SS21 White Ink Performance?

[Lion Heart]

Hi everyone

Newbie question, should be interesting to some (including me!)...

I was looking at picking up a used Mimaki JV33-160 a few weeks back (and very nearly did!) until I spotted this thread on the Signs 101 forum:

JV33-160 white ink worth it?

Hello, I have a 3 month old Mimaki JV33-160 and it is currently running CMYKCMYK SS21 inks that I love compared to my old converted Roland and I'm wondering if anyone is running the CMYK-LcLm+white configuration with the SS21 inks? There are about 3 times a month that I could really use white...

www.signs101.com

Which basically says how terrible the white performance is, it won't be opaque, it will be like putting 2% milk on clear vinyl, terrible for maintenance etc etc.

Well, I actually need white print for the projects we are working on...

And so I wondered if this non-opaque poor white performance issue is common on Mimaki models in particular, or if it's an SS21 ink thing, are some makes/models better than others, can you get good SS21 white ink results etc, if so from what etc etc?

All help very welcome

 

[SightLine]

If you really want excellent good white then you probably want to look at a UV printer, not a solvent printer. Some of the solvent machines can do white but nothing like a UV one can.

 

[Lion Heart]

Yes, I did wonder that actually, but it seems that used UV printers are a lot more expensive than eco-solvent? I was looking at the Mimaki JV33-160 as an example because they are a little older and so can be picked up pretty cheaply used.

There also seems to be a lot more used eco-solvent around to choose from than UV?

 

[DL Signs]

Yes, I did wonder that actually, but it seems that used UV printers are a lot more expensive than eco-solvent? I was looking at the Mimaki JV33-160 as an example because they are a little older and so can be picked up pretty cheaply used.

There also seems to be a lot more used eco-solvent around to choose from than UV?

Solvent printers are at best so-so with white, and a maintenance nightmare if you don't use the white almost constantly. If you're lucky you might be able to find a used UV, but their superiority with white ink and the versatility to print on anything keeps even the used market values pretty high. It's tough to justify the cost unless you already have enough steady work where you're buying it to fill an existing need that'll pay for it. Some of the latex printers are white capable, but I know nothing about how good they actually are with it. Maybe some of those who use them will chime in.

 

[Lion Heart]

Yes, I wondered if it was more of an eco-solvent thing rather than make/model thing.

That said, a logical guess would say some SS21's would be better with white than others. Maybe not?

The only used UV printers I've seen come up are HUGE and around 10x the priced (used) compared to older eco-solvent units.

 

[DL Signs]

Yes, I wondered if it was more of an eco-solvent thing rather than make/model thing.

That said, a logical guess would say some SS21's would be better with white than others. Maybe not?

The only used UV printers I've seen come up are HUGE and around 10x the priced (used) compared to older eco-solvent units.

I've been down that road , and unfortunately you'll get pretty much the same results from any eco-sol with white, you can make them work "ok", but it's never the results you hope for. There's a reason flatbeds are so costly, and how it handles white is one of them, UV inks are 100% solids, and sometimes you even have to double strike with them to get pure white. Solvent inks just can't match that. God I miss my flatbed...

 

[Superior_Adam]

you wont get very good white out of any eco solvent printer as the inks are too translucent. UV printers will be a lot more expensive but can also to a wider range of printers direct to substrates. The white ink on the HP Latex 700/800 is a very good white that is in a lot of ways better than UV as its not as thick. Order some samples off the HP machine and make sure they send you white ink on clear. I would purchase the new HP if I did not already have a UV Hybrid machine that will print rolls.

 

[Lion Heart]

Thanks for your input on this and for sharing your experiences, genuinely appreciated!!

Amazing that the manufacturers are happy to advertise the white capabilities on their machines costing tens of thousands of dollars, when the results (as shown here) are sub-par.

If it was a few hundred dollars, fine, but if a company or person spends $18,000+ on a new machine and they NEED the white ink, they're essentially getting screwed over. Not nice

 

[artofacks1]

Thanks for your input on this and for sharing your experiences, genuinely appreciated!!

Amazing that the manufacturers are happy to advertise the white capabilities on their machines costing tens of thousands of dollars, when the results (as shown here) are sub-par.

If it was a few hundred dollars, fine, but if a company or person spends $18,000+ on a new machine and they NEED the white ink, they're essentially getting screwed over. Not nice

Hey, while you sort what machine you go with. I would be willing to offer to print for your projects. I’m sure we can work something out price wise that would be worth your time and ours.