Mimaki Adds New TX500-1800DS

Mimaki Adds Fast Direct-to-Textile Printing with New TX500-1800DS

Amsterdam, March 14, 2012

Mimaki Engineering Co.,Ltd, a leading manufacturer of wide format inkjet printers, today added the capability to print direct to textiles with the introduction of the Mimaki TX500-1800DS, capable of printing at 150 square meters per hour on pretreated polyester fabrics. This printer, together with Mimaki’s new Sb300 sublimation ink, delivers enhanced capabilities and productivity to the textile apparel and soft signage markets by eliminating the need to print to transfer papers. The Mimaki TX500-1800DS printer is expected to be available in June 2012.

“Our TS500-1800SB sublimation printer, announced last month, is the world’s fastest dye sublimation printer, capable of printing at 150 square meters per hour on transfer paper,” said Mike Horsten,  Marketing Manager of Mimaki Europe. “Now with the introduction of the TX500-1800DS, textile apparel and soft signage manufacturers utilizing pretreated polyester fabrics can print direct-to-fabric at the same speeds without the need for an interim transfer paper step, and can do so without any compromise in quality. Our new sublimation ink, whether printing on transfer paper or direct-to-textile, delivers brilliant colours, and using our intuitive RasterLink 6 RIP, operators can easily convert special colours to specific Pantone colours to ensure total colour integrity, printing with up to six colours.”

The TX500-1800DS features a number of new capabilities that textile apparel and soft signage manufacturers will find attractive, including:

• Fast direct-to-textile printing at 150m²/h in high-speed mode. The TX500-1800DS uses newly developed printheads that achieve a maximum speed in four-colour mode that is 150% faster than conventional models. The printer includes six printheads, with three staggered.
• Built-in heater accelerates drying time of printed fabric. This prevents ink set-off in the production process, improving overall quality and productivity while eliminating rework caused by excessive ink set-off.
• Mist absorption filter – The mist absorption filter prevents problems caused by ink mists and enhances the stability of print operations by suctioning the mist inside the printer and discharging it.
• Mimaki Degassing Module – The Mimaki degassing module (MDM-20) eliminates the gasses or bubbles that can occur in inks during the printing process, decreasing the likelihood of nozzle blockage and improving the accuracy of ink dot placement. In addition, this module enables the printer to use undegassed bottled inks instead of conventional degassed ink packs, thus reducing ink costs.
• New dye sublimation ink – Mimaki has developed a new ink, optimized for dye sublimation printing and for use with the TS500-1800SB and the TX500-1800DS. Sb300 ink offers an affordable price, dries quickly and produces brilliant colours. Two ink configurations can be selected at the time of printer installation: the 6-colour mode for smooth gradation and better pale colours, or the 4-colour mode for higher productivity.
• Auto Media Feeder (AMF) – Mimaki’s unique Auto Media Feeder provides stable feed take-up of polyester fabrics, eliminating much of the need for operator intervention during printing.
• Larger Roll Media Size – The TX500-1800DS can accept rolls of fabric up to 60kg and 300mm in diameter, further improving operator productivity by eliminating the need for frequent media changes. Larger orders can be continuously printed without interruption, or batches of smaller orders using the same fabric can be easily handled. In addition, roll shaft handles are designed to make installation of heavy rolls of fabric easier.
• Standard user friendly RIP “RasterLink 6″– The RasterLink6 can be handled intuitively and without difficulty. Print and other conditions can easily be set, as the display screen is switched on in the same window and the printing progress can be monitored on the main screen. The colour replacement function enhances the ability to re-create printed images, as selected colours from the colour charts of RasterLink 6 can be added into swatches of Illustrator. The colour matching system matches the measured colour to an almost identical colour from the colour profile of RasterLink 6. A colorimeter is not a standard feature. There is also a printing colour simulation function, allowing users to simulate printing colours on Illustrator/Photoshop without actually printing it. This latest function requires MPM2 (Mimaki Profile Master 2). In sum, the integration of RasterLink 6, enable users to save both time and money in the design and production process.

TX500-1800DS Specifications