feb17_images_digital

KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES

HYBRID PRINTING STEP-BY-STEP (Continued)

The screen is now aligned to the colour image that has just been printed

The white layer is printed onto the dark garment in the correct position

The white discharge ink is then cured

The garment is moved to the printer and the image minus registration marks printed

The result: a perfectly registered, vibrant, full-colour print

Finally, the print is dried either through a tunnel dryer or a heat press

Cost savings Jules has been running tests on the system and the cost savings are impressive: for a full DTG print of the design shown here, the cost including the white ink would be around £1.70-£1.80. With the hybrid system it costs around 40-50 pence. “We all know that it is the white ink on DTG that makes it expensive, but the cost savings on the hybrid system: wow!” says Jules. In full-colour mode it is possible to get 20-25 prints an hour, he confirms, with set-up time coming in at about four to five min- utes compared to 45 minutes for a 14-colour set up with screen print. “Where it’s going to fit are the full-colour images for 50 shirts upwards, where it would be quite expensive to screen print with maybe 12 or 14 screens.” It’s also ideal for printing SFX inks: you just put the shirt back on the press and print the glitter inks, or whatever else the client

has asked for, over the DTG print. It neatly gets round one of the main criticisms of DTG, namely that special effects inks are not possible as glitter flakes etcetera are too big to pass through the print head nozzles. It also allows decorators to increase the perceived (and actual) value of garments and to offer their customers a wider variety of techniques. The hybrid system is also simple to use, Jules advises: “If somebody’s already screen printing a 12-colour simulated process, it’s going to be very easy because you separate your underbase white as you would normally and you’ve only got to burn one screen.” Mooch has bought two systems for £20,000, and says that one person can easily run two machines by themselves. The hybrid machines have, says Jules, “fitted in a treat”. w www.moochclothing.co.uk w www.amayauk.com

56 images FEBRUARY 2017

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