(Image courtesy of Texintel)
The rapidly evolving digital textile printing industry holds the key to unlock and forge pathways and create new opportunities.
Freed from the shackles of mass production, technology (across all frontiers) is enabling the textile industry to implement new strategies and tangible solutions to the many challenges that the global market faces and endures.
“The printing industry is evolving, moving towards a more sustainable, direct-to-consumer business model,” said Chris Govier, EVP of Strategic Growth & Marketing at Kornit Digital, who shared his insights on this digital transformation during Heimtextil 2025, where Kornit Digital showcased their stunning décor collaboration with Niso Furniture. The global printing industry, like many others, is transitioning from old norms to a digitized market. One such area posing a fresh opportunity is home textiles and décor, a sector that has seen minimal digitization to date. Kornit Digital, through its cutting-edge technology, is reinventing this space. By enabling unique printing capabilities on varied fabrics, they’re able to infuse design into the heart of this significant market.
“We’re showing 3D, xDI capability….printing onto textured fabrics, and really pushing design boundaries beyond where anybody thought was possible,” said Govier. “And it’s not just about creating beautiful designs, but also about disrupting traditional supply chain dynamics.
“Previously it was supply and demand,” Govier explains. “Now, it’s demand and supply.” Along with Niso, a furniture manufacturer based near Kornit Digital’s head office, they’ve created a new, tailored approach. Now, customers can customize their furniture patterns and designs, which are then produced only upon purchase. This model shifts the fundamental dynamic from producing “just in case,” with potential overproduction and wastage, towards a sustainable “on-demand” model.
“This demand-and-supply approach has a positive impact on cash flow and leads to less overproduction,” says Govier. “Overproduction is a significant issue faced by the industry, where approximately 40% ends up in landfill. This on-demand approach helps mitigate these environmental and financial impacts.”
A crucial part of this evolution is the movement towards sustainable substrates and luxury printed fabrics, Boucles and Velvets, Sheer Voiles, Vegan leather, and circular materials. “This upscaling of design, coupled with sustainability, finds its expression in various furniture pieces including cushions, tables and curtains, both for indoor and outdoor designs.”
Another benefit of digitization is the potential it brings for brand loyalty and creating tighter, more transparent supply chains. With an on-demand model, brands can create a circular relationship with their customers, offering opportunities for customization and future upgrades, rather than full product replacement.
“The collaboration is really important,” Govier emphasizes. Kornit Digital’s business development team works closely with its customers to understand their needs and provides value that aligns with the end consumers' demands. This unique element of collaborative business development supports Kornit Digital’s goal to ensure their customers’ success.
As the digital printing industry forges a new path for sustainable growth, companies like Kornit Digital are utilizing innovation and collaboration to disrupt traditional markets like home décor. As we look ahead, it’s clear that this shift to a more sustainable, transparent, and customer-focused model offers a viable, creative and strategic future for the print industry and the creator economy.
Kornit’s digital inkjet technology allows for unique xDI (extra dimensional) printing directly onto various fabrics, including both cellulose and synthetic materials, leather and textured textile surfaces, creating new, innovative applications across the interior decoration landscape of design. This collaboration showcases 3D printing on vegan leather and luxury, sustainable woven substrates.
Chris Govier from Kornit Digital shares textile Industry Insights and explores their latest collaboration with Niso, a furniture manufacturer from Tel Aviv, at Heimtextil 2025.
