May 25, 2016

Textile digital printing for most print shops is synonymous with dye sublimation printing for indoor banners and soft signage.  Dye sublimation is an easy printing process and it is within the scope of services of most print shops. However, when compared to the endless possibilities digital textile printing presents, it is very limited. Extending the textile digital printing portfolio means significant business opportunities.

The obstacles of printing digitally on textile for applications other than signs and banners may seem risky and require a high capital investment such as purchasing new printers, pre and/or post treatment and purchasing different types of ink for different fabric types. However, recent innovations can make the leap towards digital textile printing easier than ever with lucrative advantages for creative print shops wishing to expand.

One of the most notable innovations is the launching of a new Velvet-Jet pigment ink, from ink specialist Bordeaux Digital PrintInk. This is a water based pigment ink for digital printing on any fiber whether natural, such as cotton, or man-made, such as polyester, as well as all blended fabrics.  ‘The one ink for all fabrics’ concept developed by Bordeaux eliminates most of the known issues associated with pigment such as poor performance and low color fastness.  Velvet Jet by Bordeaux has come up with an ink that maintains high light fastness (7/8) and the highest industry standard of wash and rub resistance (5/5), meaning the prints can be used, both indoors and outdoors and withstand repetitive laundry cycles, such as needed in the fashion industry.

Practically speaking, the ink has many advantages for digital textile printer novices:

• the ink can be installed on any digital printer that can run the fabric, so no capital investment in machinery is required.
• Requires only a single, unified pre-treatment for all fabrics making it easy to provide printing solutions for multiple applications on the same production line.
• Requires no post treatment, other than drying.
• Enables considerable environmental benefits and energy savings

The ink offers a real breakthrough for textile printing using existing printers and is aimed to increase commercial possibilities for print shops, looking for the next competitive edge. Taking advantage of full support during the installation and sampling process makes it easy to start using this ink.

With numerous customers already using the ink around the world, the commercial benefits are evident. Print shops are expanding their range applications and consequently their customer base.

With the ultimate ink for all textile printing applications- from fashion, home furnishing, or accessories, servicing small to medium designers, or for customers requiring limited printing cycles of clothing, home textiles or interior. The ‘one ink for all fabrics’ printing procedure changes the digital textile printing arena, and allows, for the first time, every print shop to benefit from the potential of entering the world of digital textile printing.

May 5, 2016

Textiles and clothing has always been a part of the human culture.  The Garden of Eden was the first instance in which man asked to be covered and since then the clothing industry have come a long way.  “Clothes make the man” claims the famous saying but how do we make the clothes? The present day range of fabrics is immense, from natural fabrics such as cotton, wool or silk to man-made fabrics based on polyester, polyamide and other human processed fabrics. The diversity of the fabrics as well as the design was always intrigued by new looks ruled by different outfits and extravagant costumes which gave rise to the elaborate fashion industry available today.  The fast pace fashion industry takes advantage not only of the great fabric variety but also the textile printing possibilities. These possibilities were not always readily available as they are today.

 

Evidence of textile printing was found in China and among the Incas in Peru already in the 1^st century. In Europe printed patterns on textiles were introduced much later due to the difficulty in achieving durable printing, which does not fade or wash off. It was not until the development of a durable dying stuff that enabled the first printing of patterns on textiles to emerge.

 

The initial method used was rather primitive and done by hand. The method of wood blocking in which the pattern in engraved on a wooden block was the first attempt to print patterns on cloth and it is still employed today in some places in India and in Asia.

 

The first successful attempt to mechanically print on a fabric was achieved by an engraved cylinder machine which used copper rollers to print on the fabric. The mechanized system, although its disadvantages, cheapened the printing process by relying less on expensive labor.  Unfortunately, the company building these machines went bankrupt but the process was a major breakthrough in textile printing enabling 6 color printing and set the ground for the methods that followed.

 

The next attempt to improve the printing on textile was done during the mid -19^th century by stencil printing in which a stencil was made according to the pattern which needed to be printed. The stencil was usually of a thin metal material with recesses in the stencil in the shape of the printed pattern. The recesses enabled the ink or paste to be pushed onto the fabric and achieve the design.  The first stencils were done flat and later were mounted on a cylinder roller which revolved continuously on the fabric.

 

All these methods were actually the preface to the most popular printing method most common for textile printing and used until today, rotary screen printing.  The method evolved from the cylinder press which were replaced by rotating drums that are much faster and enable printing of up to 16 colors on a fabric. Although this is an efficient and cost effective method, it does have major drawbacks, especially in the current fashion marketplace. Preparing the pattern takes time and costs money, this has to be taken into account in the pricing of the final product. Furthermore, setting up the printer results in high downtime of the machine. Adding it up, screen printing is the ultimate solution for high volume production but not for short runs.

 

The fashion industry is becoming more and more demanding and lurking for creative and unique opportunities. In order to persevere and meet consumer demands, the need for more diversity led to shorter printing runs. The same process occurred previously in the signage and graphic arts and trickled also into textile and fashion.  Only a decade ago, fashion brands, fashion designers and store owners showcased only two collections per year. The transition in the market in recent years dictated introduction of new items throughout the season. This shortens the life span of the items and requires the industry to adapt and react faster with more fashion items but in small volumes. Even global retailers offer limited edition items and many fashion brands work in 3-month cycle. This is true for fashion and apparel but also for home textile retailers who change their collections rapidly and offer a wider selection of designs. All manufacturers agree that diversity comes in place of quantity.

 

The rapid change in the market required a solution. The solution, as in the case of signage, lay in the adaptation of digital printing also for the textile printing market. However, digital printing was not focused on textile and did not offer a plausible solution for printing on textile.   The emerging of mass customization in textile urged digital printer manufacturers to seek a solution. A solution that can change the marketplace and keep up with the continuous need for smaller quantities yet higher quality production that can be implemented in smaller production space and minimum setup time.

 

A few companies started to introduce digital textile printer equipped with the common piezo printhead. These new printers enabled immediate textile sampling but not commercial printing since the speed was a major issue. More recent textile printers have improved the speed significantly. However, the speed is still a great problem in textile since the ink drying process is more complicated on textile compared to paper and other common substrates used in signage.  Digital printing manufacturers who introduced textile digital printers realized soon after that the main obstacle for textile digital printing is in the ink.

 

The inks used in digital textile printing are mostly dye based. these inks exhibit strong affinity to the fibers but are limited in the types of fabrics since each fiber requires a different type of dye.  Reactive dyes are suited for cotton fibers while disperse dyes are only suited for polyester fibers and the list gets longer for other types of fibers. The specific affinity of the inks to a certain fiber resulted in a very distinct specialization process within the digital textile printing houses. Once a printing house gains experience with printing on a specific fiber, that house usually adheres to printing with a single type of fabric and achieves a high degree of expertise in the process. However, this specialization inhibits customers from printing other fabric types in a single place.

 

One of the main advantages of digital printing houses is the flexibility of printing all the customer needs in a single place.  This does not concur with digital textile printing.

 

The limitation of dye based ink led to the development of pigmented ink for digital textile printing. Pigment inks eliminate many of the fiber particularity associated with dye based inks and enable printing on a wider variety of fibers and especially blended fabrics.  These inks also exhibit higher light fastness, wash and rub resistance. Wider variety, higher durability and a simpler post-treatment process made pigmented ink the main ink used in textile digital printing.

 

However, unlike dye based ink, pigmented ink does not have the strong affinity to the fabric which dye based inks have, yet still require a pre-treatment and in some cases also a post-treatment.  In the lack of affinity to the fiber, the adhesion is obtained by the binder, a co-polymer. The binder is a very crucial component of every pigmented ink and determines many of the ink’s characteristics. The binder must be compatible with the ink components such as its dispersants and additives. The binder must also be compatible with the fabric’s fibers. It is again, the binder that fixates the pigment to the fabric.

 

Many companies have been trying to overcome the limitations of both dye ink and pigmented ink which prevented digital textile printing from becoming a dominant force within the overall textile printing industry.  The solution for the ink quandary seems to have been resolved by Bordeaux Digital PrintInk, an Israeli based inkjet ink developing company that specializes in inkjet solutions for digital printing applications. The company offers a pigmented based digital textile ink which is suitable for all fabric types and a simple one step pre-treatment and no chemical post-treatment.  In addition, Bordeaux is offering the ink with full compatibility to most common printheads such as the Kyocera, Ricoh Gen 5, Konica Minolta and the Epson DX series.  The ink is pigment based but the company claims that unlike other pigmented inks the ink renders the fabric soft and easily suitable also for clothing and fashion.  The new inks exhibit the highest degree of durability of 5/5 in wash and rub resistance. The ink is suitable for a wide range of fabrics including mixed and blended fabrics and for the first time offers a true solution for digital printing on short-run applications.

 

A new pigmented ink that can print on all fabrics is truly a breakthrough in digital printing. The combined solution for digital printing including a textile printer and a compatible ink that enables printing on a large number of fabrics hastened the digital printing penetration into textile and fashion. The embracing of digital printing on textile is the driving force for the fashion industry and contributes in shaping the textile industry as a whole including fashion but also home décor and interior designing markets which can benefit and offer bountiful opportunities for personalized designs.

April 10, 2016

Any veteran printer can spurt out the advantages of digital printing over traditional printing and can discuss with passion the unsurpassable quality and color variety, the absence of plates and the ability to print short runs easily without any preparation. Then how come the adoption of digital printing technology is still slow in many industries?

The graphic arts sector, signage and packaging industry are examples of industries who adopted digital printing technologies alongside traditional printing. Yet, some sectors are very slow to adapt to digital in spite of its advantages. These industries are likely to be high volume printing industries such as paper, industrial surfaces of all kinds and textile. These industries are reluctant to hop on the bandwagon usually due to each application’s particular drawbacks but in most cases manufacturers are simply oblivious to the availability of digital printing’s advantages and capabilities also for high volume industries.

In the textile industry, the majority of textile printing is done in traditional analogue method but there is a growing interest for digital printing on textiles. This demand may have emanated from dye sublimation printing on polyester achieved easily with a simple digital printer usually with the mediation of a transfer paper but the demand may have emanated from the textile industry’s latent acknowledgment of digital printing capabilities. Dye sublimation proved perfect for short runs on polyester and used mainly for banners and flags. However, the mass of textile printing is still in clothing and home textile who are still battling the fabric restrictions limiting the printing onto a single type of fabric, mainly cotton or viscose, but also blended fabrics such as the common poly-cotton or viscose-spandex fabric blends.

Nevertheless, with all the textile diversity the textile industry shares the same barriers. The large variety of fabric types, whether natural such as cotton, wool or silk and man-made fabrics such as polyester and blended fabrics which require different types of inks as well as the need for pre and/or post treatment makes it difficult for the textile industry to turn to digital printing. Any textile printer manufacturer would tell you that in order for textile printing to digitalize, these processes of numerous inks and fabric treatments must be simplified.

While textile is still about clothing and home-use textiles, the textile industry as a whole is one of the largest printing industries in the world with great diversity. Textile printing is also used in industrial textiles which include hundreds of types of textiles for many industries such as automotive, upholstery, outdoor gear, protective clothing, agro-textiles used in agriculture and even engineering textiles used for various technical purposes.

The advantages for digital textile printing is immense and can have a great impact on the textile market as a whole. Today, a major drawback for mass textile printing is the design. Digital printing enables higher color definition with short designing time which is not possible with traditional printing. Furthermore, printing can be done in short runs at low investment cost both in capital equipment and in materials; fabrics and inks.

Another advantage of textile digital printing, which is receiving higher profile attention among manufacturers, consumers and environmentalists is the substantial lower cost of production in terms of electricity and water consumption of over 30{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} savings on electricity costs and almost 95{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} in terms of water consumption.

Savings on stock with the ability to print on demand in small quantities is an additional advantage. This is a great advantage for the fashion industry and especially for small designer collections requiring high quality printing on unique fabrics.

The fabrics being used in the textile printing industry are so diverse that there could be thousands of textile types used. Some are from a natural source, some are man-made, some are coated and others may be pretreated or post-treated depending on its final application or manufacturing procedures. So how can you simplify the printing process?  The answer lies in the ink.

In the current situation in order to print on different types of textiles, whether analog or digital, you would need different types of inks. Each ink is suitable for different types of fabric. On top of the printing quality, the printer must ensure the stability of the ink on the fabric including wash and rub resistance as well as non-fading qualities essential for long term use.

The inks used for printing on textiles are divided into two types: dye or pigmented and all are based on water as its main carrier. With dye inks there needs to be a distinct affinity between the fabric type and the ink that is used for the print, because different inks do not adhere to specific fabric types. Cotton and silk fabrics require reactive dye inks while silk and nylon require acid dye ink.  Polyester requires disperse dyes such as used in sublimation printing. This type of ink specification limits the industry’s ability to provide effective printing solutions and limits the ability to print on blended fabrics.

Pigmented ink, however, as opposed to dyes, are suitable for many types of fabric printing. In fact, a small number of manufacturers now offer pigment water based ink for digital textile printing which are suitable for a large array of fabrics. One ink for all fabrics is the newest revolution for the textile market since it takes textile printing into the digitalized era.

The ability to print on a large amount of fabrics is achievable because of the way pigment ink printing is made. Instead of penetrating the fabric and binding to it as dyes do, the pigments bind to the top layer of the fabric only in a micron thick layer. This allows the print to be done on virtually all types of fabric, providing the correct pretreatment is done. The thickness of the layer and it’s bind to the fabric determine the feel of the end result, where a thick layer will result in the loss of the fabric’s natural feel.

There are a number of high reputation ink manufacturers who offer a uniformed water based pigmented inks for all fabrics and although they all boast of their truly remarkable innovation, there are still some parameters which differentiate one manufacturer from another, especially print quality, the variety of fabrics that can be printed on and the technical attributes of the final result.

One of the newest water based pigmented ink capable of printing on all fabrics worth noting is the Velvet Jet  ink, whose manufacturer is able to provide better adherence to the largest amount of fabric types than any other competitor. The Velvet Jet ink has been tested on cotton, polyester, silk, rayon, viscose, and many other fabrics, as well as different blends of these fabrics, all with outstanding print results. The fact that the ink binds perfectly to all fabrics ensures high print quality and uniform color coverage, without color shifts or shading.

The bond to the fabric is achieved by the ink composition and features and by the pretreatment process, referred to as Optimizer by Velvet Jet. The optimizer can be applied by the user to the fabric in a simple procedure using a padder or purchase fabrics already pretreated. The optimizer enhances the bond between the ink and the fabric providing unmatched ink characteristics.

With all standard ISO tests, the Velvet Jet ink scores very high on all the parameters required for printing on textile. Velvet Jet scored the highest marks for wash fastness and rub resistance (5/5) and 7/8 for color fastness which ranks the product as paramount among its competitors. The Velvet Jet ink displayed very impressive results even when printed on non-treated fabrics, and customers may want to try both treated and non-treated fabrics in order to decide on the right process for them.

In addition to the large variety of standard clothing fabrics, Velvet Jet was also tested on leather and synthetic leather (PU) and produced the same quality print results. This opens new markets for use with textile ink apart from garments. The home décor and furnishing industries can now produce custom made and limited addition lines in an effort to stand out from the competition.

The textile digital printing scene is warming up and presents a challenging solution for the industry. If the pigmented water based ink would live up to the standards it has set forth, the textile industry would be another of many industries that the digital printing revolution has infused with new opportunities. Designers, textile manufacturers and digital textile printer manufacturers all have a lot to look forward to since they will be entering a new era in textile printing that could shake the textile industry to the core.

March 1, 2016

The textile industry is one of the world’s largest industries and it has come a long way. The textile printing industry represents 30 billion square meters of material volume on an annual basis worldwide.

Digital inkjet printing has already made an impact on the world of signs and promotional graphics turning it into an on-demand, fast-turnaround industry. What’s keeping it from impacting the textile printing as well?

Industry data shows that after a decade of advances in digital printing technologies for textile, only 2{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} of the world’s printed textiles are produced digitally. This raises an important question:  What is the reason digital textile production is still a niche market? And what are the trends and barriers that influence the textile market and its technologies.

When examining the textile market, especially the fashion design sector, we witness a change in this market needs. There is a growing demand for greater variety of colors and design at quicker turnaround cycles. Textile designers are rethinking their approach to production and manufacturing of textile. Whether designing for sportswear or a fashion line or even for furniture upholstery – all these markets are changing the way they present their style. Styles and trends are constantly changing in todays’ fast pace world. Thus, short cycles of fashion lines demand fast turnaround in production and manufacturing of textile.

Responding to this trend of “fast fashion” and switching from mass production to mass customization, digital textile production is becoming the cost effective choice for brands in both the apparel and home markets.

Textile print shops are then forced to find new and innovative ways to provide printed fabrics while minimizing cost and waste.

Digital printing is a relatively new technology in the textile market, but it offers multiple benefits to the traditional textile printing process. It has dual application in printing, acting both as a sampling and production tool. In sampling, digital printing offers immediate results, provides tremendous flexibility in design and coloration while saving time and money. As a production tool it helps to minimize inventory waste as there is no discharge of dyes & chemicals, reduce downtimes, reduce costs and provide the option of mass customization.

The majority of digital printing on textiles is done today mainly on polyester fabrics using dye sublimation. However, there are more applications which can benefit from short run digital printing, enabling printing on natural fabrics as well as on blended fabrics. Fabrics, ink colors and ease of creation without the limitation of minimum yardage requirements, enriches printed fabrics to be a unique piece of custom art.

So what’s holding fabric printers from responding to this growing demand? Why aren’t they producing textile printing on ALL fabric types under the same printing line?

In today’s digital textile industry the limitation is twofold: first, the fact that different types of inks are required for different types of fabrics. Each fabric type is being printed with specific ink technology which requires dedicated printing machinery per application.

Reactive type ink is the most common used ink for the textile industry today as it is used for home textile and fashion fabrics. It is mainly used for Cotton fabrics. Acid inks are used for sportswear made from Nylon and Lycra fabric type and disperse ink type is used for polyester fabrics for the home décor and flag printing.

In addition, different pre and post treatment equipment are required for different types of inks. Acid and reactive inks require a wet post-treatment and the printed fabrics need to undergo several steaming, washing and drying steps. On the other hand, pigmented and disperse inks require a dry-post treatment as they need a heat fixation process before using the fabrics.

This factor limits the flexibility of a single print house to provide numerous types of services. Moreover, print shops tend to focus only on one single process line as each type requires a different technical experience and usually they specialize in one type of fabric printing. Secondly, traditional digital textile printing requires pre and post treatment to the fabrics to maintain rub resistance and long term wash durability. These limitations effect the cost effectiveness of short-run textile printing as the need to have different types of inks and printers and different types of pre and post-treatment  are time consuming and more expensive.

Digital textile technology offers today a complex printing process. There are specific inks, specifics treatments and machinery needed for different types of fabrics. With current types of inks, different types of fabrics such as cotton, nylon, polyester and viscos cannot all be printed using the same printing process.

There are many digital printing technology issues that will determine the future of the textile printing market.

These involve print speed, resolution/drop size and configuration, ink performance, substrate handling, color control and color matching, wash and wear fastness and fixing and curing.  The biggest player that will no doubt be the main influencer in this emerging market is the ink and it could hold the solution for simplifying the complexity of digital textile printing.

Today, the choice of the fabric type dictates the choice of ink. There are different types of inks used for different types of fabrics and applications. Furthermore, each fabric type requires a different pre and post treatment equipment.

There are key advantages for running a digital textile printing business.

Cost reduction, eco-friendly solutions and short run production with mass customization are among the main features that digital textile printing brings.

Is the technology at a tipping point where a simply modification is needed in order to meet the textile market demand?

The next phase in digital textile printing will depend on formulating a new concept in the printing process to allow print shops to be synchronized with the market trends and offer printing solutions on all available fabrics under one simple production line.

March 12, 2015

You think you know all there is to know
about UV printing? Well, check the experts, Bordeaux reveals the extraordinary possibilities of UV printers and how it works.

March 12, 2015

1. Will I need to have new ICC Profiles created?
2. Will I need to flush the ink lines of my printer?
3. Will I have to replace all colors at once or may I replace one-by-one?
4. Will I lose the warranty on my printer?
5. Will the outdoor durability of the after-market inks be as good as or better than the OEM inks?
6. Will the scratch resistance of the after-market inks be as good as or better than the OEM inks?
7. How much money can I save within the first year when using after-market inks?

There are several trusted wide format ink manufacturers, including OEM and after-market that offer similar quality products. If you are seriously evaluating an ink provider, make sure you choose your ink vendor carefully in order to ensure a high quality product. As a rule of thumb try to avoid unfamiliar brands and prefer brands that have been in the business for at least 10 years. Don’t be intimidated when asking questions and demand an ink trial kit prior to your decision since consumables are likely to be the most costly expense after the printers. Once you make the decision to switch, it is very likely you will save 40{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733}-70{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} on ink costs, depending on the printer, media and application.

 

Bordeaux, established in 2000, is one of the worldwide market leaders developing and marketing high quality inks for wide and super wide digital printers such as Roland ™ , Mimaki™, Mutoh™, HP™, Seiko™, Epson, Agfa/Gandi, Dilli and Jeti printers and for all latest printhead technologies such as Xaar, Konica Minolta, Epson, Spectra, Toshiba and more. The company’s product range includes all types of ink including Eco, Solvent, UV & UV LED, Textile and Latex inks and a comprehensive selection of UV and water-based coatings for wide and super wide after print applications as well as document finishing applications.

Feel free to ask us these and other important questions about ink compatibility, start the conversation by writing to us at [email protected]

January 21, 2015

A leading nightclub was seeking to renovate their interior design with a distinctive look using highly vivid colors.  The challenge was to transform the club’s outdated dull interior into an inviting, cool and memorable space which would not only enhance our customers’ experience, but also inspire them to tell their friends.

Their print shop works closely with its customers to deliver creative solutions, and being a Bordeaux partner, asked the company’s ink engineers to suggest solutions that would deliver the ‘wow factor’.

One of the solutions proposed by Bordeaux was fluorescent ink – which would deliver an impactful graphic presence even under low lighting conditions.

Coincidentally at that time Bordeaux was developing an innovative fluorescent ink for the commercial digital printing market; it was visible in the light and highly reflective, fluorescent, in the dark. The ink had already undergone rigorous in-house testing on a Nur® Blueboard printer for viscosity, surface tension, particle size, stability, adhesion, drying rate, colour space and durability – a suite of tests which Bordeaux applies to all its products before releasing them to market.

Bordeaux agreed to run an on-machine beta test of their new fluorescent ink with their customer, for use in this nightclub. The club owner was delighted with the effect achieved and gave the print shop the green light to print and install the artwork to stunning effect.

This was the first installation of Bordeaux’s innovative fluorescent ink. Since its launch in 2001, the fluorescent ink has been highly successful and has been used in more interiors as well as in a wide range of applications, with Nur® Fresco, Nur® Salsa, Vutek® Ultravu, DGI, Mutoh® Toucan and other solvent-based printers.  The ink has demonstrated outstanding durability, excellent wash fastness and is a significant addition to the company’s portfolio of sustainable water-based inks.

CEO and founder Moshe Zach comments: “Bordeaux’s future will continue to be dependent on our ability to deliver original products that are at the forefront of inkjet digital printing. We believe that the key to staying relevant and continue growth is by developing new customer-centric products.

“Building on the success of this innovative ink, Bordeaux has since introduced other world fist products such as water-based thermal ink, an oil based ink and other ecologically friendly inks such as Eco solvent and UV curable inks.

Inspired by the need for sustainable business practices the most recent introduction is a revolutionary latex-based ink for textiles suitable for digital printing on all natural and blended fabric.  Whether you print on cotton or blended fabric, the ink is the same.  Using direct digital printing allows for small runs and less waste so print shops can realize cost savings and greater profit-earning potential from all print jobs.  This is a significant addition to our portfolio of industry-leading green inks,” concludes Zach.

November 13, 2014

Inspired by the need for sustainable business practices, , Bordeaux Digital Printink launched a revolutionary Latex ink for textiles suitable for digital printing on virtually all fabrics, natural, synthethics and blended fabrics. Bordeaux’s Latex ink for textiles is a true breakthrough in the digital textile field, creating unlimited possibilities for print service providers (PSPs), cost savings and greater profit-earning potential from all print jobs, whether for fashion and apparel, decorative or industrial textile applications.

The introduction of Bordeaux’s Latex ink for textiles coincides with the Fespa 2013 trade show in London where Bordeaux and its partners worldwide are demonstrating for the first time printing on three unique applications, two dedicated for textile printing on cotton and polyester and another demonstration of Latex printing on a standard non-modified wide format eco-printer (stands D12S/E10S). The ability to print on natural fabrics such as 100{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} cotton and blended fabrics is critical for the textile market’s digital printing growth beyond soft signage applications, typically printed on polyester fabrics.

“Through clever engineering we’ve taken our advanced Latex capabilities, introduced for the first time at drupa 2012, a step further to offer an ink specifically for textiles and blended fabrics with superior properties combined with color brilliance and versatility for every printing application. Our Latex based ink for textiles has outstanding durability, excellent wash fastness and is a highly significant addition to our portfolio of industry leading green inks,” says Moshe Zach, CEO and founder of Bordeaux Digital Printink.

One ink for all fabric applications  – Natural, Blends and Synthetics

Bordeaux’s Latex based EDEN TX™ is a water-based Latex ink, for versatile digital textile printing on all fabrics, making digital textile printing an extremely cost effective solution for short runs of blended shirts and cotton t-shirts. This environmentally friendly ink is comprised of Bordeaux’s Latex based  pigmented formulation  which  binds the Latex ink to all types of fibers, creating the ultimate binder for textiles without the need for pre and post fabric treatments.

Generally, textile inks are designed to print either on cotton or polyester, but not on both or a mixture of the two. Thus the only way to print on blended fabrics is to match the ink to the specific fiber in the fabric and add fixes to the ink without time consuming fabric treatments like steaming, washing and drying to fixate the dyes to the different fibers.

However, Bordeaux’s Latex ink for textiles is designed to print on any blend, from 100{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} cotton to 100{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} polyester and cotton/polyester blends, saving valuable time and money. Moreover, it means it is no longer necessary for PSPs to stock up on multiple ink types to print on a variety of fabrics, making inventory management much more efficient. For example, there is no need for special acid dyes for silk and wool, reactive dyes for linen and cotton and disperse and sublimation dyes for printing on polyester fabrics.

“Using direct digital printing allows for small runs and less waste, but even more important to many is the ability to achieve exciting designs and top quality garments that increase sales. PSPs who want to diversify to other applications like “interesting” fashion garments comprised of several fibers, have to use different dye-based inks, each formulated to color specific fibers in the fabric,” says Zach. “Our Latex ink for textiles has the ability to precisely match colors even on garment fabrics not made up of just one type of fiber, but rather a blend of two or more. We see Latex printing on textiles becoming mainstream in the digital printing area. That means Bordeaux’s Latex ink for textiles will become an indispensable part of the fashion garment manufacturing process.”

Bordeaux’s Latex based EDEN TX is designed especially to meet the requirements of printer manufacturers using digital textile printers with Epson® DOD piezo printheads and other industrial inkjet print technologies. This ink is available in a wide color gamut for sharp, vivid image quality.

Fast Growing Digital Textile Market

Growing demand for faster cycle times, shorter runs, more fashion seasons and sustainability is making it necessary for brands and retailers worldwide to move into digital printing of textiles.  According to market research firm InfoTrends, this growth is expected to lead to a significant growth in related digital hardware and ink from $484 million in 2011 to more than $2 billion in 2016.

With increased interest in digital printing among textile manufactures, Bordeaux’s Latex ink has the potential to make a revolutionary step-change to existing capabilities in the digital textile market with huge commercial benefits. “Whether you print a cotton garment or a blended fabric, the ink is the same. It will only be a matter of time before we see the clothing we wear today produced with this ink, and because it’s a quick and cost-efficient way of manufacturing, it will inspire many designers, brands and fashion manufacturers to enter the field,” concludes Zach.

November 13, 2014

download pdf version

Introduction
Non Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ink has many names: third party, aftermarket, alternative or generic ink. Whatever the name you choose, or how it is referred to in your country, it always means the same thing, an ink which competes with OEM ink and presents another option for Print Shop Providers (PSP) as an alternative to buying from the printer manufacturer.

5-7 years ago, there were PSPs that were not familiar with non-OEM inks and did not use them. Today there is no doubt that all PSPs are familiar or have been approached by a representative of an alternative ink provider. Common sense might dictate that OEM ink is optimal for the printer, since it is made for a particular printer and therefore might optimize performance. However experience shows that it is not necessarily so.

Views about printer manufacturers and their ink:

1. Printer manufacturers primarily focus on manufacturing printers.
2. Printer manufacturers don’t have the expertise or the infrastructure to dedicate both time and resources to ink and printer development.
3. In most cases, printer manufacturers commission ink development from well-established ink manufacturers worldwide who sell them under OEM contracts as original inks.

Business model: Case studies
The business model and nature of OEM ink manufacturers vary. Some ink manufacturers work strictly for OEMs and do not sell inks to other vendors, while other OEM ink manufacturers sell the exact same product to other customers under their brand name or private label. This is common practice across the board for UV-curable, solvent and dye sublimation inks.

There are also cases in which the printer manufacturer enters a joint venture with the ink manufacturer. In this scenario, the ink manufacturer’s identity is known and the printer manufacturer endorses the ink manufacturer.

Can you tell the difference?
No matter whether the ink manufacturer is tied to the printer manufacturer via licensed OEM ink manufacturing agreements or if they sell third party ink for the printer, in both cases, ink manufacturers invest similar resources in research and development of the ink. The investment includes testing, production and marketing costs involved in introducing new products. However, it is up to the end user to select a trusted third party ink manufacturer that provides a full guarantee for any damage caused by the ink to the printhead or to fading of the printed material and, as with any new product, to test the ink.

In the case of original inks, the end user usually purchases original ink from the same place s/he purchased the printer and is not always aware of the wheeling and dealing behind the ink. This brings us back to the original question: is there really a difference between “original” ink and third party ink?

In order to answer the question fairly, we must break down the answer.

The answer varies depending on ink type, printer and manufacturers. Third party ink companies focus solely on ink. These companies invest in the research and development of many types of inks intended for various printers. The most common wide format digital inkjet inks are true solvent, solvent, which includes Eco, Mild and Low solvent, UV/UV LED, water based inks which include Latex and Dye sublimation used in textile applications.

The best selling ink in the wide format industry are for solvent-based printers. ECO solvent-based chemistry replaced the potentially hazardous true or hard solvent ink. Made from environmentally tolerable solvents, the Eco, mild and low solvent inks were born. The changes in the ink were triggered by environmental considerations.

Facts about 3rd party ink manufacturers
True solvent inks are a cheap, easily developed formula which requires little research. In the case of this ink the quality of OEM and the third party inks are similar. The only guideline for the end-user should be the price since in spite of each company’s promises; one would not likely find difference between the various brands.

However, Eco and Mild solvent inks are the main solvent inks used today. The stages of development and complexity result in significant differences in quality. The first Eco/Mild solvent inks introduced were OEM inks compatible with the Eco/Mild solvent printers.

Due to their revolutionary composition and production process few third party manufacturers followed with a compatible product since this product posed a challenge for third party ink manufacturers in terms of high capital investment in research and production. Not many third party ink manufacturers have enough breath to bring it to market.

There are only a handful of companies that have the tenacity to undergo these development, production and intensive testing to offer OEM compatible inks.

These independent ink manufacturers usually manufacture in smaller batches compared to OEM with better quality assurance and can also cater to specific customer needs such as special packaging and even tailor made inks for specific applications. OEM ink manufacturers cannot always offer this versatility. . OEM inks can have quality issues such as a batch which required a recall or even a famous case of a leading Japanese printer manufacturer that had to recall a complete line of UV inks, leading customers to seek third party inks.

The smaller unknown companies don’t usually invest in long term R&D but sell lower quality inks that do not meet the requirement for Eco / Mild solvents. Purchasing cheap ink or ink from an unknown source can shorten the life of the printhead, cause clogging or accelerate the depreciation of the printer.

The competition in the industry forces printer and ink manufacturers to offer printer and consumables which are intended for specific applications. Already today OEM offer Eco and Mild solvent-based printers for high speed photographic quality printing achieving extreme color gamut with 8 colors slots including orange and green. Some creditable third party inks manufacturers offer OEM quality fully plug and print that match OEM in quality, color and enables transparent conversion without prior or post preparations.
The printer to ink specific standard is also effective for UVcurable & UV-curable LED printers for which non-OEM ink manufacturers have a ready solution including compatible chips as a chip bypass solution for overcoming the printer barriers. Bordeaux Digital offers specific inks include a compatible chip or a chip bypass solution which defuses the obstacles met by end-users during installation.

Independent ink manufacturers also initiate development of inks that are not associated with specific printers but offer added value to the market. Ink manufacturing companies have the infrastructure and suitable R&D to support these activities similar to other companies with the same capablities. An example of such a product is the development of Bordeaux Digital’s Latex based inks for Piezo printheads, although this should not be confused with HP’s product which was intended only for its own thermal wide scan printheads which are that company’s proprietary technology.

Conclusion
This review should eliminate most of the hesitations involved with third party inks. There are several trusted wide format ink manufacturers, including OEM and third party that offer similar quality products. If you are seriously considering moving to third party ink, make sure you choose your ink vendor carefully in order to ensure a high quality product. As a rule of thumb try to avoid unfamiliar brands and prefer brands that have been in the business for at least 10 years. Don’t be intimidated when asking questions and demand an ink trial kit prior to your decision since consumables are likely to be the most costly expense after the printers. Once you make the decision to switch, it is very likely you will save 40{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733}-70{9711269676131cffc9f3e68bda16ea56bfa4568e90b74b1da79a64a65a632733} on ink costs, depending on the printer, media and application.