Into the blue with Mtex

As an industry, we are used to ‘the next big thing’. Whatever technology has presented itself, our trade has, by and large, accepted it, welcomed it, and gone on to make money from it. Whether it is the advent of CNC routers, or vinyl letter cutting systems that revolutionised the industry and made it, rightly or wrongly, accessible to a wider audience, we have never been slow to adapt and change.
 
This technology has also created markets for products that simply did not exist previously—none more so that the one for so-called soft signage.

The current trend for outdoor marketing materials is a big one. From conventional and feather flags, to lightweight freestanding signage, seamless exhibition back drops and contour shaped freestanding signage, the range of opportunities with textiles is vast. It is a market that continues to grow, along with the range of printing and finishing equipment to service it.

A quick trawl through any of the trade magazines shows the array of options available, but also just how careful decisions need to be made regarding the type of work you intend to do and the materials you intend to print on.
 
Mimaki was an early pioneer of direct-to-textile printing with the first JV2 being aimed solely at the garment and textile market, with solvent ink following on later. Now nearly all the major players have an offering in this field.

Sublimation printing, where an image is printed onto transfer paper then fixed onto the fabric, is one method and an ever-increasing number now have direct-to-textile offerings in their ranges. Unlike printing onto vinyl, the print needs to be ‘fixed’ onto the fabric once it is printed. D-Gen and Mtex, among many companies, offer solutions for in-line curing as opposed to a separate heat press solution, which looks more familiar to someone used to wide-format solvent printers.

Entrance point

Mtex has recently launched the entry level Mtex Blue, which is the latest example of a device with in-line fixation and is designed with those seeking an entry into the world of soft signage in mind.

The Blue has a print width of 1600mm and is set up as a 2x4 colour printer with the ink contained in handy two litre sacks, which are located on the top of the machine. The printer has its own on board RIP centre, which is built into the end of the printer itself with the monitor set above. The RIP itself, like most, is user-friendly, so anyone used to operating in wide-format currently would be able to get going relatively easily.

The Mtex comes with an extraction unit, which has to be used and does increase the footprint on the machine, but this is offset by the fact that this printer has everything on board, rather than having the separate fixation device.

The best results are obtained if the work environment is properly controlled, so it is best if the printer is in its own area and one that is not affected by changes in temperature humidity too often.

It is a relatively straightforward process to load media in and once it is through the printer, it is just a matter of waiting for the media and heaters to get to the correct operating temperature. There is a knack to loading the media in, however, and whilst it is not so easy to get the media in square first off, most experienced users will pick this up quickly.


With most operators more often than not loading up a roll of media and not taking it off until the roll is used, this highlights the importance of correctly setting the printer up beforehand. It is interesting to see just how much heat is applied to the material whilst it is getting up to operating temperature. This is something to bear in mind along with allowing for a sizeable amount of media that has to be passed through the heater and secured to the take up unit. This cannot be done once the printer is working, as the media has to be under the correct tension at the print head before you can start printing.

One of the benefits of in-line curing becomes apparent quite early on. With the print done and passing through the heaters its possible to know that the final output is complete within minutes, and if necessary, stop the job before metres of material are wasted—something that is not possible with a separate curing device but this is also potentially its Achilles heel.
 
The advantages of separate curing is that the media can have a totally different set of requirements to that of the heater, whereas with in-line, the two have to go hand in hand and its very much a balancing act of matching up print speed to curing time to get the best results. Most users may not need a wide range medias that could make this an issue and it is precisely this type of user that Mtex has aimed the Blue at.

Media choice is a key element to getting the best from your new investment and it is worth taking advice from your chosen supplier as the best options for you. Each will have their preferred choice; I visited CMYUK, which has worked closely with Berger to profile a range of different textiles for the Blue for its customers. The success of the output clearly reflects the time spent going through this process along with the quality of the media which you would expect.



As with any new process, there are other investments needed to make a success of venturing into soft signage, such as sewing capabilities, but for anyone looking, the Mtex Blue represents a good first step into this growing market.



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