Textile Designers at CITDA Rush to Harness New Technologies
April 17, 2000
Charlotte, N.C. – Mark Westerberg, an industry solutions manager at IBM, said he believes that the textile design industry is as cutting edge. However, when he spoke at the Computer Integrated Textile Design Association's annual conference, he heard otherwise.
When he spoke at the ''Turn of the Century Technology Conference'' to a group of about 185 international listeners, one group member told Westerberg he felt ''way behind from a technology standpoint.''
''Every industry seems to feel that about themselves,'' Westerberg responded. ''But I feel that the textile industry is keeping up very well. The problem is that there is so much to keep up with.''
He used a metaphor to describe the pace of technology in the textile industry. ''If you learn to drive a tractor, as a farmer, you're pretty much set for 40 years. But if you're a textile designer, you have to obtain new knowledge about your work tools every year or so.''
Westerberg said that there are three important trends in technology that textile designers should be aware of. Technology will speed up, giving designers access to greater productivity and quality; everything will be on-line, meaning designers will have freedom from their desks to design and interact anywhere; and digital libraries will expand as the Internet fuels the growth of digital content involving text, full-motion video, audio, graphics, and images.
CITDA's executive chairperson Katy Chapman pointed out the growing popularity of other new technologies - specifically as they relate to home furnishings textile design - namely, digital printing, workflow tools for design to production collaboration, and texture mapping and other draping tools that help simulate product before it is made.
''Home furnishings textile designers should also keep their eye on 3-D technology for modeling home accessories,'' said Chapman. ''Although these tools are still a bit cumbersome, they are becoming more accessible and the benefits to sample lead times are tremendous.''
Westerberg added that as computers become increasingly more powerful they will offer more options, including the ability for designers to conduct searches for fabrics and patterns by color.
Color was another important concern of the textile designers attending the conference. Westerberg said that new computer screens will show ''true color ... as good as your eyes.''
Chapman discussed color standards, while Chris Sargeant, Specialist Manager in Color Management at Marks & Spencer in London, conducted a seminar on color management in textiles that starts with the design process and follows through to production.
Marks & Spencer, which operates 600 retail outlets worldwide, adopted a color strategy a few years ago that is being adopted by others in the textile industry. ''It harnesses the available technology to our advantage,'' said Sargeant. Marks & Spencer codes colors by numbers and then textile suppliers dye fabrics to those exact specifications. ''Having developed the concept of numerical color specification,'' said Sargeant, ''we are now able to run more colors from more sources around the world in a shorter time frame and with better quality and coordination than previously.''
Chapman said that Marks and Spencer are pioneers. ''Marks and Spencer is one of the first and only companies to develop a complete color workflow and management process,'' she said. ''They have led the way for others in the U.S. who are just starting to work this way. CITDA's color standards committee hopes to address many of the concerns over color implementation so that the transition is easier for the industry at large.''
Dan Randall, corporate accounts manager for Datacolor International, stressed the importance for textile designers to get the colors right. ''Color is extremely important to the consumer, he said. ''Color is the first impression. That's before style, fabric, and brand name. So color is actually critical and the control of the color is of huge economic value.'' Datacolor exhibited new color-control technology called Colorite at the Conference.
Digital Printing on the Fast Track
Just 10 years ago the road to digital textile printing seemed a distant reality, laying at the end of a long, bumpy road. But as a result of recent developments in ink chemistry, almost every type of fabric can be digitally printed using ink-jet technology. Suppliers at the CITDA conference, such as Nedgraphics, Sophis, and Kimberly-Clark, demonstrated new digital printing capabilities in a Mobile Designer Exhibit area. Teri Ross, President of Imagine That!, a consulting group that focuses on CAD/CAM technology, said that digital textile printing is beginning to address another crucial issue: increasing print speed.
''Experts believe that because there are 500-nozzle head designs in the works,'' said Ross, ''the industry will begin to see textile printers with the configuration as early as May 2000.''
Chapman reiterated that speed and range of color are musts for this niche. ''Indeed, these are the biggest issues right now in terms of its success as a production tool. Most vendors are working hard to address these issues,'' she said.
Kimberly-Clark, an exhibitor at the conference, demonstrated its ColorSpan DM12, which has 12 reactive dye inks ''That is the most available out there right now,'' said Laura Cochran, market development manager.
''We are basically looking at putting the concentration of dye at a higher level which achieves higher saturation at a lower number of passes,'' said Kimberly-Clark director of emerging markets Mark Sawchak. ''The biggest impact will come from the print head manufacturers. This technology is evolving so quickly that speed will not be a problem in the near future.''
Another exhibitor, ColorSpan Corporation, demonstrated its new DisplayMaker Fabricjet XII printer, which offers the capabilities of printing up to 72 inches wide at speeds up to 33 square yards per hour.
The next round of CITDA seminars are scheduled to correspond with SURTEX 2000 in New York City, 21-23 May. There will be another symposium in New York in August, which will focus on 3-D technology. For more information on the topics that will be addressed, visit CITDA's Website at www.citda.org, or call 001.718.488.8904.
When he spoke at the ''Turn of the Century Technology Conference'' to a group of about 185 international listeners, one group member told Westerberg he felt ''way behind from a technology standpoint.''
''Every industry seems to feel that about themselves,'' Westerberg responded. ''But I feel that the textile industry is keeping up very well. The problem is that there is so much to keep up with.''
He used a metaphor to describe the pace of technology in the textile industry. ''If you learn to drive a tractor, as a farmer, you're pretty much set for 40 years. But if you're a textile designer, you have to obtain new knowledge about your work tools every year or so.''
Westerberg said that there are three important trends in technology that textile designers should be aware of. Technology will speed up, giving designers access to greater productivity and quality; everything will be on-line, meaning designers will have freedom from their desks to design and interact anywhere; and digital libraries will expand as the Internet fuels the growth of digital content involving text, full-motion video, audio, graphics, and images.
CITDA's executive chairperson Katy Chapman pointed out the growing popularity of other new technologies - specifically as they relate to home furnishings textile design - namely, digital printing, workflow tools for design to production collaboration, and texture mapping and other draping tools that help simulate product before it is made.
''Home furnishings textile designers should also keep their eye on 3-D technology for modeling home accessories,'' said Chapman. ''Although these tools are still a bit cumbersome, they are becoming more accessible and the benefits to sample lead times are tremendous.''
Westerberg added that as computers become increasingly more powerful they will offer more options, including the ability for designers to conduct searches for fabrics and patterns by color.
Color was another important concern of the textile designers attending the conference. Westerberg said that new computer screens will show ''true color ... as good as your eyes.''
Chapman discussed color standards, while Chris Sargeant, Specialist Manager in Color Management at Marks & Spencer in London, conducted a seminar on color management in textiles that starts with the design process and follows through to production.
Marks & Spencer, which operates 600 retail outlets worldwide, adopted a color strategy a few years ago that is being adopted by others in the textile industry. ''It harnesses the available technology to our advantage,'' said Sargeant. Marks & Spencer codes colors by numbers and then textile suppliers dye fabrics to those exact specifications. ''Having developed the concept of numerical color specification,'' said Sargeant, ''we are now able to run more colors from more sources around the world in a shorter time frame and with better quality and coordination than previously.''
Chapman said that Marks and Spencer are pioneers. ''Marks and Spencer is one of the first and only companies to develop a complete color workflow and management process,'' she said. ''They have led the way for others in the U.S. who are just starting to work this way. CITDA's color standards committee hopes to address many of the concerns over color implementation so that the transition is easier for the industry at large.''
Dan Randall, corporate accounts manager for Datacolor International, stressed the importance for textile designers to get the colors right. ''Color is extremely important to the consumer, he said. ''Color is the first impression. That's before style, fabric, and brand name. So color is actually critical and the control of the color is of huge economic value.'' Datacolor exhibited new color-control technology called Colorite at the Conference.
Digital Printing on the Fast Track
Just 10 years ago the road to digital textile printing seemed a distant reality, laying at the end of a long, bumpy road. But as a result of recent developments in ink chemistry, almost every type of fabric can be digitally printed using ink-jet technology. Suppliers at the CITDA conference, such as Nedgraphics, Sophis, and Kimberly-Clark, demonstrated new digital printing capabilities in a Mobile Designer Exhibit area. Teri Ross, President of Imagine That!, a consulting group that focuses on CAD/CAM technology, said that digital textile printing is beginning to address another crucial issue: increasing print speed.
''Experts believe that because there are 500-nozzle head designs in the works,'' said Ross, ''the industry will begin to see textile printers with the configuration as early as May 2000.''
Chapman reiterated that speed and range of color are musts for this niche. ''Indeed, these are the biggest issues right now in terms of its success as a production tool. Most vendors are working hard to address these issues,'' she said.
Kimberly-Clark, an exhibitor at the conference, demonstrated its ColorSpan DM12, which has 12 reactive dye inks ''That is the most available out there right now,'' said Laura Cochran, market development manager.
''We are basically looking at putting the concentration of dye at a higher level which achieves higher saturation at a lower number of passes,'' said Kimberly-Clark director of emerging markets Mark Sawchak. ''The biggest impact will come from the print head manufacturers. This technology is evolving so quickly that speed will not be a problem in the near future.''
Another exhibitor, ColorSpan Corporation, demonstrated its new DisplayMaker Fabricjet XII printer, which offers the capabilities of printing up to 72 inches wide at speeds up to 33 square yards per hour.
The next round of CITDA seminars are scheduled to correspond with SURTEX 2000 in New York City, 21-23 May. There will be another symposium in New York in August, which will focus on 3-D technology. For more information on the topics that will be addressed, visit CITDA's Website at www.citda.org, or call 001.718.488.8904.
