The key findings from the study:

• The display/signage sector is driving the development of digital print for textiles as inkjet printers have had a longer experience in the market.
• Textiles production has moved to countries with low labour rates, but digital printing may change that. Short runs and agile manufacturing are set to force some production back to North America and Western Europe. More of the cotton that is shipped from the US to China will stay at home, to be made into fabric that will be digitally printed locally to satisfy design-savvy consumers locally, while digital print will allow more designers to create and test new designs more quickly.
• Eco-solvent inks are replacing solvent-based inks as many of the older solvent machines are replaced, and environmental regulations in Europe and North America support the continued development and use of eco-solvent approaches.
• The total installed base of digital printers for textiles is forecast to grow to 52,800 units globally by 2014, a CAGR of 23.1%.

According to the study, a total of around 30 billion square metres of textile fabric are printed annually, a fraction of all textiles, with a growth rate of about two per cent per year. Of this, about 127 million square metres of fabric are printed digitally.

Globally, digital textile printing has been growing at over 40 per cent annually since 2002, from virtually zero. Digital printing also continues to grow as a per centage of all textile printing. In the period to 2012 the study expects new digital printing systems to alter the competitive landscape and move more volume to digital printing. After 2012, digital printing is predicted to move quickly to become a dominant printing process, especially for the apparel industry.

Digital printing of textiles has been in effect since the mid 1990s with electrostatic (e-stat) and early wide format inkjet printers, either by direct printing (in the case of inkjet) and via dye sublimation transfer (inkjet and e-stat). Direct to fabric printers, combined with growth in textile applications such as soft signage and garments are driving the market for digital textile printing.

Because display/signage has been one of the first markets for inkjet printing, it is naturally the largest today. It is only in the last few years that dedicated fabric printers evolved and began to affect the garment, household, and other markets.

For the fabric markets, the items that were digitally printed had to be in concert with the ink and the printer. Thus early fabric printing has been limited in its applications.

Sampling requires printing on the fabric with accuracy and conformity to the screen printing that will be used for final production. Digital printing dramatically reduces turnaround time for sampling when compared with traditional technology, from six to eight weeks to a few days. Reduction of sampling costs and turnaround time improve time to market.

The second major application area is strike-off, or one-offs, producing a single, sellable customised item. In conventional textile screen printing, the development cost for one-offs is € 2,000-€ 9,000 per design and a schedule of 2-5 weeks, with the cost based upon the number of spot colours. Digital printing, on average, is about 60 per cent of that cost and less than half the time.

Short run, also referred to as ‘agile manufacturing’, is the production of custom products in runs of two units to about 100 units, or one to a few hundred square metres. Full production runs would be higher in units and square metres, but traditional rotary screen printing still has the advantage for long runs.

Less than 15 per cent of all textiles are printed as a part of the manufacturing process. One quarter of all textiles are manufactured with no (or very little) colour and only some are printed after manufacture. Blank canvas for signage would be an example.

Most textiles are dyed or plain. Of those printed, rotary screen and other processes are used. Ink use will be in all categories over the period of this report. The display/signage, household, and technical markets will continue to use UV, solvent, and eco-solvent inks, but garment fabrics will continue to use aqueous inks.

In terms of digital textile applications, no one type of ink will dominate. Solvent-based inks are being replaced by eco-solvent inks.

Inkjet printing is distributed globally. The fastest-growing regions are the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and Asia, though it is important to remember that the pattern of growth is not the same for each country and region. Although there is a correlation between nations that are large textile exporters, it may not follow that digital printing will be dominant in those countries.

Digital textile printing migration emerging

Marcus Timson, corporate communications director at FESPA explains FESPA’s support for the Pira study: “It was important for FESPA to gain a scientific view of the future direction of the digital textile market, and Pira was a credible partner to undertake such a comprehensive piece of analysis. FESPA’s screen printing heritage is such that printing onto textile has always been a very significant element of our events.

"More recently, our FESPA Digital shows have reflected the market’s migration towards digital textile printing for the short-run applications identified in the Pira study, and we have encouraged our community to explore the market’s potential through two Digital Textile conferences in parallel with these shows.

"The textile area of our flagship FESPA show has grown to the point where FESPA is now effectively the largest textile printing event in Europe, and the garment decoration segment will now have a dedicated zone at FESPA 2010, under the distinct FESPA Fabric banner.

"The Pira study, which is available at a discounted price for members of FESPA’s national associations, will help us to shape the events, products and services that FESPA creates to address the textile printing marketplace, and help our global community of print service providers to understand the opportunities that may exist for them in this segment.”

The Future of Digital Print for Textiles: market forecasts to 2014 is available now for € 3,950. FESPA members are eligible for a 15% discount and can purchase the report for € 3,555. For more information, contact Stephen Hill on 01372 802025, stephen.hill@pira-international.com, or visit www.pira-international.com

*Pira International is the worldwide authority on packaging, paper and print industry supply chains. Established in 1930, Pira provides market research, strategic and technical consulting, testing, publications and events to help clients understand market trends, identify opportunities, evaluate product performance, meet compliance requirements, network and develop strategies to grow their business.

**FESPA is the Federation of Screen and Digital Printers Associations. FESPA’s Associations represent the interests of screen and digital printers in 26 European countries. A further 10 associations outside Europe are Associate Members of FESPA.

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