MUTOH Releases 1638UR Roll-to-Roll UV Printer Video
MUTOH recently showed off its new 1638UR Roll-to-Roll UV printer at the International Sign Association show in Orlando, Florida. The ValueJet 1638UR roll to roll printer provides real production based UV-LED performance at an affordable price. It’s staggered dual print head design provides fast print speeds and the dual UV lamps, on both sides of the print heads, provide exceptional cure times allowing for higher production speeds. The CMYK plus white and varnish ink options are ideal for printing backlit, custom wall covering, POP displays and beautiful signage. Flexible UV-LED instant dry inks, no VOC’s and fast print speeds make the ValueJet 1638UR by Mutoh the smart choice for any print shop.
Get more info here: https://www.mutoh.com/products/valuejet-1638ur/
Read MoreDigital Printing and Printer Maintenance: What the Traffic Sign Industry Needs to Know
Scott Chapman, Senior Global Marketing Manager, Avery Dennison Reflective Solutions
“Simple, but proper, maintenance will keep your printer at its best, and leave you smiling, knowing you’ve made the right investment in technology.”
In many areas of the country, stepping into a traffic sign shop is something done at your own risk. Shops located in small public agencies are often located in the back of the general maintenance shed. Yes, behind the dump trucks, the snow plows and maintenance benches. I know, I’ve visited my share over the past thirty years and have a stack of oil-stained slacks to prove it. Don’t get me wrong – our industry also has a number of impressively organized – and clean – facilities around the country – private and public agency alike. And done right, all are capable of producing long-lasting, quality traffic signs.
And viewed in today’s eyes, our traffic signs have roots in some pretty unsophisticated production equipment. Remember the “one-arm-bandit” squeegee tables and steel-rule dies for cutting Highway Gothic letters for street name signs? The industry has evolved, but we still look at computer-cut overlay film production with wide-modern eyes in the same way that cro-magnon man viewed fire, or the way Mr. Watson expressed surprise at hearing “Mr. Watson – come here – I want to see you” at the other end of Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call on March 10, 1876. And all the while forgetting that the commercial graphics industry largely walked away from both forms of production in favor of wide-format digital printing years ago.
In fairness, reflectivity and durability demands of today’s traffic signs coupled with digital ink limitations have largely prevented production methods from evolving sooner. Only recently have advancements in ink and overlay films been achieved that make the production of specification compliant, and durable digitally printed traffic signs a reality. We’re here now, so welcome to the modern era of traffic sign production!
Digital printers, whether our own TrafficJet™ or other dedicated traffic sign printers, differ from common desktop inkjet printers in many respects. While “plug and play” is a hip and appealing phrase, it’s really out of place in the context of our industry. Call it aspirational, but don’t call it reality. Wide-format digital printers are more complex – far more moving parts with more complex ink and delivery systems, as well as substrate varieties, than your office desktop printer pulling from a stack of office supply copy paper.
Unfortunately, some shops getting into digital printing for the first time are often given an incorrect understanding of maintenance needs, hearing descriptions that some are “maintenance-free”. But as airplanes love to be airborne, printers are happiest when they are doing what they are designed to do, print. And the more the better. But downtime, and maintenance, are a reality for all printers. Each printer manufacturer provides instructions for daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance. And in many cases, daily maintenance – as short and simple as 10 minutes a day, is often the most critical to perform.
Many factors go into selecting the right printer for your operation. Remember to make a commitment to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule. Maintenance procedures are not difficult to understand or follow, nor should they intimidate or prevent you from adopting this new technology. Simple, but proper, maintenance will keep your printer at its best, and leave you smiling, knowing you’ve made the right investment in technology.
To learn more about Avery Dennison Reflective Solutions, visit us at: reflectives.averydennison.com.
Stay up-to-date on all the latest from Avery Dennison. Connect with us on Social Media.
Want more information on the MUTOH TrsafficJet? Just ask:
[ninja_form id=1]Trends in Design for 2018
Design Trends for 2018
Okay, I h0ught I’d give our readers a little insight into the design trends for 2018. Now if you are not a designer, and I certainly am not, this is a really good collection of videos to help you see what real designers see as the 2018-202 trends in design. Use these suggestions when you create your signage or graphics and You’ll be right up there with the top tier of design professionals!
15 Trends in Graphic Design for 2018
Capitalizing on trends in design and business is a great way to assure your success. In this video, I’ll describe and illustrate 15 Trends in Graphic Design for 2018. Join me in exploring the best trends you can use to build your brand! ——————————————————————————————
This video is targeted to my channel’s audience of entrepreneurs, designers, creative professionals and anyone interested in brand strategy, business planning, design, trend, marketing and communications.
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Philip VanDusen is the founder of Verhaal Brand Design, a strategic design and branding consultancy in the New York City metro area. He is an accomplished creative executive and expert in strategic branding, graphic design and creative management. Philip gives design, branding, marketing and business advice to creative professionals and entrepreneurs on building successful creative practices and brands. ——————————————————————————————
Interior Design Trends 2018
Discover the Top 10 interior design trends of 2018 in this must-watch guide to decor your home. D.Signers reveals what’s trending in interior design, colors, furniture, metals, nature, wall art, wood, tropical vibes and ideas to beautify your spaces. Become an expert in a few minutes watching this video. This Top 10 was created by Professionals Experts from D.Signers Group. Website: http://www.dsigners.net
5 HUGE Graphic Design Trends in 2018❓
I Wish I Knew This When I Started: Logo Design
Lessons learned from starting a design company. How to charge more for a logo design. Why do some designers feel guilty about charging for creative services? Why charge $50 for a logo? Why did you continue to charge so little? On this episode, Ben Burns joins us on the show as he recounts stories about getting started in design and charging clients $50 for a logo. He was happy and felt a sense of validation. Later on, he heard about other designers like Aaron Draplin charging $20k and thought “Wow! That’s amazing. But there’s no way I could charge that.” Is this a problem you’re facing? Then watch this episode. Find MrBenBurns here: https://www.instagram.com/mrbenburns/ https://www.youtube.com/c/mrbenburns Annotations: — 2:40 First logos and competing to work at spec via O Desk 5:18 Q: Why didn’t it occur to you to ask for more money? 8:47 Q: Have you ever run into a situation where clients ask you for more? 9:59 Value your time as more than a commodity, and don’t give it away for free. 12:00 Lack of symmetry in logic 14:18 The Difference is confidence in the value that you provide 15:20 You can do the same work, but you have to position it differently to charge more.
More from ThinkMutoh.com Soon!
Read MoreSometimes There is a Beauty in Making Things by Hand
The “ART” of Wallpaper Prints
While we are indeed trying to make it easier and more productive to place prints in textiles using a MUTOH ValueJet wide format printer, it’s good to remember where it all begins. The artist. I thought it might be fun to give the artist some press just to remind everyone that we have not forgotten you. So, in the next few paragraphs, read and watch the beauty form from one such artist in London.
Made in London: Daniel Heath
Posted by Katie Treggiden
Now based in the heart of East London, Daniel moved to the capital to study at the Royal College of Art. “The main influence this time had on my work was the idea that someone with training in textile design can apply their knowledge to other outcomes,” he says. “I worked with a lot of different people on a range of projects, often simultaneously. I remember running up and down the stairs because the lifts would be out of action and the departments are split across seven floors. I’d be running up to architecture, down to ceramics or product design, and up again to fashion. It was frenetic, exciting and a lot of fun.”
The experience has clearly had a profound influence on his work to this day, but the craftsmanship of his discipline has always been important too: “When I was studying textiles, I wanted to know all about the traditional process of screen printing and I wanted to be good at it.” He learnt his craft at the RCA, but honed it while hand-printing runs of 500 t-shirts and sweatshirts for a friend’s clothing label on a print table he bought while studying and stored in the roof of a dishcloth factory.
Now with his own studio at shared maker-space Blackhorse Workshop, Daniel is printing more than just t-shirts. He now specializes in up-cycling and re-appropriating what he calls “authentic heritage materials” to make bespoke, hand printed wallpapers and interior surfaces to order. Having to explore other materials because he couldn’t afford silk at university has served him well.
His designs, all hand-drawn, often recall the Victorian era to form playful narratives inspired by everything from taxidermy to the circus. “When I design a new wallpaper, I begin by doing a lot of research to establish an idea or theme,” he says. “I’ll go to exhibitions, visit locations, take photos and make sketches.”
He then applies the resulting designs using technologies such as laser engraving to create his unique products, which cross the boundaries between technology and craft. He makes everything to order. “I enjoy the making process,” he says. “Making to order means that my customers can request bespoke alterations and are not restricted to a set colour. And there are no stockpiles of stuff sitting around in warehouses that I need to worry about selling – if something is ordered, then I make it.”
Alongside his making career, Daniel is also an academic and has lectured at universities including Loughborough, Manchester, Bournemouth, Staffordshire, Bucks New University and Central St Martins. He also provides mentoring for young designers through the Crafts Council Hot House scheme.
He works for private clients as well as brands such as Swoon Editions, Panasonic Europe, Farrow & Ball, Heal’s and Anthropologie, and he is a brother of the Artworkers’ Guild, London.
The “ART” of the MUTOH ValueJet
So there you go! A great article and video of a true artist. Think of how much more widespread his art could be using a MUTOH ValueJet wide format printer. Think of how much more TIME he could spend creating rather than producing the product. We respect and applaud his talent. I wish we all had it. Just some things to think about.
Want to find out more about how a MUTOH ValueJet could help. Click Here: www.mtuoh.com
Read MoreA PC Tech’s PC Tech – Why Consider A Fast Computer from SignBurst
Hi, my name is Earl
One of the funniest things about the show “My Name is Earl” is that he never took a photo where his eyes weren’t shut.
This seemed fitting in talking about another of my industry friends. Let me introduce you to a guy who opened my eyes to optimized PCs for the design and sign industry.
Casey Yonemura, the Graphic Design Computer Specialist at Signburst (http://signburst.com/).
Casey was working the SAI booth https://www.thinksai.com/) at ISA 2018.
The first time I met Casey was at a trade show, many years ago.
Mutoh was just focusing on car wraps and I had actually begun designing wraps for myself and Mutoh.
Mutoh is an industry leader in the car wrap field now and Mutoh sponsors Justin Pate’s Avery Wrap Classes around the country. (https://www.mutoh.com/company/events/)
Justin’s an old friend of mine and I like to think I helped get these training classes off the ground in the early days. (http://www.justinpate.net/)
What a Great Computer Can Do
So I was at a show and stopped by The Bad Wrap booth (https://thebadwrap.com/) where Casey was running a Photoshop demo using The Bad Wrap templates and full-size wrap designs.
It looked like a typical canned video commercial with images dragging in and being edited and popping up in the template. assumed this was all edited to look fast, because I had a pretty good PC at home and I knew my images took much, MUCH longer just to load, more to edit. was just about to keep walking when I overheard the conversation between Casey and the guy he was giving a demo to about loading another image, and I watched Casey load a full-size image into the template with a click of the mouse.
This was REAL TIME.
I had never seen anything quite like this.
And this was BEFORE SSDs and the like.
Yes, I built dozens of PCs over the years and thought I had pretty good insight on PCs, but nothing like Casey has. Stayed and watched the rest of his demo and quizzed him on how he was able to get this kind of performance out of a PC.
It boiled down to the ‘right’ quality components and his insights from contacts at Adobe and RIP companies that allowed him to optimize these PCs not only for design but for RIP performance as well.
What a Great Computer Can Do in Your Shop
I was impressed enough to do a testimonial for Casey:
Randy Anderson, Product Marketing Manager – Mutoh America Inc. – “I have to admit, when I first saw one of Signburst’s computers running Photoshop for vehicle wrap design at a trade show, I thought there was some trickery going on. I had never seen such large files open and process so quickly. I watched for about 20 minutes in awe as this system was working virtually in real time with huge files and many layers. We invited SignBurst to our demo room, and their computer RIP’ed files in seconds that took our in-house system minutes, truly impressive. The time savings and increased productivity for these systems can greatly benefit any production environment.”
His PCs are blazing fast, and can increase your productivity and Casey is a PC Tech’s PC Tech. Pair his computers with our already fast MUTOH printers and you just entered the good side of the Twilight Zone!
Read MoreIn Case You Don’t Cotton to Dye Sublimation
By Randy Anderson, Product Marketing Manager-MUTOH AMERICA INC
Printing on Cotton Fabric…Something to Think About
In case you don’t cotton to dye sublimation, there is always…………well………cotton.
Or wool, or even silk and other fabrics. Printing on cotton fabric with a textile printer of course just one choice.
The textile market is in a growth mode for digital printing. There is probably less than 20 percent of all textile now being printed digitally. Last stats I saw were around 3%, but talking to a supplier of single pass printers at the show, that number is growing at an incredible rate, and may currently be hovering around the 20% mark. And speaking of Mark
This is Mark Sawchak.
Expand Systems Fabric
Mark is standing behind a chair supplied to us for the ISA 2018 show (https://www.signs.org/) by Mark’s wife Ann. Mark and Ann are the driving forces behind their company Expand Systems LLC
(http://www.expandsystems.com/). And the chair they provided was a HUGE hit at the show.
The chair was covered in cotton printed directly with the pigment process and shows a wide range of color and style that direct to textile pigment printing brings to the home décor and upholstery industry. The fabric used is Expands’ PREMex brand
of media, (http://premexsolutions.com/fabrics.html) which is a top quality line of fabrics suitable for a wide range of applications and industry. All of our show images were printed on Expands’ PREMex linen and twill.
The following images were printed on Expands’ PREMex linen and twill with an 8 color Mutoh inkset on the ValueJet 1938TX
Yes, I know I ranted and raved about how much attention the backlit dye sub got, but in all fairness, the combination of the chair and the backlit was THE nice attention getter and conversation starter for textiles in the Mutoh booth.
Expand Systems provides Digital Textile Printing Solutions that cover pretty much the entire gamut of digital direct printing. From MS LaRio (http://www.msitaly.com/) printing at some 75 linear meters per minute to the entry-level and sample capable ValueJet 1938TX (https://www.mutoh.com/products/valuejet-1938tx/) printing at 7 to 28 linear meters per hour.
It still takes a minimum of fabric to make a run with a single pass printer so the ValueJet 1938TX for perfect for small runs, samples, prototyping and high resolution/ high-quality prints.
Imagine as a designer sending your latest designs overseas for sample printing, with no real control over your designs, your intellectual property. Now imagine keeping your designs in-house and having absolute control over your ideas and designs, until production starts or product is released. All that is doable and inexpensive, with the Mutoh ValueJet 1938TX.
Perfect for Short Runs and Sampling
Want a sample, a single image or a production facility? Mutoh has an answer. The ValueJet 1938TX is the culmination of over a decade of work around the Mutoh platform by companies like Yuhan Kimberly, Expand and Mutoh to produce an easy to use, effective, and inexpensive printer for the textile market.
You can sit on your designs (or just wear them) until YOU are ready to show the world.
If you are not ready for a printer of your own, there are many options to get your designs printed and fabric produced to make your own home décor items, craft items or just to stretch your creativity.
The Spoonflower Example
Spoonflower (https://www.spoonflower.com/) is one of Expands customers and have for years provided Spoonflower with Mutoh based textile printers for direct printing on a variety of textiles.
Spoonflower started with a single Mutoh based textile printer, and at one time had dozens of them running their production, and their orders typically fit inside a small envelope mailer – that’s how they built their business.
Some of their customers bought enough printed fabric that it made sense for them to purchase their own direct to textile and dye-sub printers and produce for themselves and other.
One of those customers is Dee Dee Davis of Décor Print, Custom Digital Textile Printing (www.decor-print.com), who started with one Mutoh based textile printer from Expand Systems, and now has a shop that has multiple direct printers and dye sublimation to cover the full range of textile digital printing.
So with some 80% or more of textile NOT being digitally, and the rise of personalization hitting the home décor market and business branding market there is plenty of opportunities to produce and sell digitally printed textiles.
Be sure to visit our product website where we have numerous choices in textile printers available. www.mutoh.com
Read MoreTextile Printing & More. An Interview with Rachel Nunziata with 4Walls.
Textile Printing & More
In this great short interview listen to Rachel Nunziata talk about her business and concentrate on how you can take advantage of this grow textile print business. Starting and growing a textile printing business is not difficult but can be if you don’t have the right training & education. After the interview, find out more about how MUTOH can fill this education gap.
Digital Printing Hits a Wall. And the Floor. And Your Sofa.
Published on May 14, 2018 by WhatTheyThink?
Rachel Nunziata, Product Development Manager for 4Walls, talks about the design process for digital décor. 4Walls designs and prints wallcoverings and a wide variety of other materials, handling the process all the way from design through production.
We highly recommend you subscribe and read http://whattheythink.com/ for some great interviews!
Here is the link to Rachels sites:
4walls.com and findyourlevel.com
I wanted to add some comment to this video. MUTOH is focusing on this market of walls and textiles. This a rapidly growing market. MUTOH has some of the best printers for the textile market. You should check out our collection, however, I really wanted to stress that it’s not just about a printer its also about learning, education, training. To be successful, just talk to a few folks who are in this business of textile printing and they will tell you it was a learning curve and it was the knowledge that resulted in their success. Well, that is what makes MUTOH so different from the other who sell into this market. We have the experts and we have the seminars and more to help educate you each step of the way. Let us explain how! Just call us.
Handling Rigid Media the Right Way for Better Printing
by Ken Parsley, Product Applications Engineer – MUTOH AMERICA INC
Store Rigid Media Properly to Avoid Expensive Head Strikes
Many people new to rigid media printing struggle with storing the material properly. Sometimes it’s because they lack the proper storage space or simply don’t understand the importance of storing the media properly.
Media is part of the wide format printing system (printer, ink, and media). If media is warped or damaged it can greatly reduce the quality of the output and potentially damage printer components. When I’m asked about printing on damaged or warped media I always ask the end user if printing on that piece of media is worth the risk of damaging the print heads? The print heads are usually the most expensive part of the printer to replace not to minimize the fact that your printer will be down for a few days at a minimum so there can also be a great loss of income.
Tips on Storing Rigid Media
How do we make sure our media is in the best printing condition possible? Let me share a few tips that have served me well.
- First, we want to inspect new media when we receive it from our supplier. If you are paying for new media it should arrive in new pristine condition. If it is not in perfect condition you should contact your supplier ask them to replace the media. They want your business so, believe me, they will replace it for you.
2. Once we know the media is in good condition upon arrival we need to store it flat so that it can stay in that condition. Carefully remove the board if it is packaged. Then place it on a shelf that allows it to be flat but accessible. Below is an example of rigid board stored on a shelf.
3. Ideally, we should store the media in a clean climate controlled environment. Yep, not out in the 100 degree, humid warehouse! Treat your media like gold, because its part of the final product you’ll provide to your customer. Check with your supplier for information about specific conditions like temperature control and humidity.
4. Storing the media in an upright position will allow the media to bend or warp and in many cases will not return to its original condition even if it is later stored flat. Don’t lean the media against a wall, it won’t take long to warp. Storing it flat will take more room, sure, but the damaged or warped board won’t be worth anything.
5. Flat clean media is necessary to produce high-quality efficient output. By clean I mean no dust or grime or fingerprints etc. Handle the media with care but also make sure its stored away from dusty areas.
6. Okay, let me get a bit technical here; with most rigid boards it is possible to set the printer head height high enough to avoid head strikes but this will result in printing on multiple planes making bi-directional printing impossible. This is because the electronic bi-directional head alignments can only be adjusted for a single printing plane. So the best way to get quality results in this situation is to print uni-directional and slow the carriage speed to allow for the most accurate dot placement. Yep, I said slow down for better printing.
7. If the media is not clean it will affect the adhesion properties of the ink on the media. Again let me stress that it is necessary to assure a clean printing surface. The inks that are placed on the surface of these rigid boards must bond or adhere properly to the board or they can release causing visual irregularities or other more serious issues like peeling.
Proper Storage of Rigid Media to Avoid Costly Repairs
Most shops know that the printer condition is important so they take care to maintain it properly and keep it in good working order. They are also aware of problems that can arise from using bad or outdated ink. The media does not usually garner the same diligence or care, but it should because it is part of every printing system and is equally important to successful results!
What do you do to store your rigid boards properly? Got any other tips you want to share with others? If so, use the comment section below, we’d love to read your comments.
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