Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/827403
42 • June 2017 • S I G N & D I G I T A L G R A P H I C S DIGITAL PRINTING AND FINISHING DIGITAL GRAPHICS Tight Turnaround Times & Margins Compton says that print on demand and the need for tighter turnaround times from clients continues to increase. "With this comes the increase in speed- to-market of printed product. Latex printing has grown tremendously due to versatility in printing substrates and continuing increases in technology that allows printers to print finished product DigiCompetition is a lightweight knit polyester from Top Value that offers outstanding color consistency, image sharpness and wrinkle resistance, the company says. (Image courtesy of Top Value Fabrics) on board the printers with turnaround time decreasing significantly. The same is true of high-speed dye sublimation printer technology. The growth and placement of new high-speed printers has given end users the flexibility to print multiple designs and large volume jobs for immediate shipping to end users." Compton agrees that while tighter margins are more common in the vinyl banner market, margins on digitally printed textile are relative to the quality of the fabric being utilized. "This is espe- cially true as print providers and end use customers have become highly educated in textile quality relative to consistent white point from batch to batch, consis- tently rolled, dependable fabrics sourced from their vendors which provide high quality graphics and presentation," he adds. A Stitch in Time One way that shops are gaining more control over turnaround times on ban- ner projects is through in-house banner finishing capabilities. Steven L. Kaplan, owner and president at S. Kaplan Sewing Machine Co., Newark, New Jersey, says that it's a real production hurdle for sign shops to take a banner or a large-format graphic panel and send it out to be sewn or finished and then have to wait for it to be returned. "We provide industrial sewing equip- ment for banner finishing. Our custom- ers are printers and graphics companies who realize that taping banners has significant limitations. They typically start out by contracting out the sewing required to finish their banners or large- format graphics. However, tight schedul- ing makes this a production hurdle, often delaying completion as banners have to leave their facility, be sewn by an outside contractor and then returned back to the printer or graphics house," he explains. Sewing Solutions Kaplan states they have found success in providing easy-to-use sewing equip- ment at a variety of price points, which allow customers to bring the sewing operation in house, dramatically reduc- ing production time and allowing a sig- nificant increase in profit and flexibility. The company also supplies training on the machines. (Image courtesy of Planet Tradeshow)