Signs of the Times - September 2012 - 42

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
By Chris and Kathi Morrison

Chris and Kathi Morrison own and operate The Image Specialists, a full-service graphics company based in Clements, CA. Chris is also a Microsoft-certified systems engineer.

The Mimaki JV400 Series
New choices: Latex- or solvent-ink printers

JV400-160LX

JV400-160SUV

Mimaki’s JV400 LX with either and SUV print machines image
solvent/UV-cure (the SUV series) or latex ink (the LX series), and the latter includes a white ink set. The introduction of white, latex ink is amazing enough, but we dug deeper to discover other innovations. For example, waterbased, latex ink requires energy-consuming heat to

simultaneously evaporate the water carrier and dry the ink, but Mimaki lessened the heat/expense factor by engineering its JV400 LX printers to apply 110V power to a staged, low-energy, heating system that affects the media before, during and after printing. A final air system dries the ink. The JV400 LX series will image

Key Information
Mimaki USA Inc. 150-A Satellite Blvd. NE Suwanee, GA 30024 (678) 730-0200 www.mimakiusa.com Contact: Fran Gardino, business development manager (617) 965-7000, ext. 301 fgardino@mimakiusa.com on uncoated media, fabric, paper, banner stock, PVC and almost any media a standard, eco-solvent printer can handle. Don’t want white ink? Order the four- or six-color system. Mimaki’s JV400 SUV printers are virtually identical to their LX counterparts, but the SUV applies what the company describes as a “green,” solvent-UV ink. Upon contact, the solvent attacks the media and fixes the UV-cure pigments; passing beneath the UV curing lamps, Mimaki says, dries and aggressively bonds the ink. The SUV printers share virtually the same specifications as the latex series, but they’re only available in a four-color system. The heater configuration is the same as the LX – the UV-cure system supplants the blower. The ink appears glossy; it’s scratch and weather resistant. We were blown away by the beautiful, printed images. ■

Mimaki Printer Specifications
Features Print Heads Resolution Max. Media Width Max. Media Weight Ink Options Ink Colors Ink Capacity Dimensions (W x D x H) JV400-130LX/JV400-160LX Four, dual, in-line heads with four rows of 320 nozzles 900 x 900 dpi; 900 x 1200 dpi 64 in. (JV400-160); 54 in. (JV400-130) 55 lbs. Latex CMYK x 2; CMY(x2)K; , CMYKlclmW 600 ml Eco-case; 220 ml White V400-160: 113 x 34 x 56.4 in. JV400-130: 103.5 x 34 x 56.4 in. JV400-130SUV/JV400-160SUV Four, dual, in-line heads with four rows of 320 nozzles 900 x 900 dpi; 900 x 1200 dpi 64 in. (JV400-160); 54 in. (JV400-130) 55 lbs. Solvent UV CMYK x 2 600 ml Eco-case JV400-160: 113 x 33.64 x 56.4 in. JV400-130: 103.5 x 33.64 x 56.4 in.

Print Speed

Standard mode (900 x 900 dpi) is 194 sq. ft./hr.; High-quality mode (900 x 1200 dpi) is 152 sq. ft./hr.

42 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / SEPTEMBER 2012 / www.signweb.com
http://www.mimakiusa.com http://www.signweb.com
Signs of the Times - September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - September 2012
