VistaPrint serves customers across Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, offering printing and design services primarily for small and medium-sized businesses. Its product portfolio includes business cards, marketing materials, apparel, promotional products, packaging and signage, supported by digital design tools and professional services.

Nick Dalby, Director of Category Experience for PPAG at VistaPrint, explains the company's approach: “Our customers have always been front and center in everything we do. We've evolved from purely a print platform into a one-stop shop for small businesses, supporting them from design through to print. Within Cimpress, we're continually growing our manufacturing and supply chain network to deliver the best possible combination of cost, speed, quality and product choice.”

Building on a longstanding technology partnership

VistaPrint and Kornit have worked together since 2007. Over the years, VistaPrint has continuously modernised its digital production equipment through successive generations of Kornit technology, including the Atlas and Atlas MAX systems.

Following improvements in production cycle times, print quality and wash fastness achieved with Atlas MAX, VistaPrint identified Apollo as the next step in expanding its digital apparel production capabilities.

The system offers higher throughput, lower costs per printed garment and ergonomic improvements designed to simplify production processes.

Alicia, Engineering Lead, Manufacturing Technology at VistaPrint, describes the decision: “We're constantly looking for efficiency improvements that reduce cost while improving delivery times for our customers. Apollo offered the output, print quality and wash-fastness we were looking for, together with reduced cost per print and ergonomic improvements. We knew it was the right next step.”

Kornit supported the implementation with online training before installation and an on-site technician during the first six months of production. VistaPrint reached full utilisation across three shifts approximately three months after production began.

Additional capacity and faster production

The introduction of Kornit Apollo has enabled VistaPrint to increase its production capacity by approximately 25,000 garments per week while supporting order turnaround times of around one day.

According to the company, the system operates at approximately three times the speed of its previous production process, allowing orders to move through manufacturing considerably faster.

Automation has also simplified garment handling and established a more consistent workflow for operators. These improvements help VistaPrint optimise equipment utilisation and labour deployment across its production facilities.

Jimm Purdy, Senior Operations Manager at VistaPrint, highlights the operational impact: “Apollo has allowed us to produce around 25,000 additional units every week and get products to our customers faster. It has significantly improved throughput and allows us to produce orders almost in real time as they come through.”

Further expansion planned

As demand for customised apparel continues to develop, VistaPrint is considering expanding its Kornit Apollo fleet to increase production capacity further.

The company aims to maintain short delivery times, consistent print quality and operational efficiency as its apparel business grows.

The implementation illustrates how high-throughput digital textile printing technology can support industrial-scale on-demand production while reducing processing times and improving manufacturing flexibility.