With digital fabric printing picking up as a major trend in the fashion arena and increasing number of designers using the technique to value add their garments, the trend is quickly moving from the high-end ramps to the streets with retailers now looking to store designs in digital prints. To support this growing trend, technology and ink providers too are now looking at the segment as a growth area and investing to provide more cost-effective alternates for mass production. Interestingly, even as the market in general slows down those connected with the digital printing industry are seeing steady growth as the technique attracts both retailers and consumers…
With most fashion techniques being revived from traditional crafts and cultures, digital fabric printing is probably the greatest innovation of 21st-century fashion. The printing revolution means that the textiles print isn’t just the new big thing, but is becoming more important and more recognizable than the logo in the branding of fashion companies – whether it is Prada, Pucci, or Jil Sander. This fashion season has seen a resurgence of digital prints on the ramps and on the shelves of fast fashion retailers. In fact, digital prints are the biggest and most widely used technology today in all collections seen for S/S 2013.
Digital printing technology is enabling creative individuals to get their ideas out and on to fabric, making fashion livelier and more expressive. Besides the enhanced visual appeal and photo finish, digital printing is also hyped as the printing technology for the future as it has four major advantages over conventional printing methods, namely it is an environment-friendly technology, cuts down wastages, has faster changeover time and requires less manpower.
Market for Digital Prints
Over the time, the vastly improved digital printing technologies have allowed designers to innovate while sprucing up their brands. From Akris to Mary Katrantzou, the A-list designers have brought out their tech-filled collections to the runway this season by using digital prints of tropical jungle, submerged flowers, landscapes, spirited bows, and wrapping paper.
The type of prints that have been created using the digital imaging techniques include abstract, submerged, mirror, psychedelic and photographic prints. Designers have also showcased bolder, louder prints in a flurry of shapes, themes, and patterns. The eye-popping prints add a much-needed dash of dynamic to fall’s darker palettes. Christopher Kane, Erdem, Issa, Mary Katrantzou, Moschino, Cheap&Chic, Mulberry, Roksanda Ilincic and Temperley London make up for the much sought after list of designers reinstating digital imaging as the most popular technology being used currently. Well on trend these prints give life to the garment and create a surreal effect by adding much character to any garment.
Dries Van Noten has used the effect of digital imagery of tropical landscape all over the garment while Ann Demeulemeester creates an effect of dark to light shading of a dark colour palette.
Initially, due to the higher cost of digital printing as compared to screen prints it was either new designers or high-end couture companies that were more inclined towards using the technology. But today, almost a decade after textile digital printing surfaced it is not just high-end couturiers that have their hands on this technology but retailers like Topshop and Zara are not far behind in making use of it to create inspiring graphics that can trickle down to the masses as well. Yet, as the technology is expensive retailers price their merchandise at higher value which makes for their limited edition or exclusive collections.
Psychedelic prints, idyllic florals and the nautical stripes are types of prints that many mass retailers showcase as a part of their merchandise. Whether trousers, blouses, T-shirts, dresses or skirts, this imaging is seen on mostly all types of staples and separates. Abstracts, florals, bold patterns, colour splashes, animal prints or novelty prints are the key trends prevailing in the market to pick up from. Bold, playful, subtle or eccentric digitally printed bottoms as well as uppers are at a roaring rage this season.
Challenges in growth of digital printing
The cost of digital printing has been the biggest challenge in greater adaptability of the technology. While users are enthusiastic about the flexibility of the technology and the creative options that it offers, technology providers both of the machines and the inks are working closely with the industry to make it more mass production friendly. “Everyone is talking about increasing the speed of the machines to improve productivity and bring down the ‘per piece’ cost of digital printing, but it is not the only solution,” says Hirofumi Kitaguchi, GM, Marketing and Sales Mimaki. He adds, “There has to be a balance of speed and quality and to be honest the quantities are still too low to justify very high speed. What we are working at is to introduce more economical models for small runs, which is India’s core strength.”
Though the price of the machines is very high, most of the technology providers agree that compromising on the quality of the machine is a big mistake. “In fact, it will in the long run actually be more expensive as the cost of ownership is much higher,” says Parag Kothari, MD, Jay Instruments, which is supplying Italian made digital printer La Meccanica to the Indian market.
Adds Anil Kumar, Director, Angel India, “It is important to work with the best of technology because reliability and consistency of performance can only be guaranteed with top class brands.” That is why when Anil decided to get into digital printing he associated with Mimaki as a dealer. Only two months into the field, Anil is already confident that being a relatively new technology for the industry the scope for growth is immense. In fact, the growth potential of the segment is not in doubt by anyone… the debate point is when will the technique be viable for mass retailers?
Interestingly, there are two schools of thought, while one segment believes that the technology is designed for high-end market and it is this niche which gives value, there is another segment which believes that once the price issues are sorted out, the technology will add a new dimension to the mass market. “It took more than two decades for digital printing technology to make a visible presence in the advertising world, how we can expect the technology to sweep the textile segment in less than a decade. Even the cost of ink used in digital is still 20 to 40 times higher than conventional ink, the technology is suited for high-end and smaller quantities and the industry should accept the same,” reasons Vimlesh Arora, MD, JN Arora & Co. that provides various inks to the printing industry.
[bleft]The cost of digital printing has been the biggest challenge in greater adaptability of the technology. While users are enthusiastic about the flexibility of the technology and the creative options that it offers, technology providers both of the machines and the inks are working closely with the industry to make it more mass production friendly. [/bleft]
Indeed, cost of ink is a concern, but some chemical companies are investing to offer cheaper inks. Among them is Jaysynth Group, which anticipated the growing reach of digital printing about four years ago, and backed by its more than 40 years of experience in the ‘colour’ business invested in a new range of inks specific to the digital industry with the vision to bring down the cost of digital printing and bring the technique into the mainstream. Its latest offering, the Digitex – DT range of inks, which are about 30 per cent cheaper than similar inks from foreign manufacturers are aqueous based disperse dye base inks for digital textile printing that offers wider application for printing on polyester and nylon and are compatible with different head types like Epson piezo electric inkjet print head, Mimaki, Roland, Mutoh to name a few, using a variety of software. The inks having high level of fastness properties provide high colour yield, brilliancy and excellent colour gamut, besides being clog resistant so as to provide long run printing without waste of ink and costly down time. “Our effort is to give inks which are at par with the quality coming from European and Japanese companies, but at better prices and supported by a technical team for optimal productivity,” says Sharadchandra S. Kothari, CMD, Jaysynth Group.
In the meanwhile, the deeper penetration into the industry can be seen in the growing number of machines being installed and industry estimates suggest that the number of machines will double every six months for the next three years. Very optimistic projections no doubt, the ignite comes from the Surat market, which is taking to digital printing in a big way. “The growth in digital would go the way embroidery machines grew in Surat. The requirement of digital printing machines is going to be mind blowing,” predicts Vijay Kandhari, Partner, Negi Digital. The company offers Mutoh digital printers and inks to the industry.
However, not necessarily that mass producers will use cheaper machines; they may have different service levels. “Those working for the high-end market will assure colour matching to approved samples, the quality of inks will be better, the machines will run at slower speed and the quantities will be limited,” adds Kandhari. He predicts that whereas the high-end digital printer will offer prints at around Rs. 250-300 per metre, the mass producer will be able to offer the same print at Rs. 125 or may be even less.
How the segment will eventually role out is yet to be seen, but the interest in the technology is immense. Many exporters are investing in the technology and Bombay Rayon Fashions, which always believes in being prepared for the future has already invested in 28 digital printers.
“The target is to have 500 machines, then only will there be economies of scale and the cost at par to rotary printing,” argues Aman Agrawal, Vice Chairman, BRFL. He admits that the demand in the current market does not require so many machines, but then the investment is for tomorrow. Some other exporters who have invested in the technology include Paragon, Matrix, Orient Craft, Eastman Exports to name a few. In fabric Dtex Prints, Gokul Tex Print, Niharika Dyeing Printing Mill, Veronica Digital and Swastic Value Addition are some major users.
However, not all companies are as upfront and many are using outsourcing services. A leader in this area, Krishna Alkali, Mumbai has seen around 25 per cent growth in their business as compared to last year. “Slowly but steadily more customers are opening to the possibilities that digital printing can offer. The biggest draw has been the small runs that digital printing offers which minimizes the possibility of dead stock at the customer end,” says Anish Maheshwari, MD, Krishna Alkali. Most of the growth has happened in the export markets, which is still more open to paying for digital printing.
With a current capacity of printing 60,000 metres per month, the company has gone in for expansion and by end September the company should stand at a capacity of about 1,50,000 metres per month. “With our setup we are able to offer an average price per metre of around Rs. 175 with an average run per design of about 500 metres. As time passes, digital printing is being considered as another printing method rather than “an exclusive concept of digital printing”, adds Anish. He is very positive about the future of the business. “The prices are on the decline but the quantities are increasing exponentially, what we need to do is to invest in pre- and post-printing machinery so that we can remain one up against competition from China, Bangladesh, Turkey to really make India a hub for this technique,” he concludes.
