Today's consumers - both businesses and individuals - are looking for ways to put their creative stamp on their spaces. Homes, offices, hotels: people want décor that is customisable and adaptable.
Increasingly, people also expect environmental responsibility from brands and suppliers. Large-format digital print delivers on these demands and more, giving many businesses an unmissable opportunity to offer customers amazing creative freedom while capturing new profits.
Digital printing technology offers a number of benefits to businesses currently working in the interior décor sphere. For design studios, there are infinite colours and customisation options to explore, immediate proofing and a fast design-to-production time. Interior decorators can also benefit from much faster turnaround, even on truly personalised designs, plus easy tailoring of scale.
Large-format digital print solutions are a great complementary technology for traditional manufacturers, that can allow them to offer customised short runs and exclusive collections with no worries about stock risk. They can also respond quickly to changes in fashion. Digital is also compatible with a wide range of substrates, giving access to print service providers seeking new high-margin applications.
So what can you print? Thanks to a broad choice of substrates and inks that are certified for safe use indoors, it's possible to print practically any décor item. Create customised wall coverings, wall decals, canvases and fine art, produce durable upholstery including PU- and PVC-based artificial leather, and design stunning window blinds, curtains, cushions and other textiles.
It is important to combine the right media with each digital printer, but some manufacturers make this easy by developing media profiles that ensure bold colours and precise results with little effort on the part of the printer operator - HP has made over 2,500 media profiles available via the PrintOS Media Locator portal.
In fact, brands like HP simplify the whole workflow with a host of innovative solutions. The printers themselves are designed for maximum quality and productivity, with finishing solutions chosen to help users achieve a seamless end-to-end workflow. There is a vast reserve of resources and support available, including the online HP Applications Center, and the HP Virtual Booth, a platform for live video demos and webinars.
There are a number of large-format print technologies, ranges and printer models to choose from that can produce outstanding work in the decorative print market. HP Latex printers use a water-based, odourless ink chemistry with environmental certifications and proven results for indoor applications such as window blinds, synthetic leather and wall coverings. HP DesignJet Z-series printers are very versatile, delivering high-quality, colourful results on canvases, fine art and more. HP Stitch dye-sublimation printers are designed for large-format textile printing, offering vibrant and accurate colours on curtains, cushions and upholstery.
Digital technology opens up the colourful, diverse interior décor market for more customers and therefore more businesses, making it an exciting and potentially profitable step to consider.
There is more information in a new guide, HP Large-Format Printing Solutions for Decorative Applications, available to download here.
