KOTON KRAFT INSTALLS DIRECT-TO-FABRIC

Specialist custom textile printer Koton Kraft has installed a new Epson Monna Lisa ML-8000 direct-to-fabric printer.

The company says the new ML-8000 means it will be able to print fabrics in a tenth the time of its current systems, and says it will enable businesses currently sending their fabric print overseas to have it printed onshore at its Sydney facility.

Koton Kraft specialise in providing printed homewares for Australian small businesses and artists, with items including tea towels, cushion covers, aprons, napkins, and tote bags.

Karan Singh Mehroke, operations manager at Koton Kraft said the new Epson will take production to a whole new level, he commented, “Our previous fabric printers were particularly slow and inefficient when compared to the Epson ML-8000, which is a reference standard for textile industry. The flexibility and productivity this printer provides made it the right choice for us in an increasingly dynamic market, which demands swift responses to shifting needs.”

Mehroke continued, “The ML-8000 makes it possible to cost efficiently print directly onto fabric and do short run customised fabric printing in Australia. This opens up many doors for artists and creatives to market their designs and garments as 100 per cent Australian sourced, designed and printed. No need for costly offshore printing any longer.

“It’s also an incredibly efficient machine taking only two hours to print what two of our older machines would take over ten hours to print. This means major cost savings within the production process.”

Koton Kraft’s purchase of the Epson ML-8000 printer came from basic commercial requirements and the desire to grow their business as Mehroke explained, “Artists needed a faster turnaround on their orders. They demanded higher quality products, printed on a wider variety of materials, and a machine that could make colours pop. The finished products also needed to do justice to their art.

“In addition, we were looking to grow our business into new areas whilst reducing our costs and making the production process easier for our machine operators. After doing a full assessment and review of all available options, we concluded there was only one printer that meets all of these requirements and that is the Epson ML-8000.”

Koton Kraft also had strict production requirements around colour vibrancy, speed of output, the ability to handle diverse materials and roll to roll fabric, print quality, ease of use and agreeable ergonomics.”

Mehroke added, “The Epson ML-8000 printer is an eight-colour machine that is easy to use and requires little maintenance. There is reduced wastage of media compared to existing printing machines and the colours are great on finished products. We print our designs onto fabric and cut out our products as per order specs. The ML-8000 enables us to test and prototype new ranges of products for clients, and when we do the artwork looks amazing due to its superior print quality.”

Typical projects Koton Kraft uses the ML-8000 printer for include napery, yardage, home textiles and fashionwear. For each of these artists brief the company on their concept and colour choices leaving Koton Kraft to select the appropriate colour profiling.

Mehroke added, “The ML-8000 complements our process and workflow perfectly. The high speed of the machine, the way you load material, the quality of print, the flexibility in colour and the variety of materials it allows us to offer are all great. It also comes with Epson’s excellent after sales service, which made it easy for us to integrate the printer into our business, giving us more time to focus on our operations and our customers.”

Mehroke concluded, “The Epson ML-8000 printer has exceeded our and our customers’ expectations in terms of quality, vibrancy in print, superior image sharpness and speed and efficiency of production. It has allowed us to promote Australian artists and designers and enabled us to grow and take our business to the next level by expanding into different areas.”