An industrial technological upgrade project has delivered measurable results in long-term asset preservation for Match Point, an Italian menswear shirting printer producing 3,000 meters daily. The project was engineered by MS Printing Solutions (a commercial brand which, together with JK Group, is part of the Dover Imaging & Identification segment, operating closely with Markem-Imaje). To address the specific maintenance and nozzle-clogging challenges often associated with digital pigment chemistry, Match Point successfully retrofitted its fully amortized MS JP7 scanning machinery. By integrating proprietary Easy Clean Plate technology alongside Kiian Digital-branded Pigment 4k inks, the collaboration has extended hardware longevity while removing extensive processing steps from the textile production flow.
“Implementing this upgrade was a turning point for our production ecosystem,” said Paolo Bianchi, CEO of Match Point. “Pigment printing is our core expertise, but maintaining printheads was historically a manual challenge that carried risks for the nozzles. The synergy with the MS technical team turned this transition into a smooth process. Today, our asset value is protected, our machine reproducibility is stable, and we can respond to the fashion market with high agility.”
Overcoming the pigment maintenance challenge
The technical overhaul targets a known operational challenge in pigment printing: the overnight buildup and solidification of ink residues near nozzle plates. In traditional setups, removing these crusts required risky mechanical pressure close to the nozzles. The integration of the Easy Clean Plate modifies this workflow entirely, shifting cleaning protocols from a demanding daily routine down to a weekly or bi-weekly occurrence that requires just sixty seconds and a soft cloth. This protective environment has enabled Match Point’s production systems to achieve a five-year operational lifespan on its original factory-installed printheads.
Direct environmental and quality gains
Beyond extending the lifecycle of existing capital assets, switching to specialized Kiian Digital-branded Pigment 4k inks has brought a massive leap in final print quality. The new chemistry enhances color yield and minimizes residue, even when printing directly on non-pretreated fabrics.
Furthermore, compared to traditional textile chemistries like reactive or disperse inks, the digital pigment process offers a significantly streamlined ecological profile. By completely eliminating the lengthy post-printing steaming and washing phases, the process cuts water usage, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. This allows the printer to bypass intermediate steps and accelerate production speed to better serve corporate buyers.
“Carrying out a technological upgrade on fully amortized equipment is a strategic method to preserve investments over the long term,” added Davide Dragoni, pre-sales engineer MSJK. “By combining robust MS hardware structures with specialized Kiian Digital Pigment 4k inks, we help clients transform operational efficiency into a concrete competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
