Koton Kraft, a company renowned for its printed homewares tailored for Australian small businesses and artists, has acquired the Epson Monna Lisa ML-8000 direct-to-fabric printer.
This strategic investment aims to enhance collaboration with designers, allowing them to transform their artwork into exquisite textile and paper giftware, Epson said in a news release.
Karan Singh Mehroke from Koton Kraft articulated the company’s commitment to craftsmanship, stating, “We value the craftsmanship, dedication and time invested by our creative customers and we reciprocate this by applying the same level of care and attention to their projects.”
According to him, the shift to the ML-8000 comes as a response to the inefficiencies of their previous fabric printers, which lacked the speed and versatility necessary to meet the evolving demands of the market.
“The flexibility and productivity this printer provides made it the right choice for us in an increasingly dynamic market,” Mehroke added.
The ML-8000 allows Koton Kraft to deliver unique designs on fabric, catering to the specific needs of designers, artists, and boutique shop owners.
“The ML-8000 makes it possible to cost efficiently print directly onto fabric and do short run customised fabric printing in Australia,” Mehroke explained.
This capability enables artists and creatives to market their designs as 100 per cent Australian sourced, designed, and printed, eliminating the need for costly offshore printing.
The ML-8000 boasts a printing speed that dramatically enhances productivity. Mehroke noted, “It’s also an incredibly efficient machine taking only two hours to print what two of our older machines would take over ten hours to print. This means major cost savings within the production process.”
The decision to invest in the Epson ML-8000 was motivated not only by commercial requirements but also by Koton Kraft’s aspiration to grow its business.
Mehroke pointed out, “Artists needed a faster turnaround on their orders. They demanded higher quality products printed on a wider variety of materials and a machine that could make colours pop.”
He added, “The Epson ML-8000 printer is an 8-colour machine that is easy to use and requires very little maintenance. There is reduced wastage of media compared to existing printing machines and the colours are great on finished products. We print our designs onto fabric and cut out our products as per order specs.”
Koton Kraft’s projects include a diverse array of products such as napery, yardage, home textiles, and fashionwear. Each project begins with a briefing from the artist, covering their concepts and colour choices, after which Koton Kraft selects the appropriate colour profiling for the prints.
“The ML-8000 complements our process and workflow perfectly,” Mehroke explained.
“The high speed of the machine, the way you load material, the quality of print, the flexibility in colour, and the variety of materials it allows us to offer are all great.”
Mehroke concluded, “The Epson ML-8000 printer has exceeded our and our customers’ expectations in terms of quality, vibrancy in print, superior image sharpness, and speed and efficiency of production. It has allowed us to promote Australian artists and designers and enabled us to grow and take our business to the next level by expanding into different areas.”
