"With the launch of two new products IGS-UK have covered all three of the main issues associated with the direct-to-garment process, with exceptional results," said the company‘s Colin Marsh.

"IGS-UK was invited to get involved in developing a new d-t-g ink, designed to eliminate some of the inherent problems associated with the process. White ink clogging and washing durability were the two problems they hoped to address. During development, testing was intense with hundreds of shirts printed and washed."

According to IGS, the development of StayBright4 Professional Direct to Garment ink is the biggest step forward for the d-t-g market since the original concept was developed over six years ago.

IGS-UK partnered with a specialist ink manufacturer with over 30 years experience in the garment decoration industry and development of StayBright4 was under way. Developing this new ink, designed to eliminate some of the inherent problems associated with the d-t-g print process was a serious task. Problems like white ink clogging, washing durability and unreliable machines were the three biggest pitfalls associated with the direct-to-garment print process when IGS-UK took on the challenge.

With the launch of their exclusive ink - the first serious competitor in Europe - they pulled the first rabbit out of the hat. StayBright4 not only offers an economical alternative to other d-t-g ink, it is superior in a number of respects. It is especially developed to reduce clogs in the print head and dampers.  Reduced separation technology cuts down on waste, improves quality and speeds up production. Manufactured in Europe, the distribution costs are much less than importing from the USA, keeping the price down and the quality up. In the current economical climate IGS-UK have come up with a product that not only saves garment decorators money, but also offers greater wash ability and light fastness.

The ink alone was an amazing step forward, but the rocky path was in no way smooth yet.

A new printer was desperately needed to compliment the StayBright4 ink.

Ian Bennett was on a scheduled visit to Groener in Germany for a discussion covering an existing direct-to-garment printer and the possibility to bring it to the UK market; Colin Marsh was accompanying Ian for technical evaluation and advanced training.

Continues Colin: "As we trundled across the Tarmac to the terminal at Stuttgart airport, the whole bus shouted ‘Look at that!'. It was a natural phenomena I have never seen before, a double rainbow in the shape of a huge letter m. I turned to Ian and said ‘that has to be a good sign‘. We were desperate to find a suitable printer to sell in the UK if we were to be successful."

The meeting at Groener started well; almost instantly a rapport developed between the four people in the boardroom. It was obvious that Bernd Groener and Uwe Solner-Frasch shared the same enthusiasm as Colin and Ian about the direct-to-garment process.

"We had not intended to mention the StayBright4 ink we have exclusive rights for in Europe, as we already knew Groener were users of DuPont Artistri. However, during the meeting it felt so right, we jumped in feet first and offered Groener exclusive rights to sell our new ink in Germany and promptly whipped out the printed sample garments. This turned out to be one of the best gambles we have ever taken."

Adds Colin: "In response Bernd Groener announced they had designed their own direct-to-garment printer and it was being manufactured 30 minutes away in Germany. They were searching for a new ink to complement the launch with the printer, to enable them to have their own complete brand. Within hours of landing in Germany our search for a reliable, unique, direct-to-garment printer was over. It had no name yet but the first production unit was being tested. Groener offered IGS-UK an exclusive UK dealership for the printer in return for our offer of the ink."

Shortly afterwards the printer was named and the Rainbow Textile Printer was born.

"With rabbit number two firmly pulled from the hat we set off back to the UK to develop the brand in partnership with Groener," continues Colin.

By the time this article is published launch of the Rainbow brand will already be well under way. With the help of Groener.de, IGS-UK has taken direct-to-garment printing one step further. When others gave up and quit, they have managed to turn the tables and continue to lead in the UK direct-to-garment industry.

For more information contact IGS-UK Digital Ltd on 077484 85000, email: colin.marsh@igs-uk.com or visit www.igs-uk.com

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