Mimaki takes direct approach with new launch

Mimaki has been one of the busier manufacturers this year, launching a series of new products in response to market demand. In fact, just recently, Mimaki rolled out the JFX200-2531 LED UV flatbed printer, which builds on the JFX200-2513 model and joins the JFX200 family, while the UJF-3042 Mk II and the UJF-6042 Mk II are also new additions to its range.

This portfolio of solutions has now been given a further boost with the launch of the new Mimaki Tx500P-3200DS, a 3.2m direct sublimation printer that features a built in, in-line heat fixation unit, and also pledges to reduce production time by printing and undertaking colour fixation simultaneously.

Mimaki says the new model has been developed to help satisfy an increasing demand for soft signage, with the new machine boasting both economic and environmental benefits. The Tx500P-3200DS is suited to a wide array of textile printing applications, such as soft signage, customised apparel, and fabrics for home décor and furnishings.

In a statement confirming the launch of the new machine, Mimaki says: “Aware that the textile industry is moving ever-larger volumes from analogue to digital printing in order to meet market demand for the growing number of small lot orders and shortened cycle times, the new Tx500P-3200DS was specifically designed to meet these requirements in both segments. It also provides a solution to increased demand for digitally printed textiles in home décor, including extra-wide fabrics for products such as draperies.

“The improved productivity benefits of the new printer will also make it ideal for meeting the growing demand created by custom orders requiring a speedy turnaround, received via the Internet by print providers.”

Consistent print quality

The device is able to print at speeds of up to 130sq m/h in four-colour mode, as well as 105sq m/h in six-colour mode, with output hitting a quality of up to 720 x 1080dpi using twelve print heads in a staggered three-line array. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has said that both consistency and stability of print quality are achieved by a pulling roller that maintains appropriate pressure during printing onto rolled textiles with widths up to 3.2m and as much as 130kg in weight.

The new Mimaki Tx500P-3200DS also has the ability to automatically detect and clean clogged print nozzles, as well as substitute good nozzles for printing during this process, which the manufacturer said allows for continuity of operation and helps to reduce waste that is created by defective nozzles.

The model will be available in the UK from Hybrid Services, which serves as the exclusive distributor of Mimaki technology in both the UK and Ireland. Stephen Woodall, national sales manager for textile and apparel and the supplier, has spoken positively about the latest offering from Mimaki, stating that the Tx500P-3200DS, which will begin shipping in January of next year, can help meet the needs of customers in what is an ever-changing sector.

“There is a great deal about the Tx500P-3200DS that textile print suppliers should be enthusiastic about,” Woodall says, adding: “The new machine’s ability to deliver print and heat fixation in a single operation is a genuinely unique feature which is certain to have a major impact on productivity and profitability for users.


“Time is a critical factor for many producers in this ever-changing sector, with increasingly challenging schedules and demands to meet. Direct sublimation transfer printing requires the fixing of printed inks through heating, and this machines ability to deliver this at the same time as printing removes a step in the traditional process, speeding up the operation, saving valuable time and enabling both short-run bespoke commissions and large scale production runs to be achieved with equal efficiency.”

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