Organiser of trade shows, Messe Frankfurt in collaboration with World Textile Information Network (WTiN), is creating a new platform for digital textile printing technologies called Avanprint.
“Avanprint will be launched from February 15-18, 2016 at the Texworld and Apparel Sourcing international shows in Paris,” a Messe Frankfurt press release informed.
From textile printing machines, inks, software to services, Avanprint will be offering the latest developments in digital print technologies.
“With our new show Avanprint, we are creating an innovative platform for digital print on fabrics,” Olaf Schmidt, vice president textiles & textile technologies at Messe Frankfurt.
“And, with that, new sales opportunities for forward-thinking exhibitors and visitors that are passionate about design,” he added.
“In WTiN, we are very happy to have found a partner with extensive knowledge, longstanding experience and a global network,” Schmidt informed.
WTiN MD Mark Jarvis stated, “WTiN maintains close liaison with the digital textile printing technology community and received a clear message that this rapidly maturing sector would value its own exhibition platform.”
“We have a longstanding and positive relationship as a publishing partner with Messe Frankfurt’s textile shows and it was natural that the two companies would work together on this project,” Jarvis too added.
“WTiN brings its intimate knowledge of the digital textile printing market, through Digital Textile magazine, while Messe Frankfurt offers its strength and the opportunity to co-locate with successful textile exhibitions,” he noted.
According to Messe Frankfurt, the new product area offers huge potential for growth as the new technologies create competitive edges as printing processes have been streamlined and accelerated.
New printers can reach top speeds of 75 metres per minute and with new machines also being rewarding in sustainability terms.
New technologies use a third of conventional water consumption along with environmentally friendly inks, considerably relieving the strain on resources.
In addition, the new printers impress with significantly improved colour fastness, with printing quality now reaching around 1400 x 1400 dpi allowing textile designers to be more creative and flexible.
Despite their competitive advantage, these developments are only just beginning to filter through to the market as barely an estimated two to three per cent of textile prints are produced digitally.
However, an annual growth rate of 25 per cent is expected globally and by 2017, the rate of digital textile prints should increase to five per cent.
Digital printing technologies show the highest potential for growth in the field of apparel fabric and fashion and made up 45 per cent of digital print products on the global market in 2014.
