Big Bets Being Placed on DTG

Still Waiting to Get Into Digital Direct-to-Garment Printing? Recent Large Investments Say You Might Get Left Behind.

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At DTG Awareness, we have been chronicling the awakening of the world to the wonders of digital Direct-to-Garment printing. The recent introduction of a new line of DTG printers built by manufacturing giant, Epson, is one clear indication that the technology is taking hold. Their entry into the DTG printing industry represents a big growth in confidence in the young technology.

On the heals of the news of Epson's DTG line comes a story from the Washington Post, published just three days ago about venture firm Revolution Growth and it's decision to invest $40 million dollars into CustomInk, one of the largest online fulfillment houses in the U.S.; a feat in large part made possible by the use of, you guessed it, Direct-to-Garment printing.

Revolution Growth co-founder, former top AOL executive, and present owner of the Washington Capitols, Ted Leonsis, said of CustomInk, "It's a next-generation social shopping company".

Plans for the investment capital include a move to more spacious offices, expansion of a current production facility and of CustomInk operations, as well as plans to open an additional facility.

If you are a printing company and you have been questioning the viability of digital Direct-to-Garment, the big players are now giving you plenty of reason to assume that the technology will be a major part of future garment printing. If your business model doesn't work well with DTG, you may want to revisit your business model.

Epson Makes Big Reseller Announcement on F2000 DTG Series

From the Epson Newsroom:

Epson Announces Specialized Reseller Network for New Direct-to-Garment SureColor F2000 Series Printers

Authorized Resellers Now Accepting Pre-Orders for Epson SureColor F2000 Series

October 21, 2013

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Oct. 21, 2013 – Epson America today announced a specialized reseller network for the company’s new direct-to-garment (DTG) printers – the  SureColor^® F2000 Standard Edition and the SureColor F2000 White Edition. These purpose-built, direct-to-garment inkjet printers are poised to become the new benchmark in high-performance garment imaging and are now available for pre-order through Epson’s network of specialized DTG Authorized Professional Imaging Resellers.

“The direct-to-garment segment is rapidly growing and presents a significant opportunity for resellers,” said Stephen Johnson, national sales manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “Epson has a proven record supporting its professional imaging channel partners and we are delighted to now offer resellers a breakthrough DTG solution offering superior print quality and reliability, enabling them to capitalize on new market opportunities for increased profit and growth.”
Engineered by Epson specifically for DTG printing, the new SureColor F2000 Series printers deliver industrial-level production, image quality, and reliability. With the ability to print directly onto garments – t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, tote bags, and more – ranging from 100 percent cotton to 50/50 fabric blends, the SureColor F2000 Series offers additional revenue opportunities for garment print shops of any size.
Epson’s network of DTG authorized professional imaging resellers includes All American, Axiom America, BelQuette Inc., Equipment Zone, GroupeSTAHL, and Lawson Screen & Digital. Beginning today, authorized resellers are taking pre-orders for the SureColor F2000 Series printers, which will ship early next year. Each of the specialized resellers offer a team of Epson trained support staff coupled with seamless integration resources.
More about the Epson SureColor F2000 Series
The SureColor F2000 Series printers leverage Epson UltraChrome^® DG ink  – an all new, garment ink formulation developed specifically for the new Epson^® PrecisionCore^™ TFP^® print head technology delivering precise and repeatable performance, image quality and high reliability. The Epson SureColor F2000 Standard Edition is a high-speed CMYK-only model and the Epson SureColor F2000 White Edition offers the added benefit of white ink for printing on dark or color fabrics. Both models will be available for $19,995 MSRP.
The Epson SureColor F2000 Series printers will be on display at SGIA 2013 in Orlando, Fla. Oct. 23 – 25 at Epson’s booth (#420). For more information on the series and to reach an authorized reseller in your region, visit proimaging.epson.com.
About Epson
Epson is a global innovation leader whose product lineup ranges from inkjet printers and printing systems, 3LCD projectors and industrial robots to sensors and other microdevices. Dedicated to exceeding the vision of its customers worldwide, Epson delivers customer value based on compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies in markets spanning enterprise and the home to commerce and industry.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 68,000 employees in 96 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates. Epson America, Inc. based in Long Beach, Calif. is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: www.Epson.com.
You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica), Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica and http://twitter.com/EpsonProImaging) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonTV).

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Note: EPSON, Epson UltraChrome, SureColor and TFP are registered trademarks, PrecisionCore is a trademark and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Epson Preferred is a servicemark of Epson America, Inc. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

EPSON Teases DTG Printer

Apparently, Epson took notice of my July 26th post "Google Trends: Public Interest in Digitally Printed Shirts Shows Growth"(hehe). This little image was dropped onto a forum yesterday:

See original post here.

You might be asking...

Credit: tshirtgroove.com

As I, Amator Vestamenta, the herald of Direct to Garment Awareness have been saying, DTG printing is going mainstream. A Direct to Garment, A.K.A t-shirt printer made by Epson is the proof. I rest my case.