The Mimaki UJV55-320 joins a plant list that includes amongst others 3 X UV LED flatbeds and a Canon Colorado 1650.
“We’re very much focussed on retail and produce high volumes of light boxes and tension frame graphics. The new Mimaki has increased our capacity in that respect. It’s given us that 3.2m wide interest, which has been very useful for clients wanting to move into that larger size,” says Carl Webster, Director, Impression Ltd (Bolton).
Mimaki UJV55-320 gateway to textile production
Impression’s senior management was in discussion about investing in a dedicated roll-fed super-wide printer when a CMYUK promo on a 3.2m wide Mimaki dropped into Carl’s in-box. Carl followed up on the offer and before long was visiting CMYUK’s demonstration and training facility in Shrewsbury.
“The whole set up for the day was fantastic. We looked at a whole range of equipment, however, the Mimaki felt familiar as it could be easily integrated with our existing set-up. It didn’t seem that it would cause that much upheaval or require extra training. We felt it would allow us to be up and running in no time, and we were,” says Carl.
The Mimaki’s ease of use was a key selling point, underpinned by its universally recognised reputation for quality output and workhorse reliability. In just three months since installation, the Mimaki UJV55-320 has generated early dividends.
“While we have a heavy retail focus, we also service a number of other sectors. It’s early days yet but because we can offer 3.2m widths, we’ve started producing large single piece wall coverings rather than the traditional wallpaper drops we were printing before,” says Carl.
CMYUK materials and equipment supply
Impression Ltd has been a long-time customer of CMYUK materials and the purchase of the new 3.2m wide printer continues this trend. Currently, the big drive for this Bolton-based PSP is sustainability, and to this end it has added products from CMYUK’s exclusive Kavalan PVC-free range of banner materials to its portfolio.
These include Kavalan Butterfly Weldable Blockout banner, which is a double-sided printable PVC-free banner material, perfect for indoor and outdoor applications.
Joining this is Kavalan Gecko 320GB Greyback, perfect for display systems and paste up wall graphics. Both these products, available in 3.2m and 5m wide rolls, are compatible with Latex and UV ink chemistries and have B1 and EN13501-1 fire ratings. They are also REACH compliant and Life Cycle Assessment approved.
“These products produce fantastically good results,” says Carl, adding, “Our clients are driving the sustainability agenda and we’re really listening to it. We’re changing the way we work and the materials we are using in order to be as eco-friendly as possible. We are planning our own eco materials event aimed at retail sector clients later in the year, which we’re very much looking forward to.”
CMYUK service provision champion
Carl has been very impressed with the quality of service and support from CMYUK throughout the Mimaki buying cycle and beyond.
As he says, “The whole process was remarkably easy all the way from an excellent demonstration through to Jason [Jason McNulty, CMYUK’s Senior Digital Sales Consultant] who helped to ensure the smooth transition from ordering. The installation was completed on time, efficiently, and with minimum disruption to our business. The Mimaki fitted in very well and we were up and running in no time. CMYUK is a supplier that we will definitely go to when we need to make future investments. Impression Ltd has continued to grow since it opened its doors in 2009. We’ve always reinvested in new equipment and never want to stand still, that way we’re always generating new offerings for our customers.”
