Roland DG announces the launch of the “Texart” brand for its digital textile printing solutions, and the release of the 64-inch RT-640 as the first product in the line-up. The RT-640 is a state-of-the-art dye sublimation transfer printer featuring innovative print control technology, powerful RIP software and a choice of four-colour （CMYK） or eight-colour （CMYKLcLmOr- Vi） original dye sublimation ink.

“One of the RT-640’s major innovations is our new ink,” said Yuko Maeda, general manager of the Textile Market Development Department. “The newly developed Texart ink delivers bold and vibrant colours, and deep and rich blacks.

The orange and violet inks increase the colour gamut and allow for exceptional reds, oranges, deep blues and purples, while light cyan and light magenta provide subtle gradation and a remarkably fine level of detail.” Moreover, users have a choice between Roland VersaWorks and ErgoSoft Roland Edition RIP software, developed especially for the RT-640 by ErgoSoft, the premier RIP provider in the textile printing industry.

The RT-640 offers numerous features for digital textile production. The RT-640 has achieved the industry’s highest level of practical print speed （22.0m2/h）， among the entry-level dye sublimation transfer printers. The optimized fan keeps transfer paper flat during printing. Furthermore, a newly designed Feed Adjuster at the front and back provides even tensioning and prevents skewing.

Masahiro Tomioka, Chairman and President of Roland DG Corp. commented: “We see huge potential in digital textile printing, and established our Textile Market Development Department just a year ago with a firm commitment to make a full-scale entry into the market. I believe the digital textile printing business will become one of our core businesses and the next growth driver for the company.”

Yuko Maeda agreed, stating: “The digital printing market for textiles shows great promise with research showing an expected surge in demand and double-digit growth rates for the coming years.” Demand for digital printers is growing as a means of increasing the efficiency of high-mix, low-volume production and tailored production in a wide range of fields, including fashion apparel, interior decor, gifts and promotional goods. Roland DG has provided the market with a number of solutions including the manufacture of soft signage printed on fabric （such as polyester banners and flags） and decorations on sportswear garments. And now we offer a dedicated brand for textiles that has been developed to capitalize on the increasing size and growth potential of the market.

Maeda continued: “The RT-640 is based on our core inkjet printing technology cultivated through years of experience in the sign and display market, combined with our extensive market and user research in the textile printing market. I believe the RT-640 offers users a comprehensive, optimal combination of superb quality, vivid colouring and highly stable performance needed for professional textile printing.”