Printful adds printing on 100% Polyester with Kornit Poly Pro printer

Printful has started beta testing the new Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro printer with a select group of customers. The printer produces direct-to-garment (DTG) prints on 100% polyester, helping Printful enter new apparel niches such as activewear, the company says, adding it has invested $600,000 to acquire the new printer and plan to launch printing for all customers in the coming months.

In 2019 the global activewear market generated around $181 billion in revenue and is only anticipated to grow, with the latest forecasts predicting $208 billion in revenue by 2025. Since the majority of sports and active apparel is made from polyester, the new Kornit Poly Pro printer is a game-changer in DTG apparel printing, the company claims.

Until now printing on 100% polyester was most frequently done through sublimation and screen printing. While not impossible, DTG printing on this material would often result in discoloration. Kornit’s Poly Pro printer is the first to deliver high-quality DTG prints on 100% polyester. By introducing the next generation of printers, Kornit opens the doors to on-demand printing on apparel categories like activewear.

“Kornit has been Printful’s #1 choice for a long time now,” says Davis Siksnans, CEO of Printful. “Their printers are, in our view, the highest quality option in the market, and we’re excited for the new product opportunities the Poly Pro printer will bring.”

Printful has fulfilled more than 16 million items since its launch in 2013. Printful fulfills and ships products like clothing, accessories, and home & living items for online businesses. Printful currently employs 800+ people across five fulfillment centers in California, North Carolina, Latvia, and Mexico. Printful has fulfillment centers in Europe and both U.S. coasts.