CHARLIE TAUBLIEB - THE SCREEN PRINTING INDUSTRY

Charlie Taublieb has been in the screen printing industry since 1976, and heads up Taublieb Consulting in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a company specializing in technical screen printing consulting for textile printers.  The company performs evaluations on efficiency, productivity and technology with a goal of financial improvement.

Khoyout had a chance to meet Mr. Charlie Taublieb during Stitch & Tex exhibition and had this interview.

What are the recent international developments in textile printing technology?       

I think the most relevant one is the combination of screen and digital prints.  As the process becomes more familiar and the costs come down, there will probably be more and more of this type of printing being asked for by the major companies that give out contract printing.

Do you foresee that the digital printing could take over the conventional printing in the future?

When we talk about the future, are we talking about five years from now or twenty-five years from now?  Having traveled to many countries that do a lot of printing, a very small percentage of it is done digitally for a number of reasons.  Cost is one but probably not the major factor.  The ability to do specialty prints is another, such as high density.  The need to work with a variety of inks and different fabrics is another.  For example, at this time you cannot use silicone inks digitally, which a fair amount of the major sportswear companies are asking for among other things.

What are your thoughts of the digital printing market in Egypt from what you have seen in the exhibition?

The factories I visited did not have digital equipment but there was some at the show.  I think it will be a growing market and those companies that embrace it will have opportunities that companies without the equipment will not have.  That being said, it is a fairly expensive proposition, not only from the equipment side, but from the learning curve of preparing the artwork to operating the equipment efficiently.

What do you recommend for the Egyptian digital printing to expand and develop more for the local and export market? How would Egypt position itself instead to get a market share of the digital printing industry?

I think the biggest issue is getting Egyptian printers to establish themselves as capable of producing very high quality work efficiently and at reasonable prices.  Egyptians will have to compete against countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Viet Nam.  That is going to be challenging.

Did you notice any set-backs in the textile industry that needs to be improved in order to increase our export figures?                                                               

From the companies I visited and the printers I spoke to at the show, the areas that seemed to be lacking most was expertise in some of the processes.  For example, some of the printers had no idea about the need for high tension screens and how that contributes to the quality and productivity of a print.  What RIP software is and what it is used for in outputting half-tones on film.  The need for sharp squeegees, proper documentation and the ability to use a variety of different inks.  The fact that many of the companies had no idea that there is software available to increase quality and productivity, explains my point.

How do you see the progress of the global textile industry in view of the current COVID – 19 and how it will be affected?

Living in the USA at this time and seeing the issues the COVID-19 is creating is frightening, but we and the world will get through it.  People will still have to wear clothing and the textile industry will bounce back.  The only question is how long it may take.

Charlie Taublieb in Lines

• Taublieb has been a consultant since the late 1970s and has worked with shops in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.  He is a technical writer for screen printing trade publications in many countries.  Since 1980, Charlie has conducted workshops and seminars at shows and with distributors of screen printing products throughout the world.  He started, and continues to conduct, workshops and seminars at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows.  Charlie also speaks and conducts workshops in the USA at the SGIA and DAX shows.  He speaks at shows for FESPA throughout the world, Communiquez Textile in France, PSI and TVP in Germany.
• He works with start-up companies as well as existing companies on designing their plant layout, helps with equipment purchasing decisions, training of techniques and procedures, and instituting paperwork to assure quality and repeatability of work.
• Taublieb has and continues to work with screen printing manufacturers by helping to promote their brand and proper use of their products.
• Charlie has judged the SGIA Golden Image Awards almost since their inception.  He has won several of the awards as a printer and also judges the IMPRESSIONS Awards and has judged at several other screen printing shows.
• Charlie Taublieb is a member of the Academy of Screen Printing Technology.
• Taublieb is a graduate of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan with a BS in Fine Art, major in painting and minors in print making and drawing.

For more information, 

E-maill: drprint@aol.com

Website: www.TaubliebConsulting.com