INTERIOR DÉCOR
GUIDE
Opportunities with digital print
Trends in the
interior décor market
Opportunities
with digital print
Overcoming
challenges
using UVgel
Contents
01 Introduction
02 Interior décor today
03 The opportunities of
digital done right
04 Challenges &
Technology
05 UVgel
06 The UVgel
Wallpaper Factory
07 References
Design on the cover:
Tecnografica Italian Wallcoverings
2
INTRODUCTION
Decoration is the
furnishing or adorning of
a space with fashionable
or beautiful things.
With digital print, it’s
getting personal
The American National Council
for Interior Design Qualification
Trends in décor are constantly changing. Whether it’s décor for
commercial interiors such as offices, retail spaces and hospitality suites,
or in the home, these trends in design are calling for interiors to be more
adaptable, more personal and more dynamic than ever before. And,
in our new world that demands the right to self-expression, this is no
surprise.
From business and industrial environments, to the new wave in home
design, the markets that are now exploring decorative applications are
growing day by day, creating new and exciting opportunities for the
Large Format Print sector.
This Guide looks at the trends that are currently shaping the interior
décor industry: for consumers, with their need for individuality,
and for professionals, with their challenges to keep up with the
on-demand, fast-turnaround economy. In this Interior Décor Guide, we
explore how both brands and consumers are helping define growth in
the sector. We take you on a journey through the current and future
graphics landscape and highlight how Print Service Providers (PSPs)
can tap into this diverse and lucrative market using our print solutions
as a way of creating an entirely bespoke experience for your customers.
3
INTERIOR DÉCOR TODAY
The interior décor industry is showing no signs of slow-
ing down in today’s economy. For example, the printed
signage market will be worth USD 54 billion in 20241. In
addition, some of the biggest growth sectors in design
over many years have been in interior décor:
wallcovering solutions ranging from digitally printed
wallpapers to other bespoke printed décor solutions2.
Spanning across a number of different industries, today’s interior
decorators as well as consumers are completely focussed on the way
things look. However, when the design is centre stage, it’s important that
EXPERIENCE
the practical considerations behind the décor, such as the audience, the
function and the cost are not overlooked.
Décor for industrial environments, for example, is used primarily to
motivate and engage a busy workforce. We also expect it to reinforce the
company’s brand’s identity while, at the same time, make an impact on
PROVEN TECHNOLOGY
the customer and other guests. Printed décor solutions, including
flooring, have been one of the fastest growing applications in this sector
for many years, and continue to be so2, making interior decorative
applications an attractive business segment for PSPs.
Competition in the retail sector is driven by the desire to retain consumer
loyalty. The sector is an excellent example of how design is used to create
an experience. The fast-paced nature of retail introduces the concept of
flexibility, allowing for spaces to be refreshed whenever necessary. The
rise of omni-channel marketing has prompted retailers to rethink their
approach to increasing customer loyalty as they seek to create a
seamless retail experience across all channels. Retail trends are now a
major driver behind the increasing demand for printed signage.
In hospitality, the brand is everywhere. Although we may not notice it
straight away, every detail – from the decorative table coverings and
restaurant menus, to the wall coverings and parasols – is used collectively
to tell the brand story. Where visual prompts help create an immersive
experience for consumers, Large Format printers with the right
technology give PSPs the ability to bring a creative vision to life.
When it comes to consumers, the focus is on making their homes more
attractive and, above all, personalised and unique. Our desire to have a
space that represents us, whether this is through a unique wallcovering,
our own designed canvas, or a bespoke kitchen backsplash, is driving
what we are prepared to spend on highly personalised interior elements.
Digital printing was made for the consumer age! The trends we’re seeing
today will shape future growth in this exciting sector.
1: Smithers Pira, 2019: The Future of Printed Signage in an Eletronic World to 2024
2: Smithers Pira, 2019: The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2025
4
5
THE OPPORTUNITIES
OF DIGITAL DONE RIGHT
Digital printing offers almost infinite creative Forecasted worldwide wallcovering
possibilities for wallcoverings, murals, and digital print volumes1
other large-scale décor elements.
250
While the analogue wallcoverings industry has
been stagnating (or even declining in some 200
regions) over the past decade, digitally printed
wall décor has been rising steadily. This sector
150
continues to represent a golden opportunity,
with forecasted double-digit growth in the
coming years. 100
Mio m2 printed
50
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
1: Smithers Pira, 2018: The Future of Decorative Printing to 2023
6
For digitally printed
wallcoverings the
benefit is for short runs,
and this new capability
is changing the sector1
Moreover, digital can
break free from the
convention of repeated
patterns, particularly
for feature walls1
7
In comparison with traditional analogue technologies Advantages of out-of-the-box design:
such as rotogravure, digitally printed wallpaper offers • Abstract, non-repeating designs
the opportunity to have short, and even customised • Murals or feature walls: designs that cover a
runs. complete wall
• High-resolution photographic images
Digital print addresses the need for short runs • Flexibility in panel width, even up to a
seamless wallcovering
Analogue print Digital print • Bespoke designs, e.g. picture walls of a personal
Design concept Design concept holiday picture
• Wall stickers, super-sized graphics and geometrics
Production of artwork Production of artwork • On-trend gradient effects
1 week
Digital files Digital files
The interior design world is also looking to create a
more customer-centric user experience, including
Approval making wallcoverings and décor elements faster and
easier to acquire, whenever the mood strikes.
1 week
Engrave gravure cylinder Customer expectations can be high: incredibly short
lead times, and outstanding quality.
8 weeks
Engrave embossing cylinder
Interior design companies are now also able to
Run proof prints Run proof prints respond to the customer’s desire for individuality,
by giving them the opportunity to design their own
coverings.
Approval Approval
2 weeks
Digitally printed wallcoverings are ideally suited to
Hours
Production / roto-gravure Production digital prints these market conditions. Rapid setup and high
production speeds make them ideal for everything
With the right infrastructure and skill set, wallpaper from low-volume specialist productions, to
specialists and PSPs can respond to the demand for high-volume runs for commercial clients with multiple
tailor-made services, without the extensive venues.
investment in setup time and materials before the first
print is produced.
Creativity
Digital wallcoverings are empowering interior
designers and creatives to think literally ’outside of
the box’: Traditional wallcovering décors and images
have always been limited by the so-called ‘bounding
box’ of analogue equipment. The bounding box is the
reason the pattern on the wallcovering needs to be
‘repetitive’.
Typical repetitive wallpaper Typical out-of-the-box design
pattern
8
Design: Tecnografica Italian Wallcoverings
Project by Arch. Stefano Sanfilippo for Restaurant Poké Hawaiian Taste,
Palermo, Italy
9
CHALLENGES &
TECHNOLOGY
The world of digital wallcoverings offers a golden Quality
opportunity for PSPs, but it also poses some real Whatever the application or use, consistent, outstanding
challenges. quality is a must. Consumers and businesses want
fabulous wallcoverings that will stun. This challenge
In today’s market of interior décor, it is no longer just requires:
about the classic wallpaper. Interior designers are • An excellent colour gamut
embracing the vast opportunities out there, and want • Colour consistency: every panel or part of a job needs
to print on a wide variety of substrates: coated and to be exactly the same colour
uncoated; woven and non-woven; vinyl and PVC- • Colour continuity: prints for the same client need to
free; self-adhesives and pre-pasted; with a variety of look precisely the same, regardless of when they were
embossed surfaces for light or heavy usage. produced – essential for brands
• Perfect dimensional stability, in the case of panelling or
What are the challenges? when wallcoverings are made to an exact size
Durability
Indoor applications need to have a typical lifetime of The choice in printing technology also depends on the
several years. For this, the following properties are type of wallcovering required.
essential:
• Non-fading and acid-free You will recognise the symbols below, which are put on
• Washability rolls of wallcoverings you find in any Do-It-Yourself shop.
• Noncracking They represent the material’s characteristics with respect
• Scratch resistant to washability, lightfastness, removability, etc.
Ease
Unlike long-term indoor applications, event graphics are
very short term. Here, critical factors include:
• Easy to mount
• Easy to remove
10
These challenges are addressed differently by the Traditional UV technology
different printing technologies. Each technology has The advantage of this solution is the robustness of the
its own positive characteristics, but also its own prints it produces, for example in terms of scratch and
limitation with respect to the properties required water resistance. The consistency of traditional UV
of the final product. For example, washability and prints is also quite good. However, traditional UV ink is
scratch resistance. never completely odourless and can lead to
headaches if used indoor. In addition, the matte result
Traditionally, the digital landscape has consisted of can produce rather dull colours, making it a less
four ‘classic’ printing technologies: attractive choice for interior décor specialists.
Dry toner technology Eco-solvent technology
This technology has the advantage of easy inline By contrast, eco-solvent prints have very vibrant
finishing and is odourless. However, the machines colours, although the output tends to be quite glossy.
represent a significant investment. The applications Moreover, eco-solvent prints are also not odourless,
produced are quite scratch sensitive and are limited and additional drying time is required before any
to maximum media width of approximately 50 cm. further processing steps can be carried out. This
Moreover, due to the very high heat that is inherent to technology is rarely used anymore.
this technology, it cannot print on vinyl media.
Latex technology
Latex prints are odourless and the print engines do
not have the limitations in panel widths as dry toner
technology does. However, latex output tends to be
quite scratch and water sensitive. Due to the
evaporative ink technology, colour consistency and
dimensional stability can also be an issue, resulting in
panels that do not match.
Dry toner Latex Traditional UV Eco-solvent
+ + + +
Odourless Odourless Robust prints Vibrant colours
Inline finishing Flexible panel width Consistent colours Flexible panel width
& dimensions
- - - -
Scratch & watersensitive Scratch & watersensitive Odour Odour
Limited panel width Dimensional & Dull matte colours Drying time
No vinyl media colour inconsistencies High gloss
High initial investment
11
UVGEL
UVgel is a technology that combines all the advan- For the interior décor market, the following properties
tages of the traditional ink technologies while, at the of UVgel play a crucial role:
same time, eliminating many of their limitations.
Abrasion robustness
Printed interior décor is found in numerous places,
Uncoated & including high-traffic environments. UVgel is a
& vinyl media highly robust ink technology that is able to withstand
scratches and scuffing better than any other
Flexible panel width technology and is less prone to damage during
Vibrant matte colours post-processing and installation.
Consistent colours Colour consistency & dimensional stability
& dimensions When the printed images fill an entire wall, they are
Odourless mounted in several panels, hung side by side. These
individual panels all need to match each other and
Robust prints align perfectly.
UVgel has been designed to print on the widest They need to be exactly the same in terms of
variety of different types of media and delivers the - Size:
productivity, quality, speed, versatility, and almost Even with a standard room height of, for example 3
unlimited creative possibilities today’s wallcoverings metres, a fractional difference in printed panels will
market demands. Since the UVgel prints are instantly show. As UVgel does not use any heat in the printing
dry and cured, they are suitable for immediate process, the media does not deform, safeguarding
post-processing, such as precision cutting. dimensional stability.
- Colour:
UVgel technology has a highly controlled dot
placement for the gel ink droplets, with no dot gain
and, therefore, outstanding colour consistency and
continuity.
Typical wallpaper pain points with traditional technologies
Wallpaper already scuffed during Glue residue stains Two panels not matching up due to size
installation differences
12
13
Rich colours & sharp details
With precise dot placement
with no dot gain, UVgel prints
have outstanding colour quality
and consistency from a wide
colour gamut, with sharp details
and strong saturation for dark
colours.
Velvety matte finish
UVgel ink drops are ‘pinned’ to
the media instantly, prior to LED
curing, resulting in a stunning
velvety matte finish.
Odourless
The odourless UVgel prints are
certified for immediate indoor
use, even in sensitive environ-
ments such as schools and
healthcare facilities.
Repeatability
With UVgel technology, dot
placement is controlled, ensuring
consistently repeatable images
over time and over different
machines and locations.
Low heat media stability
The low-temperature UVgel
printing process ensures no
stretching or deformation,
producing dimensionally stable
output every time.
Media
UVgel technology supports
Z a vast range of printable
substrates, including vinyl and
un-coated non-wovens.
Robust prints
The robust UVgel prints are
scratch and scuff resistant,
making them less susceptible
to damage during mounting
and use.
14
Media versatility
UVgel technology can work with the widest range of
media of any technology. Unlike dry toner technology,
for example, UVgel works perfectly with materials
such as vinyl and PVC-free. And unlike evaporative
technologies, UVgel technology can print on
uncoated and porous media at full production speeds.
FLXfinish is a unique curing concept that produces an
even and consistent matte effect with vibrant colours
on almost any media.
Safety and sustainability compliance
Regulatory requirements for wallcoverings cover
everything from CE marking to VOC emissions,
heavy metals, and washability. UVgel technology
delivers a large colour gamut, similar to eco-solvent
inks, but combines this with the environmental
benefits and safety profile of latex inks. The odourless
prints are certified by UL GREENGUARD Gold for
immediate indoor use, even in sensitive environments
such as schools and healthcare facilities.
In addition to the stunning results UVgel produces,
the printers behind the technology offer further
benefits, including:
Ease to of use
UVgel printers are easy to operate and support the
unattended and automatic delivery of the finished
output.
Productivity
Fast output speeds and short drying times enable
quick finishing straight after printing.
Automated maintenance
Automated daily maintenance ensures consistent
print quality and high uptime.
15
THE UVGEL
WALLPAPER FACTORY
Mass-customised automated wallpaper production The high-volume media feeder, in combination with
Designed for maximum throughput, high quality the productive Colorado printer delivers
and to run all day long, the UVgel Wallpaper Factory outstanding production throughput.
is a fully automated production facility for digitally
printed wallpaper. The Colorado open interface enables the
UVgel Wallpaper Factory to also be integrated into
The UVgel Wallpaper Factory is a fully modular existing workflows, giving the option to choose
workflow, consisting of: input and output solutions from different suppliers.
1 A motorised Fotoba Jumbo Roll JRU 170 media
feeder The UVgel Wallpaper Factory runs fully automated
2 The Colorado 1650 Large Format roll-to-roll printer and unattended: from the bulk-sized media input
3 A Fotoba Cutter XLD 170WP, cutting the output straight through to the finished rolled output.
to the desired specifications in both the x and y
direction
4 A Fotoba Rewinder REW 162 with embedded
taping unit to rewind the printed and cut wallpaper,
ready for immediate delivery and application
16
17
REFERENCES
De Resolutie, the Netherlands
De Resolutie is an all-round print factory with a focus
on interior décor. They produce their wall coverings
with UVgel technology and FLXfinish, which allows
them to create innovative combinations of media and
a matte or gloss finish.
https://youtu.be/LOfusEvtTJ0
The 5-country Wall Covering Challenge
Illustrating the unique advantages that UVgel brings
to the interior décor market, we designed an image
for a wall that consisted of 5 panels in a uniform
red colour, with logos and marks that required perfect
colour matching and dimensional stability. They were
printed on 5 different Colorado printers, by different
customers, in 5 different parts of the world. Take a
look at the results.
https://youtu.be/M3WPPRP_9G8
UVgel proof point video wall covering
Watch how UVgel technology allows you to produce
beautiful matte wall coverings, that are dimensionally
stable, scratch-proof and able to withstand cleaning.
https://youtu.be/gdCT8D3y-xw
UVgel technology whitepaper
Learn more about the changing roll-to-roll market and
how UVgel technology can help you to stay on top of
your game:
https://canon.sm/uvgelwhitepaper
Canon Europe Imaging Supplies
Canon offers an extensive media range, designed for
excellent performance with a wide variety of
substrates — coated and uncoated; woven and
non-woven; vinyl and PVC-free; self-adhesives and
prepasted, with a variety of embossed surfaces for
light or heavy usage.
https://canon-europe.com/supplies
18
Design: Tecnografica Italian Wallcoverings
Photo: Riccardo Gasperoni
Furniture: Studio Tenca & Associati
19
© 2020 Canon Production Printing Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. Colorado is a registered trademark of Canon Production Printing Netherlands B.V. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners and hereby acknowledged. No part of this publication may be copied, modified, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of Canon Production Printing. Illustrations and printer output images are simulated and do not necessarily apply to products and services offered in each local market. The content of this publication
should neither be construed as any guarantee or warranty with regard to specific properties or specifications nor of technical performance or suitability for particular applications. The content of this publication
may be subject to changes from time to time without notice. Canon Production Printing shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential damages of any nature, or losses or expenses resulting from the
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