The tradition textile market produced over $43 billion in worldwide billings last year, apparel textiles made up the largest portion of that amount at almost 90% of the total, also included in this number are automotive trimmings and carpets.

As little as 15 years ago digital printing of textiles, compared with paper for the relatively benign office environment, no doubt looked impossible. The demands of the textile application are extreme. Among them:

• more than a half dozen common types of synthetic and natural fibres, each with its own ink compatibility characteristics;
• dealing with a stretchable, flexible, often highly porous and textured surface;
• extreme use requirements including light, water fastness (sweat, too) through finishing operations and often outdoor use, heavy wear, abrasion, and cleaning;
• for some apparel applications, challenging registration requirements since separate pieces need to be assembled;
• not just sight, but also touch requirement; - much greater absorbency, requiring many times the ink volume compared with printing on papers.

In the face of such odds, digital textile printing is happening. The traditional valve jet machines are digital and have been around a long time, but they are appropriate primarily for large-volume, centralized manufacturing. The newer digital printing technologies open things up for a wide variety of incremental applications. Tremendous progress has been made, but there are still many challenges. However, the opportunities for high-value digital printer applications are so large that many hardware and chemistry vendors are investing heavily in textile and textile-related products and systems.

I.T. Strategies defines the present markets of digital textile printing to include sampling, strike-off, and mass customization. The sampling application requires printing on both paper and fabrics, close attention to accuracy, and conformity to the conventional screen printing that will be used for production. Digital printing can dramatically reduce turnaround time for sampling from six to eight weeks with traditional technology to perhaps just a few days.

The second major application area is strike-off , defined by I.T. Strategies as producing a sample of a single, salable item for markets such as luxury, entertainment, or special events.

"Mass customization" is the third major application area and one which generates a great deal of attention. Basically, this refers to a simplification of the path from apparel specification through manufacture to finished product. Also referred to as "agile manufacturing," the various production steps-print, cut, sew-are combined in one area where there will be a mix of varied with standard product specification.

There are a variety of new textile industry products made possible by digital printing, including a number of specialty printing applications, "limited only by the imagination." For the military, there is inflatable dummy equipment. For the home, car covers and wall hangings. And great potential in education.

Almost all digital textile printing requires pre-and post-processing of the substrate, and then converting, i.e. cutting patterns and sewing into the finished product. How can all this be done outside a plant, on a decentralized basis? Clearly there still needs to be a lot of development, especially if the emerging digital textile printing industry tries to mimic the traditional industry. But maybe thinking outside that box will change everything. A lot of the innovation will be coming from outside the traditional industry. It looks like almost everyone in wide format digital color printing could get into textiles. The traditional textile industry shouldn't get too complacent. There are clearly hurdles galore. But digital textile printing is developing quickly.