“Most of the smaller machines were based on Epson desktop type printers,” he says. Other than those it was the Brother and the more muscular industrial print headed machine – the Kornit, while in between, there was the Mimaki, Tex-Jet, T-Jet and Flexi-Jet to name but a few.

“All this is puzzling really because for whatever reason, digital has not yet made the expected strides and impact that it has on the graphics market,” says Turner.

“Perhaps this boils down to quantities – run lengths have reduced generally in the printing industry – and in garment printing in particular as it is more bespoke and personalised these days.”

Perhaps then, digital is just the job for one-offs, but is it? “Heat transfer printing and sublimation have been around for a lot longer than direct digital and are still very cheap to do with minimum outlay,” explains Turner.

“And screen printing is still by far the major process for garment printing in most countries and the costs and mess involved with a screen for each colour are quickly justified where the run length exceeds 100 to 500 if on white shirts (an arbitrary figure that will vary from shop to shop), especially where computer to screen is employed. UV cured inks have also made a difference, as there is no need to wash up completely if the job is to continue the next day. Flash curing also partially removes the need for tunnel dryers as well.”

Another valid point, suggests Turner, is that if you already have screen are you actually going to kick it out?

Despite this, Turner believes that as digital ink jet becomes faster and improves further, it will take over more and more of the garment printing cake. “But for the time being, hopefully you wish to print for profit and therefore the correct horse needs to be chosen for the race in which you wish to take part!” he says.

“At this point I shall make myself redundant for further reading by introducing www.inkjetgarmentprinters.com which, although an American forum site, is really worthwhile looking at as it not only compares machines but also provides spreadsheets with which to compare screen and digital and thus decide which machine to use via cost analysis and which path to follow. It also leads you to eight different inkjet digital machines and their owner’s forums so that you can get the pros and cons from actual users.”

Whatever you do, says Turner, make sure that your curing systems are adequate for your output as, while most inkjet machines are solvent based, some work on water-based inks so you are effectively having to dry a wet shirt.

Likewise, look at your computer – is it up to the more complicated jobs that you might now be looking at, for instance. And does it include the rip speed? If you don’t think these things through you could be hanging around waiting for things to happen, he warns. Software compatibility also needs consideration, he says. Will it work on your platform, for example?

“All the other “return on investment” questions also need to be asked but I shall not insult your intelligence by listing them (they are on that forum anyway).

However, people have been known not to ask the cost and size of ink bottles/cartridges – does it print white? Will it print satisfactorily on blacks? The maximum print area of the machine and the manufacturer’s best guess as to throughput are also useful – although the latter is never accurately known until too late and the machine is in and working. If going for the bigger machines, power consumption is something to think about too as they will not work off a 13amp domestic supply.”

Finally, in addition to the Printwear and Promotion exhibition next March (www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk), Turner recommends paying a visit to the FESPA Digital Show in Geneva next April. See http://www.fespadevelopments.com/digital_2008/ for more details.

One final piece of advice from Turner: “If you are in the market to buy, go and see these machines in the flesh and discover if they (and their dryers and other ancillaries) will actually fit in your printshop for a start!”

Web: www.spauk.co.uk

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