The ITNH team looks forward to the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) expo every year and this past show was definitely one for the record books. Not only is it one of the best industry events for networking and education, it’s also where new technologies and industrial printers make their official debut to the public.
We were lucky to be the only distributor at SGIA 2016 to feature the brand new Mimaki UJF-6042 MKII e flatbed printer. We also sat down with Mimaki USA’s Senior Manager of Industrial Printing Business Development and Marketing, Josh Hope, to talk about the changes, upgrades with the new Mimaki printer, the MkII flatbed UV-LED inkjet printers, and his favorite highlights from SGIA 2016.
Who will benefit most from the new Mimaki MkII models?
Josh Hope: The new MkII series improves on the popular UJF platform by adding features that address more production minded companies such as the enclosed work area, 1-liter ink bottles and Gigabit Ethernet networking while still being accessible to smaller businesses due to the affordable price.
What does Mimaki feel are the biggest changes and upgrades to this model?
The biggest change is one that is not the most visually apparent. The earlier UJF machines have a moving gantry, while the new MkII series keeps the gantry stationary and moves the print table. The benefit to this system is that we are moving less mass which reduces vibration and increases the dot placement accuracy.
How do you see this model benefiting the user most?
The new features of the UJF MkII series allow a great deal of flexibility and growth. This can be the first machine that a customer purchases when entering the industrial printing market and later scale up to a full production workflow as the business grows.
By using the same 1-liter ink bottles as the UJF-7151 Plus II, JFX200 series and UJV55-320, customers can branch out into larger format UV flatbed printing or 3-meter UV roll to roll printing and still stock the same inks for the MkII printers they started with.
What needs will this model meet that the previous one didn’t?
The fully enclosed work area and Gigabit Ethernet networking allow for the MkII series printers to be placed in more demanding environments, both in terms of physical location and production workflows.
What were the top Mimaki printers featured at SGIA 2016?
On the industrial printing side, the UJF-6042 MkII e and UJF-3042 MkII machines as well as the JFX200-2531 were shown for the first time in the Americas. Mimaki also showed the TX300P-1800 and TX500P-3200 direct to textile printers in addition to the TS500P-3200 dye sublimation machine.
In the sign and graphics market, we were proud to win the Product of the Year award for our UJV55-320 roll to roll 3.2 Meter UV printer.
Were there any specific SGIA show highlights?
The JFX200-2531 debut drew quite a bit of interest. Like the UJF MkII series machines, this is an extension of a proven product line. The JFX200-2531 doubles the print area of the JFX200-2513 to a full 8×10 foot bed and adds a second print origin point with threaded registration points and dual vacuum pump units.
Combined, these new features allow users to print one 4×8 foot sheet while loading or unloading a second sheet at the same time for increased productivity. This new “Toggle Print” workflow can be used with large sheets, placement jigs or multiple separate pieces. The oversized bed can also be used with a single print origin to image up to a single 8×10 foot sheet, or two 4×8 foot sheets simultaneously when combined together in either orientation.
SGIA 2016 was also the first time we showed the LUS-350 inks engineered for thermoforming applications. LUS-350 has an elasticity of up to 350% which is perfect for thermoformed signage and prototyping. LUS-350 is available for both the JFX200-2513 and JFX200-2531 UV flatbed printers as well as the UJF-7151 Plus II.
Were there any speaking events presented or attended by Mimaki?
Mimaki USA presented at three different sessions, all focused around color management:
The first session was part of the SGIA “Wide Format Inkjet 101” series which was geared towards people just getting started in the wide format printing market. The goal of my 45-minute session was to give an overview of challenges and considerations in color managing wide format inkjet devices. Since this is a broad topic, attendees were encouraged to attend the more in depth presentation later in the week called “Demystifying Color Management.”
The second session was focused on working with fluorescent textile inks which can be quite a challenge. Tommy Martin gave an overview of the fluorescent textile market, and I tackled the technical side of fluorescent inks both in color management and file preparation. We discussed using fluorescent inks within the ICC profile gamut and as separate ink channels, giving example workflows for each.
The final session I gave was “Demystifying Color Management” – a 90-minute presentation that ended up extending over 2 hours due to questions from the audience. In this presentation, the focus is to provide a better understanding of the roles played by input and output ICC profiles, single channel ink restrictions, linearization, etc. We also discuss the relative properties of color and how to take advantage of expanded gamut printers by correctly asking for the colors you actually want.
All three presentations were very well received with positive feedback from all sessions. The color management presentations are designed to be conversational which encourages a high degree of interaction from the audience. The “Demystifying Color Management” presentation has been given at multiple events and continues to be very popular.
There are even more features to the MkII series to get excited about. Contact our team today and we’ll tell you even more!
