FESPA will hold its next Digital Textile Conference on 30 September 2016 in Milan, Italy. The event will be delivered with the support of the FESPA Italia Association and in collaboration with Sistema Moda Italia, the Italian Fashion and Textile Federation, and Associazione Italiana Disegnatori Tessili, the Italian Textile Designers Association, both of which will field speakers.

The one-day conference builds on the success of a series of FESPA-led Digital Textile Conferences which have taken place over the course of the last eight years.

These conferences have been designed to help members of FESPA's global speciality printing community realise the growth opportunities in digital printing on textile substrates for a range of applications.

Conference programme

FESPA Digital Textile Conferences offer a focused environment in which to learn and network, both for printers already active in digital textile printing and for those still seeking to explore the opportunity.

The September 2016 conference programme will provide print service providers with insights into the diverse market segments of digital textile printing, feedback from printers who have successfully entered the sector and technical guidance on how to address the opportunity, including updates on the latest technology developments in machinery, software, inks and textiles.

Confirmed speakers and panellists so far include Enrico Barboglio (FESPA Italia); Duncan MacOwan (FESPA); Ron Gilboa (InfoTrends); Fulvio Alvisi (AIDT); Andrea Ferrero (Miroglio Textiles); Lorenzo Zottar (The Color Soup); Gianluca Brenna (Stamperia di Lipomo); Dario Garnero (Stamperia Serica Italiana) and Andrea Barbiani (MS Italy). The event will be moderated by respected Italian industry journalist Paola Bonfanti.

FESPA Print Census

The FESPA Print Census, results of which were published in May 2015, indicated textile as the dominant growth application for the community, with 81% of printers at that time seeing growth in this segment, the highest of any growth application, FESPA reports.

Digital technology was identified as the key enabler, with over 50% of respondents expecting digitally produced garments to become an important alternative to traditional screen printing in the next two years. Textile printers featured prominently in investment plans, with 21% of respondents specifically focussing spend in this area, supported by 12% planning to acquire thermal transfer equipment.

Decorative and industrial textile applications also featured heavily, with 78% of those surveyed reporting growth in textiles for décor applications. Textile substrates were continuing to make inroads in the signage and graphics space, with 67% observing sustained growth in soft signage.

Feedback

FESPA has collated further feedback from its community since the March 2016 FESPA Digital exhibition in Amsterdam, which incorporated FESPA Textile. Responses indicate that digital textile printing is now of immediate interest to nearly two-thirds of wide format printers, with 40% already printing on textile, and a further 20% actively interested in entering the sector, according to organisers. Fashion and garment printing was indicated as the primary area of interest, followed by interior decor and soft signage.

“A year on from the FESPA Census, printers are turning interest into action, as we saw from the tremendous buzz in the FESPA Textile halls in Amsterdam a few months ago,” commented Neil Felton, FESPA CEO.

“Today, digital accounts for only a small proportion of all textile printing, but this is forecast to grow substantially in the years ahead, with estimates suggesting that digital could account for 5% of textile printing by 2020, up from 2% today. Clearly that's a significant diversification opportunity for printers already invested in digital output technology and supporting workflows.”

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