ImagesMagUK_January_2021

www.images-magazine.com JANUARY 2021 images 29 IS DECORATOR PROFILE Essential’s print floor and mezzanine We are always chasing something new and different that will differentiate ourselves and benefit our partners” which prompted an early diversification into print. With little room to spare in the original premises, George found himself excited by the possibilities of digital print technology after seeing a Kornit DTG printer in action at an exhibition in Amsterdam 16 years ago. “I thought the Kornit would replace screen print and we invested in that,” he recalls. Essential became only the sixth company in the world, and the first in Europe, to take delivery of the original Kornit 930. However, things didn’t pan out as expected. “The technology wasn’t ready at that time,” George explains. “But on the plus side, as soon as our customers learned that we were printing, albeit digitally, they started asking us to handle their print work. That’s when it became very apparent that it was screen print we needed to bring into the mix.” Having introduced screen printing alongside its embroidery operation 13 years ago, Essential is now established as a major player within the UK garment printing industry and is equipped to handle even the largest print orders. George and Nicki’s son, Louis, heads up the print operations after joining the company two years ago – originally, to look after marketing. Over the past year, he has recruited his own print team while also looking at ways to further automate production processes. “It’s a younger set of people who are really engaging with moving and growing together,” George explains. “They have very much the same ethos as us as a company: pushing the boundaries, doing things that other people are not prepared to do, just finding the right ways to make them work and do it efficiently.” Part of that ‘right way’ is to adopt a more sustainable approach to textile printing by putting a heavy focus on water-based inks, and setting the target of becoming a 100% water- based print shop within two years. “Water-based inks are much more environmentally friendly being PVC- free and needing no solvents during their clean-up,” Louis explains. “The final print is a lot nicer, being much softer to the touch, giving a real retail- quality finish. However, water-based inks are much harder to work with, having a much smaller margin of error. Despite this, we don’t shy away [from using them] just because it is harder.” Louis adds that Essential’s customers are also starting to embrace Essential’s commitment to more sustainable production methods. “Clients are catching on and we have just completed a two-position water-based job for 23,000 pieces,” he reports. In line with its urge to innovate, Essential also offers an embossing service, having added a bespoke embossing machine, developed with a manufacturer in China, three years ago. After a year of testing and trying out different workflows, the company launched the service for customers in 2018, producing embossed polos and sweatshirts, in both cotton and mixes. Yet another innovation was the introduction of a Proel Twiga laser engraving machine. It can be called upon for cutting out shapes for appliqué embroidery and adding designs to fabrics such as softshell as a more permanent form of branding. “It’s part of us embracing new things and bringing them into the market,” George adds. Essential hasn’t forgotten its roots either: it continues to push the possibilities of embroidery, both Fully equipped When Essential Embroidery Design expanded into screen printing 13 years ago, it started with an automatic MHM 12-pallet 10-colour S-Type which has since been replaced. In 2019, it acquired two MHM 12/10 S-Types and an MHM 8/6 S-Type Xtreme. A second Tesoma dryer was added in March last year, while a manual M&R Chameleon carousel is used for occasional specialist work. In the screen room are a Spyder II direct-to-screen system, a Zentner autocoater, a Zentner autodeveloper and a Lotus Holland automatic screen reclaimer. There are four Hotronix and Pressnet heat presses, including a double press, while the embroidery area features 10 eight-head machines and a single-head wide- format machine, all Barudan. For digital work, Essential uses two Brother GTX printers and a Roland cutter/printer in a temperature-controlled room. “We replace our machines every five years to ensure we have the latest and the best in the market,” says George. Home: Essential’s 20,000 sq ft base in Dunstable