Friday, 10 Apr 2015 15:20 GMT

The Mimaki JV33

David Allen managing director of Allen Signs, reviews the recently replaced Mimaki JV33 and considers its ongoing place as a daily grafter for sign-makers across the country

The dependable Sign company workhorse

Back in the early 2000s, just as we took delivery of our first wide-format printer, a catalyst for change came to market. It was a printer designed to run solvent ink from the ground up. Many of its predecessors were not able to, and it could maintain itself quite happily without the headache of daily cleaning. The machine in question was the JV3 from Mimaki.

Developed from the JV2 and JV4, both ground breaking printers in their field, Mimaki had turned its full attention to the solvent ink market. The JV3 was then replaced with the JV33 in 2007. This printer has gone on to be the backbone of many a sign company large and small, including this one.

While it has been superseded by more advanced technology, the most important thing to consider on any equipment you own is if it is fit for purpose. What is amazing about the JV33 is that it was so well designed that it remains a machine that is the right size and productivity for a huge number of sign businesses. Unless you are producing huge batches of banners on a regular basis and need all your machines to be at the very cutting edge to compete with national competitors, or have a very severe restriction on floor space, then the JV33’s productivity and quality is still well within the requirement of most businesses.

Straightforward software

Usually bought as a package with a matching cutter, the JV33 is a work-horse and comes in two widths, 1,300 and 1,600mm. It also comes with Mimaki’s own Rasterlink RIP, which does a sterling job in processing all types of suitable files and can be configured in variety of ways to tailor it to the user, it really could not be more straightforward to use. Once the file is in the RIP the size is specified, then it is a matter of selecting quantities, entering a precise position if you need to, and then pressing print.


Rasterlink RIP is easy to operate and provides a very robust and reliable solution
 


It starts to get a little more complex in the tiling feature. Selecting this takes you into another window with the image presented in the display. The output size is shown and the top and you can set what Rasterlink calls pitch intervals, which is the width and height of each tile. To increase the amount of tiles you can either move the sliders or reduce the width of the tiles in the pitch intervals section. It is possible to print all the tiles one by one or, by using the clear order button, select the tiles you want to print.

When it comes to printing out you have three options: RIP then print, RIP and print, or just RIP.  For most jobs I would go with the RIP and print option, but if you choose to output multiple files in a group, or have tiles, you can only choose the RIP then print option that takes a little longer to get going.

If you have taken advantage of buying the plotter as a bundled deal, then you need to add the Fine Cut plugin. This works with either Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator. When setting up the print job in either of the two design programmes it is a case of adding a cut line to the artwork and creating the registration marks at the touch of a button—it is a free plugin and it works well.

Nice and clean

The JV33 continues with the self-cleaning features that marked out the JV3. As long as you leave it plugged in and the power on it will do a purging cleaning routine to make sure the heads never become clogged. That said, it is possible to leave it for a few weeks and with just a quick head wipe you will be off and running.

As long as you leave it plugged in and the power on it will do a purging cleaning routine to make sure the heads never become clogged”


The machine is loaded from the back with the rolls fitting onto two roll holders and then fed through to the front. Once in position it is a simple matter of dropping the bail arm and sliding the chrome grippers on to the vinyl or other substrate, this helps prevent a head strike if the edges of the media lift. The JV33 also comes with a basic take-up device as standard.


The printheads on the Mimaki JV33 achieve 1,400 x 1,400dpi



It is worth noting that ventilation is a must, there is a ventilation system built in and original JV33’s where supplied with pipework to connect to the air purification unit or to duct the fumes away.

Using Mimaki’s SS21 ink you will get consistent vibrant prints, typically you would have it running two lots of four-colour, giving the printer an uninterrupted ink supply system so it will switch over to the new cartridge when the existing one is empty without any drop out. The JV33 is also very capable of doing standard banner work at a good productivity level for standard turnarounds. Indeed, at its top speed of 17.5sq m/h it can achieve 540 x 720dpi, while at its top level of quality for applications, such as point-of-sale, it tops out at 1,440 x 1,440dpi.
What you get with the Mimaki is a reliable easy to live with printer, which means it is going to earn its to keep.

What you get with the Mimaki is a reliable easy to live with printer, which means it is going to earn its keep”


Mimaki offer varying levels of maintenance cover, but in our case we have had very little experience of using it. At the time of writing this it has been very reliable with the only call out being self-inflicted. Like many technologies that have been revolutionary, their first iterations normally set a benchmark that characterises their incremental development from there on. The JV33 is a great example of this, it’s designers knew it had to put up with a daily battering,  require very low levels of user training and maintenance, and yet still produce graphics that would meet the requirements of an ever-more savvy consumer. This made it just about perfect for a business such as Allen Signs and it will remain with us for a good time to come.

In late 2014 Mimaki started the process of upgrading their line up, so now after seven years the JV33 has been superseded with the JV300 and the JV150, both machines that offer increased speeds and flexibility.

It will be interesting to see how these new machines stack up against the dependable JV33 and whether they stand the test of time as well as the original benchmark for solvent large-format printing.



Key features

  • Easy to Live with
  • Complete print and cut solution
  • Solid reliable performance
  • Almost maintenance free


Allen Signs is an established family run business with over 100 years of combined experience.

It provides a complete sign, display, and vehicle livery solution from concept and design through to final installation and maintenance.

For more information on the issues discussed in this article please visit www.allen-signs.co.uk or tel: 0115 704 3017
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