The idea is that although there are plenty of places in the world where you can have something made on a large scale, the UK is the place to come if you want something unique. And it seems that the printwear and promotional industry is well placed to capitalise on this trend, with processes such as sublimation and digital printing allowing decorators to produce customised products for their customers. I met with John Keith, the new business manager of specialist imaging association prism, recently and he too spoke of the opportunities for printers that ‘mass customisation' presents. You can read the interview, which details Keith's plans for the new association, on page 32. 

One of the technogies well suited to producing customised garments for the individual is direct to garment printing, although many still feel that it cannot compete with screen printing when it comes to longer production runs. It may surprise you, therefore to learn the point at which the cost of the two technologies is equal - 66 shirts, that's according to Sawgrass Technologies' Patrick McGinnis. It's an interesting find, which perhaps makes direct to garment printing a better bet than many would think. Read more about this on page 57 as part of the digital printing feature, which also includes an in-depth interview on digital printing with M&R's president and CEO Rich Hoffman.

The other focus features this month are Knitwear & Fleece and Schoolwear, both of which bring you all the latest styles and developments to ensure you are well placed to keep up with customers' changing demands as we enter the winter season. Happy reading!

Rebecca Green

rgreen@datateam.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---