FESPA an ‘incredible success’ for Mimaki, says Hybrid

Mimaki at FESPA 2012Japanese printer manufacturer Mimaki says FESPA Digital in Barcelona drew visitor numbers far in excess of the organisers’ best estimates. The company said it seemed at times as if most of them were parked on the Mimaki stand due to the raft of new product launches on display.

An undoubted drawing point at the Mimaki stand was the worldwide unveiling of the much anticipated JV400 range of latex printers. Mimaki Europe said it had secured more than 150 pre–orders only part way through the exhibition. Available in 1.3m and 1.6m print widths, the printer – sporting a unique white latex ink – will have its UK and Irish launch on Hybrid Services’ (exclusive UK & Ireland distributors for Mimaki) stand at Sign + Digital UK this month. Some lucky visitors from these shores, however, got to view the machine at the exhibition in Spain, sneaking a march on the rest of the industry and witnessing it print at very low cure temperatures onto a broad array of materials. With one machine outputting 2 x CMYK at speeds over 18m2/h, the second of three machines on the Mimaki stand was configured with the seven–colour option – including the aforementioned white.

Mimaki JV400-160LXDuncan Jefferies, marketing manager, Hybrid Services, said: “The effort and investment that our customers have made to visit FESPA appear to have been worthwhile for all concerned. The number of orders received during the four days of the show was unprecedented and reflects well on Mimaki’s commitment to bringing the sort of new products to market that our industry demands. It’s very encouraging to see so many companies making a positive commitment to investing in technology that will see them bring new applications, revenue streams and customers to their business.”

Jefferies added: “The hugely anticipated Mimaki JV400 latex printer along with the very exciting TS34 dye sub machine will form the centrepiece of the Hybrid stand at Sign + Digital UK. We’ll also be bringing another printer that was very well received at FESPA – the latest option in Mimaki’s small format LED UV printer range – the UJF-3042HG. While FESPA was, quite simply, an incredible success, we’re now looking ahead to the show in Birmingham. We’re expecting the Hybrid resellers exhibiting at the show to enjoy a busy time and with us having three new printers, two software product launches and an array of new inks to show off, it’s going to be exciting for visitors and exhibitors alike.”