The introduction of the Mimaki UJF-3042HG flatbed printer brings even greater capability to desktop LED UV inkjet printing. The new printer will be released in February 2012 at FESPA Digital in Barcelona and is expected to also show at Sign & Digital UK 2012 the month after. Maximum height for printing materials is expanded to 150mm, and Mimaki has also added the capability to benefit from 6-colour plus white printing by incorporating two additional ink slots.
“The introduction of the UJF-3042HG underscores our commitment to continuing innovation in the development of wide format printing products,” comments Mike Horsten, marketing manager at Mimaki Europe. “This desktop LED UV inkjet printer expands the thickness of materials that can be used for print to 150 mm. Even most larger, more expensive printers can only print on materials with a thickness of up to 51mm, making this a huge breakthrough for the industry. The printer can print directly on A3 media (420 x 297 mm).”
Evolutionary LED UV Inkjet Printer raises the bar
The UJF-3042HG is able to print on substrates that are impossible to use in a conventional model such as plastic, metals and wood; all of which continue to improve business opportunities. Its small environmental footprint is another differentiating factor for this printer, with long-life, low power consumption LED curing. With the introduction of the Mimaki UJF-3042HG, two print channels have been added to enable 6-colour printing plus white and clear inks. This produces attractive, higher definition output with high quality gradations that cannot be achieved as easily with 4-colour printing. In addition, white and clear inks add value to printed products by providing under/over-coating on transparent or coloured materials, as well as gloss or matte finish.
Mimaki is distributed in the UK & Ireland by Hybrid Services Ltd and national sales manager, John de la Roche welcomes the new machine. “Adding the ‘HG’ model to the Mimaki UJF-3042 product line-up provides customers with even greater choice dependent upon their application. With tangible performance and process advantages, Mimaki’s UV print capabilities are unsurpassed, so it’s well worth a visit to the upcoming spring exhibitions just to see them in action.”
The Mimaki UJF-3042HG also features a newly developed white ink circulation system that prevents pigment sedimentation. This not only improves the yield of white ink for more efficient consumption and reduced waste, but it also benefits production throughput with less risk of wastage of expensive substrates. The UJF-3042HG also incorporates a nozzle recovery function that temporarily restores print quality, reducing potential downtime if maintenance issues should arise.
Automatic Inkjet Primer application function expands substrate range
With the printer’s automated primer function, Mimaki’s PR-100 inkjet primer can be applied through the inkjet system, as opposed to the previous manual application method. This primer improves adhesion and allows the use of materials that are not necessarily optimised for inkjet production, without affecting the look and feel of the substrates. Inline application allows for improved registration and faster production times – spot priming only the areas of the substrate that will be accepting ink means less primer needs to be consumed, reducing costs while ensuring quality remains high.
The Mimaki UJF-3042HG supports three different ink types in addition to the primer:
- Mimaki LH-100 hard UV ink excels in scratch and chemical resistance as well as colour reproduction.
- Mimaki LF-200 flexible UV ink enables stretching of ink up to 200% (new to the UJF 3042 family).
- Mimaki LF-140 offers strong gradation in 6-colour printing (CMYK + LcLm) and is more flexible than LH-100 hard ink.
Opaque white and high gloss/matte clear inks are also available.
“Gloss and matte inks add significant value to the printed product,” says Horsten. “These inks enable the designer to highlight specific areas of the piece, making images literally pop off the page and adding other special effects to increase both quality and production value. White ink, of course, is a critical component of printing in the sign and display industry, especially when using transparent or dark substrates. Our opaque white ink meets both requirements – blocking the transmission of light through transparent materials so that the overprinted colour stands out resulting in a broader colour gamut, as well as providing full coverage over darker materials, delivering a crisp image without any muddiness. We believe the ability to print using both white and clear inks on a desktop device is a first in the industry and we are proud to bring this capability to market.”
For more information on Hybrid Services, please visit www.hybridservices.co.uk
For more information on Mimaki, please visit www.mimakieurope.com
[photo shows Mimaki UJF-3042HG flatbed printer]
