Case Study TF Signs installs an T
ogether with a platen heat press, the SureColor SC-F6300 was purchased initially to aid production of (ISDE), regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle competitions. Ryan Austin, MD of Austin Mix, parent company of TF Signs, has been involved in the sign and graphics industry for over 25 years. In this time, he has managed to blend his love of motorsports into his day job, providing all printed items and clothing such as motocross jerseys, bespoke team apparel, event logistics, and brand awareness for Team GB events. Following a curtailment in 2020 due to the pandemic, and with a reduced presence in 2021, the ISDE made a spectacular comeback this year for its 70th anniversary, which pushed Ryan into bringing the manufacturing of these event jerseys in-house, for the first time, and setting him on the reshoring path. He said: “After the cancellation in 2020, the uncertainty surrounding the 2021 event, the companies we previously partnered with seemed disinterested in the project we had this year. The usual sources in Italy became unusable, due to long lead times required on design and production and the tax tariffs imposed by Brexit. Back in June 2022 I took the decision we needed to manufacture here in the UK to enable us to solve the above problems, giving us 100% control over every aspect of the garment production. “Nobody is manufacturing such items in the UK for this market space, previously it was all outsourced to companies in Italy, and while the garment costs are competitive, the customs bills are proving very high due to Brexit. My thinking was to install a dye sublimation printer to enable me to produce garments at roughly the same production costs but
| 54 | January 2023
Epson SureColor SC-F6300 dye sublimation printer in-house
Telford-based TF Signs has installed an Epson SureColor SC-F6300 dye sublimation printer from CMYUK to adopt in-house reshoring practices for the printing and production of short run sportswear.
Ryan Austin, MD of Austin Mix, pictured with the Epson SureColor SC-F6300
without the long lead times and logistic issues which continue to be problematic.”
Ryan’s reshoring requirements Once he’d decided to take the reshoring plunge, Ryan knew he wanted to invest in wEpson dye sublimation technology. The printer Ryan had selected was an Epson SureColor SC-F6300 bought from CMYUK, the only UK supplier that had stock of the printer at the time. It is a dedicated roll-to-roll dye sublimation printer that has a max width of 44in and a maximum print resolution of up to 1400dpi. Developed specifically for textile producers, it is designed to get businesses up and running as quickly as possible.
The team apparel produced for the British male and female teams competing at this years’ FIM International Six Days Enduro
Ryan adds: “It’s a nice size because you can print everything that you need and scale up as much as you want. For the ISDE job, we manufactured nearly 100 garments consisting of a four-piece pattern. For this, we had to create a pattern that was easy to stitch together, and which could work on the printer and be printable to a tight deadline. This pattern was designed along with the fabric tested for application prior to the machine being delivered, so we were ready for production to commence the day it was installed. “For me, one of the most daunting things was colour, and how I could manage colour in a way that is reasonably straightforward, that doesn’t involve messing about with lots of different processes such as file types or settings, to be able to create consistent colour output. From the get-go, there wasn’t much that I needed to do to get the right colour consistency. We printed over 300m of pattern with zero waste. It lived up to its plug and play credentials. Plug it in, prime it up, play about with a couple of the settings, and you just go from there.” For a month, Ryan focused on delivering the garments for the ISDE event. “We used everything that was output from the Epson printer as it was 100% consistent. I didn’t purchase the take-up roll for the printer, but I can see that I’ll end up getting one as we continue,” he says. TF Signs is traditionally a general signage and display printer. While it offers workwear and embroidery services, Ryan is very keen to expand the new in-house garment printing and manufacture. If ever there was a sign to endorse Ryan’s new business extension, both the GB Men and Women’s teams took the top spot at the ISDE championship this year for the first time since 1953, victorious in their digitally printed and UK manufactured sports attire.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
