Fabric suppliers responding to print technology
By Barb Ernster
In response to the growing demand for direct-to-print technology, Fisher Textiles undertook an exhausting testing process to become a registered fabric supplier for Hewlett Packard’s new latex printers. At least 15 of its fabrics are registered and listed on the HP media guides; all of them are 100-percent polyester. That process will continue to expand, as will latex technology, says James Gay, director of marketing at Fisher, but from a fabric side, there is an equal division among customers who are using dye sublimation, solvent printing and UV technology.
“It’s always good for us to have fabrics that can cross over from one to the other technology,” Gay says. “We’re constantly trying to look for ways to be a better fabric supplier. The steps we’ve taken with this new latex technology are positive.”
Paul Maddrell with Designtex says recommendations and suggestions for various fabrics from suppliers are what they need on the creative side. “That freshness, that new way of approaching something and new way of presenting a brand image is really important to us,” he says. “To have that in your arsenal when you walk in with a client is very important.”
