QF Inds.' digital printing on fabric may be a U.S. first
Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, July 10, 2005
High Point — Fabric converter QF Inds. is offering digital printing capability to upholstery manufacturers shopping at Showtime here this week, possibly making it the first to do so in the United States.
Suzie Murphy-Phipps, sales representative, said QF worked with DuPont to launch its digital printing operation. "DuPont makes the digital printer and supplies the ink," she said.
Minimum orders are 25 yards, Murphy-Phipps said. Prices vary according to the basecloth, which can be almost anything from silk and linen to woven jacquards and cotton. A typical cotton basecloth digitally printed is about $18 a yard, she said.
Patterns are available from QF's archives, or customers can bring their own patterns.
Terry Allen, vice president of design at high-end upholstery producer Pearson, got an early look at the QF capabilities and was very enthusiastic. He showed several frames with the fabric at the April High Point market.
"The miracle of the whole thing is in the incredibly fast development time. I had motifs removed, designs repositioned and colors changed — and it was all done in two days time," Allen said.
Qual Fab, the more popularly priced side of the company, also is offering a new licensed fabric line under the banner of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Murphy-Phipps said the initial line has five collections, for a total of about 25 patterns in several colorways.
Qual Fab exhibits on the third floor of the Market Square Textile Tower.
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