Digital grand format and textile printing

1.7 Digital grand format and textile printing

During the 1980s, a number of companies developed digital methods to print

billboards, building wraps, and large banners. In 1987, Gerber Scientific built

large-drum digital grand format printing systems for billboard maker Metro

Media Technologies (MMT), which has since become the largest supplier of

digitally printed large and grand format graphics worldwide, with digital

production locations in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

MMT prints on textiles in addition to paper and plastic substrates. In 2002,

MMT unveiled two of the world's largest inkjet billboard printers with their

MegaDrums that measure 63 feet in circumference and 32 feet wide.

MMT's competitors in the advertising and billboard markets quickly

followed with their thrust into digital printing. In 1989, Vutek introduced its

801 digitally controlled airbrush billboard printer and in 1990 offered its 16-foot

wide 1630 billboard printer. Other equipment manufacturers, such as Belcom,

Data Mate Company Ltd, LAC Corporation, Matan/Scitex, Nur Macroprinters,

and Signtech/Salsa also developed grand format printers for MMT's

The evolution and progression of digital printing of textiles 5

competitors. These manufacturers have employed a variety of digital printing

technologies including airbrush/valve jet, continuous inkjet, and piezo inkjet.

Fabrics and fabric-reinforced vinyl have provided the primary substrate for

grand format digital graphics banner and building wrap applications.

Geoff McCue filed a patent in 1990 for an inkjet computer to screen mask

printer. Gerber Scientific acquired the rights to the McCue patent and produced

a device to print a photo mask on photo emulsion coated screens. Stork of the

Netherlands and Luescher of Switzerland combined to acquire the patent from

Gerber. The inkjet masking systems based on the McCue patent provided the

advantages of digital imaging to improve the cost and speed of analog print pre-

press.

In the fall of 1993, a group of engineers led by Patrice Girard formed

Embleme that developed a continuous inkjet garment-printing device that used

water-based UV-cure inks, Imaje CIJ print heads, and Fusion Systems curing

lamps. Embleme established the feasibility of printing garments and operated a

shop that offered customers digital printing of customer generated designs on

sportswear.