How to drive growth with customisation

In this article, Nick White, pro graphics business manager, Epson (UK), explains how you as a garment decorator can drive growth with customisation.

Have you considered what exciting opportunities the custom apparel market could offer your creative print production environment?

It is set to grow by USD 1.13 billion from 2020 to 2025 globally, and at a CAGR of 5.79%, according to a recent report from Technavio. Much of this growth was attributed to an increase in the use of customised T shirts as a branding tool.

It is opportunities for greater customisation like this that are driving digital textile printing growth.

Importantly, more than a third of consumers interested in personalised textile products will pay a premium for them.

So says Smithers’ The Future of Digital Textile Printing to 2026 survey. It expected digital textile printed volume to increase 13.9% CAGR from 2021 to 2026, to reach 5.531 million sq m annually. During the same period digital textile printed value will increase by 12.7% CAGR to €6.951 billion annually. Smithers went on to predict rapid growth from 2021 to 2026 as the overall printed textile industry recovers from the global pandemic. Asia was expected to return to pre-pandemic levels first, followed by North America and Western Europe and the rest of the world.

One of the reasons for this optimism is digital textile printing’s low global printed textile market penetration. It currently stands at 6% and Smither’s expects it to reach 10% as the technology and supply chains catch up with demand.

Operations looking to capitalise on this growth opportunity can add digital textile printing capabilities quickly and simply. When investigating what systems are available the following three considerations could help ensure long-term success:

1) Ease of use

Direct to garment (DTG) printers are increasingly sold as plug-and-play systems that can be run as part of an existing workflow. Look for those that are intuitive to operate and consistently deliver high quality results. The production process should be as smooth as possible to maximise productivity. Ideally, once the artwork has been submitted and accepted the garment is loaded onto the printer plate and water-based CMYK and white pigment inks are applied directly. For dark garments an underlayer of white ink is printed first and they often require pre-treatment in the process or embedded in the material. A heat press or tunnel dryer is then used post-print to cure the inks. The finished garments can be immediately dispatched for fast delivery. There is also no need to store jobs post-production.

2) Application versatility

The ability to deliver a broad range of applications by printing artwork directly onto T shirts, hoodies, jumpers or any 100% cotton garment (it is also possible to print onto poly/ cotton blends depending on the fibre mix) allows operations to address a variety of market demands. Inks that are Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 compliant ensure suitability for a greater number of products.

3) Scalability

Versatile DTG technology enables operations to grow in a measured and supported way. DTG printers are generally scalable and require just a small space for desktop options managing smaller print volumes. Floor standing solutions are then employed for more industrial volumes.

To better understand what your business needs are, and the right solutions to choose, speak to a specialised reseller that will help you explore all the options. Find one that fits your ethos, reflects your values, and will support you long after the initial investment is made. Also choose a brand that is committed to product development that responds to market demands.

Every day Epson invests $1.2m to support its systems and solutions including textile printing, which Epson defines as a growth area fort its business. This has resulted in a fast-growing portfolio of systems. Among them are the versatile SureColor SC-F3000 DTG printer, capable of producing complex designs onto a variety of light and dark cotton garments, and the SureColor SC-F2100 that offers a complete direct to garment package for designing and printing T shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, baby clothes, tote bags and other cotton items. There is also the the SureColor SC-F100, Epson’s entry level A4 dye sublimation printer, which is predominately aimed at the gifting market.

These highlight just some of the production capabilities possible that can help operations capture some of this growing sector. See how DTG can impact your business.