Mimaki MBIS ink system ink costs

[InkHead]

Anyone use the Mimaki MBIS bulk ink system? I'm looking at the price of the ink for the 2L SS21 bags and it works out to be the same price per mL as the cartridge? I thought you were supposed to save money on ink costs because buying in bulk. What gives?

 

[Solventinkjet]

The 440 cartridges are $128 list so 29 cents per mL. The 2l bags are $421 list so 21 cents per mL. That's from the latest Mimaki price list.

 

[InkHead]

The 440 cartridges are $128 list so 29 cents per mL. The 2l bags are $421 list so 21 cents per mL. That's from the latest Mimaki price list.

You are correct. I was accidentally looking at the 600ml pouches that go with the JV100 which is 600ml and works out to 21 cents per mL. Thanks for clearing that up

 

[Solventinkjet]

You are correct. I was accidentally looking at the 600ml pouches that go with the JV100 which is 600ml and works out to 21 cents per mL. Thanks for clearing that up

Checkout the AS5 ink for the JV100. It should be cheaper. $288 per 2 liter.

 

[InkHead]

Checkout the AS5 ink for the JV100. It should be cheaper. $288 per 2 liter.

What's the deal with the AS5 inks? Colors not as good? Less UV resistant? Why so much cheaper

 

[Solventinkjet]

What's the deal with the AS5 inks? Colors not as good? Less UV resistant? Why so much cheaper

I am not 100% sure to be honest. The JV100 uses a non-Epson head so my guess is the AS5 inks are the inks the head manufacturer sells to Mimaki. The rumor is the heads are Brother brand but I haven't confirmed that. I have 1 customer using them and he really likes the color and quality. He's only been using them for about a year though so we don't have a lot of long term field use to know durability yet. I'd talk with your Mimaki rep and see if they have a better answer.

 

[InkHead]

I am not 100% sure to be honest. The JV100 uses a non-Epson head so my guess is the AS5 inks are the inks the head manufacturer sells to Mimaki. The rumor is the heads are Brother brand but I haven't confirmed that. I have 1 customer using them and he really likes the color and quality. He's only been using them for about a year though so we don't have a lot of long term field use to know durability yet. I'd talk with your Mimaki rep and see if they have a better answer.

Gotcha. I'm going to try and do a bit more research. I'm not completely sold on the JV100. Just doing my due diligence.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Gotcha. I'm going to try and do a bit more research. I'm not completely sold on the JV100. Just doing my due diligence.

Always a good thing to do! I've installed 4 or 5 of these machines and they definitely had some bugs that were frustrating to deal with at first but have been fixed for the most part. It's a great machine for the price and all of our customers eventually told us they love the machine once we got them running properly. The main thing is at install the tech needs to run the head flush multiple times to get the head ready for inking up instead of once or twice like the manual says. Otherwise nozzles can clog and cause issues.

 

[InkHead]

Always a good thing to do! I've installed 4 or 5 of these machines and they definitely had some bugs that were frustrating to deal with at first but have been fixed for the most part. It's a great machine for the price and all of our customers eventually told us they love the machine once we got them running properly. The main thing is at install the tech needs to run the head flush multiple times to get the head ready for inking up instead of once or twice like the manual says. Otherwise nozzles can clog and cause issues.

Good to know. I'll keep this in mind if I go this route.

There is a demo day with Mimaki locally in a little over a week. I'm going to see if there is a JV100 there and I'll also ask about the AS5 inks to see if I can get any more info on them. I'll share here if I do.

 

[SightLine]

Bordeaux also makes 2L ink bags for the Mimaki MBIS III bulk system and those work great. Also vastly cheaper at about $200 per bag (more of less depending on the dealer you order it through, how much you order, and if you haggle on price). Works every bit as good as the OEM Mimaki ink. We have been running it for several years.

 

[dejancurk]

Im using Inktec 2L bags around 140$ in Europe. Using them for now, beacause they were installed in the used machine when I bought it. Does it work as good as OEM? Probably not. :/

 

[Clive Turner]

We at Colormagic in the UK sell 2L bags for £130.00 or $155.00 its one of the best colour matched inks to OEM in the market place.