30th Anniversary Special
the end of the year we had over 100 new customers using the process and created the foundation for product personalisation as we know today.
Over the following 18 months the technology was available within Boots, Kodak and a host of high street retailers such as Snappy Snaps, Kall Kwik and Prontaprint. At the same time TheMagicTouch was the company that was being rewarded and recognised with accolades for innovation as the range of printable products increased dramatically. Over the years we have won many industry awards for innovation and marketing and even featured on two occasions in the popular TV series The Apprentice. Over the 30 years we have been very fortunate and privileged to have committed and loyal staff who enjoy coming to work and indeed six members of staff continue to do so today having now been with the company for the past 25 years. Over the years we have also seen over 10 staff members become customers and still to this day use the TMT processes within their own companies.
As an integral member of the 50+ TMT offi ces worldwide the UK company has
TheMagicTouch’s first appearance in Printwear & Promotion in the July/August 1992 issue
always remained in the top two positions within the global network and continue to play a major role in product and market development.
Great looking future The future looks great for
TheMagicTouch with the recent addition of the new DTF transfer process to the
portfolio that includes sublimation, MagiCut Flex with print and cut, alongside the original toner transfer products. The journey to where we are now has been great and it has been a true privilege to have met and be associated with so many great people and friends over the years. We now look forward to the next 30 years starting at Printwear & Promotion LIVE! 2022.
Extraordinary change and progress E
By Duncan Jeffries, head of marketing and business development, Hybrid Services stablished in 1996 as
Mimaki’s exclusive distributor for the UK and Ireland,
Hybrid Services celebrated its 25th anniversary during 2021. Over the last quarter of a century (and doubtless Printwear & Promotion’s 30 years!), the digital printing and visual communications landscape has seen extraordinary change and progress, with technology available today that may have seemed unimaginable in the mid-1990s. Throughout this time, Hybrid has forged long-lasting relationships, working closely with its reseller partners and collectively striving towards Mimaki’s goal of delivering something new, something different.
The Mimaki product range now encompasses wide and grand format textile, dye sublimation, garment marking, personalisation, sign and graphics and industrial printers as well as cutters,
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supporting software, inks and consumables, and an expanding 3D
line-up. With multiple industry fi rsts delivered over the last 25 years in all areas of the industry, Hybrid and Mimaki’s reputation as innovators continues, and in 2021, important new products were launched into the UK and Ireland.
New technologies
Looking to the not-too-distant future, new technologies for emerging markets such as 3D printing, robotics and factory automation have made their way into Mimaki’s line- up. In tandem with the advancement of its core graphics products, Mimaki is visibly committing to new areas with R&D targeted at delivering state of the art workfl ow options and IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity. Examples of Mimaki fl atbed printers operating alongside robotic media loading and unloading have already been demonstrated at exhibitions.
Mimaki’s Tx-1600S textile printer that dates from the late 1990s
Hybrid now sports a team of around 50 people, many of whom have been with the company for a signifi cant time, and an HQ, showroom and distribution centre located in Crewe, Cheshire. The showroom houses a broad range of Mimaki’s latest technology, as well as a Mimaki Tx-1600S textile printer that dates from the late 1990s. With a production speed of around 1sq m/h, it can’t compete with printers from the current portfolio, but is an important reminder of how digital printing helped transform the textile industry.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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