ColorSpan DisplayMaker FabriJet XII for digital inkjet printing directly onto textiles.

Colorspan FabriJet at Graphics of the Americas tradeshow

Today (2007), ColorSpan specializes in making user-friendly UV-cured flatbed inkjet printers. But we still maintain our pages from 1999-2003 since many of the former models (water based inks) are bought and sold on eBay. So people still ask for information, even on older models.

ColorSpan still provides spare parts, tech support, and assistance for most of their old models of water-based inkjet printers. But since 2005, ColorSpan has dedicated its experience to designing and manufacturing hybrid and combo style flatbed printers that use UV-curing chemistry.

In its heyday, at each trade show the output from the ColorSpan DisplayMaker FabriJet XII is the most beautiful of printers doing on textiles. Whereas most textile printers (Stork, Mimaki, Mutoh) use Epson piezo printheads, the ColorSpan uses Hewlett-Packard thermal printheads. ColorSpan uses reactive dye inks for cotton and direct acid dye inks for silk, as do the other textile printers.

Every week new inquiries come in asking about what printer is best for printing on textiles. We have tested primarily the ColorSpan for printing on photo paper and don't yet know the ColorSpan FabriJet XII except what we see every time at the trade shows. For sheer quality, the ColorSpan was among the best available. Today (2007) we would suggest you look at textile printers from d-gen (because ColorSpan no longer makes it's FabriJet model).

Although the HP DesignJet printers can handle textiles which have backing, the HP printers can't handle textile inks nor textiles without backing. The ColorSpan FabriJet XII is also designed to accept the special inks for textiles, something the HP printers cannot yet handle.

You can request one of the FLAAR reports on textile printers to get the descriptions of all the other brands of printers which are appropriate for printing on textiles such as Color Wings, Stork, Mimaki, and others.

If you really want technical details on inkjet media, inks, and/or inkjet printhead technology, and especially if you wish to meet the movers and shakers in this industry, be sure to sign up for the next conference organized by IMI. Their contact is [email protected]. These seminars are outstanding; the senior review editor of FLAAR usually attends because he can get so much fresh information for the readers of the FLAAR Reports in PDF format and the FLAAR Information Network of web sites.

Most recently updated July 31, 2007.
Previous updates: July 06, 2001.