Images Magazine Digital Edition August 2018

www.images-magazine.com AUGUST 2018 images 21 KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES static and the variable content in one pass and on the same system. Many production RIPs from the graphic arts industry have the ability to interpret placeholders in the print file and replace them with the actual information from the database on the fly. That way, you upload the print file to the RIP only once. However, only a few textile RIPs support this feature. Plug-ins The third – and most common – solution is to use a VDP function or plug-in for your pre-press software. Such plug-ins exist for CorelDraw and Adobe Creative Suite. In this scenario, you include placeholders with your print design. It could be text that starts with an escape character such as #player_name and #jersey_number. If the variable content is a graphic, you need to create a placeholder box in CorelDraw or Illustrator and name it something like #winebottle_photo. In terms of the database, you would produce a simple CSV-separated spreadsheet with column headers called ‘player_name‘ and ‘jersey_number‘ and add the actual data to the spreadsheet in the following rows. If graphics are to be used, you need to define the file path to the different images that are to be used. If everything is properly set up and you press the ‘merge’ button, the plug-in will automatically produce, for example, all the 50 print files of your 50 staff shirts, which you can then send to print on your direct-to-garment system. This approach is not quite as efficient as the ‘gold standard’ described above – after all, you still need to send 50 print files to your printing system. However, the automation and time-saving is far superior to hand-drawing every single shirt on Photoshop. Variable data printing is a great way to put yourself ahead of the competition and offer advanced products and services for which customers will be willing to pay a premium. Turning them into margin and profit will depend on your ability to handle such jobs efficiently and without too much manual intervention. Kornit’s direct-to-garment systems with their built-in pre-treatment make a great starting point, but the software side of things is equally important! www.kornit.com For further information visit us on www.promobranding.events Or contact GS UK Limited 5 Crocus Street, Nottingham, NG2 3DE Tel: 0115 8448000 E mail: sales@gs-uk.com promotion & branding show Embroidery ! Print ! Workwear ! Bags ! Sublimation ! Trophies Free parking & refreshments Leeds Thorpe Park Hotel Wednesday 12th September 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Belfast Hilton Templepatrick Tuesday 16th October 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Dublin Red Cow Hotel Thursday 18th October 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Scotland Hilton Strathclyde Wednesday 31st October 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Dye Sublimaঞon Supplies The Promotion & Branding Shows are a great opportunity to see cutting edge technology in action and talk to industry experts. Some of the items on display include embroidery machines & consumables, direct to garment printers alongside transfer and sublimation printers. See the latest ranges from workwear & clothing manufacturers, bag & headwear suppliers and trophy suppliers. Exhibitors include... Come and join us at the 2018 Promotion & Branding Shows Next Shows FREE giveaways on the day New Products and technical advice available. Leavers garments [previous page] and teamwear [above] are popular applications for variable data printing