Earlier this year, Mimaki and Graphix Supply World showcased its innovative, cost-effective SWJ-320EA large format solvent printer at FESPA Africa 2019. Addressing the demanding, ever-changing and price-sensitive super-wide format printing market, this highly productive 3.2-meter-wide printer offers an unmatched ratio of top print quality, fast printing speed and reliability at a very accessible price.

Following successful sales progression in price-sensitive markets, such as Turkey, Russia and the Middle East, the SWJ-320EA is now available for the entire EMEA region. “Addressing the needs of the highly competitive wide format market, the SWJ-320EA represents an important business differentiator for customers,” says Bert Benckhuysen, Senior Product Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe. “Combining a high level of efficiency and low operational costs with a very competitive price for the hardware and the inks, the SWJ-320EA makes a much more cost-effective choice for investment, particularly when compared to what our competitors in China, Russia and Turkey have on offer.”

Building on the legacy of Mimaki innovation, the SWJ-320EA super-wide solvent printer includes Mimaki core technologies, namely MAPS4 (Mimaki Advanced Pass System) and NRS (Nozzle Recovery System). MAPS4 helps prevent banding during the printing process. With every pass, MAPS4 is using a unique algorithm that calculates the most effective way of jetting the ink drops to avoid visible banding. This constantly changes depending on ink colour, coverage and printing speed. This feature, alongside NRS – which ensures the replacement of clogged nozzles without stopping production – enhances the printer’s performance and boosts productivity and print quality for the user. For further production benefits, the SWJ-320EA is equipped with four advanced high-speed printheads, arranged in a staggered array ensuring resolutions of up to 1200dpi and print speeds of up to 137m2/h.

Offering established world-class Mimaki speed, quality and reliability in a super-wide format, the SWJ-320EA is equipped with an extremely stable media feeding system and a newly designed tension bar. These features prevent the media from cockling and ensure high grip for extremely accurate printing, resulting in steady, premium print quality, even for larger prints. For those requiring higher volumes, a twin-roll printing function is available as an optional feature, enabling the printer to handle up to two rolls (with maximum width of 1,524mm each) and resulting in double-volume production for smaller rolls per day.

Designed to enable users to diversify their businesses in a profitable way, the Mimaki SWJ-320EA is ideal for producing a wide variety of large format indoor and outdoor applications, including POS materials, banners and billboards, displays, transport and floor images. Diversification will also be driven by a wide and varied range of compatible solvent-coated substrates, such as self-adhesive PVC film, photo paper, billboard paper, blue-back, backlit film, banner materials and tarpaulin, to name a few. The SWJ-320EA uses Mimaki CS100 solvent-based ink – available in CMYK configuration and with a capacity of 3 litres per colour. The new inks have been developed to ensure lower consumption and increased weather and scratch resistance.

Graphix Supply World has reported the availability of its new Mimaki JFX200-2513 EX. Introducing a new print mode and an extra printhead, the JFX200-2513 EX boasts substantial productivity increases on previous JFX models – 280% faster in new draft mode when printing in four colours plus white, and 100% faster for all other print modes.

This entry-level printer also uses Mimaki’s 2.5D Texture Maker to enable smooth embossed print at the touch of a button. For the first time, this allows print service providers to offer large format digital print with enticing-to-touch dimensional textured effects without lengthy file preparation.

Opening new and valuable application opportunities for customers, the new Mimaki layering technology has been designed for supreme simplicity and ease of use. Eradicating the previous time-consuming and skilled process of creating multiple Photoshop files featuring stacked stepped layers for smooth expression, Mimaki’s genuine RIP software ‘RasterLink6Plus’ completes the process in seconds. It achieves this by adding a greyscale image of the original coloured file in the RIP.

Features include:

High value-added print
• 2.5D texture maker that enables easy creation of smooth semi-stereoscopic 2.5D data.

High productivity
• Print speed in white-simultaneous printing has improved 200% compared to the conventional model.
• Higher-grade productivity realised by adding the new print mode.

Stability and safety
• NCU and NRS automatically detects missing nozzles and performs recovery.
• Links with external interface allow users to meet safety standards that are different by factory.

Upgraded usability
• Work efficiency improved by adding the vacuum-controlling foot switch.
• Ethernet connection supported.

Ronald van den Broek, general manager sales Mimaki EMEA and Bert Benckhuysen, senior product manager Mimaki EMEA, were present at the Sign Africa and FESPA Africa Expo to discuss the new SWJ-320 EA and JFX 200-2513 EX machines, both of which could be seen at the Graphix Supply World stand.

The Mimaki SWJ-320 EA, an African first, is a large format solvent machine, particularly renowned for its affordability and user-friendliness. As the economy continues to struggle, the machine is priced competitively and has been designed as an entry-level model.

Designed to enable users to diversify their businesses in a profitable way, the Mimaki SWJ-320EA is ideal for producing a wide variety of large format indoor and outdoor applications, including POS materials, banners and billboards, displays, transport and floor images.

Also discussed was the new JFX model, which features a new print mode for increased speed, 2.5D printing for embossed and layered effects, as well as a print resolution of up to 1200dpi. The machine also features a maximum print area of: 2500 x 1300 mm (98.4 x 51.2”).

‘The 2.5D printing was previously difficult and time-consuming for operators to achieve, so we have made it as easy as possible for users to create beautiful embossed images with value through a fully automated process,’ said Benckhuysen. It was developed based on the need for Mimaki to not only innovate, but also to differentiate itself from its competition.

Van den Broek also discussed some trends emerging in Africa:” ‘The African market is picking up with European demands, and has a clear idea of what it needs. The signage, graphics and textiles markets are growing increasingly on a global scale, and Africa is included. The UV market is growing too, and more and more countries in Africa are becoming approachable for Mimaki.’

Benckhuysen added that Mimaki are continuously developing solutions for every market and application, and that it is not just a company based around printing, but engineering knowledge.

Speaking about Mimaki’s relationship with Graphix Supply World, van den Broek said, ‘GSW is our gateway into Africa. We know each other well and it is crucial to have partners who know the market – a market that is not as easy to explore as Europe. There are challenges in terms of language, education and infrastructure, and GSW has helped us overcome all of these barriers,’ said van den Broek.

Mimaki and GSW will be launching the new Mimaki SWJ-320EA at Fespa Africa on Wednesday 11 September 2019 at the Gallagher CC  on stand D21-43, hall 3,  – a revolutionary latest-generation plotter with a width of 3.2 m with a unique ratio of affordable price, highest quality and reliability, which replaced the legendary model  SWJ-320 S4 . The plotter is equipped with new high-speed printheads that provide resolutions up to 1200 dpi and photorealistic image quality thanks to variable droplet volume technology. The new plotter has amazing performance and allows you to print at speeds up to 137 square meters. m / hour. Mimaki’s most innovative features – compensation for inter-pass errors, replacing bad nozzles, unique media feeding / reeling and heating systems – are now available in this ultra-wide format plotter.

The functionality of the  Mimaki SWJ-320EA  makes it possible to use this plotter for printing large-format graphics for almost any purpose for the street and interior, including POS materials, wide-format banners and posters, billboards, firewalls, banners, window-dressing, transport and floor graphics. For printing, a wide variety of coated and non-coated materials can be used – self-adhesive PVC films, photo paper, Blue-back billboard paper, films for interior lighting, banner materials, PVC stretch ceilings.

The technical and operational qualities of the  Mimaki SWJ-320EA plotter  make it possible to produce any interior decoration elements – designer photo murals, “stucco” murals, stretch ceilings, art reproductions on canvas. By purchasing this multifunctional plotter, companies specialising in the field of decoration and interior design get at their disposal a universal tool for providing additional exclusive services.

Features of the solvent plotter Mimaki SWJ-320EA

• Stunning performance – up to 137 sq. m / hour.
• Ultra wide format printing with interior quality. The maximum resolution is 1200 dpi.
• Low ink consumption, low cost of prints.
• A wide selection of print modes to meet existing print quality and cost requirements.
• A high-speed printing unit with four staggered printheads.
• The technology of variable droplet volume guarantees the reproduction of smooth gradient transitions and the absence of a visible raster.
• Failure Nozzle Replacement (NRS) is an innovative solution for trouble-free, high-quality printing.
• MAPS4 function to compensate for inter-pass errors and guarantee high quality prints without stripes and colour unevenness even at high speed.
• Adjustable print head heights.
• Mimaki CS100 solvent-based inks in four-colour CMYK configuration at an affordable price.
• Ink supply system from 3 litre containers.
• The versatility of ink in relation to carrier materials.
• Powerful feeding / reeling systems as standard, designed to work with heavy rolls, provide constant web tension across the entire area regardless of the changing weight of the rolls.
• The presence of a highly efficient three-stage carrier heating system with independent temperature control in each zone.
• The function of simultaneous printing on two rolls.
• Ready-made technological solution for printing on PVC ceilings (optional).
• Multifunctional control panel with multilingual support for easy parameter setting and control. High performance USB 2.0 and Ethernet 1000BASE-T interfaces.
• High reliability of the plotter, ease of operation and maintenance.
• The most competitive price among models of this class. Low initial investments and daily expenses; quick return on investment.

Under the theme ‘Imagine the Future of Print’, Mimaki Europe will take visitors to FESPA Africa 2019 (Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa – 11-13 September 2019) on a journey through its cost-effective and profit-generating printing solutions. Represented by its established distributor in Africa, Graphix Supply World (GSW) on stand D21-43, hall 3, the leading manufacturer of inkjet printers and cutting systems will demonstrate how businesses can use Mimaki technology to support increased revenues, address new markets and drive pioneering application possibilities.

Mimaki’s brand new JFX200-2513 EX large flatbed UV inkjet printer will be exhibited in Africa for the first time at the exhibition. With a new print mode and an extra printhead, the JFX200-2513 EX boasts substantial productivity increases on previous JFX models – when printing in four colours plus white it reaches a 280% speed increase in draft mode, and is 100% faster in all other print modes. Its predecessor, the JFX200-2513, however will not be replaced by the new model, but offered to the market at a new attractive price point.

Also equipped with Mimaki’s cutting-edge 2.5D Texture Maker, the JFX200-2513 EX uniquely enables smooth embossed print with enticing-to-touch dimensional textured effects at the touch of a button. Designed for supreme simplicity and ease of use, as well as for increased productivity, the Mimaki layering technology opens up new and valuable application opportunities for customers. Eliminating the previous time-consuming and skilled process of creating multiple Photoshop files featuring stacked stepped layers for smooth expression, Mimaki’s genuine RIP software ‘RaterLink6Plus’ completes the process in seconds. Ideal for demanding production workflows, the JFX200-2513 EX prints on substrates up to 2,500mm x 1,300mm (98.4″ x 51.2″), in a wide variety of materials including white board, transparent/coloured board, wood, cardboard and metal.

“Mimaki has a history of pioneering innovation and continues that vision, maintaining its position at the forefront of advancements in digital printing. Each new technology that we introduce has been developed to support our customers’ success today and to support their future growth for tomorrow too,” says Bert Benckhuysen, Senior Product Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe.

Mimaki will also expound the benefits of its latest 3D printing solution, the 3DFF-222, at FESPA Africa. Based on Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and using PLA material, the 3DFF-222 is designed to enable sign and display printers to produce jigs used in direct-to-object printing in-house. The 3D printer will be combined with the Mimaki UJF MkII series in Johannesburg to illustrate to visitors how production costs can be reduced and new profitable markets reached by introducing the 3D printer to their businesses and employing it to its full capacity. Full colour and fine detail models produced by the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 3D printer will also be exhibited on the stand.

GSW executives will furthermore reveal details of an upcoming product release at the show. As part of this, FESPA Africa visitors will get exclusive insights on the SWJ-320EA solvent printer and how it will build on the legacy of Mimaki innovation.

“We are delighted to share some of our latest innovations at FESPA Africa and we strongly believe that our technology enables printers from the region to stand out from the crowd. Epitomising our show theme ‘Imagine the Future of Print’ and building on our industry-acclaimed printing platforms, we will empower our visitors to become forward-thinkers, boost productivity and ensure healthy margins,” concludes Benckhuysen.