Mutoh ValueJet 1204, Mutoh ValueJet 64, Mutoh ValueJet 100
Reports indicate that the Mutoh ValueJet is selling well. This budget-priced eco-solvent printer is Japan’s response to the invasion of Chinese solvent printers. Frankly most Chinese solvent printers are so rudimentary and fall apart or break down or wear out so quickly that it’s tough to recommend them. Infiniti and Challenger are perhaps okay if you don’t mind repairing them yourself, but the quality of any Japanese printer is substantially greater.
Plus the resale value of a used Chinese printer is about zero. And, the Chinese change parts every month or so, so in a year how can you possibly figure out what part numbers are available for your specific machine? Plus, you never really know what chemicals are in Chinese ink.
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Mutoh ValueJet at VISCOM Germany '07 |
If you don’t mind headaches, time lost due to down time waiting for spare parts, service technicians who can’t speak your language, then a foreign cheap printer is a brave experiment. But B&P Light Brigade told me that they tried five Chinese solvent printers and even when the Chinese manufacturer flew a Chinese technician to the UK, even he could not get them to work adequately. B&P junked all five.
At several trade shows in the US and Europe I have seen the Mutoh ValueJet 1204, a 48 inch printer, Mutoh ValueJet 1604, a 64” eco-solvent printer, and the Mutoh ValueJet 2606 which is a 100 inch version. It is worth pointing out that the wider models are not merely stretch versions of the smaller version; the wider models are heavy-duty as is needed to handle their width (length). Plus the 100-inch version offers six inks; the other two models are CMYK only, to keep the cost down.
So far I have more experience with the Mutoh Rockhopper 3 Extreme (eco-solvent) and the Mutoh Spitfire Extreme (mild-solvent).
Competition would be the HP 9000s to some degree. But we have now several indications that the HP 9000s has serious issues handling roll-fed substrates. We will be updating our reports on the HP DesignJet 9000s to reflect these issues.
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Mutoh ValueJet printing samples. |
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Samples printed with the Mutoh ValueJet 1204 at ISA trade show 2006. |
FLAAR Reports on mild & lite-solvent printers
Already available
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First posted October 4, 2007.

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