Trade printer CMYKhub has dramatically expanded its wide-format capabilities, purchasing seven Mimaki UCJV-300 roll-to-roll devices over the past twelve months.
Selecting it for its opacity, white ink options, and relatively small amount of maintenance, CMYKhub says the guaranteed service nationally from Mimaki also played a large role.
Alan Nankervis, national wide format manager, CMYKhub, explains, “We wholly invested in Mimaki because we were looking for a seven colour or white printer to produce work into the market. We found there was a space for it, customers were asking for white, and we did not have anything that could produce on a roll on a quick turnaround.
“We tested a few and chose Mimaki for its ease of use, it requires little maintenance for keeping it clean. We have also found the opacity great compared to other printers in the market, while it is also quite quick to print.
“A big thing was guaranteed service. Mimaki have a national service base, they have service techs in every state, they are very knowledgeable on their own machine, and we found with other brands they did not have that.
“Having quality techs available in every state was a major reason to pick Mimaki over the other brands.
“We have been really happy with them. Our oldest of the seven was installed a year ago, purchasing one of the first machines into the country, we ran tests for three months, then invested in five more, and another one since then.”
For CMYKhub, wide-format has been a growth area, now almost as large as its digital offering.
Nankervis explains, “Just this year we have launched our customer quote engine, so they can now use our trade portal to quote their own work. It has increased our production, as there is no wait time for quotes.
“The biggest change for us in wide-format is the customer understanding of the products we produce. It has become quite popular as a print media. Customers did not understand it so well in the past, but now they understand the segment.”
Brad Creighton, national marketing manager, Mimaki, says, "The machines have been a good addition to their family. We initially did our testing there on the white capability. The print quality, opacity, and white were well received, and it took off.
"They saw the benefit and started investing in their facilities, and are now up to seven machines. It is a good story, they have multiplied the investment because they saw the value in the technology, and the application benefits. It is a win-win for everyone involved. It has also integrated into their output nicely, including colour management."
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