The interesting history of print on demand

Even if you seldom follow print technology news, you ought to know its two branches: personalization and history of print on demand. They are presently the talk of the town!

However, truth be told, they cannot be tagged as outright newbies. The reason why print on demand is grabbing the limelight lately is that in all these years, people’s choices have gone through unfathomable alterations.

Currently, it is all about flouting the constrictions that held people back for so long. Instead of playing it safe, the millennials prefer experimenting with unique looks, prints, and designs that were pretty much alien to the world. 

 

 

Where did the history of print on demand start? 

The concept of textile printing has existed since time immemorial. Its notions became popular in Europe in the circa 12th century and from then on, it gradually started picking momentum.

Nevertheless, we cannot steer away from accepting the truth that the traditional way of producing apparel based on the principle of textile printing was much harder and tedious when compared to what it is today.

Print in demand, as an individual branch of fabric printing, came into being in the 1960s. It was principally Michael Vasilantone, the artist and inventor who injected life into this trend and introduced the process of screen-printing to accelerate print on demand.

Nevertheless, it took more than 20 years from then to present the printers into the public realm. Fortunately, after that, there was no turning back. In the initial years, the printers were employed to reproduce motifs and patterns on paper and then, it became common in the domains of fabric which is now known as direct-to-garment printing. 

As we have already mentioned in the preceding segment, personalization has enjoyed a stronghold in the textile industry for quite some time now, and going by the looks of it, we can certainly assert that its grip is being strengthened by the day.

Until and unless the world discovers something that holds greater value than exclusivity, we can expect to witness a lot more of these prints on clothing items, especially t-shirts, in the coming years.

 

Types of printing techniques

As of now, the most popular printing technique is a digital printing technique that uses inkjets to directly print the garments.

Roller printing is also something that has been making rounds amid all this and it is concerned with stamping designs on the piece of cloth; a method that was largely prevalent in the 18th century.

Other than these two, another noteworthy print on demand system is screen printing where the mesh and stencils push ink into the fabric. 

 

 

Why print on demand is the best business idea?

Print on demand will undeniably turn out to be a brilliant business idea. It is cost-effective and can open doors to innumerable monetizing opportunities if utilized wisely. 

Additionally, instead of laying a limited selection in front of them, letting the customers exercise their discretion in picking their favorite designs and prints will give you an edge over your competitors in the same field.