Welcome to the new [TC]² Newsletter!

Index Digital Printing Member Profile - AATCC Dates to Remember A Look Ahead

It is my pleasure to present to you [TC]²'s newest mechanism for keeping you up to date with important technology related issues in the sewn products industry.

With the introduction of this weekly newsletter, our goal is to share with you what [TC]² is doing and to highlight important learnings about the industry and our members. We intend to keep the newsletter short and easy to read. It will include a calendar of events and reminders of things that at are taking place in the future. We also invite you to let us know about your upcoming events and activities.

Your subscription will begin this week and is free. It will be delivered weekly directly to your computer. If you prefer not to receive this free weekly newsletter, click on unsubscribe at the bottom of the page. If you've come to this newsletter from the tc2.com website and would like to receive this newsletter on a regular basis, please go to the bottom of the page and sign up.

Occasionally we will present more in depth articles and these can always be found on the www.techexchange.com website. As always, your feedback is welcomed.

	Dr. Mike Fralix President [TC]²

2004 Textile and Apparel Speed to Market Summit

This second-year Summit developed the “Speed to Market” title to emphasize that customer service is the key to survival for the Central American apparel region to compete with Asia . Over 500 were in attendance to hear 50 speakers in fifteen different sessions.

[TC]²'s President, Dr. Mike Fralix , introduced the keynote speaker, David Birnbaum, a noted author and lecturer, who stressed that geographical closeness to the U.S. is not enough to maintain market share. In addition to presenting the keynote speaker and other presenters, Mike moderated roundtable discussions, and emceed the gala dinner.

Special recognition should be given to Roberto Bonilla, General Coordinator of the Summit , Mike Todaro, Managing Director of AAPN, and Patricia Dalponte, Executive Director of the Full Package Organization, for their efforts in coordinating this event.

Mike's conclusions from the conference are:

•  Education and training is needed in the area

•  C.A. must develop a strategy regardless of the CAFTA trade act

•  Financial support is a must for the region

•  A directory of all textile mills in the region is needed

[TC] ² Activity

Digital Printing

Digital Textile Printing, a technique used to print samples and high quality imagery on pre-treated fabric using an inkjet-type printer, meets the industry need for rapid product development and high fashion items which can be produced in short runs without time consuming screen print set-ups.

Digital printing is well positioned to address the concerns of the marketplace through increasingly cost effective, efficient short production runs which are highly flexible and incorporate digitally enabled design elements that promote creative freedom.

At [TC]²'s Cary , NC demonstration center, the Inkdrop Boutique is a fully operational digital textile printing business where custom products are produced. Kerry Maguire King, Manager of Digital Print Services, says “The goal of [TC]²'s Inkdrop Boutique is to provide the industry with access to technology and to assist with the adoption of this new process. The Inkdrop Boutique provides the opportunity to explore the development and small scale production of digitally printed sewn products and we offer a range of standard products that can be customized with your imagery. While our manufacturing capabilities are modest, we are pleased to direct visitors and customers to alternate or larger scale resources as needed. We are interested in learning about existing opportunities in the digital textile printing area so we can provide good value to our members, visitors, and customers”.

Accurate reproduction of original artwork can be printed onto an array of products, such as scarves, tote bags, purses, and other accessory items. Museum stores, artists and designers utilize the Inkdrop Boutique to create unique items in small quantities without the initial investment required by the screen print process.

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Member Profile

AATCC— The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists was founded in 1921. It is the world's largest technical and scientific society dedicated to the advancement of textile chemistry. It has more than 3,500 individual members, and 180 corporate members in 61 countries. As a company, its three stated objectives are:

•  Education: To promote increase of knowledge of the application of dyes and chemicals in the textile industry.

•  Research: To encourage in any practical way research work on chemical processes and materials of importance to the textile industry.

•  Communication: To establish for the members channels by which the interchange of professional knowledge among them may be increased.

AATCC accomplishes these objectives through a variety of activities: AATCC Review, its monthly magazine; AATCC Technical Manual, an annual publication of its test methods utilized worldwide; workshops and symposia; its International Conference & Exhibition (IC&E) (September 13 to 17); and member participation in research and technology committees.

AATCC is also actively involved in ISO test method development, and along with ASTM International, serves as the Co-administrator for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ISO/TC38 – Textiles, and is the Co-secretariat for Subcommittee 1-Tests for Coloured textiles and colorants, and is Secretariat for Subcommittee 2- Cleansing, finishing, and water resistant test methods.

AATCC has been located in Research Triangle Park , North Carolina , since 1963, when they built their award winning facility. The AATCC Technical Center houses laboratories for test method development and demonstration. Prior to that time, the Association was located at Lowell Textile School , in Lowell , Massachusetts . After over 40 years of frugal management of the Association funds, they were able to build, pay for, and move into this new facility, which was one of the very first in Research Triangle Park .

In addition to the above, AATCC has a host of other activities including meritorious and service awards, student chapters and activities, local sections with their own technical and social meetings, a charitable foundation for scholarships and student research, and participates with like-minded associations such as [TC]² .

Digital Textile Printing is an application that presents both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges for digital printing technologies. [TC]² and AATCC are offering a unique conference program to address the technology developments, standards issues, application requirements, user experiences and other critical issues in the ongoing digital textile printing revolution. The Digital Textile Printing Conference, co-sponsored by AATCC and [TC]² is scheduled for October 26-28 at the corporate headquarters of [TC]² in Cary , NC .

This program has been developed for an audience including technology officers/decision makers, product developers, print designers, print manufacturers, and digital print technology users. Pre-conference workshops will address inkjet basics and color and print quality.

Conference attendees will learn about the latest developments in digital textile printing with topics covering:

•  Application for CAD for digital print development

•  Innovative ink chemistry solutions

•  Hardware solutions for printing and fabric finishing

•  Challenges and solutions for technology adoption and access

•  Experiences in digital sampling in areas related to concept development through production strike-off

•  Experiences in digital production printing in areas including short runs, rapid replenishment, and mass customization.

For additional details go to www.aatcc.org or www.tc2.com for more information.

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Important Dates

For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com

A Look Ahead

[TC] ² is participating in the MAGIC show in Las Vegas, NV on August 30-September 2 in seminars entitled:

•  Faster Fit - 3D Body Data to 2D Patterns

And

•  Implications from Size USA – The National Survey

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