Seiko Epson announces two new innovation hubs dedicated to industrial digital textile printing. The first site, the Innovation Research Lab, focuses on ink technology research and development with collaboration from Epson subsidiary FOR.TEX. The second site, the Printing Research Center, is also a collaboration with an Epson subsidiary, Robustelli. The Printing Research Center focuses on Epson's inkjet technology for textile printing.

The two hubs join Epson's Textile Solution center in Como, Italy to form a three-fold textile printing research and development operation in the region.

“We are delighted to announce the establishment of the Innovation Research Lab and the Printing Research Center in Como,” says Sunao Murata, chief operating officer of Epson's professional printing operations division. “These facilities symbolize Epson's strong commitment to accelerating the development of digital textile inkjet printing both in the Como region and the rest of the world.”

The two Italy-based facilities are the latest news in Epson's expansion in the region. In June 2016, the company announced initial plans to acquire Robustelli and expand worldwide distribution of the company's flagship product, the Monna Lisa, a digital inkjet textile printer.