Industry Report


The DTF invasion and the need for independent scrutiny


David Sweetnam, director of EMEA/APAC lab & research services, Keypoint Intelligence, outlines why in today’s market it is important for independent research and scrutiny.


‘N


o-one would have believed, in the latter years of the 2010s,


that direct to garment printing affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of the Far East.


‘No-one could have dreamed that its technology was being scrutinised, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few product managers even considered the possibility of life with PET film and powder adhesives. ‘And yet, across the globe, devices immeasurably cheaper and more flexible regarded this market with envious eyes, and slowly and surely, they drew their plans against it…’


Keypoint


Intelligence’s new evaluation of DTF printers is very


meaningful to printer manufacturers and to customers. The results of their thorough and rigorous testing provides printer manufacturers with valuable


information to help us develop better products, and for customers, it is a reliable guide in selecting the best solutions. Their report will help bring healthy competition and development to the DTF print market – Tony Miller,


president of Roland DG’s global sales and marketing division


The DTF invasion


In all seriousness, the seismic advances of direct to film technology have been nothing short of astonishing. When this new technology first surfaced a few years ago, most industry commentators dismissed it as a fad that would do little to affect the status quo or disrupt the direct to garment market, which was dominated by big blue- chip vendors. How wrong they were. Today, we see every trade show is


| 42 | June 2024


now swamped by direct to fabric (DTF) devices and the blue-chips desperately rushing to play catch up. To make things even harder to track, in the last three years the focus has shifted dramatically. The pace of innovation in DTF technology is going through shifts faster than a political U-turn, with extra speed or creative options courtesy of four or eight print heads, more technology to improve day-to-day stability, and


better environmental credentials with paper-based transfer media and more local suppliers. We also see emerging powderless transfer options and a significant push for more automation and end-to-end workflows to maximise efficiency.


Independent scrutiny more compelling than ever before With all these rapid technology changes and double-digit product launches at every major trade show, it is hard to keep up, and even more difficult to know which device to choose. This challenge is compounded by the absence of set ISO standards to help buyers compare specs amidst plenty of marketing hype flying about as vendors strive to differentiate themselves in an increasingly complex and crowded marketplace.


Enter Keypoint Intelligence Keypoint Intelligence has been a global independent brand in the imaging industry ever since digital first entered mainstream printing. We uphold the highest levels of integrity as we introduce new testing programs across diverse markets, be it production cut sheet, outdoor roll-to-roll signage, or remanufactured office equipment. Our goal remains consistent: to help both buyers and sellers to understand the true differences between digital imaging devices.


In late 2022, we introduced a new test program specifically for the DTF marketplace. The reaction to the test program was incredible, with invitations to test devices in the USA, Europe, and Japan all arriving within weeks of the announcement. The test program is carefully designed to ensure that every device is evaluated against the same


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


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