Courtesy of Professional Media Group
Conics and Hybrid Software automate the workflow at Decoprint
At Decoprint, a family-owned wallpaper manufacturer based in Zele, East Flanders, Conics and Hybrid Software implemented an automated workflow for digital wallpaper production. Decoprint now operates with a scalable data flow, ready to handle the growth of print-on-demand and personalized wall decoration.
Digitally printed wallpaper is a rapidly growing international market for wallpaper manufacturers. Decoprint in Zele has also invested in digital printers to produce custom ‘murals’. “A mural is a large, non-repeating image that is custom-made for a specific wall and printed in strips,” explains Pieter Abé, R&D Director at Decoprint. “Murals involve personalization, where a motif—often a photo, illustration, or graphic concept—is divided into perfectly fitted strips. This requires meticulous digital formatting and therefore automation.”
Automated workflow
Due to the volumes, the variation in materials and the speed – Decoprint’s industrial inkjet printer achieves a production speed of 40 meters per minute – it was necessary to invest in an automated workflow.
Annelies Gruyaert and Vincent Heughebaert, project consultants, created a data portal to seamlessly manage the complex workflow of digitally printed wallpapers. “Hybrid Software’s tools handle the automatic processing of graphic files,” explains Neal Inghelbrecht, Sales Director for Benelux and the Nordic countries at Hybrid Software.
Supporting product innovation
Abé is delighted with the professional collaboration with Conics and Hybrid Software. “This is an innovative, tailor-made project that was completed in a very short timeframe,” he emphasizes. “We participate in the client’s thinking process; that’s what we enjoy doing,” confirms Gruyaert. “It’s about brainstorming and finding the best solution for the client together.”
Looking ahead, Decoprint aims to take further steps in automation. Abé plans to automate shipping, automate the front-end (with or without the current ERP system), and optimize product innovation by working with alternative substrates, new screening techniques, and more.
