Images_Digital_Edition_June_2019

INDUSTRY EVENT www.images-magazine.com 24 images JUNE 2019 but is anticipated to be later this year, according to Lauren Swinnerton, marketing manager Roland DG (UK). The standout exhibit on the Epson stand had to be a SureColor SC- S60600 printer set up with the specially developed DevStudio RIP for printing onto Ecotex synthetic leather products. The Ecotex material is said to be lighter weight and easier to process than traditional leather, opening the door to new opportunities in decorated clothing, footwear, leisure and interiors markets. The sample prints on show revealed detailed and vibrant designs on the textured fabric, with the crash helmet taking the prize. Sublimation printing HP announced the Stitch S300 and S500 wide format dye sublimation textile printers in April and followed up with the launch of the new 3.2m HP Stitch S1000 printer at Fespa. According to Roman Barba, HP business development, the new flagship model is designed for high productivity and simplified operation. Roman added that the Stitch portfolio is targeted at four main market sectors: soft signage, sportswear, fashion and interiors. Initially, the company is expecting the biggest take-up to be within the soft-signage sector, however Roman predicts that the Stitch range will also have increasing appeal for sportswear printers. He expects that HP customer loyalty will see many existing customers investigating and entering the textiles market now that HP has products to offer. He cited the Stitch printers’ HP thermal inkjet technology, the ability to replace its ink cartridges by hand and the machines’ built-in spectrophotometer and HP SmartColor tools, which are said to enable superior colour consistency – even across remote sites around the world – as key selling points. Forever Transfers was also showing new dye sublimation printing technology in the form of its no-cut transfer media for sublimation printing onto white, light and dark cottons. Vitali Fenzel, sales director, explained that sublimation printing is now no longer limited to polyester fabrics, with the Forever Subli products offering “brilliant colours and intense blacks” and having the advantage of “no cutting or weeding, no background and a soft touch”. The single-paper system produces prints that are washable at up to 40°C with good stretch characteristics. The range includes Subli-Light (No-Cut) and Subli-Light (No-Cut) Glitter for white and light coloured cotton; and Subli-Dark (No-Cut) Glitter, Subli- Flex (No-Cut) and Subli Finishing Foil for dark and light coloured cotton. Italian heat transfer vinyl manufacturer B-Flex exhibited the latest colour additions to its Gimme5 Evo range of PU CAD-CAM films. Marco Pigato, managing director, pointed to the film’s “elegant matt finish” and high speed, low temperature, hot-peel performance (4 seconds at 140°C using 50psi). B-Flex is currently looking for UK distributors for the Gimme5 Evo product range. Mug shots Schulze was showing its Mug15- Turbo automated mug press, which has eight pre-heating stations and 15 heating stations, alongside its newly launched Wrapper-M80 paper gluing aid for mugs, which includes an adjustable paper guide and automatic tape dispenser to speed up attaching sublimation transfer media to cups and mugs prior to pressing. Secabo was also showing a mug press – the new TM5 – which can press five mugs at a time, plus a new mini heat press that’s designed for chest or neck prints and its latest trimmer model. The two new heat presses will be available from September 2019. Roland previewed its Texart S-Series XT-640S direct-to-garment printer Forever Transfers was showing its no-cut transfer media for sublimation printing onto cotton fabrics The newWrapper-M80 paper gluing aid for mugs, from Schulze Ecotex synthetic leather printed on the Epson SureColor SC-S60600 printer