ImagesMagUK_January_2022

INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 22 images JANUARY 2022 J&B Sewing Machine Co partners with Ecofreen to offer DTF products for DTG printers Working extensively with Korean digital textile printing specialist Ecofreen, J&B Sewing Machine Co is now offering direct-to-film (DTF) film and powder that work with almost all types of fabrics, including 100% polyester, with “high-quality results”. “You don’t need a specialist DTF printer or DTF inks – with Ecofreen you simply use your DTG printer and DTG inks,” J&B Sewing commented. “The process does not require pretreatment and uses a minimum of 75% less DTG ink. The fabrics once printed offer great wash characteristics and longevity; prints have a soft hand-feel and the process is much faster than vinyl printing with no weeding required.” The Ecofreen PET films (polyester film made from stretched polyethylene) and Ecofreen Hot Melt Adhesive Powder enable owners of DTG printers, such as the Epson F2100 and F2000 and all models of Brother DTG machines, to quickly and simply produce a DTF transfer and apply it to a wide range of fabrics. “The DTF printing process, especially when used with Epson F2100 and F2000 printers, answers almost all issues that are commonly encountered in other textile printing processes, especially when it comes to choosing the fabric to print on. Since pretreatment is not required, in many cases the overall cost of printing is brought down, hence offering a higher profit margin,” stated J&B Sewing. imagesmag.uk/jb-ecofreen Ecofreen PET film and adhesive powder for printing DTF transfers on DTG machines Workwear Express acquired by Bunzl Bunzl, the distribution and services group, has announced that it has acquired personalised workwear and promotional clothing specialist Workwear Express. Founded in 1990 by outgoing chairman Andrew Ward, Workwear Express now employs nearly 300 people in supplying personalised garments from its base in Durham. Announcing the acquisition in November, Bunzl reported that Workwear Express generated £29 million in revenue in the year to March 2021, with a strong ecommerce presence. New directors from Bunzl were appointed at the end of October. Based in London, Bunzl is an international distribution group providing customised solutions to business-to-business customers in more than 30 countries including the UK. It supplies various sectors and is already a leading supplier of personal protection equipment to customers in industrial and construction markets. imagesmag.uk/bunzl- workwear Bunzl drives expansion by buying Workwear Express New course on social media for garment decorators Screen printer Squeegee & Ink has launched an online course to show garment decorators how they can make the most of social media. Developed by co-owner Chessie Rosier-Parker, a columnist for Images , the 10-chapter mini course covers topics that range from what to post and which social media platforms to use through to targeting customers and refining online social branding. It comes out of Berkshire-based Squeegee & Ink’s success on social media, which has directly brought in business for the studio and help build its brand and profile. The company has more than 33,000 followers on Instagram while some of its TikTok videos demonstrating screen printing have had many millions of views. The course can be found at squeegeeandink.co.uk/product/mini- course-social-media-for-screen-printers. imagesmag.uk/squeegee-social Squeegee & Ink has nearly 80,000 TikTok followers Pantone names Very Peri as its colour for 2022 Pantone, a global authority on colour in design, has declared Very Peri – a new shade of blue – to be the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2022 It describes the colour, Pantone 17-3938, as “a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone" and “blending the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red”. imagesmag.uk/pantone-peri 2022’s colour has been revealed as Pantone 17-3938 Check out our Decorator Reports: www.images-magazine.com