Impressions - October 2016 - 31

printers want sublimation because it does
not negatively impact these consumer-driven
features," Bernat says.
This sentiment is being echoed across the
garment-decorating industry. No longer are
consumers willing to pay a premium for a
custom T-shirt alone. They are looking for the
garment to be a performance-enhancing product.
What's more, the onus isn't only on large
consumer brands to offer these garment qualities; it's also being asked of the printer creating
jerseys for local high schools. Say a softball
player walks through your door looking for
jerseys for a Wednesday night beer league.
He wants moisture-wicking fabrics and is
willing to spend the money. If you can't meet
his needs, there's a chance you could lose
that business to an online supplier that can.
Bernat adds that sports brands are even
requesting services from sublimators.
"Sports brands are coming to printers asking for all the best options for a private-label
line," Bernat says. "They want the tearaway tag
so their brand can be tagless. They want nonwhite colors for digital printing. They want
the sublimation and the finishing services."
Joe Werner, CEO, Before + Again, a women's fashion brand adds: "Our customers are
asking for items other than just shirts. They
want scarves, dresses, leggings and more -
all personalized to their taste."
To take advantage of these trends, focus on value-added features and short-run
personalization. Even if you can't create an
allover garment decoration, align yourself
with a wholesale sublimation company that
can not only print for you, but also handle
fulfillment to make it easier for you to offer
these products. Your designs can set your
company apart from the rest.
Setting up in marketplaces like Etsy, or even
becoming part of an event site like jane.com
or zulily.com to offer several design options,
could yield significant additional business.
In today's market, you must be able to follow your customers' needs, which now seem
to center on shorter runs and personalization
with more than just a few colors. Offering
a variety of decoration techniques helps ensure you will profit from current trends, as
your company can provide the experience
and products customers want. 

10
11

7. Kornit Avalanche 1000
Offered by Hirsch Solutions Inc.  Designed for
mass production at a rate of up to 300 light and
170 dark shirts per hour  Features 23.5" x 35" print
area and integrated pretreatment system  Uses
NewPigment process ink
Use Info⋅Action #406 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

8. Great Dane Graphics Western Stock Art Designs
New designs include a skull in a cowboy hat with
crossed pistols, cowgirl, bucking bronco and
more  Subscription plans available with 200
downloads per month  Royalty-free artwork for
screen and digital printing, signage, sublimation,
digital transfers, embroidery and cut-vinyl designs
Use Info⋅Action #407 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

Aaron Montgomery has been involved with the

9. Hotronix Maxx 16" x 20" Heat Press
Quick-change platens allow decoration of a
variety of apparel and accessories  Ideal for
sublimation, according to the company  Digital
time and temperature display, over-the-center
press adjustment and non-stick upper platen

garment decorating and personalization industry

Use Info⋅Action #408 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

since 2000 and the digital printing industry since

10. M&R M-Link X Direct-to-Garment
Digital Printers
Prints images up to 16" x 20" on white shirts in 3045 seconds and dark shirts in less than a minute

1997. He co-hosts the 2 Regular Guys industry podcast
at 2regularguys.com, and you can find blogs about
a wide range of topics at aaronmontgomery.info.

 Features Absolute Position Technology, high-

speed industrial print heads, Artistri BRITE inks
and i-Color RIP software  Ink-cost calculator can
be used prior to printing
Use Info⋅Action #409 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

11. Viper XPT-1000 Pretreatment Machine
Users can spray up to 20 inches wide and change
spray location  Overall spray length can be set
from 2-24 inches  Amount of applied fluid is
adjustable
Use Info⋅Action #410 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

12. Roland VS-540i Printer Cutter
Offered by Stahls'  Prints vibrant images with
fine detail  Uses Eco-Sol MAX 2 inks and is
compatible with light black, high-opacity white
and metallic silver inks  Piezoelectric inkjet print
heads feature eight-channel technology
Use Info⋅Action #411 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

13. Hotronix 16×20 Auto Open Clam Shell
Heat Press
Offered by Transfer Express  Features singledigit LED readout that measures the pressure of
the inner platen  Magnetic-assisted lockdown
with automatic release  Digital time and
temperature controls
Use Info⋅Action #412 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

OCT./NOV. 2016

P.31

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Impressions - October 2016

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