by Stefano Belviolandi

New patterns that unleash the imagination and stimulate the creation of new printing techniques because today, this industry must amaze to sell a style or an idea. And technology comes to the rescue with its progress. Among the printing techniques, the eco-friendly factor and the possibility of creating small runs according to the customers’ requirements are winning strategies now. Hundreds of thousands of identical objects are therefore banned replaced by innovative systems such as an 'indirect' transfer that can be reused when needed and not indefinitely.

Style and creativity

This is the case, for example, with indirect screen-printing, says Fabrizio Selis, partner and marketing manager at Market ScreenTypographic. “Printing is no longer applied directly on the garment, but on sheets of paper or polyester which are reused, if necessary, by heat transfer onto a T-shirt or product. A practical example are the prints on football team jerseys where new elements are added during the year. The technique has been refined and we can produce prints that are wash resistant and soft to the touch”. This doesn't mean that direct screen printing is gone forever, but providing customers with brand value is key. This is why companies are finding new partners to work with, such as graphic designers, who become the interfacing point with the client and to whom the print file is provided for printing. A new design concept is born, involving people who work on the web who, in addition to screen printing, add sensory effects such as, for example, the use of a scented ink or an optical effect that is similar to 3D. Selis provides a further clarification: “The screen-printing frame has gone digital and it is possible to print with eco-friendly inks that allow garment personalisation”.

Printing... in small runs

All of this leads to lower quantities of printed material; in fact, the versatility of the machines allows printing on demand. “Jobs such as screen printing film, preparing screen printing frames and setting up printing carousels required volume print runs to amortise costs," says Vito Tafuni, sales manager at Commtec. Today, the machines available and the techniques we use allow us to keep costs down and focus on quality and numbers, since it is possible to produce even small quantities multiple times”. Tafuni, finally, points out another feature: “One of the latest trends is to contact designers, illustrators, professionals or just graduated from specialised schools, such as the IED, and apply their creations on garments”.

Established techniques are back

The evolution of textile customisation techniques brought long-established practices such as sublimationinto the limelight. Why? Alessia Baroni, partner and owner of Embroidery Service, explain that the main reason is versatility. “Sublimation can be used on textiles, ceramics, porcelain, magnets, and more.” Embroidery Service is a supplier of embroidery machines and combines them with sublimation. “Through this combo," says the owner, "we can even personalise a work garment such as a chef's apron. In addition, we sell style and lots of training courses. During the pandemic we enjoyed a boom of embroidery courses. We also noticed," says Alessia Baroni, "that many companies took advantage of the pandemic to stop and train». It is essential not to wait for customer requests but to anticipate them and to understand how a novelty item or approach can really make a difference.