The History of Digital Textile Printing Machines
The history of digital garment printers dates back to 1999–2001, when Epson printers were modified into flatbed printers—a development that marked the origins of digital garment printing.
Subsequently, around 2003–2004, modified Epson 2200 and 4800 digital direct-to-garment printers began appearing at trade shows. Although there were few initial success stories—primarily due to poor ink stability and color saturation—this endeavor laid the foundation for the development of digital printing technology. Subsequently, European company Kornit and Japanese company Brother drove the industrialization of digital printing on 100% cotton fabrics using pigment inks. They developed specialized pigment inks for 100% cotton, enabling large-scale printing on such fabrics, which truly marked the beginning of the commercialization of digital printing technology.
Chinese manufacturers of direct-to-garment digital printing machines began researching and developing modified machines around 2008. Drawing on foreign technologies and leveraging China’s status as a major apparel manufacturing hub, they gradually embarked on a path of independent R&D. Currently, many domestic manufacturers’ direct-to-garment digital printing machines are on par with their foreign counterparts. The development of this technology has not only introduced a completely new concept to the textile printing and dyeing industry but has also made the production of personalized apparel possible, greatly enriching the options available to both the market and consumers.
