Images_Digital_Edition_July_2019

www.images-magazine.com JULY 2019 images 59 IS BRAND PROFILE A ccording to Brett Newman, chief operations manager at Hybrid Services, Mimaki stands out from its competitors because it provides solutions for everyone, from the ‘five to niners’ who want to make money out of their creative hobby, through to mass production companies that want to print textiles at speeds of up to 385sqm/h. “No other manufacturer offers such a breadth of product,” says Brett, who joined Hybrid, the exclusive Mimaki distributor for UK and Ireland, 18 months ago. “One of my many reasons for coming to Hybrid and working with Mimaki was the product range. It is absolutely unique. No other manufacturer offers it. Other manufacturers focus on a particular area. But what Mimaki sees after 20 years of being in this industry is that people, businesses, grow. And they grow rapidly. Every machine that Mimaki produces is a stepping stone to enable people to grow their business.” This approach allows users to build a road map for their company and understand where their business needs to grow and what options are out there, he explains. The product range at Mimaki, which is known for its wide format digital printers, starts with printer/cutters and moves all the way up to the high volume Tiger 1800B MkII belt-type direct-to-textile printer, via the recently launched TS55-1800 sublimation transfer inkjet printer. The requirement for an easy-to- navigate road map has arisen from the development of digital print to the point where UK users can now offer short and long runs and fast turnaround at an increasingly competitive price. “What’s happening is that we’re now getting localised production. In other words, production that was off-shore in Eastern Europe, Turkey, India, Pakistan – traditional textile countries – but because of the benefits of digital print, it’s bringing production back home. “It’s important for printers to be able to see that today they might be [printing] on polyester, but in a few years time they may want to go onto cotton. Therefore, they can understand what’s needed in their workflow.” Transferable skills It’s not only those that are already using wide format who need to be thinking this way. Garment decorators are perfectly placed to add wide format to their list of services, explains Brett. “What they have are very much transferable skills. You may have people who start off with a dye sub printer doing panels onto T-shirts. This is transferable knowledge – they’re just doing it a little wider. And production costs are decreased with cheaper paper, cheaper ink, etc, so the profitability goes up.” For screen printers and embroiderers looking to break into digital, wide format is also an accessible place to start because of the low cost of entry – Mimaki recently set a new price point of £4,995 for its TS30-1300 dye-sublimation printer. “Five thousand pounds is still a wedge of money,” Brett points out. “But from a business investment point of view, it’s relatively low. They’ve already got a customer base. Everything that you can produce on wide format will sell to that exact same customer base. So it’s a safe investment.” Adding wide format will also allow decorators to diversify, says Brett. “You might be printing the local rugby team’s shirts on wide format, which is great, but you could also be printing the feather flags on the side of the rugby pitch. You can also make personalised products for commercial customers – they may want a bar runner, or perhaps a bespoke couch or chair in their reception. Or somebody on a consumer level might want personalised curtains and cushion covers and tablecloths. “You’re not restricted into one particular marketplace or application. You can do far greater things as well with one machine, so your level of investment enables you to approach and create new marketplaces.” Personalised items such as cushion People pay for emotions. It’s very profitable Brett Newman is chief operations manager at Hybrid Services Wide format printers are versatile – you can print your customers’ shirts, as well as their feather flags and much more