Digital Textile Printing Conference Day Two: Technology, New Revenue, and the Future
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The second day of the Digital Textile Printing Conference, held in Durham, North Carolina, explored innovations in technology, new areas for growth, and what the future holds for digital textile printing.
Opening up the discussions on Dec. 8 was Kathryn Sanders, founder and CEO of Western Sensibility, with “Digital Textile Printing as an Artistic Medium.” She spoke about the opportunity to build relationships with creatives in the artistic community. Sanders pointed out that digital textile printing opens up possibilities for artists when it comes to end-use products. She emphasized the importance of print service providers (PSPs) being collaborators rather than just printers.
Following Sanders’ presentation cam several that highlighted technology in the industry. From major developments in color matching to improvements in standard lighting, each one tied back to the main takeaway from day one: change.
Other presentations from the day included:
- Performing Color Process Control in Digital Textile Printing – Viktor Lazzeri, Barbieri Electronic
- TextileRGB (Fogra58)” the Overarching Digital Textile Working Space – Joe Tschudi, Tschudi Software Technology GmbH
- LED Lighting & Color Matching – How Textile Companies are Dealing with the Revolution – James Summers, JUST Normlicht Inc. & GL Optic
- Advancements in Digital Textile Manufacturing – Frank Henderson, Henderson Sewing
- How to Get the Best Fitting Apparel Using Today/Tomorrow Technologies – Daniel Watts and Julie Van der Sommen, Pattern Room Sales Pty Ltd
The day wrapped with a networking lunch, with much discussion centered around the final presentations and what innovations in automation and even robotics mean for the industry.
“I was very pleased with the conference,” says Ray Weiss, VP, eLearning & Certifications, PRINTING United Alliance. “Our steering committee worked hard to pull together an eclectic set of topics as we worked to appear to different communities — apparel decorators, designers for both fashion and home décor, and suppliers looking for trends to help with their decisions on products.”
Weiss notes that this year’s event was purposefully set up differently than years past. “This year was different than years past — intentionally — with the addition of networking breaks during the day so that people could connect with other attendees, our exhibitors and sponsors, and speakers to share information and experience.”
