Images Magazine Digital Edition July 2018

www.images-magazine.com JULY 2018 images 41 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Mimaki’s TS30-1300 dye sublimation printer about extending your reach and maybe tweaking your proposition slightly and new doors will start to open.” Brett is alluding to the fact that in every town that has companies which require branded workwear or uniforms, there’s a good chance there will be independent clothing designers, home-based artists and burgeoning fashion brands crying out for a print partner to take on short runs of work. “The same logic can also be applied to the décor market,” he asserts. “If you’ve got sewing machinists in your team, they should equally be able to run to producing finished cushions or furnishings fabrics and with some of the beautiful new polyesters, it would be very easy to offer a bespoke, short run fabric printing service for those buyers who want to make the products themselves.” The ever-growing desire for personalised goods has led to a growth in blank sublimation products, and these offer, perhaps, the easiest route to diversification. A dye sub printer with a flatbed heat press suitable for garment decoration will be just as able to imprint bags, placemats, decorative panels, textile point of sale or other small items – extending a product range with items that can command a strong profit margin too. “Add a convertible heat press and it’s possible to print more complex- shaped items such as mugs or even baseball caps,” suggests Brett. “The software, printer, transfer paper and ink can remain the same – and more often than not, the finishing process; it’s an ideal opportunity to grasp new customers or better serve existing ones with a broader, more attractive product range.” He advocates targeting existing customers with new offerings for a couple of reasons. “Businesses should use the trust and rapport that builds up over time to approach their existing customer base with exciting new products. More often than not, they’ll be happier dealing with a supplier they know, producing at a quality they trust and may already have an account with – so why not be proactive in approaching them?” Dye sublimation transfer printers, such as Mimaki’s TS30-1300 that is capable of producing all of the above and more, start from only £7,495 and include almost everything required to start creating a suite of profitable product lines. “With the addition of a suitable heat press – which our specialist textile printing resellers will help customers determine, depending upon their requirements – you’re ready to go,” Brett says. “Wherever we can, we try very hard to help companies see beyond that original need and expand the opportunities they have of not just increasing their sales, but in many cases, protecting their core business. By keeping customers close, it reduces the potential for them to look elsewhere – the last thing we want is a customer moving all their business away because someone else is offering a wider choice.” www.hybridservices.co.uk. Sewing machinists can easily produce bespoke cushions It’s about extending your reach and maybe tweaking your proposition slightly, and new doors will start to open Bags: "Use a flat press and try and get bags with flat seams as this will allow you to print as close to the edge as possible. White coloured bags will give you the brightest colours but you can also get natural-coloured tote bags that give a more traditional look." Mouse mats and bar runners: “Again, a good flat press will work best and selecting a high quality blank in the first place will help you get the best results. They need a polyester fabric face and not be too thin – they should have a minimum thickness of 3mm.”