Mimaki JV33-160 vs. Mutoh VJ1624

[witasCZ]

Hi all,

we are going to buy new printer and I need practical experiences:

1) average ink consumption per m2 (on both printers will be bulk system, everything is about cost)
2) durability of print (we will use this printer on vinyl, car wrap vinyl and banner)
3) lifetime of printers


Thank you very much for you opinion and I am sorry for my English.

 

[heyskull]

We have had our VJ 1604 for coming on 6 years.
For the first 2/3 years it was only lightly used (mainly because of costs of OEM inks).
Over the last 3 years it has been very heavily used and had been converted to run bulk inks.
With running bulk inks the average consumption has been reduced by almost 75%!
I am not going to be an advocate for not using original inks but it has caused no ill effects.

In 6 years it has had one cap, a complete service station, one print head cable, one print head and dampers and a head fuse.
It still prints like when it was new.

I have ran a JV33 also and it seems to be a much better built machine but it uses the same head as the valuejet and probably the only difference will be in how much the machine initially costs and how much OEM inks are been sold for.

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[witasCZ]

I have ran a JV33 also and it seems to be a much better built machine but it uses the same head as the valuejet and probably the only difference will be in how much the machine initially costs and how much OEM inks are been sold for.

SC

If both printers have the same print head, so consumption of ink will be almost the same. I have a quote on both printers and Mutoh is cheaper, but has much more expensive inks than Mimaki.


Can anyone tell me how much milliliters on average consumes ink per m2, so I can calculate how much I save in one year.

 

[bilge]

If both printers have the same print head, so consumption of ink will be almost the same. I have a quote on both printers and Mutoh is cheaper, but has much more expensive inks than Mimaki.


Can anyone tell me how much milliliters on average consumes ink per m2, so I can calculate how much I save in one year.

I've heard Mutoh VJ 1624 has newer printhead same as my Roland Versa art RA640. But Mimaki JV33 and Mutoh VJ1604 have same EPSON DX5 printhead! You should double check. Also Mimaki JV33 is quite old model and serious price drop in asia. It wouldn't be expensive over Mutoh VJ 1624. Note JV33 is 6 color, Mutoh VJ 1624 is 4 color i think. Ink consumption is not a big issue if both of them sold in your country.

 

[heyskull]

Their is no way you can estimate what the ink consumption is on either machine as prints vary so much.
They will use roughly the same amount as each other as you have to use the same amount of ink on either machine to make a colour.
It is all based on ink costs.
If you are using fully solvent inks on the mimaki it will need a proper ventilation system installed which is an extra cost.

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[witasCZ]

Their is no way you can estimate what the ink consumption is on either machine as prints vary so much.
They will use roughly the same amount as each other as you have to use the same amount of ink on either machine to make a colour.
It is all based on ink costs.
If you are using fully solvent inks on the mimaki it will need a proper ventilation system installed which is an extra cost.

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We have Jeti 3312 in one room with ventilation and this printer will be in the same room, so there is no need to make another ventilation. I have offer on Mutoh that is over 2.000,- EUR cheaper than on Mimaki, but it has much more expensive ink, so I need to calculate which offer will be better in time of 2 years.

 

[FatCat]

Honestly, both are good printers. I am partial to Mutoh - but I know Mimaki builds a much more robust machine. They both are very close in many regards, but there are some key differences. The Mimaki uses a DX5 printhead and the 1624 uses a DX6. (Cost to replace a DX6 will likely be higher.) The Mimaki typically prints with a mild solvent ink while the Mutoh uses Eco solvent. In my experience, the mild solvent bonds itself better to most medias and is more durable and scratch resistant. However the downside is that it will have more smell than the Mutoh eco-solvent ink and you typically need to vent it somehow.

Honestly, if cost is your primary concern I would just start using 3rd party inks from the start. You will see a 50-75% cost savings over OEM and as long as you choose a QUALITY vendor you should have no problems. I believe a lot of Mimaki users like the Triangle inks. I personally have been using JetBest eco sol in my 1604 and 1204 for several years and can vouch it is good ink and has 99% same color as OEM. *The one thing I am not sure of is whether the new DX6 head is compatible - this is something you want to check before committing to 3rd party ink on the 1624.

I think you need to do a PRO/CONS list;

Build of machine (durability): MIMAKI
Speed of printing: MUTOH
Print quality: TIE (perhaps slight edge to Mutoh because of DX6)
Print durability & Scratch resistance: MIMAKI (using mild solvent set)
Cost to purchase: MUTOH

 

[SightLine]

I have no experience with the Mutoh machines so I cannot really comment much on them. It is my understanding that the printhead in the 1624 though is just the "vertical" version of the DX5, commonly known as the DX6. Functionally the same specifications at 8 rows of nozzles, 180 nozzles per row. The only realistic difference is the physical orientation of the head. Mutoh does have their proprietary "weaving" technology as well which can help reduce banding but the JV33 machines really do not suffer from banding in my experience. We have been running a JV33 (2L ink bag bulk ink system from Triangle) for a few years now. Before that we had the older JV3. They are built very well with an excellent take up system and we really have little to bother with on the JV33. It just goes and goes. I know many are still running now 10+ year old Mimaki JV3 machines daily as well. They are also widely supported in most any RIP.

As mentioned ink usage will probably be near the same. Ink usage will depend greatly on the profiles being used as well as what you are printing. I think profiles will be the largest factor there. Some poorly made profiles will use far more ink than is needed. I do know the JV33 runs great with true full solvent inks which will always give better durability over "lite or eco" solvent inks and if you already are running a solvent Jeti with a ventilation system than that will not be an issue. The simplest and most reliable bulk systems out now are sealed and use ink bags which eliminated and pressure and dropout issues related to open tank systems. Triangles system uses 2 liter ink bags, but there are others from Bordeaux and a couple of other companies that use 1 liter bags as well. Going with the largest capacity bulk system will drive your ink costs as low as possible. Particularly is you create your own profiles or use profiles that are very well done. I think this would really be the same for either machine. If you plan on running OEM ink well then you need to evaluate to costs between each brands OEM ink and if aftermarket you need to decide on an aftermarket ink (and the cost of the bulk system) for each and compare those costs.

 

[heyskull]

Oh dear they look almost similair in spec and quality!!
I would try and screw Mutoh down on the ink.
Also I would not use a bulk system till the warranty was over.
Also in my experience of both inks solvent and eco solvent most if not all things printed will be overlaminated and their is very little difference in abrassion resistance from both inks.

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