Eliminating the need for a two-part print and bake process, MTEX unveiled two direct to textile pigment printers with inline heat fixation. Besides it also launched the MTEX Pad for pre and post treatment of digitally printed fabrics. Both were unveiled at ITMA this year.

MTEX Vision for stretched and woven fabrics with pigment inks and inline heat fixation and the MTEX Blue for woven fabrics with pigment inks and inline heat fixation was what the two new printers were about. The MTEX Vision has an adhesive belt that allows stretched fabrics to be printed digitally with precision and colour consistency and the MTEX Blue is a low cost market entry option for woven fabrics only.

MTEX in a statement mentioned that MTEX's engineers have developed a patented inline heat polymerisation system while working closely with Mimaki, their worldwide OEM partner.

MTEX new system fixes pigment dyes to the fabric, which traditionally has been a two-part process, it further stated. In the textile and fashion industry, pigment printers are particularly popular as pigment inks can print onto virtually any type of fabric including cottons and linens. The company added that heat fixation is an essential part of the pigment printing process. This either needs to be brought in-house with additional machinery or outsourced which means spending more money.

MTEX has addressed and brought a solution to a problem that has been plaguing the industry for many years in an all-in-one affordable digital pigment printing solution, by bringing the two processes together.