Mimaki UJF-3042HG widens the desktop UV printing gap

"The introduction of the UJF-3042HG underscores our commitment to continuing innovation in the development of wide format printing products," said Mike Horsten, Marketing Manager, of 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)."

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."

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.

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 (new to the UJF 3042 family, enables stretching of ink up to 200%);Mimaki LF-140 (offers strong gradation in 6-colour printing 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 further information telephone Hybrid Services on 01270 501900 or visit www.hybridservices.co.uk