Fifth Column Adds Kornit Atlas MAX PLUS for Short-Run Apparel

30 September 2026: Fifth Column has added a Kornit Atlas MAX PLUS to its London garment-decoration operation, expanding its options for short-run, multicolour apparel. Screen Print India reported the installation on 9 July 2026, describing an April installation that supports smaller customised orders and sampling alongside the company’s existing screen-printing services.

The investment concerns a wider choice of production methods, rather than a complete departure from screen printing. Fifth Column’s service information continues to list screen printing, embroidery, direct-to-garment printing, direct-to-film printing and garment finishing.

How Kornit Atlas MAX PLUS changes short-run production

According to the earlier installation report, Fifth Column historically worked with minimum quantities of about 250 pieces for multicolour screen-printed jobs. Setup, colour matching, screen preparation and sampling made smaller orders difficult to accommodate economically.

The company says digital production allows it to handle customised multicolour runs of roughly 50 to 250 pieces. These figures describe Fifth Column’s reported operating requirements, not universal minimum quantities for screen printing or technical limits of the printer.

Sampling and customer approvals also form part of the intended workload. Fifth Column serves customers including music-merchandise businesses, breweries, workwear suppliers, designer brands and retailers, according to the installation report.

Screen Print India’s coverage of Hybris Productions’ licensed apparel offers a related example of digital printing supporting short-run retail orders alongside individual consumer purchases.

Durability influenced the decision

The report quotes Damian Rys of Fifth Column as saying earlier DTG systems had not met the company’s durability and reliability expectations. He said Kornit changed its assessment of digital production.

It also records contact with Kornit at FESPA 2025, followed by a customer event at HFT71 in Poland. Fifth Column reportedly installed the system in April and became operational within weeks. The account does not explicitly identify the installation year.

What the payment model includes

Fifth Column also cited Kornit’s All-Inclusive Click commercial model and onboarding support. Kornit’s official AIC explanation describes a production-based payment arrangement covering the system, ink, service and software.

Its detailed terms include an annual print-volume commitment, tiered pricing per impression and a one-time setup fee. Reducing equipment capital expenditure. The smaller-batch approach also connects with Kornit’s on-demand merchandise plans. For Fifth Column, the reported benefit is narrower and practical: accepting lower-volume multicolour work while retaining its established decoration services.