First2Print was recently tapped by stroller manufacturer Graco to custom print fabric for 1000 limited-edition Graco Mosaic strollers. The 1500 yards of printed fabric featured fruit designs by fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, with sales benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
??”????The key was to get a rich black background, not a faded out gray, and to be able to get the production yardage of a special custom design done within a short turnaround time,??”??”? says Evan Rosenberg, production purchaser for Graco. ??”????We also wanted to make sure the hand of the fabric was soft…and yet was durable enough for the stroller.??”??”?
First2Print used its DuPont Artistri 2020 printer with disperse inks and its DigiFab Systems Evolution Textile RIP to image onto the poly microfiber substrate. Post-processing comprised the use of a DigiFab Systems DigiHeat heat press for colorfastness, followed by washing at a wide-format textile-washing facility to provide color permanency.
The first stroller off the assembly line was signed by celebrities including Sharon Stone, Courteney Cox Arquette, Ann Curry, and Kelly Ripa; it was auctioned on the foundation??”??”??s website. In addition, at an October 2006 benefit event for the foundation, strollers were sold for $299.99 each. The limited-edition strollers can still be purchased on Graco??”??”??s website (www.gracobaby.com), with those proceeds also going to the foundation.
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