Digital Printing has given creative freedom to designers allowing limitless colour choice and continuous pattern options without repeat limitations. Driven by increasing acceptance of digital printing technique, and many technological advancements aiming at improving speed, design, and efficiency, the global production of printed textiles is projected to reach 30 billion square metres by 2018. Focusing on various growth factors and issues in digital printing, Mumbai-based Inkjet Forum India organized a day-long conference in Delhi, where experts from fashion and technology background and printing industry discussed and examined the commercial and creative opportunities of digital printing. The topics discussed in the panel discussion were targeted at standardizing every stage in the supply chain of the Indian digital textile printing industry and the fact that the next two years really poised to be the growth years for this disruptive technology in India.
With over 150 delegates from various disciplines of the textile industry, the conference was an interactive networking platform and talking in terms of facts and figures, most of the speakers threw light on how digital printing has created a niche of its own and has got rapid market acceptance. Corroborating to the statement, Ashish Dhir, Director, Wisedge Consulting claimed that digital printing market in India is estimated to be around 31 million metres which is approximately US $ 100 million in value term. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dean, GD Goenka School of Fashion and Design, informing about this growing industry said, “Accessories and home fashion commodities accounted for 10 per cent of all digitally printed textiles in 2010, and owing to demand for this technique, this year it is expected to touch 24 per cent.” He also discussed on the business models like focusing on mass customization for home furnishing industry concentrating on various creative design aesthetics.
[bleft]With over 150 delegates from various disciplines of the textile industry, the conference was an interactive networking platform and talking in terms of facts and figures, most of the speakers threw light on how digital printing has created a niche of its own and has got rapid market acceptance. [/bleft]
Determining the business potential which digital textile printing provides in the areas of apparel, fashion, home textiles and garments, machine manufacturers discussed and put forth various technical aspects and capabilities of their technologies. Focusing on the technology front, Ayush Rathi, Director, MS Orange sole dealer of Italian digital printing machine manufacturer MS Printing Solutions in India, notified SPR (same printing result) to be the future of digital printing technology. Noticing cost issue to be the most discussed topic at the conference, he added, “Presently cost is the main factor inhibiting this printing process’ growth but in the coming few years service providers and ink manufacturers will be definitely reducing their costs to reciprocate to the increasing demand. Various experts from the field, Vinod Krishnamurthy, Jos Notermans of SPG Prints and Nobu Kimura of Konica Minolta also raised interesting points like relation between realistic cost per metre and single pass versus (multiple) scanning printers.
The conference not only witnessed the presence of digital printer manufacturers and service providers but also exporters like Amarjit Singh, CEO, Indigo Apparel; Rajeev Bansal, MD Celestial Knits & Fabs and representatives from Welspun, Target, and Centex International.