for this column states that it is rambling, rumination and reality. This month it is composed of all three. I hope you enjoy the discussion. I’d love to have your feedback, especially if you have strong feelings about the topic.
BUILD IT AND WILL THEY COME?
There is no cause for alarm. You are not experiencing a transient dyslexic episode. The question mark at the end of the topic is to allay your fears. And, no, I’m not one who gets the lines from movies wrong, at least not most of the time. What I’m posing here is a really difficult question, and is a subject that is of concern to me.
The topic that raises concern with me is digital printing of textiles, and the current and future rate of adoption. Is digital printing a technology in search of a solution, or is it a solution which, despite the promotional efforts of many, is a misunderstood and underutilized technology? I believe it is the latter.
The many benefits of printing a digital file, just before the time of need for the printed product have been understood for many years. The graphic arts use of digital printing date back to the late 1980’s, with refinement of technology and rate of adoption in print shops across the country moving at a rapid pace. By the mid 1990’s, printing firms that did not employ digital technology were falling behind their competitors with the dire result that many, mired in the analog world of fixed type and printing plates did not survive. Maybe it was time for the owners of such companies to retire, and digital was just the nudge needed. It is my belief that many were just passed by while they stood rooted in the past.
Today, printers for graphic arts still lead the way in speed, with accompanying high resolution.
The Columbia Turbo Printer from INCA
Capable of printing up to 160 square meters per hour in normal mode, the machine above can produce finer resolution at slightly lower speed.
NUR’s Expedio 5000 machine capable of 150 square meters per hour
One of the leaders in the development of high speed digital printing for the graphics industry was Scitex, acquired less than six months ago by Hewlett Packard. A machine was shown at FESPA 2005 that incorporated the Scitex Aprion print engine in a system that printed high resolution graphics on corrugated paper sheets, first picking from a palletized stack, and after printing and drying, restacked the sheets neatly onto a receiving pallet. Offering high speed and high productivity, although at what is probably a substantial cost. It can be seen then, that digital printing has filled a need that before was only a wish, and has done so in fine technological style.
What then, is our wish, the collective wish from the textile and apparel community? Unlike the graphic arts community, the soft goods supply chain is dotted with individual wishers that wish “someone else” would do it, but refuses to allow their boat to be rocked by the advance of technology.
The advent of rotary screen printing for textiles established certain requirements for the economical use of printed fabrics. First, the fabrics must be able to accept dyes that will color the fibers which make up the textile. Second, the production of only a few yards is not cost effective due to the need to produce screens for each color used, a costly process which led us to minimum run lengths that were often in the thousands of yards. Such long runs were necessary to amortize the investment in screens that had to occur before even one yard or square meter could be printed. The adoption of rotary screen printing has served as a barrier to new technology, since printing firms had invested millions of dollars in equipment and facilities to do printing on textiles. With such investments, made over a number of years, and tax laws that required extended depreciation schedules, replacement of in-place equipment was not desired by the customer base. What was in place would be good enough. Therein rests the current day problem, and the source of my growing concern.
In the beginning, digital printing was tagged as suitable for samples only. One of the contributors to this was Stork. With the introduction of their first digital printer at ITMA , Hannover Germany in 1989, the ability to create true color sample yardage in small quantities became a reality. At the time, a few machines were dispersed around the world, and with painfully slow speed of printing, the machines became known as sample printers and the success of the technology became a future barrier to acceptance of newer types of digital printing machine. There is a certain irony here, but I’ll come back to it later. I don’t want to prematurely disclose one of my arguments.
In previous columns I have told of visits from industry leaders during which digital printing technology was under discussion. One of the first questions asked is “is it as fast as rotary screen yet?” This question, rooted in the mindset that digital printing is for samples, is the first thing that comes to mind. I’d like to change that, and am asking for the help of all who have occasion to discuss digital printing for textiles. When the question is asked, as it inevitably will be, please respond with something like this: “May we restate the question? Is it fast enough to make a significant difference in the profitability of my (your) company?” If the use of digital printing can be seen in a completely new light, it may be a technology that adds to the value of product offerings in a way that cannot be met by longer run screen printed goods. If the retailer or brand owner is open to new ideas for alternate lines of business, digital printing can become the vehicle.
One of my colleagues recently had the opportunity to ask a well known brand owner about the company’s interest in digital printing. The executive replied that they would be interested, and outlined some of the requirements for using digital printing technology. First, the thing that makes digital so versatile, being able to change colors images and print styles quickly were of little interest to the brand owner. Their lines, styled many months in advance are composed of ensembles that must mix and match with other members of the family at retail. Well, what about a mid-season color change? No, that has little appeal, for the same reasons. Style change? No, exchanging little flowers for big flowers of the same type would probably do nothing for the coordinating of components, but would add to the number of SKU’s and a mid-season marketing problem. Well, what if we could use digital printing to fill in the broken stock that has resulted from unexpectedly good savings? Now there is an idea… or so it seemed. Since the brand produces such large volume, the use of screen printed fabrics is no barrier, and the cost of screens is not a big consideration either, since so many yards of fabric will amortize the cost. So, can we fill in the sold-out items? Well, no, because we cannot afford to mix screen printed with digitally printed garments on the same rack. They just won’t look right. OK, down to my last proposal, what if we print a limited range of product digitally and use digital printing to fill in missing sizes as sales blow past forecast? No, the cost of printing everything digitally won’t work because we obtain so much fabric from off-shore where costs are much lower. Digital cannot compete, and every item will have a higher cost. The scenario that you just read is fictitious, but is excerpted from a real discussion, and after going full circle, the brand owner, while having interest in digital printing, could not take advantage of the benefits because of the heritage that the brand has, and the fine line it must walk with its retail partners.
So what are the barriers? Perception? The concept that digital is too slow for production? Inertia? The supply chain that is accustomed to product flow in a controlled manner, a manner that resists change to the status quo?
I postulate that one of the problems in adoption of digital printing in soft goods is a lack of imagination and willingness to take risk. This is not an indictment of anyone or any institution. It is an observation that has been repeated for more than ten years, as we evangelize the benefits of digital printing, and find no souls seeking salvation.
Earlier I mentioned an irony in that Stork’s early printers had helped to erect a barrier in the form of user perception. Now, it is Stork, among others who are putting digital printing to work, and are doing so in ways that exploit the unique capabilities of Digital, while offering customers new business opportunities.
A Stork Printer – helping launch new businesses for customers
The ability to introduce “trial balloons” of new styles, in limited quantity, and to respond to customers orders in a timely manner, all the while introducing more new styles and retiring those whose popularity has waned. Providing product that has variable information on each piece in substantial quantities, and allowing the catalog merchant to offer swimsuits from a catalog photo, which in some cases may never have been made before, but are printed, sewn, and delivered in the span of a couple of weeks. These businesses do not operate in a traditional way, but use new technology to run circles around competitors.
The area around Lake Como in Italy is renowned for its fine silk products. For almost one hundred years, the silks have been printed with flat screen table printers, or rotary print machines with many different colors. As might be imagined, the time to set up, register screens, and clean up may require as much time as the production run.
The Reggianni Printer – capable of high speed and high quality
Due to the high quality required, digital has been late to arrive in the region, but today we are told that twelve printers from Reggianni are in place in Italy, with several around Lake Como. These machines are capable of speeds of 150 meters per hour in high resolution, and can produce up to 300 meters per hour with resolution that might be seen in a 125 mesh screen print. The adoption of digital printing in this region speaks volumes about its feasibility, and its almost imperceptible impact on the environment.
Yuhan- Kimberly has announced the availability of nano-colorants. The totally new chemistry holds profound promise for digital printing on many substrates and is resistant to all failure modes of common dye based colorants.
Xaar is in the process of scaling production for a new print head called the Hybrid Side Shooter, it promises speed multiples of what is possible today. A completely new design, the head benefits from continuous ink circulation within the head itself, but is still a drop on demand head design. Its gray scale and drop size capability make it well suited for textile printing. Production quantities should spawn new higher speed digital printing machines.
In addition to the equipment developers, system integrators and chemistry providers, the software RIP developers and the pre and post print finishing machine manufacturers all have huge investments in a technology that is mischaracterized. It is for these real pioneers that I share my concerns this month.
If THEY build it will YOU come?
There is much more exciting technology that is being developed. As soon as developers make public the developments that are now in the labs, we’ll be here to tell you more, and to encourage your thoughts around new business concepts.
From atop my soapbox,
Until next month, be safe in life, and in computing.
Jud