Polyester is the cornerstone of the textile printing industry and, together with the digital sublimation process, has led to the exponential growth of polyester printing. However, the properties that make polyester ideal for sublimation printing make this printing process unsuitable for other materials such as cotton and mixed fibres.
A gap that could be partially closed by direct printing on textiles, but which requires considerable initial investment in finishing to ensure colour fastness, colour accuracy and compatibility with different substrates. As a result, there was a need for a more sustainable and cost-effective solution suitable for a wider range of textiles.
TRAPIS, the bridging solution
Mimaki spent six years developing TRAPIS, a two-step textile transfer printing solution consisting of just an inkjet printer and a letterpress calender. Desired designs can be printed on Texcol® pigment ink transfer paper using the inkjet printer and then transferred to the application via the calender. A technology suitable for home textiles and soft signage where bright colours and different materials are required, giving printers the ability to print on many materials, including natural fibres such as cotton and silk, without losing stretch or colour fastness.
The environmental benefits of TRAPIS
Digital dye printing often requires pre-treatment and washing of the fabric, which generates a significant amount of waste water. With TRAPIS, these steps are eliminated, resulting in water savings of around 14.5 litres per square metre and, according to Mimaki, a reduction of almost 90% compared to digital dye printing. Conventional dyeing processes generate around 2 billion tonnes of wastewater every day worldwide from pre- and post-dyeing processes and TRAPIS enables print service providers to significantly reduce their environmental impact. In addition, the simplified printing workflow eliminates the CO2 emission-intensive overseas transport of textile products.
MIMAKI
Mimaki has been manufacturing and marketing large format inkjet printers and cutting plotters for the industry for decades. The products are recognised as state-of-the-art, reliable, user-friendly and include fully integrated workflow solutions. Headquartered in Nagano, Japan, Mimaki is present in over 150 countries worldwide. This includes foreign branches in Europe and the USA, as well as the growth markets of China and Brazil.