Mimaki Microfactory Creates Intimate Atmosphere for Education and Hands-on Experience

Richard Askam (left) on stage at the Mimaki Microfactory with Infigio's Chris Minn, and Eagle Printing's Mark Sanderson.

At it’s demo center in Los Angeles, Mimaki hosted the first “microfactory” event the first week of December. The event aimed to bring vendors and printers together in a more intimate setting, where they could learn from each other, see how to improve each step of the print production process, and ultimately facilitate in-depth conversations.

Further, the event was focused specifically on textile printing, and everything that goes into that production process, with a goal of eventually hosting similar events targeted to vertical markets, allowing both the printers and the vendors who attend to truly hone in on the needs and opportunities of that market.

Richard Askam, the host for the event, and one of the co-founders of Enabling Creativity, the firm Mimaki partnered with to create and execute the microfactory, notes, “Enabling Creativity were delighted to deliver the Microfactory event for Mimaki in Los Angeles, the first of what we hope to be a series of one day deep dive events into the various elements of personalized print – textile/apparel, wide format and labels/packaging with each event being specifically about one of these elements.”

Fellow co-founder, Mark Sanderson, continues, “The hard work of the last few months paid off this week with this first Microfactory event delivering true and meaningful education to a specially targeted audience. The larger events can’t deliver this deep dive, and all credit to Mimaki for spotting this opportunity that we helped bring to life.”

The event was split into two parts, with the morning being taken up with presentations from partner vendors who each tackled one step of the process, with a deeper look at what printers — whether they are already doing any textile printing, or considering it as a potential new revenue stream and market opportunity — should be thinking about to make their business successful.

One of those vendors Christopher Minn, the head of global marketing for Infigo, who took the stage first to open the event with a great look at what makes a good web-to-print system work, how to navigate the complexities of both business to business and business to consumer — and why that is so important in the modern world — and how, in the end, “there is no point in buying a lovely piece of kit if your workflow isn't working seamlessly.” In other words — just because you build a great foundation with the right equipment and people in place, doesn’t meant the buyers will come. You need to have the right marketing, and the right process to make it easy to do business with you.

Minn further notes, “Attending the Mimaki Microfactory was an enlightening experience. Witnessing the harmonious integration of cutting-edge software technology and the latest hardware, along with diverse materials and stock, was truly remarkable. This event underscored the immense potential of collaborative innovation in our industry. It was a vivid demonstration of how, by working together, we can empower our customers to build businesses that are not only strong but also remarkably versatile. The synergy between different technology facets at the Microfactory was a testament to the bright future of digital printing and its evolving landscape.”

Attendees mingle and network at the Mimaki Microfactory event held at the company's Los Angles demo center.

While he took the time to really look at the ins and outs of workflow and how the software component can make or break a print business at the end of the day, textiles in particular are a business opportunity for wide-format printers that he expanded on. In fact, he noted, the wide-format printer space is expected to generate nearly $12 billion annually by 2028, with textiles growing rapidly in the segment as brands continue to push for more sustainable options. Putting the systems in place now to not only produce beautiful textile prints, but to take the orders and move them through your shop efficiently, is going to be the key differentiator in the years to come.

He was followed by presentations from Sanderson, who also owns Eagle Printing in Tampa, Florida; Hector Botons Brivia from Photocenter3D; Ed Levy, director of software technologies for Hirsch Solutions; and Jim Manelski, business development manager, Textiles at Summa America. Each one tackled a different element of textile production, from the creation of the artwork, to the sewing and finishing, with tips and tricks for attendees along the way.

To close out the presentation portion of the event, Samantha Marion, sales director for apparel and home décor at TVF, tackled what is arguably one of the most important elements to keep in mind for this space: the textiles themselves. She noted that not all textiles are great for all types of printing technologies, which in turn aren’t great for every application. So beginning with an idea of the types of textile applications you want to produce is critical to ensuring every other decision along the way will help you grow that business — from the wide-format printer you invest in, to the software and workflow, to the finishing, to the substrate choices.

For the textiles in particular, one great tip she offered attendees was to start the journey by creating a “capsule” of different fabrics that you know will run on your equipment. She notes that printers should get samples and experiment until they have a:

• T-shirt fabric
• Stretch fabric
• Sweatshirt fabric
• And a mid-weight woven fabric.

Having a go-to option for these four fabric types will cover a very large range of potential applications, particularly if you plan to target the apparel space. “You should know how all of these basic types run on your systems,” she stresses, as the best place to start when building or growing a textile business.

Form there, the event broke for lunch, after which, attendees had the chance to walk around the demo center, seeing the full breadth of Mimaki technologies, as well as have detailed conversations with the vendors about how different solutions could help them grow their textile business.

Minn perhaps summed the entire one-day experience up best, noting, “"The Mimaki Microfactory stood out not just for its technological showcases, but also for its uniquely curated, relaxed format. The open layout of the experience center invited attendees to freely explore and interact with some of the latest Mimaki equipment. This informal setting, combined with the presence of experts readily available for advice, fostered a more engaging and hands-on experience. What truly set this event apart was the seamless blend of speakers and exhibitors into an open-room conversation. This approach created a relaxed yet stimulating environment, encouraging richer, two-way dialogues between panelists and guests. The format was instrumental in transforming the event into an interactive learning and networking experience, making it both relaxing and deeply engaging for everyone involved.”

Stay tuned for more information about the next Mimaki Microfactory event, which they hope to announce as we move into 2024.

And don't forget to check out our video with Ken Van Horn, vice president of marketing and operations for Mimaki, about the event and the broader trends he's watching.