The industries leading annual trade show featuring all the latest embellishment techniques, merchandise and more!
Last week Hannah and I attended Printwear and Promotion LIVE. This is an international exhibition for the decorated garment industry which is held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The exhibition is a great way to keep up to date with all the latest trends in Printwear and Promotion as well as being a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the industry.
The Fashion Show
There are many displays of the latest garments available to clients in the customised clothing sector, but the most enjoyable display was the fashion show. The fashion show aimed to exhibit some of the latest items available to purchase in 2014. The garments ranged from the latest work-wear to newest t-shirts and hoodies. It was a brilliant and upbeat way of displaying a lot of outfits in a short period of time, and it is always useful to know what is up and coming. Below is a short video of part of the fashion show.
Screen Printing
As well being able to look at the garments available in 2014 there were also a range of displays showing the different types of printing and embroidery that are available. I was able to learn all about screen printing as I am quite new to the industry and I had never had any first-hand experience with it. After a short demonstration my understanding of screen printing became a lot clearer.
New printing technique: DTG printing
However whist attending the exhibition, Hannah and I noticed several stalls demonstrating a new method of printing onto clothing; Direct to garment printing (DTG printing).
This modern printing method is the process of printing on textiles and garments using a specialized or modified inkjet technology. All direct to garment printers are descendants of the desktop inkjet printer meaning that some DTG printers utilise pre-existing printers. DTG can cater for low-quantity orders that may not otherwise be possible due to the expense of screen-printing. One of the main advantages of DTG printing is the low set-up cost making an almost instant turnaround time. It is apparent from the number of stalls at the exhibition that this is a method of printing that is gaining popularity and it certainly is an interesting technique to learn about and observe.