Digital printing on leather is a relatively recent technology that is not without its pitfalls. This is why the idea of a turnkey service was born, capable of setting up an optimal process that companies can then carry out independently. The heterogeneity of leathers used in the fashion and footwear industry, in fact, represents a real challenge when it comes to digital printing: there are many variables, both from the point of view of the substrate and processing, and it is not so obvious to obtain an optimal final result.
This is why Giardini Group, a company from the Marche region of Italy that over the years has developed exceptional know-how in finishing on leather and hide, has set up Leather print LAB a consulting and support service in this field, providing operational solutions. "Digital printing machines are not born to work on leather," explains Enrico Giardini, Ceo of Giardini Group, "so it is necessary to use the right products and solutions in order not to run into problems of adhesion, durability or in meeting the required physical-mechanical tests".
Here, then, is the idea of an ad hoc service. "We presented Leather print LAB during the last edition of Lineapelle," explains Enrico Giardini, Ceo of Giardini Group, "although we have been offering support in this sense for several years already, when digital printing on leather started to appear on the market, around 2018". Now, thanks to the know-how acquired and the availability in the company of the necessary machinery to replicate the process, the company has decided to allocate a specific division to consulting on digital printing. Everything takes place in the Leather print LAB.
"Here," Giardini explains, "we study step by step the process necessary to obtain a specific result, which depends on the type of leather, the finish, the ink used, and then we 'deliver it to the customer,' thus making him autonomous in the process." The service is intended for both end customers and manufacturers. Thanks to the system, a collaboration with the leading printer manufacturer has already started, and the company has already begun to provide support to companies in the main leather districts.
