Manchester Print Services (MPS) has installed a second HP Stitch digital textile printer specifically for the production of upholstery for corporate customers.
The new HP Stitch S500, which has joined an existing HP Stitch S1000, is a 1.6m dye sublimation printer which can be used on both transfer paper and direct to fabric. MPS was one of the first businesses in the UK to install an HP Stitch S1000, which it still runs along with an HP DesignJet Z6200 and an HP Latex 360.
‘We secured a big project spanning four years,’ explained Lee Egan, director of Manchester Print Services. ‘Our dye sublimation printer from another manufacturer wasn’t quick enough and didn’t have the colour-matching capabilities we needed. The project includes printing one corporate colour across approximately 4500 panels and the colour has to be consistent, from day one to several years from now, so we needed the confidence provided by the HP Stitch.’
After its high-speed dye sublimation operation was up and running, MPS bought into Charlton Fabrics, a manufacturer of upholstery for contract furnishing customers including bars, restaurants and cruise ships. MPS’s involvement brought more printing in-house and helped Charlton Fabrics to expand, but further growth necessitated more printing power.
‘We wanted a new textile printer to work exclusively on the upholstery work, reserving the HP Stitch S1000 for mostly printing graphics,’ Mr Egan explained. ‘Investing in another HP Stitch gives us colour consistency; the Stitch system is also very user-friendly with quality built into its design.’
MPS has recently released 25 new designs for upholstery for the hospitality sector and made home décor samples available to furnishing shops to reach independent customers.
