Brother launches dark polyester driver

Brother is making a new driver to enable its GTX series to print onto dark polyester for the first time available free of charge as a Beta tester to printers until next June.

Printing on 100 per cent dark polyester has been on the wish list for many Direct-To-Garment (DTG) users in the textile industry, and Brother International Australia says it has the technology to achieve it. All it takes is a driver update on existing GTX series garment printing machines which are loaded with Brother genuine consumables, and customers can be printing poly straight away.

To test the printing, GTX users will need to download the Brother GTX Polyester driver (beta) trial, which is available to assess and test free of charge until 30 June. This gives users the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the various polyester materials used in their business, to determine if the process is right for them.

Greg Benardos, national manager - DTG at Brother International Australia says: “We have worked relentlessly to develop this new driver, so we can give back to our customers what they’ve been asking for for years – to print on 100 per cent dark polyester. While this is a Beta trial, we are confident that many businesses are going to see great results”.

“I will add that we urge users who do participate in our Beta trial, to read and follow the guidelines carefully, as the process and results on polyester are different to that of traditional cotton. We are excited to see some positive results at the end of the trial, with many businesses being able to add additional textile printing options to their services”.

The guideline for printing on Polyester includes two rounds of pretreatment and pretreatment curing, followed by white or colour print, and then ink curing. Given the difference in material composition, printing on dark polyester is most recommended for clothing that is casually worn, as excess washing, such as that which occurs on highly soiled clothing, is not suitable for long-term durability.

The trial period for the supplied Brother GTX polyester printer driver ends on 30 June. To register for the free driver, please visit info.brother.com.au/gtx-polyester-driver-trial.