|
The advent of digital garment printing
technology in recent years has reshaped an important U.S.
industry. Such changes present an opportunity to those who
are already in the garment decoration industry as well as
to entrepreneurs who are interested in it. In this chapter,
we will examine the opportunities presented by direct-to-garment
digital printing technology. We will compare it to the traditional
screen printing method of garment decoration. We will also
discuss if digital apparel printing business meets the criteria
presented in the previous chapter for those seeking a new
business opportunity.
New Technology, New Opportunity
How do you find new business opportunities
or improve an existing business in a significant way? Such
opportunities arise daily as changes occur in the marketplace.
Generally, the best new opportunities are created when technological
advances occur or when the method of doing business changes.
New technology usually brings new methods that make the
industry more efficient—meaning less expensive—and
can produce higher-quality products and services. Such changes
allow a business to fundamentally shift its efficiency or
cost structure. It also allows entrepreneurs to enter a
previously unavailable industry and compete on equal footing
with those who have been entrenched for years.
Perceptive industry veterans will benefit the most if they
recognize and adopt the benefits of the new technology and
methods. An early adapter will provide higher-quality goods
and services at a lower cost, gaining a larger share of
the market. Unfortunately, there will always be those who
are slow to recognize such new methods or flat-out resist
them. These shortsighted individuals will be displaced by
competitors who quickly embrace the new technology or by
new competitors entering the industry using the new technology.
Indeed, this is an example of elementary socio-economic
evolution. This book is about taking advantage of such an
opportunity in the huge garment decoration industry.
The “digital revolution” has affected daily
life for more than three decades. The authors of this book
proudly brought it to the sign and screen-printing industries
by introducing the first computerized graphic design software
programs and computer-controlled vinyl and stencil cutting
plotters in the mid-1980s. Our IBM PC-based sign and graphic
design program called ANA Design Station was the first of
its kind. To put this development in perspective, the first
Apple II computer was introduced in the late1970s while
the first IBM PC did not debut until 1983. The ANA Design
Station was developed in 1985. Until that time, sign makers
used the pen and sketchpad approach. Fonts and logo designs
were projected on a wall, often aided by a projector, and
they would trace the text and graphics. Then they would
paint them by hand with a brush.
The introduction of a digital method transformed the process.
Now users could enter text and create graphics on an inexpensive
PC. A computer-controlled cutting plotter then cuts out
the graphics and text on thin, colored sheets of vinyl made
by companies like 3M. Once ready, the cut vinyl can be applied
to windows, walls or vehicles. Today, this is the primary
method used in commercial sign and stencil making. Few if
any sign makers rely on hand painting, unless they want
to create a special effect using the old artisan method.
The new technology allowed greater opportunities for entrepreneurs
to enter the sign industry, which had been closed to all
but those who had gone through six years of journeyman apprenticeships.
Using the new technology, one could now train a new sign
maker in just days or weeks. Countless new sign, graphics
and advertising specialty stores were created in the last
twenty years thanks to the digital revolution. The authors
are aware of many accomplished sign makers who resisted
adapting to the new technology; sadly, they have lost business
or even closed their doors.
The Revolution in T-shirt Printing
Nearly 20 years after we first brought the digital revolution
to the sign and screen-printing industry, the authors of
this book spotted a similar opportunity in apparel decoration.
Traditionally, apparel decoration was done by two methods:
screen-printing (also known as silk-screening) or embroidery.
Commercial embroidery machines underwent a digital revolution
more than 25 years ago. Embroidery designs are now either
digitized or designed digitally. Computer software controls
the embroidery machine so that it faithfully replicates
the digitally designed stitches. Many advanced digital systems
are available today for commercial embroidery.
However, equivalent digital systems had not been developed
for the screen printing industry. The basic screen printing
method, developed hundreds of years ago, essentially has
not changed on pace with technological evolution. The initial
process involves creating artwork either manually or digitally.
Next, the silk screen is prepared from the artwork using
a photomechanical process involving high intensity light,
or by a digital process. The actual printing process is
done either by manually applying screen printing ink with
a squeegee, or with automatic mechanical arms. This is a
messy and labor-intensive process, to say the least. The
screen printing method widely used today for garment printing
is an “analog” system as opposed to digital
garment printing.
The ink or screen printing paste used for garment printing,
or plastisol, is also problematic. Plastisol is liquefied
PVC or polyvinyl chloride — by far the most environmentally
damaging plastic. The PVC life cycle results in the release
of toxic, chlorine-based chemicals which end up as by-products
such as carcinogenic and highly toxic dioxin and PCB. The
plasticizers, or phthalates, used in plastisol ink to make
the PVC flexible, are also carcinogenic. They are released
into the environment during the printing and curing of the
ink and they will continue to exhaust toxins when exposed
to a radiant heat source, such as a dryer or even sunlight.
Efforts to develop environmentally friendly water-based
ink have not been very successful, as such inks do not have
good wash resistance. Lastly, the inks must be cleaned off
the screen and the printer manually after each job. This
unpleasant and messy process creates wastewater containing
PVC. In many metropolitan areas, due to the environmental
regulations, it is now increasingly difficult to open a
new garment screen printing facility without spending lots
of money to install pollution control devices.
Digital apparel printing is nothing short of a revolution
in garment decoration, particularly in T-shirt printing.
Today digital apparel printing supplements, complements
and partially replaces conventional screen-printing. As
we will discuss later, when applied to print runs of fewer
than 500 pieces of garments, digital apparel printing can
replace conventional screen printing, and it’s a lot
more economical. When digital printers with higher throughput
are developed in the coming years, digital direct-to-garment
printers are expected to completely replace the toxic process
of screen printing. This represents an industry worth close
to $22 billion in the US alone.8,9 The advantages
of digital direct printing are many. Below we discuss the
comparative advantages from perspectives of process, cost,
and impact on health and environment.
Digitally Printed T-shirts
with Complex Graphics
Next
>
|
