New inks allow versatile printing

January 1, 2011  |  Features, Graphics

Ink manufacturers are delivering a variety of products to meet the increasing demand for textile printing. By Holly O’Dell Within the last 12 to 18 months alone, ink manufacturers have introduced a variety of dyes and pigments suitable for digital textile printing. The inks’ content and …
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Ensure quality with equipment maintenance

January 1, 2011  |  Features, Graphics

Maintaining equipment isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential to keeping your business running and it shows in the quality of your work. By Maura Keller As part of the fabric graphics industry, you know how critical cleanliness is to the health of your business. The maintenance of your equip…
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Marco Sánchez is on a roll

December 1, 2010  |  Features, Geosynthetics, Marketing, Perspective

Marco Sánchez turns a thesis project into a thriving business. By Sigrid Tornquist “Of course starting the business was a risk,” says Marco Sánchez, general manager of ML Ingeniería and Azoteas Verdes in Mexico City. “It was very complicated at first and we were very close to broke, but by …
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Providing disaster response products

December 1, 2010  |  Features, Tents

Planning and preparation are required to provide products and services in response to a disaster. By Janice Kleinschmidt When Hurricane Katrina flooded streets and houses in 2005, telephone calls flooded suppliers of products that could be used to provide shelter and other disaster relief. “I …
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Inside the healthcare market

December 1, 2010  |  Advanced Textiles, Features, Markets

The key to selling to the healthcare industry is patience—and lots of it. By Barb Ernster Companies that have successfully penetrated the medical market have done so either by having a highly focused, slow-growth strategy or by falling into it with the right product. In either case, companies …
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Report: IFAI Expo Americas 2010

December 1, 2010  |  Features, Industry News

High points and highlights of our Orlando show. Despite our slow economy, the industry is getting back to business. Compiled by Galynn Nordstrom, Janet Preus, Chris Tschida and Susan Niemi More than 5,100 registered participants and 354 exhibitors, with 54 countries represented, joined us in Orlando…
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Tony Marsh creates a package deal

November 1, 2010  |  Features, Marketing, Perspective, Tents

Tony Marsh bundles products to offer clients valuable versatility. By Sigrid Tornquist One of the benefits of packaging product lines is that you can offer value and continuity to clients,” says Tony Marsh, managing director and owner of L.H.Woodhouse & Co. Ltd., Nottinghamshire, U.K. “We’…
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Accessories that work

November 1, 2010  |  Fabric Structures, Features

Leading-edge accessories attract customers to fabric structures—and LED lighting leads the charge. By Maura Keller Check out some of the more sophisticated fabric structures gracing events and adorning buildings and you might be impressed at the kinds and technical sophistication of the add-on…
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Industrial “diamonds” drive market growth

November 1, 2010  |  Business, Features

Technology breakthroughs drive growth areas in industrial applications and may provide manufacturers with their “diamonds in the rough.” By Julie Young With the nation’s manufacturing industries still feeling the effects of a tentative economy, companies that supply state-of-the-art specialty …
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Outdoor signage goes high-tech

November 1, 2010  |  Features, Graphics

New opportunities in billboards and building wraps combine specialty fabrics with dazzling digital effects. By Holly O’Dell Outdoor advertising is big business. In 2009, advertisers spent $5.9 billion on signage—and more than $3.8 billion of that was on billboards alone. As businesses se…
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