Mimaki JV3 solvent ink printer has high quality output but faces competition from speedier printheads elsewhere
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In just two years this Mimaki JV3 solvent ink printer has sold more units than Arizona solvent ink printers sold in a decade. But now the competition is tougher, with ColorSpan 72SI and Seiko ColorPainter 64S entering the market. The price of the Mimaki JV3 makes it a practical alternative to some other mid-range solvent printers such as Mutoh and Vutek.
Other competition has dropped out: the Tiara printers seem to have disappeared from the US market during 2005.
Although mainland Chinese companies are trying to invade the solvent ink market, few US sign print shops are willing to risk unproven brands, lack of proof of reliability, insecurity of whether spare parts are available, no record of tech support across the USA, and realization that there is no way to know how long a Chinese printer will function (or how long the company will stay in business).
For printing on uncoated raw vinyl, a Mimaki JV3 is a printer that appears to be a viable choice, but first you need to weigh the pros and cons, and compare with ColorSpan 72si, Seiko ColorPainter 64S (as of February 2006 replaced by the HP Designjet 9000s), Mutoh Toucan , Mutoh Toucan LT, and all the other solvent ink printers of this mid-size class. To assist people who need help in deciding which solvent ink printer to chose, we have prepared a discussion of all solvent ink printers in the FLAAR Reports Series by Nicholas Hellmuth. The FLAAR Reports even cover lite-solvent, eco-solvent, and oil-based alternatives.
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Mimaki JV3 solvent ink printer at Siggraph Trade show |
The Mimaki JV3 comes in various sizes, including a stretch model, the 250. Since ISA trade show is coming up, since Mutoh and Roland and HP have all been showing new printers, it is expected that Mimaki will need to reveal a new printer in April. Based on their numbering system, it is expected that this printer will be called the Mimaki JV5. We look forward to reporting about all these new printers in April. We already have a report on the new Roland AJ-1000.
If you order the Solvent ink FLAAR Report Series from FLAAR now , you get five years of Nicholas Hellmuth's experience in checking out solvent ink printers all in one convenient batch of PDF downloads. These reports are all in full-color and provide independent assessment of the pros and cons of ColorSpan 72si, Seiko 64S, DGI, Infiniti, Oce Arizona, Mutoh Toucan, Mimaki JV3, Lyson Tiara, and other inkjet printer brands.
An option to Mimaki's low-solvent iks is the new HP latex polymer ink system, announced in March 2008. Dr Hellmuth has been selected to be trained in this latex ink chemistry and applications, and will report back later this spring and summer.
List price of each reports purchased separately: $550
Save $50. Buy reports together for only $500
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Most recently updated February 16, 2006.
Previously updated Dec 6, 2005, Aug. 9, 2005; May 18, 2005. First posted March 10, 2004.
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