ImagesMagUK_September_2020

PF DTG PRINTING www.images-magazine.com 42 images SEPTEMBER 2020 Direct-to-garment printing has been one of the success stories of 2020 as demand for personalised products and web-to-print orders have soared. We review the latest kit, from new printers to specialist screen inks for hybrid printing and online automation tools DTG update The new Brother GTXpro direct-to- garment printer features a newly designed industrial white print head with inside ink circulation that results in less ink being used for cleaning, as well as up to 10% faster printing using the new ‘fast mode’ print settings. Brother has also reduced the printer’s automatic cleaning processes and introduced a new print reservation function to further increase the GTXpro’s productivity. The printer uses Brother’s Oeko- Tex Passport and Gots 5.0-certified Innobella textile inks, which have been developed for printing onto a wide range of fabrics, from cotton to silk and polyester, as well as many different types of textile products, including caps and shoes. A compact industrial printer that’s suitable for any production environment, the GTXpro also features an additional print height sensor, which the company reports uses “new sensor technology to detect if the platen is too low, in order to reduce ink mist and ensure print quality”. Authorised Brother DTG technicians can provide full installation and training services on the GTXpro, which is compatible with all existing GTX ancillary products, such as the various printing platens. Amaya: Polyprint PreTreater Pro Polyprint’s new auto-pretreater, the PreTreater Pro, promises consistency in repeated jobs, improved washability and a saving on liquid costs. A full-range of Polyprint DTG printers are also available from Amaya, including the Texjet Echo 2 and the Texjet Shortee 2. Both printers have pressurised ink systems and can be left switched off for up to 30 days and still work when switched back on. For industrial DTG printing, the Kornit Digital range of printers have built-in pretreatment, and are designed to provide high volume production at a very low cost per print. The range includes the Kornit Breeze, Storm, Avalanche, Atlas and Vulcan models, which are all designed for printing on cotton-based garments. The Kornit Presto roll-to-roll fabric printer and the Kornit Polypro for polyester printing are also available. Polyprint and Kornit DTG equipment is available for demonstrations at Amaya’s new Midlands showroom. The new PreTreater Pro auto-pretreater from Polyprint Brother: GTXpro The GTXpro features newly developed white print heads with inside ink circulation