Purchase of Mimaki UV flatbed delivers more

‘Print quality was of major importance, hence our choice of the Mimaki JFX-1631’

ProVision; a digital printing company comprising of ten people and based in Amsterdam, has recently invested in a Mimaki wide format flatbed printer via Dutch dealer Igepa. Co-owner Richard van Dooren said of the acquisition: “After three years waiting it was high time for us to invest in a flatbed printer. The most important considerations for specifically choosing the JFX-1631 were the high photo-quality print that could not be achieved anywhere else, and the ideal dimensions of the flatbed (1.6 by 3.1 metres).”

JFX calls for more

If it were up to Richard van Dooren, a roll-to-roll UV LED printer would follow suit shortly. Van Dooren sees many advantages in the Mimaki UV LED printers: “For instance, I think that UV inks provide a better scratch resistance than eco solvent. I am also quite taken with the instant drying and lack of odour, which I currently experience with the eco-solvent printers that we are still extensively using. I also see added value in the ‘flexible’ UV inks from Mimaki, which could be beneficial for us if we decide to invest in a roll-to-roll UV LED printer.”

A long experience in indoor printing

Historically, ProVision does a great deal of indoor printing such as posters, backlits, roll ups, advertising/promotion, menu cards, window stickers and the like. For this purpose ProVision now uses water based, eco-solvent and UV printers. Van Dooren told us, “We target predominantly medium-sized enterprises, like chains in the catering industry and the retail sector as well as trade stands business, although the margin for the latter is under a lot of pressure. It is important to get repeat orders, hence our motto; ‘Always honour appointments and perform above customer expectations.’ We think that the imminent purchase of a roll-to-roll UV printer and a cutting table will provide our customers with yet a better service. A cutting table from Mimaki would be a good option, since it is the same size as the JFX-1631.”

In addition to printing, ProVision also provides desktop publishing solutions, from simple tasks to complete brochures and advertising material. For this purpose, ProVision actually has three desktop publishers in service, making it easy to compete with small to medium sized desktop publishing / advertising agencies.

JFX, a confident choice

Richard van Dooren about the decision: “In our search for a flatbed UV printer, quality was the most important criteria of all for us. The colour gamut and the precision of the JFX impressed us. We printed a few world maps and noticed that even very small letters can be very legibly printed. Of course, it would have been nice if the JFX had also turned out to be the frontrunner with printing speeds, but this was of secondary importance to us. However, we understand that some upgrades will increase the speed soon. Furthermore, the size of the table was very important. Other possibilities did not accommodate all of the standard sizes for which we get orders. Moreover, during our search, we started questioning the added value of a hybrid machine. We established that it is more useful for us to separate rigid media from roll media when it comes to printers. This immediately gives us more capacity.”

Familiarisation

ProVision had to get used to dealing with the flatbed printer, which requires a different approach to a roll-to-roll printer. Van Dooren points out, “A flatbed printer actually costs a little more time. Some questions also arise now and then and Igepa has been responding very adequately up till now. We’ve not worked with Igepa for very long, but so far we are satisfied.”