Resolute DTG raises the bar in 2015

Demonstrating hybrid DTG printing at Printwear & Promotion LIVE! and showing how the label industry’s rapid changes have evolved in the R-Jet L.A. 1,  2015 is set to be a busy year for Resolute DTG.

Back in February 2010 Resolute DTG opened its doors for business. Since then the company has grown quite dramatically over the last five years and has successfully delivered a new development in direct to garment printing every year with 2015 being by far the most exciting. The R-Jet 5 nicknamed by its users as Europe’s No. 1 DTG printer now has another string to its bow, DTG hybrid printing.

The first live demonstrations of the R-Jet 5 Hybrid, a system that uses no pre-treatment when printing dark fabrics will be on show at the Resolute DTG stand C30 at Printwear & Promotion LIVE! 2015. This exciting combination of two printing processes brings a host of new features to all existing and new R-Jet 5 DTG printers. Aimed at small to medium size businesses the clever system enables traditional screen printing without the need for a carousel and the space it would require. The R-Jet 5 hybrid’s main use will be printing dark full colour shirts including white ink without the need to use any pre-treatment. This method of producing a full colour print onto a dark shirt is nothing new, it has been tried by many in the past but the R-Jet 5 Hybrid to our knowledge is the only system that is complete and does not use a traditional screen printing carousel.

The hybrid works in harmony with the R-Jet 5’s patented offline loading system. This allows for blank garments to be pre-loaded for either traditional direct to garment printing or hybrid printing without stopping the printer in the process. Self-contained in its own movable steel cabinet the hybrid can be easily stored by simply wheeling it to its storage area of only 700x900mm floor space when not in use. Resolute had to develop two new products to enable existing R-Jet 5 DTG printers to work with the new hybrid system.

Direct to screen makers are becoming more and more popular, using Resolute’s unique emulsion the R-Jet 5 can be used as a direct to screen maker removing the need to create film positives in order to expose a screen, this was new product number one. Simply tell the Resolute RIP software you wish to make a screen and select the under base mode, with a frame loaded it will generate the image directly onto the emulsion ready for exposure. The R-Jet 5 Hybrid workstation also includes its own UV curing unit, stored in the cabinet when not in use. The two things combined can be used to make a screen for the white under base of a full colour print run or a simple spot colour job for use with plastisol inks. A high quality water based white ink also had to be developed, new product number two. This new ink reduces bleed when the R-Jet 5 is used to print the CMYK part of a dark shirt using a wet on wet process. Using its unique Resolute RIP software and the R-Jet 5’s optical registration system it is possible to achieve a fit comparable to large automated carousels at a fraction of the cost using a very small footprint.

The hybrid system also allows for the application of special colours and metallics to DTG prints, until now this was practically impossible to achieve with good registration in low volumes. On a grander scale, one of the beta testers for the Hybrid has used this with discharge for the under base and the R-Jet 5 for the CMYK. This process makes bright images with a very soft  hand on dark shirts and is a finish highly sought after in retail.

At the time this article is being written the R-Jet L.A. 1 is still under wraps waiting to be launched at shows around the globe in 2015. A high speed multi-function UV stable inkjet label machine capable of printing on flat sheets or use a web reel to reel feed system. Built from the ground up this multi-function printer is also capable of printing onto sign board and other hard substrates. Practically zero maintenance is required when using this printer due to its unique print head technology.  The L.A.1 is also available as a direct to screen maker using frames up to 20x24in.

For more information call 01246 202686, email sales@resoluteink.co.uk or visit www.resolutedtg.com