ScreenWeb | screenweb.com

(February 2010) posted on Mon Jan 25, 2010

The garment-inkjet landscape is changing. Use this source list to keep up with the latest systems on the market.

By Ben P. Rosenfield

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The Kornit 933 is an add-on station for carousel screen presses. It’s designed to allow screen printers to combine screen and digital printing techniques on the same garments without additional handling of the apparel. The all-in-one printing module is fastened to the carousel. It uses Spectra printheads and pigmented solvent or water-based inks (CMYK + White) for printing on light and dark garments. The 933 supports maximum print size of 15 x 19 in. (390 x 480 mm) and imaging resolutions up to 636 x 363 dpi. Kornit says the 933 can decorate up to 200 shirts/hr with image sizes of 5 x 11 in. (127 x 279 mm).

The Kornit Storm 931-8 is a dual-platen inkjet printer for dark and light garments. It’s equipped with four CMYK printheads and four printheads dedicated to white ink. Standard print size is 16 x 20 in. (406 x 508), variable to 20 x 28 in. (508 x 711 mm), and the printer supports imaging resolutions up to 636 x 363 dpi. The Kornit Thunder 932-6 features its own RIP and supports print speeds up to 70 light garments/hr and 30 dark garments/hr. It’s equipped with four CMYK printheads and two printheads for white ink. Standard print size is 14 x 18 in. (356 x 457 mm), and the system supports imaging resolutions up to 636 x 363 dpi.

Lawson Screen & Digital Products
Lawson plans to make its entry into digital apparel decoration in a few months with the Digi-Tex, a printer the company describes as an industrial, high-speed system designed for decorating ad-specialties and textiles. It will have a modular head configuration to support the use of up to six colors and will offer a maximum imaging resolution of 600 dpi. Other features slated for the Digi-Tex include adjustable platen and head height, adjustable print speeds, bi-directional printing, custom platen sizes, and more. Lawson reports that Digi-Tex will print at speeds up to 70 ft/min (21.4 m/min) or faster in some applications and print T-shirts at speeds up to 300 garments/hr. It’ll use water-based inks formulated for adhesion to cotton, 50/50 blends, and other materials.