Are you considering transitioning to digital inkjet printing? Digital printing requires a large amount of investment funds is one of the main reasons for the factory to hesitate in the transition process. But what is the real cost of digital printing? More importantly, what are the benefits? In this article, we discuss the costs and benefits of digital printing.

Digital inkjet printing investment cost

Digital inkjet printers require more investment than traditional printers. When comparing the total cost of purchase (water, electricity, operators, service costs, ink, fabric follow-up, etc.) between traditional and digital prints, the cost of digital printing for one-meter fabrics is about 1.5 times that of traditional prints.

There are many factors that determine the investment cost of a textile printing machine. The additional costs of digital printing are as follows:

1, digital printing technology

In digital printing, there are two different printing techniques to choose from: scanning and single-pass printing. Scanning printing means that the print head moves left and right on the fabric (hence the name "scan"). For multi-pass scanning, only a few nozzles are needed to achieve the desired results. This reduces the investment cost of the scanning printer.

Single-pass printing is a new type of printing technology that enables faster printing speeds with higher quality. However, in order to achieve faster printing speeds, more nozzles are needed. Therefore, Single-pass printing is more expensive than a scanning printer because more nozzles are needed to cover the width of the entire printing machine. Since the nozzle is an expensive component, the more nozzles included in the printer, the more expensive the printer. In addition, the added cost of electronic equipment that drives these printers also increases the cost of the printer.

2, the type of printing ink

Digital inkjet printers require different types of inks. In digital inkjet printing, ink is printed onto the fabric by a number of tiny nozzles inside the nozzle. This printing process requires the use of more fluid ink to prevent nozzle clogging and nozzle failure.

In addition, digital inkjet printing enables high quality printing, but only when using large color gamut inks. The ink is also very pure and free of impurities to prevent corrosion of the nozzle. Therefore, additional purification steps are essential in production. Due to these special characteristics, digital printing inks are more expensive than traditionally printed inks, thus increasing the cost of digital inkjet printing.

Digital inkjet printing revenue

The additional investment in digital inkjet printing also offers many valuable advantages for textile printing machines, helping to save costs or create new revenue.

1. Reduce labor costs

Traditional printing machines must be handled by several operators because many manual tasks must be performed by the operator during the printing process. Therefore, traditional printing involves high labor costs. However, the digital inkjet printer is almost completely automated, which means that only one or two operators are required to be present to operate the machine.

If you are running multiple machines, this number will drop to the point where each machine requires less than one operator because the operator can run multiple machines at the same time. Therefore, the transition to digital inkjet printing can help save labor costs in operating the printing press.

2, no screen production costs

In digital inkjet printing, the pattern is printed directly onto the fabric. No round net is needed. This not only saves valuable printing mechanism time, but also saves the additional cost of the screen itself and the cost of screen engraving.

3, the nozzle is used for a longer period of time

SPGPrints' digital printing machines are equipped with Archer technology to reduce the chance of nozzle damage by increasing the distance from the nozzle to the fabric. As a result, Archer technology can help you extend the life of your printheads and save on maintenance costs. Since the nozzle is one of the most expensive parts of a digital printing machine, extending its lifespan can save a lot of money for the printing machine over a period of time.

4, the turnaround time is shortened

With digital inkjet printing, factories can increase printer productivity and turnaround time. This allows the press to ensure faster delivery and meet customer needs while also taking on more printing work.

By applying digital inkjet printers to fast fashion brands, it has been proven that these brands are more willing to pay more for a one-meter fabric in a few days instead of weeks. As a result, customers can be charged a significant amount of additional cost for digital inkjet printing.

5. Printing on fabrics sold instead of selling printed fabrics

Due to the long turnaround time of traditional printing, fashion brands need to estimate the number of meters they sell printed fabrics, and use this as a basis for printing.

However, as digital inkjet printing speeds up the printing process, when a certain type of clothing is sold very well, fashion brands can print in small quantities and repeat orders. In the ideal case, with digital inkjet printing, there will be no more "discounted sales" in the future, because fashion brands can quickly get the required number of printed fabrics.

6, the amount of ink is reduced

Although digital printing inks are more expensive than the inks used in traditional printing, the digital printing process - especially Archer technology - helps printing companies reduce ink usage. The ink usage of Archer technology is 20% lower than other printing techniques. In this way, Archer technology can help you reduce ink usage and save costs.