Sales director Scot Drew said the firm had sold direct from the States for a while but is now looking to expand its distribution network, with the UK and Germany among key target markets.  

“We’ve spoken to many users wishing to purchase machines, and at Fespa we’ll be meeting with distributors who can help us establish our brand and network,” he explained.

OmniPrint has a substantial market presence in the US with its FreeJet 330TX and 330TX Plus desktop DTG printers, which sell for $20,000 (€18,000) and $25,000 respectively.

“The TX can print onto natural fibres, while the Plus can print onto 100% dark polyesters and blends, and is the first of its kind in this price class,” Drew stated.

OmniPrint’s Cheetah industrial DTG system is on show for the first time in Europe. Drew said it was “designed for non-stop operation” and could print a white shirt in under 10 seconds, while a black shirt would take 35-40 seconds.

It is targeted at flat products such as tees, hoodies, socks and pillowcases.

“The show has been really good. We’ve got several appointments set up and we also generated lots of word of mouth that we would be here, and people are coming to see us,” he added.

Like the FreeJet, the Cheetah uses OmniPrint’s patented Wet Cap printhead system. “It protects the printhead when it’s not in use, and you could leave it for up to 30 days and it would still be ready to go,” Drew said. “Our USPs are all about ink cost, quality and cost-per-print.”

The Cheetah costs $260,000 and an introductory promotion at Fespa includes an Adelco dryer and Pearl pre-treatment unit, as well as software and training.

It uses eight Ricoh Gen5 printheads and prints at up to 1,200x2,400dpi.

OmniPrint International is on stand A6-D40.