About us

A success story from Baden-Württemberg:PhotoFabrics GmbH, textile engineer Peter Sapper Dipl.-Ing. Textile Technology (FH) In the backyard of Ludwigsburg’s Mathildenstrasse 10/1, in 1994, a small printing company began the entrepreneurial story of the textile engineer and passionate photographer Peter Sapper. The entrepreneur is a typical tinkerer and inventor and thus became a pioneer in large-format sublimation printing 15 years ago. Many customers at the time wanted a photorealistic Pressure on large format banners in small quantities, since this area of responsibility was only suitable for high-volume printing using conventional methods. Photorealistic Pressure There simply wasn't any fabric available in quantities of less than 10 pieces. The desire was there, and Peter Sapper began to convert conventional industrial machines, such as those from the manufacturer Mimaki, to equipping their printheads with colors that the inventor had developed together with BASF Ludwigshafen. After a series of experiments in the area of the viscosity of sublimation inks and some clogged printheads, he then found the solution. Sapper was happy at the time to give customers exactly what they wanted: large-format fabric banners, almost without exception. photorealistic printed, starting at just one piece. This is how his company, PhotoFabrics e. K., came into being. Fabrics, by the way, does not stand for factory, but for the English word fabric, That is, for textile fabrics. Over the years, the entrepreneur Sapper was able to safely get the small printing business through the early years, develop it in a contemporary way, and transform the backyard operation into a bustling bee hive. Today, seven customer advisors are already advising on questions such as how to digitally print a fabric, whether a carpet can be printed with a photo at 720 dpi, and even whether one can use a hologram to create a hologram image on a product. Tablecloths can produce with company logos. „Success is where you contribute to the benefit of others.“ In short, that is the motto of the stubborn inventor Peter Sapper. Often, exhibition builders were annoyed by the cramped conditions at PhotoFabrics, but were then even more surprised by what could be produced in such a confined space. In all the rooms, hallways and basement, there were the latest printers, calanders and sewing machines. Normally, the large machines would be located in the factory halls, but Peter Sapper did not want to miss out on the stimulating atmosphere of the inner city. The entrepreneur Sapper has also achieved success with his involvement in an industrial company in the Netherlands for the printing of trade fair or hotel carpets. PhotoFabrics has taken over the exclusive distribution in Germany for this purpose. The work day in the printing company is varied, whereas, for example, the offer for a company logo is currently only available in an 8 millimeter deep format. Carpet for a complete cruise ship, calls to a Pressure They enter the end-of-line tables. The manager is running back and forth frantically because a costume department urgently needs the printed fabrics in Stuttgart. The operation is literally „rumbling and humming“. In addition to customers such as Nike, Intersport and Hugo Boss, many smaller and medium-sized businesses are also among Peter Sapper’s customers, because the applications for stretch printing are virtually endless: from individual products to entire collections. Tablecloths, Silk for clothing, cotton for organic supermarkets, and even roll-up bags with fabric sails. Nowadays, Peter Sapper mainly produces fabrics that are later used to make Tablecloths, Pattern tailoring, hoodies or trade fair banners are in demand. Foot mats are also very popular at the moment, because PhotoFabrics can print them photorealisticly in-house. What Peter Sapper is currently tinkering with he does not want to reveal yet, but one thing is certain: it will definitely be printed by him.