Wide Format Imaging

FESPA's first ever Digital Textile Conference (March 31 to April 1, 2008), held in parallel with FESPA Digital Printing Europe 2008, attracted a variety of quality printers, recognized manufacturers, and entrepreneurs interested in entering the fast-growing textile sector.

Entitled Digital Printing for Commercial Success, the conference welcomed more than 130 delegates who had the opportunity to hear leading niche industrial textile printers and manufacturers. Speakers shared a full gamut of knowledge and experience on new technologies and the latest advancements in the digital textile printing industry, with conference sessions spanning a variety of topics including flag printing, consumer customization, and inks for garment printing.

"The textile sector is generating a lot of interest among the wider print community, as substantiated by our recent Wide Survey, the proprietary pan-European research into the digital wide-format printing marketplace," said Frazer Chesterman, FESPA Managing Director. "Ninety-three percent of respondents said they considered textile applications a significant area of growth. So, we felt the time was right to support members in this market, as well as offer those seeking to add a new revenue stream, with a solid understanding of the sector."

One of the most popular sessions was entitled Market projections for digitally printed fabrics and garments, presented by industry thought-leader, Patti Williams of IT Strategies. The session provided detailed market segmentation and forecasts by segment for hardware, media and ink, summarized key technologies, applications and trends, and provoked in-depth discussions and debates on the direction of the industry.

"The FESPA Digital Textile Conference is unrivalled by any other specialized textile conference," said Hassan Kittaneh, managing director of Multisystems Technology in Dubai. "It provided delegates with the opportunity to hear industry experts discuss a range of topics and share their in-depth knowledge and experience. The sessions encouraged open dialogue and I recommend that all digital printers with an interest in textiles attend the FESPA Digital Textile conference in Amsterdam next year."