Mask printing surging at AFI Branding

Melbourne-based digital fabric printing business AFI Branding is seeing its move into mask printing turbo charged following the mandate to wear masks in Victoria.

Demand for the AFI masks has skyrocketed with Victorian premier Daniel Andrews requiring masks to be worn outside and in the workplace.

Glenn Watson, managing director of the 26-year-old-business, said, “It has been a super busy few days since the announcement was made.”

AFI is printing the polyester masks on its dye sublimation printers. As one of the largest, if not the largest, digital fabric printer in the country, it has a full suite of printing and finishing equipment and expertise in-house.

Watson said, “They are not high value products, but they are bringing in some revenue, and more importantly are contributing to the health and well-being of the community.

"The demand is certainly keeping the team busy. With our fields of expertise, it was fairly straightforward to move into mask production. We are not making surgical-grade masks. The idea for the fabric masks is to take pressure off that supply line for the medics and offer the protection for the public mandated by the government.”

AFI markets the masks through its website and through its network of customers for the corporate accounts. Watson said, “With the requirement to wear masks at the workplace we are working flat out to produce masks with logos for our clients.”

The company has been producing the masks for the past three months as part of its strategy to deal with the loss of most of its business when Covid slammed into the exhibition, events, and conference market.