Mimkai has updated its 1.8m wide TX300P direct to textile printer, which can now be loaded with both TP400 textile pigment and Sb420 sublimation inks at the same time. The result is that this printer can now handle different types of fabric, a key demand for its target garment market.
Mimaki does already have five different types of inks for textile printing but up to now customers have had to choose one ink, limiting each printer to the matching fabrics. Having two complimentary inks will make for a much more flexible solution. TP400 is a textile pigment ink that’s suitable for use with cotton and hemp materials for interior décor, tee shirts and other garments. It’s made up of solvent, pigment and binder agent. The Sb40 Sublimation dye ink is meant for use with pre-treated polyesters. Neither of these ink types requires any further washing or steaming though they will need an additional calendar or heat press to fix the colours.
As Stephen Woodall, textile sales manager for Mimaki’s UK distributor Hybrid Services, points outs: “Mimaki has listened carefully to feedback from this sector and understood the need for greater print production flexibility and productivity whilst still providing an affordable package coupled with a compact footprint. We are finding that these printers are increasingly in demand from professional design and educational environments, which in turn is likely to create even more momentum and interest in on-demand digital printing of textiles.”
The update affects both the Tx300P-1800 and Tx300P-1800B printers, with the new versions available this summer.
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