By Graham K. Rogers

As well as its office printers and some high-end devices, for a long time Epson has been involved in development of digital printing techniques for textiles. Along with For.Tex and F.lli Robustelli, with whom they have collaborated since 2003, the company is creating a worldwide hub for the digital textile printing industry based in Italy.

To complement its Textile Solution Center in Como, Italy, Epson has announced two more establishments:

The Innovation Research Lab is to research and develop new inks for printing on a wide array of materials. Its technologists and researchers include chemical engineers, chemical analysts, lab technicians and other highly skilled personnel who will be dedicated to research that will increase industrial ink performance and sustainability.

A Printing Research Center is to be set up by Epson and its partners, in addition to the Innovation Research Lab. It is to be located in the head office of F.lli Robustelli in Como, Italy. The focus here is to be on development of inkjet core devices for use in Epson's top level textile printers.

For more information see the sites of the respective companies involved in this development:

• Epson

• For.Tex

• F.lli Robustelli

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. He is now continuing that in the Bangkok Post supplement, Life. He can be followed on Twitter (@extensions_th)