According to Texo, Blackback, which has an optical white front, is more economical than the conventional white-backed block-out textiles that require additional white coating.

The 250gsm 100% polyester knitted product, which is available with immediate effect, is suitable for printing with direct dye-sub, sublimation transfer and UV curable inks. It is stable on any printer and has a minimal shrinkage.

The Netherlands-based firm said demand is growing for black-backed block-out textiles because they are lightproof, whereas the print on the front can be slightly seen on the back of white-backed textiles when sublimation printed because of the sublimation ink’s migration through the coating.

The manufacturer said Blackback suffers no risk of ink migration, is 100% PVC free, REACH compliant and fire resistant B1 and M1. The product is suitable for the exhibition, stand construction, retail and catering industries.

“Blackback material is mostly used in exhibition building because at exhibitions you want your walls or structures to block out light from your neighbours or any other light source,” said Texo Trade Services sales manager Jacco van ‘t Riet.

“This product prevents banners that are hanging on the ceiling or walls from being transparent or translucent.”

He added: “This is an exciting new product for us because it’s one of the first black-backed products available in 5m for dye-sublimation. The whole market is moving towards 5m now; a 5m lightbox makes more of an impression than a 2m or 3m lightbox.”

Blackback can be easily folded and is said to be highly stable in length and width because it is pre-shrunk at a high temperature. Seamless roll widths of 160cm, 252cm, 320cm and 505cm are available for just below €6 (£5.12) per square metre.

Texo Trade Services has also recently launched Carpet 820, a new printable carpet with a 100% polyester non-woven front and anti-slip backing, a 5m-wide protective paper for sublimation calendars of the same width and 5m-wide canvases for large light boxes.