Hardware - Wide Format Print

The JV400 Series from Mimaki is proving popular with printers across the world, with global sales surpassing 200 since its launch at Fespa in February 2012.

The Mimaki JV400 is also fast earning the respect of experts in the print industry – the system recently walked away with a coveted European Digital Press (EDP) Association Award, after being named Best Environmental Printing Solution. The judging panel commented, “With the new piezo head, the viscosity of the ink is higher, meaning less drying time. Combined with the white ink option and lower energy consumption, the Mimaki JV400LX is a worthy winner.”

Mike Horsten, Marketing manager at Mimaki Europe, comments, “The Mimaki JV400 was incredibly well received when it was launched at Fespa, and since then its popularity continues to grow. Word is certainly spreading about what it can deliver.  And for the system to receive a highly respected industry award so soon after its release was very encouraging. We very much respect the opinions of experts in the industry, so to win an award was very satisfying.”

Faster speed, higher quality

The JV400-130/160LX is an inkjet printer featuring newly developed environmentally friendly latex ink. The system supports six colours plus white, and is the world’s first latex printer to feature white latex ink, which is used for a wide range of printing requirements and substrates – for example, transparent PET, window decoration, shatterproof window film and more.

Exceptional quality is guaranteed with its minimum dot size of 4 picolitres, and the ability to use variable-sized ink dots for smooth gradation without a grainy appearance. The system operates at an impressive speed of up to 18 square meters per hour.

Mimaki’s complete range of wide format solutions is exclusively distributed in the UK and Ireland by Hybrid Services Ltd and its national sales manager, John de la Roche has seen similar levels of interest. “Our specialist latex resellers enjoyed an excellent exhibition at Sign & Digital UK and forward orders have been very strong.”

Meanwhile the JV400-130/160SUV is a revolutionary inkjet printer that blends the flexibility of solvent printing with the high durability of UV-cured inks. It prints in four colours (CMYK) at speeds of up to 18 square meters per hour.

In the printing process, the solvent component is absorbed by the ink-receiving layer of the media, and the pigment is settled into the media. Printed ink is then cured via a UV process, resulting in a smooth, glossy appearance that simulates a coating, while retaining the bright colours expected of a solvent printer.

Further information on the Mimaki JV400 latex inkjet printers can be found by visiting www.hybridservices.co.uk/latex

Supplied and installed by HP Channel Partner William Smith, the new HP L26500 Latex printer has greatly increased the printing capacity at Lanarkshire-based Ecosse Signs. The company supplies primarily vehicle graphics and vehicle wrapping solutions to a number of blue chip organisations in the commercial vehicle rental and retail car trades in addition to general signage and high-impact digitally printed banners for corporate branding.

Director of the company, Tom Thomson comments, "We needed to replace our existing wide-format printer in order decrease production times and increase capacity levels. Having visited William Smith to evaluate the HP L26500 printer, we were immediately impressed with the machine’s speed of production that proved nine times faster than the previous platform, by the environmental credentials and eco friendliness due to the integrated patented Latex Ink Technology."

The new solution offers a host of new benefits, not least of which are much faster production, lower maintenance due to the printer’s self-cleaning capability and the removal of the need for expensive fume extraction and special ventilating equipment that are necessary when using solvent-based printers.

The HP L26500 printer now installed is used for printing onto a wide range of different media, including premium-grade options from 3M and in particular the 3M IJ180 series of films and other materials under the ImagePerfect, Arlon and Dtec brands for shorter-term applications. Tom Thomson adds, "In addition to the greatly increased volume of work that we can now undertake, there has been a correspondingly high reduction in print wastage, more consistent quality and an increase in new customers keen to engage with the environmental benefits provided."

For further information on the HP range of Latex printers, please visit www.williamsmith.co.uk

Earlier this year, Robert Horne Group launched a competition to find ‘the oldest printer in town’ with a combined digital hardware prize package worth over £37,000 up for grabs. The competition was developed as part of Robert Horne's campaign to promote its digital consultation service which provides advice on the potential opportunities offered by wide format print and is geared to helping print providers realise their business potential.

The competition offered three winners the opportunity to make 'a big impression' with no capital outlay. To enter, printers had to register details of their existing printer, so that the first prize winner - ‘the oldest printer in town’ - could be verified by serial number and date of manufacture.

First prize, a Mimaki CJV 130 was won by Eccleshall-based Creative Bee, whose Epson printer first started life in the mid-1990s. Managing Director Ian Douglass said he was thrilled to win. “We’ve seen the Mimaki in action and it’s really impressive. The addition of this new piece of kit will really help us to up productivity and increase our business; best news I’ve had this year!”

WPG Ltd, a print company in mid-Wales, close to the Shropshire border, was the winner of the second prize, a HP Z6200. Managing Director Paul Jones said, “In addition to traditional litho print services, we offer clients a fast 24-hour turnaround on short-run digital print jobs. The new HP wide format device will really help us expand our digital service further.”

The third prize winner - due shortly to take delivery of an Epson 7000 - was Clarendon Press whose purpose-built premises are in Alderley, Gloucestershire. Commenting on the win, Managing Director Pete Roberts said, “We are always keen to keep abreast of the very latest technology and the opportunity to install a brand new printer without capital outlay will be a real boon to our business. The new Epson printer will help us to manage a whole host of jobs and ensure that our customers continue to enjoy the highest levels of quality and service.”

In addition, the materials supplier offered two runners-up prizes:  Warwickshire-based Clintplan won a Seal 54EL laminator and Staffordshire-based JSW Print was awarded a Keencut Arc152 rotary trimmer.

Mark Gilbert, Robert Horne Group Commercial Print Divisional Director adds, “The range of applications that can now be produced digitally is increasing exponentially. The response to this competition was overwhelming and we’re delighted that three customers can now leverage the very latest in digital technology.”

For more information on Robert Horne Group, please visit www.roberthorne.co.uk

Mutoh America, Inc., an industry leader in wide-format printers, demonstrated new products and celebrated 60 years of business at the recent ISA trade show in Orlando, Florida. Mutoh's new Smart Printing features and ValueJet 1638, 1638W and 1204GA printers stunned the crowds.

Mutoh's biggest showstopper was the new ValueJet  1638 - 64", four color, Eco-solvent printer. With a staggered dual-head design, the 1638 has print speeds that fly, printing at speeds just over 1,000 sqft/hr. The new ValueJet 1638W - 64" dye sublimation printer also demonstrated brilliant, high-quality, prints at blazing speeds.

Mutoh representatives demonstrated the new ValueJet Status Monitor (VSM) Smart Printing system that shows users the health and status of ink levels, media roll and heater settings from your iPhone or Android smart phone. VSM tells users when your printer needs attention, which allows for multi-tasking in busy working environments.

In honor of Mutoh's 60th year of business, Mutoh America, Inc. hosted the Celebrate 60 party on Friday, March 23rd. Mutoh customers and industry partners were welcome to attend the event and celebrate 60 years of success with refreshments and giveaways.

"ISA was a positive and exciting show for us this year," shares Brian Phipps, General Manager of Mutoh America. "We had a wonderful time celebrating 60 with our industry partners and customers, while being able to show off new Smart Printing features on our ValueJets. We're looking forward to continuing the celebration at the upcoming shows throughout the year."

To learn more about Mutoh's products and history visit www.mutoh.com

Roland DG (UK) Ltd has announced that the VersaSTUDIO BN-20 and VersaCAMM VS Series eco-solvent metallic inkjet printer/cutters, now offer a specialised new ink configuration for white-colour printing applications. This new configuration is available in 5 colours for the BN-20 – cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white; and 7 colours for the VS Series – cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan light magenta and double white. Users can choose the ink configuration that best suits their business needs at the time of purchasing.

“White colour printing is currently available for screen and gravure printing,” said Brett Newman, Roland DG UK’s technical director. “However, the high costs involved in plate making with these traditional methods means that small volume printing becomes unprofitable. In addition, these traditional methods can take a number of days to deliver a few pieces of print. With the new white-colour configuration, Roland’s BN-20 and VS Series are an ideal solution for small printing businesses, design offices and medium-sized screen printers to increase productivity, add value to their offering and cover a wider-variety of their customer’s needs.”

In today’s market, the life cycle of a product is getting shorter, and as a result visual communication tools are becoming more significant to enhance retail promotions and drive sales. With innovative solutions such as the new white ink configuration, Roland DG aims to provide printing businesses with the tools to meet the growing demand from brand owners, retail outlets and design houses for small volume and specialised printing.

VersaSTUDIO BN-20 – Compact and Low Running Cost
The BN-20 is a 20” wide compact Eco- Solvent inkjet printer/cutter. It enables you to easily produce small volume graphics, labels, apparel, window graphics and signage on a wide variety of media including transparent film right from your desktop. The BN-20 can save you time and production costs with the unique Roland Print and Cut workflow that prints and precision contour cuts graphics of virtually any shape.

VersaCAMM VS Series – High Opacity, High Speed and Quick Dry
The VS Series Eco-Solvent inkjet printer/cutters are available in 4 different widths: 30”, 42”, 54” and 64”. Using transparent film and the new high-opacity white ink configuration, the VS Series can produce a wide variety of high-quality applications such as window displays, labels, decals or small production packaging prototypes. The new white ink configuration increases speed by 200% for standard white colour printing compared to the previous Roland configurations for even higher productivity. The combination of a dedicated dryer and blower fitted on the VS Series device vastly increases productivity, and assures efficient drying of the white ink even in high opacity mode.

TIFF Merge Function Assures High Quality Printing of Process-Colour and White Colour
For precision printing, “TIFF Merge” function has been added to both the VersaSTUDIO BN-20 and the VS Series. The TIFF Merge function sends and prints a process-colour data file and a white-colour data file at the same time, preventing any gap between the two files, which can occur when the two files are sent to the printer and printed separately.

At the DRUPA 2012, Düsseldorf, Germany, (Hall 09 – Booth A44) MUTOH will showcase its latest wide-format digital piezo inkjet solutions, including the new ValueJet 1324 – 54” and 1624 – 64” eco printers and the ValueJet TD 64” & 104” direct to fabric printers, featuring new head technology and a new set of electronics for improved quality and performance.   Drupa will also coincide with the availability of the first 2 models of Mutoh’s new ValueJet 1638 line, featuring a staggered dual head setup, offering improved productivity.

Arthur Vanhoutte, President of Mutoh’s European Operations comments : “Drupa will be an excellent opportunity for us to show the realignment of Mutoh’s manufacturing processes to the printing industry.  As part of Mutoh’s worldwide strategy to improve efficiency, all key manufacturing and development activities are now centralized at our factory and R&D Centre in Suwa, Japan.”

Vanhoutte adds : “The timing of Drupa is excellent for us.  During the past 8 months, Mutoh has brought to market a completely new generation of wide-format printers that cover just about every aspect of wide format digital printing, from sign & display and dye sublimation through to dedicated textile machines for soft signage, flags and garment/apparel applications.”

“Drupa will also coincide with the commercial availability in Europe of the first two models of our new ValueJet 1638 range, with more models to come out later this year.  The ValueJet 1638 printers are the first Mutoh ValueJet printers offering a staggered dual head setup.  The printers offer an impressive increase in production speed in combination with an optimised ink spread and improved drying behaviour.   They will enable us to perfectly address the needs of volume-oriented users requiring high print speeds and who at the same time put impeccable print quality on top of their wish list”, concludes Arthur Vanhoutte.


MUTOH PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS AT DRUPA 2012

New ValueJet 1638 64” High Speed Sign Printer

The new ValueJet 1638 - 64” printer, offering sellable production quality speeds up to 36 m²/h at 720 x 720 dpi, is targeted at the sign & display market.  The printer utilises Mutoh Eco Ultra CMYK inks and will address the needs of PSPs and commercial printers looking for a high volume printing solution.

Incorporating a staggered dual head setup for increased performance and Mutoh’s award-winning Intelligent Interweaving print technology, the printer enables high volume and high quality production of long-term outdoor posters, signs and banners, backlit signage, POS displays, vehicle graphics as well as high quality durable prints for indoor use.

New ValueJet 1638W 64” High Speed Dye Sublimation Printer

The ValueJet 1638W 64” dual head model was developed specifically for the sublimation transfer market: soft signage & graphics for events, home decoration, flags & pennants, sportswear, in-store banners, …  Printing on any typical transfer papers from 66 g/m² to 150 g/m², the VJ-1638W printer delivers production speeds up to 65 m²/h.

The printer utilises Mutoh’s high-speed disperse dye inks, offering excellent nozzle stability for high-speed and high-volume printing.

The inks produce rich and vibrant colours and offer excellent colourfastness.  Being water-based inks, they are a preferred choice for environmentally conscious customers.  Available in 1 and 5 liter bottles, the inks deliver top scores in wash fastness, rubbing and perspiration.

ValueJet 1324 & 1624 Eco printers

Launched in Q4 of 2011, the ValueJet 1324 – 54” and ValueJet 1624 – 64” printers are targeted at the sign & display market and are suited for the production of long-term outdoor posters, signs and banners, backlit signage, POS displays, vehicle graphics as well as high quality durable prints for indoor use.

Incorporating new print head technology and Mutoh’s award-winning Intelligent Interweaving print technology, the printers deliver typical production speeds up to 14.5 m²/h and top speeds up to 29 m²/h.

ValueJet TD series printers

For printing on both open and closed structure fabric, Mutoh will display the new ValueJet TD series printers. The new 8 channel ValueJet TD printers incorporate two new 1440 nozzle piezo drop-on-demand print heads mounted in-line.

The ValueJet TD printers allow typical production speeds up to 24 m²/h and top speeds up to 41 m²/h.  This makes the machines suited for volume printing as well as for customized one-off projects.

The printers utilise Mutoh’s worry-free water-based direct disperse inks for direct-to-fabric printing.  They can also be used with Mutoh’s high-speed dye sublimation inks for transfer paper printing.