Why is digital fabric printing becoming more important?

Digital fabric printing can be achieved by several different methods and has made great advances in recent years. This has meant its importance has increased dramatically due to the fact that print buyers and specifiers recognise these advances. There are many different markets where the reliance upon digital fabric printing is now crucial. One such sector where this has become extremely important is in brand awareness and development.

Fabric printing during its evolution has brought with it many improvements, most notably the imagery possible by the different print methods at the disposal of print buyers and specifiers. As advances in fabric, print machine, software and inks have been made it means that truly stunning results are now possible. This is especially visible in the area of dye-sublimation printing onto polyester fabrics. Today’s specifiers of graphics, whether for the retail or exhibition sectors, want to see results that will produce the very best results in terms of colour reproduction and aesthetics.

Brand awareness is higher than ever before in a society that is increasingly brand conscious. It is crucial for companies to differentiate their products and brand from those of their competitors. Maintaining this awareness is one of the best ways to achieve this whether through in-store graphics, crowd control barriers graphics at events, exhibition graphics and flags. Regular campaigns help reinforce and build brand awareness and digital fabric printing has its part to play in this process.

The wide choice of fabrics available from Brook International means that there are different fabrics for different events or rather applications. This means that most types of event or brand campaigns can be met with the right choice of fabric. Choosing the right fabric is very important ensuring it has the desired qualities. Does it need excellent show through of colour, does it need to be flame retardant, and does it need maximum opacity? These are just some of the factors that all need to be considered in making the right choice of fabric.

Some brands will specify a certain type of fabric for a given campaign and examples of this can be seen on every high street here in the UK and internationally. With the globalisation of many leading brands this means that for a new product launch all the graphics needed, can be produced on the same media. The speed with which graphics can be printed helps ensure that increasingly tight deadlines can be met ready for a forthcoming campaign or event.

The fashion sector as well as launching its new collections using traditional methods such as magazine and newspaper advertising, now recognises the importance of digital fabric printing for in-store window graphics. The motor industry is also recognising the advantages of soft signage for graphics at motor shows, in car showrooms and on their forecourts all printed using digital technology. More and more companies are choosing soft signage as an exciting alternative to tired traditional media. This increasing trend is unlikely to decline and will only continue to grow reinforcing the importance of digital fabric printing.

Article by Chris Drury