Images_Digital_Edition_March_2020

INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 08 images MARCH 2020 Follow our daily industry updates on Twitter @imagesmaguk PRINT SHOP POOCHES #52 Obi Whether it’s pedigree pups or mangy mutts, decorators’ dogs are valued members of staff at embroidery and print shops from Barking to Furness. This month we have Obi from DQ Printing & Embroidery in Burnham- on-Sea, Somerset Name: Obi Quinton Breed: Jack Russell Age: Four months Time at company: Two weeks Job title: Guard dog Job description: Responsible for security on the premises and making sure owner Jess has enough snacks hidden in her drawer. Special skills: Melting customers’ hearts and keeping Jess company when she’s talking to herself. Favourite colour: Pantone 90- 16 c. This is the colour of Jess’s slippers, which send Obi crazy – he tries to eat them... www.dqprinting.co.uk Obi goes into full-on heart-melting mode Essential introduces new 100% recyclable packaging Branding apparel company Essential has introduced new sustainable packaging –sugarcane carbon-neutral poly bags. The Dunstable-based company says it’s the first professional branding company to introduce this packaging alternative in the UK, which demonstrates “a further dedication to maintaining its eco-friendly and environmentally conscious policies”. The sugarcane carbon- neutral poly bags are 100% recyclable, making them a great alternative to oil-based polythene packaging, explains Essential. “They’re made from the waste of sugarcane extraction where a bio- based polymer is created. These polymers are a renewable source, which can be recycled and reused indefinitely. Amazingly, this process starts off as being carbon-negative, but through the transportation and production necessary, it becomes carbon-neutral. “The sugarcane polymer can be used to make a range of plastic-like products, such as bags, films and wraps.” Its new sugarcane carbon-neutral polybags are reported to have the same sturdy feel of a non-bio- based bag, and are available to all Essential’s customers on request. www.eed-uk.com Directa Plus receives grant to develop eco-friendly G+ graphene fabric printing technology Directa Plus, a producer and supplier of graphene nanoplatelets-based products, has announced it’s received a grant for a project to develop environmentally sustainable technology that can digitally print its G+ graphene product onto fabrics. TheGreen.Tex project aims to develop a digital printing process using water-based graphene ink, which will significantly reduce the environmental impact of printing graphene onto fabric, particularly in regards to water and energy consumption and chemical waste production, said Directa Plus. “Successful development of the printing technology will allow fabrics to be enhanced in a number of different ways – improved thermal and electrical conductivity, and the introduction of a bacteriostatic effect,” added the company. Directa Plus will partner with IBS Consulting Group and EFI Reggiani, the Italian subsidiary of global digital printing group Electronics For Imaging, for the project for an initial period of 24 months. www.directa-plus.com Sugarcane carbon-neutral poly bags – a sustainable alternative to oil-based polythene packaging The Green.Tex project aims to develop a digital printing process that will significantly reduce the environmental impact of printing graphene onto fabric