The Kornit Atlas is here, and it carries a world of possibilities!
On January 14, Kornit announced the launch of its new industrial digital textile printer – the Kornit Atlas. We spoke to David Tulipman – Director, DTG, Product Marketing overseeing the Direct to Garment Printers division at Kornit, about the system’s unique characteristics and advantages.
The Atlas was created specifically for industrial printing. What is the big news for this segment?
Customers who print for mass productions serve a bigger audience of end-customers and normally need a bigger, more massive production floor for multiple systems. They cannot afford to deal with setbacks, and any wasted time is translated into great sums of money that are simply lost. They need systems that can manage mass production and don’t demand constant care.
How does the Atlas cater to those needs?
The Atlas caters to industrial printers’ needs by being so fast and productive it can produce as many items as a couple of regular systems. This saves precious floor space, as well as electricity costs and personnel. Our entire HD technology line saves ink and decreases printing costs by approximately 30%. A thinner layer of ink also provides an improved printing quality and hand-feel.
On top of these cost efficiency advantages, the Atlas is designed and built in a much more user accessible way, thanks to a long list of special features. Changing ink-sets is easy and fast, maintenance does not involve any external suppliers and is done by following simple and intuitive instructions, and a large number of sensors detect and alert of any changes, many of them can be taken cared of automatically. It offers a unique user operation experience, especially in this line of business.
Because we are constantly working to improve the Atlas and want to make sure that every new feature is delivered to all of our customers, it is a future-ready platform. This way, any new development we manage to reach tomorrow will be delivered to customers who purchase the system today.
You’ve mentioned the intuitive UX of the Atlas. How does it work?
The system includes a Management Quick View screen that enables the operator to get a quick overview of the current order, how it is being handled and the quality of work at any given moment. Any issue that might occur can be handled by the operator, with the careful and clear guidance of the system, without having to approach external suppliers.
Another added feature is the wrinkle detector, that saves time and trouble by letting customers know when the fabric is not properly straightened. We save the time, money and frustration of dealing with poor printing results and protect the system from damaged parts that suffer from working with wrinkled fabrics.
All of this happens locally within the system, and we intend to take this information and turn it into detailed reports that can be easily shared across the company, making everyone involved smarter and better prepared.
How does this affect the total cost of ownership?
It reduces it significantly. The capital and operational investment levels are reduced thanks to improved productivity, better-utilized floor space, saved utility expenses, and more. In addition, high-quality results bring in more customers, therefore boosting sales and profit.
The Atlas was created with the combined brainpower of many printing experts. Can you tell us a little bit about the process?
Kornit has been around for about 15 years, and we’ve installed thousands of systems worldwide. We gather a lot of valuable feedback and information from customers and their end-customers. Our Support, Sales, and Product teams have a deep understanding of what customers need, and what they experience having printed countless items. The Atlas was formed based on that.
In addition to our own experts, we collaborate with experts in related fields to improve our systems. Our collaboration with Colorgate created a file-preparation solution tailored to Kornit’s printers and technology. This enables increased color-matching capabilities that are always important, but even more so when dealing with brands and their signature color-palettes.
The Atlas is paired with a new ink-set. Why did you choose to develop it?
Kornit offers more than a printer. We offer a comprehensive solution for Direct to Garment printing and the ink plays an integral role in it. The new Eco-Rapid ink formula was developed specifically to match the latest market needs and our newest printing technology.
Finally, the Atlas and its ink-set were created and tested in-house. Is there a significant advantage to Kornit being a one-stop-shop?
Yes. We would all rather work with a single provider, instead of having to visit different stops for each part of the solution we’re after. Kornit is not only a one-stop-shop, it is an expert in its field. We take responsibility and provide solutions to every aspect of the printing process, and do so with great expertise. Customers know, respect and value that about Kornit.
