The official global launch of the product was at FESPA in Berlin last month, where it created massive interest from screen printers, embroiderers and decorators, says TheMagicTouch md Jim Nicol.

“For the last six months we have been conducting some real market research within our existing user base and also with prominent screen printers and leading fashion and sportswear brands. The WOW product is exactly what the market needs and demands.”

The paper got its name because ‘wow’ was usually the first word uttered by anyone that saw the process for the fist time, says Nicol. So the name really does say it all (but not quite, or that would be the end of the feature!).

The WOW process enables full colour images, designs, logos etc to be printed onto a host of garments and fabrics, regardless of colour, explains Nicol. But what is so different?

Firstly, there is no weeding or profile cutting involved. Secondly, the vibrant colours are achieved using digital laser technology and the transfers have an incredibly soft feel and superb durability, says Nicol. They can be produced at up to 15 A4 per minute and the whole process is clean, with no chemicals or inks to deal withl. He adds: “WOW enables the user to achieve detail and consistency that is unachievable using screen or litho based transfers. It is suitable for use with cotton, polycotton, nylon, leather, polyester sportswear and neoprene and works with most toner based laser printers and copiers.” The minimum order is just one.

So how does it work? First of all you print a mask on plain, normal paper. Then in the WOW box there’s two types of paper – the image paper and the mask paper. Take the image paper and print the image on that. Then go to the heat press and place a soft pad on the base. Put the mask paper down, then the plain paper mask on top of that, face down and press. Everything from the plain paper is now on the mask paper, but with no weeding! Next you take the image paper and line it up with the mask paper under a light box. Put the two back into the press and press for 40 seconds. Peel the transfer off the mask and you are left with the image, which you then transfer onto the fabric under the press.

Nicol stresses that the WOW 7.1 transfer process will not replace the existing OBM transfer paper, or indeed the range of MagiCut Flex, Flock or glitters etc, but will be an additional method for complex or detailed designs that cannot be profile cut and weeded. It also performs where even traditional screen and litho printing fails, claims Nicol .

“At a time when many decorators are considering investing in the direct to garment arena, the new WOW transfer process offers a quicker alternative at a fraction of the price,” he adds. Full colour laser printers are now available for less than £500, making the process available to all. “Direct to garment is too inflexible and in my mind to buy all that kit and have to finance yourself up to the hilt is just asking for financial trouble,” he states. “Plus, any direct to garment print has to either be heat pressed or dried anyway, so why not just put a heat press transfer on like this in the first place?”

The product will be introduced to existing MagicTouch clients in the UK, Italy and Holland first, then introduced to new users with a series of roadshows throughout the rest of the year. “We’ve made a massive investment in this to make sure we can meet demand,” says Nicol, who predicts big things for the new technology.

“WOW will change the rules as to the decoration of garments in the future,” he says. “It’s the final piece of technology to make the digital image transfer process complete and the most significant development since the inception of digital transfer technology – confirming the long-term future development of the image transfer business.

“It’s also here to stay and will only get better, cheaper and quicker. It will change the way people think about printing garments.”

Nicol believes the technology is a huge opportunity for screen printers and decorators to get some short run business. “It’s a market they need to wake up to. All you need is a colour printer and a heat press. This system can really reduce lead times and it has worked on every fabric we’ve tried it on, even polyester football shirts because it goes on at 130°C, not 150°C, where the colour might run. Using this temperature doesn’t affect the fabric at all.”

He adds: “It’s great for one-off or intricate designs and looks and feels like part of the T-shirt.”

TheMagicTouch now operates in over 54 locations worldwide and has pioneered the digital image transfer business since 1989, manufacturing and marketing a comprehensive range of transfer papers for use with traditional colour lasers and copiers.

For more information or to obtain a sample of the WOW transfer, contact TheMagicTouch on 01582 671444 or log on to www.themagictouch.co.uk

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