Thoughts on the Mimaki JF-1610 and JF-1631

[jdwilliams1]

I would like to get opinions on these two machines from current...an past owners.

I am not in the market for $100,000 machines and I am looking for a good UV printer that is reliable, is a flatbed, can print novelty signs on aluminum.

I have been told this machine is very slow, but keep in mind I currently weed cut vinyl and it is becoming difficult to keep up.

Also, what about the cost of ink? I am also looking at a Ion x but I have been warned by many to stay away.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Junkie]

...

I have owned a JF for over 2 years. It may appear to be slow when compared to some other printers, but it really hasn't been an issue for us. When it becomes an issue, we will upgrade. If you are not a super high volume shop, it should not be an issue for you either. We run it 40 - 45 hours a weeks alongside our JV3, and trust me, it makes us a lot of money. Do the math, figure every table I print, I make anywhere from $100 - $400. As for quality of prints, I would put it against anything out there. We have not had any real issues (knock on wood), but like any UV printer it has some quirks, but nothing major. I decided not to purchase the extended contract after the first year, and thankfully I did not, because I would have just given Mimaki $12k for no reason. Our first UV printer was an HP45000 (well, Colorspan at the time) and although it served us well, in hindsight I would never have purchased it. With a hybrid such as HP, Roland, Mimaki UJV you really limit what you can print on. With a dedicated flatbed, or even a belt-fed printer, you can print on just about anything you can think of. DO NOT buy an ion. Not even in the same class as mimaki as far as quality is concerned. We print on a lot of pre-cut sign blanks and/or routed shapes, so I prefer a dedicated flatbed over a belt-fed system for the types of signs that we print.

 

[mgisigns]

Mimaki JF-1631 WARNING!

I had my JF-1631 for 2 years now and after replacing the water pump in the rear the water lines at the printheads may pop off. Three actually did (making a mess) and a third was ready to come off. Mimaki says they can't come loose on their own (a lie). Please check all water lines going to the heads and save yourself some grief. Please let me know if you've had trouble already.

Thanks and good luck!