dye-sub_opens
Document Sample
SPECIALTY MATERIALS
Evolving
Substrate
Possibilities
BY CATHIE BECK
Max Hoyt of Pixus Digital Printing is living a dual life in this
ever-evolving digital-printing world. Though he produces a great
deal of traditional retail-type graphics that advertise, announce,
and encourage sales — his imaged output can just as often be
found decorating walls, shading windows and even adorning a
table beneath someone’s scrambled eggs.
“We’ve been half-joking around here about changing our name
to Pixus Digital Interiors,” says Hoyt. To date, his Lafayette, La.-
based business tackles many non-traditional digital imaging sur-
faces including fabric, canvas, and wallpaper — even furniture.
“I just left a customer 20 minutes ago,” he says. “I was showing
some of our custom laminates done on Formica — suitable for
tabletops. They want a different image on every one of their
tabletops. So we take their design, piezo inkjet that image using
pigmented inks for stamina, and have a laminate company bake
it into the Formica for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. It’s all about
learning new ways to use the technology.”
Ross Mills bases a great deal of his consulting and research
business upon the same concept. He says it’s all about learning
at Boulder, Colo.-based iTi (Imaging Technology International).
“A lot of our printing is done for design houses and depart-
ment stores and shopping malls. But most of what we do is on
an experimental basis — not on end user-type jobs. We’ve
printed on canvas, leather, felt, and onto plywood and art
board,” Miller says.
Imaging on some of these non-traditional substrates often leads
iTi down the adventurous path of specialty-material testing.
THE BIG CHALLENGE
The big challenge is finding a materials/inks mix for nontradi-
tional substrates that produce traditional, tried-and-true results.
Printing onto specialty materials is becoming “First,” Mills says, “you often have to deal with uneven surfaces.
increasingly popular. This trade show display by Once you’re past that, then you find that the color tends to
Fabric Images illustrates the imaging possibilities change on these unusual substrates in ways that don’t occur with
for dye sub applications. (Photo courtesy of Oscar traditional media. Typically, then, you have to adjust the color
& Associates) profile for that particular material.”
Which inevitably leads to complex adjustments in color-
matching and color-consistency issues.
42 s DIGITAL GRAPHICS s MARCH 2000
A growing area for spe-
cialty materials is printing
onto carpet. Tropical
Graphics, Sunrise, Fla., pro-
duced these samples using
a dye sublimation, heat- “If you use standard material,” Mills
transfer process. Scanned says, “vendors have already done a color
images were printed on a profile for you. But when you print on
52'' Mimaki inkjet printer at specialty materials, you have to com-
360 dpi using Sawgrass pletely re-do the color profiles.”
SubliJet inks and trans- Sometimes a customer’s specific request
ferred onto the carpet with adds to the complexity of iTi’s trial-and-
a George Knight 6' x 4' error equation.
Triton heat press. “Not only do we get a request for a spe-
cial material — like leather — but then
we’re asked to use a special ink as well.
That requires extensive testing and re-pro-
filing of the ink and the substrate.”
This kind of experimentation can be
These ceramic dye-sub tiles were pro- expensive, which may account for some
duced by Tropical Graphics using an Epson print providers’ reluctance to output on
3000 printer at 720 dpi and SubliJet inks. anything other than a conventional media.
The image was transferred onto the tile “The companies wanting this kind of
using a 25'' x 20'' Insta heat press. work done have to pay for it,” says Mills.
“Our specialty is the non-traditional. It’s
R&D and our time is very expensive, but
PictoGraphics, Las Vegas, produced this kingly
crest for a “jousting” event held at the Excalibur
Hotel & Casino using a poly suede material. It
was dye-subbed with Specialty Toner pigments
on an RGI 5442 e-stat printer and transferred
This dye-sub image was done by Tropical Graphics on using an Astechnologies 7900T heat press.
a metal surface using a 36'' Mutoh Falcon AccuPlot
inkjet printer at 720 dpi with SubliJet inks, and trans-
ferred to the metal using an Insta heat press. Pictographics produced this dye-sub image on poly
satin material for Westood Studios.
MARCH 2000 s DIGITAL GRAPHICS s 43
This mural was produced by PictoGraphics for a Las Vegas
Harley Davidson dealer using Firesafe Fabric. It was printed
on an RGI 5442 e-stat printer with specialty toners and
transferred using the Astechnologies 7900T heat press.
there are some people who want this type descent look to their imagery. In that case, research it and find the look you’re
of work.” we’ll use a sublimation process with what- searching for.’”
Likewise, customer needs often lead ever fabric works best for that specific But fabric may be a transitional specialty
Marco Alvarez of Fabric Images, Elk effect. All of it makes each piece unique.” substrate. Clients are looking to digital
Grove, Ill., into testing not only new sub- Fabric Images, true to its name, has imagers to produce products on an
strates against his digital technology, but conducted its own extensive research in increasingly wide variety of non-tradi-
new imagining methodologies as well. order to determine what it can do with tional surfaces, media that includes
fabrics. counter tops, tiles — even metals.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT “We’ve tested well over 100 different “We’ve got a metal fabrication side to
Though he admits that a good deal of fabrics,” says Alvarez. “Our goal is to be our abilities and we can do circular pieces
Fabric Images’ output ends up as signage recognized as an imager capable of pro- and dimensional projects,” says Alvarez.
for trade shows and retail displays, Alvarez ducing out-of-the-norm applications. “We’re also looking at putting images on
says he’s creating specialty products for a What we say is, ‘come to us, let us perforated metals and sheet aluminum.”
customer base searching for novel ways to The dye-sublimation process is part of
stand apart from the crowd. Alvarez’ expanding research, in spite of the
“Our customers are looking for some- idiosyncrasies particular to sublimation.
thing different from the norm,” he says. “Sublimation is, on some days, very
“What I mean by norm is going from good,” he says. “But on other days it
hardback paper goods to something a behaves like a spoiled child. It’s a very
little different in fabric. Fabric’s been temperamental technology — yet it’s the
around for a little while but people in best we’ve found to do what we do.”
retail are looking to catch someone’s eye.
“Both inkjet and dye-sublimation have PATIENCE PATIENCE
opened up the door for greater creative Patience with new procedures — dye-
license,” Alvarez says. “So, our customers sub or otherwise — lends itself to the
come to us for a specific look. They’re trying-out process, adds Mills. “You’ve got
looking for something delicate, for to kind of zig and zag your way into it,”
example,” he says. “They might want to he says. “Though we’ve always been a
be able to see through an image, so we’ll consulting company — a research and
work with sheer fabrics. Some want a development team — our client doesn’t
morphing effect, so we’ll print on always go with the job successfully in the
Spandex and stretch it. Others seek an iri- end, for their customer. They may just get
44 s DIGITAL GRAPHICS s MARCH 2000
Fabric Images says much of its output ends up as signage for trade shows and retail displays,
but the company is searching for novel ways to make its images stand apart from the crowd.
the information they wanted about what communicating it to people. You need but that’s a no-longer-needed hassle.
a substrate will do, what the possibilities sales and marketing to do that.” “Today you can create anything on your
are — but they might not go for the Communicating the possibilities to the desktop computer, email us the file and
product. imager is an ongoing task, adds Pixus receive custom wallpaper back — unique
“I’d say that shops looking to try out Digital Printing’s Hoyt. to your specific application. This is a con-
new surfaces need to hire a good “There’s a learning curve. In the wall- tinuously evolving digital imaging world.
salesman,” he adds. “That’s the hardest paper industry, for example, people tradi- And we have to work to keep the cus-
part. Whenever you have a technology tionally feel they have to wade through tomers educated.”
that gives you an edge, the hardest part is 30-pound books to pick something out,
Cathie Beck is a previous
editor of Digital Graphics
and a frequent writer on
wide-format printing topics.
DG
MARCH 2000 s DIGITAL GRAPHICS s 45
