what is FESPA and ITMA

1.8 FESPA 1996

As previously noted, Perfecta introduced a TIJ textile printer at FESPA 1996.

Idanit exhibited its high-speed 162 Ad that demonstrated the advantages of large

arrays of print heads for production printing, albeit targeting paper and vinyl

sheet printing.

Around the same time, Matthew Rhome of Bradenton, Florida, applied for a

patent for an inkjet printer (on 19 July 1996) and the US Patent office awarded

him patent number 6,095,628 on 1 August 2000. The original Rhome printer

used thermal inkjet print heads. More recently, Mr Rhome developed a T-shirt

printer using Brother PIJ print heads, which the company exhibited at the ISS

Exhibition in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during March 2005.

In the early 1990s, Sawgrass of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA, won a

number of patents for thermal transfer and inkjet sublimation printing. In the late

1990s, it developed an indirect process called Natura for printing garments using

electrophotography for use on white and pastel colored cotton and cotton±

polyester blend garments. This process produces lighter hand and more vibrant

color than resin-based toners. Other manufacturers have developed electro-

photographic printers to produce sublimation transfers for receptive garments,

accessories, and fabrics.

FESPA and ITMA 1999

FESPA (for screen and digital printing) in Munich, Germany, and ITMA (for

textile production and decoration) in Paris overlapped during June 1999.

6 Digital printing of textiles

Perfecta exhibited its flatbed textile printer using XAAR XJ-500 print heads at

FESPA.

1.10 ITMA 1999

Stork displayed its full line of digital printers at ITMA 1999 in Paris. It exhibited

its Amethyst, a seven-color continuous inkjet that Stork developed for use with

reactive and acid dyes for printing cellulosic and protein fibers. The Amethyst

generated a 254-dpi matrix with gray levels for very high apparent resolution. It

could print at a maximum throughput speed of 17.5m2/hr. Stork also exhibited

its Zircon drop-on-demand piezo inkjet based on the Konica eight PIJ print head

printer. Stork configured this device to print disperse dyes. It produces 360 dpi

and throughput of 6.9m2/hr. Stork also exhibited its Amber PIJ printer based on

the Mimaki seven-color 360±720 dpi TX device. Stork offered the Amber for

printing reactive dyes for cellulosic fabric printing. It also exhibited a dual

chamber steamer for fixing digitally printed dyes. Stork ran into technical

hurdles with the Amethyst, resulting in its discontinuation. It continues to

rebrand Mimaki and Konica printers enhanced with Stork software.

Encad showed its four-color TIJ 300 dpi textile printer at ITMA. In addition to

Stork's versions, Mimaki exhibited its seven-color TX PIJ inkjet and Konica

exhibited its eight-color 360 dpi PIJ printer configured for either disperse or

reactive dyes. A number of other value-added manufacturers, including DGS of

Como, Italy, developed improved material handling and software for the Mimaki

printer. As mentioned previously, Ichinose Toshin Kogyo Co. Ltd demonstrated

its 12-color 300 dpi TIJ Image Proofer printer outputting 4±12m2/hr. Perfecta

Print AG exhibited its Print Master four-color inkjet. Salsa (formerly Signtech,

now part of Nur Macroprinters) exhibited one of its solvent printers as a digital

textile banner printer.