Mutoh’s leading-edge Intelligent Interweaving (i²) technology will deliver you an unprecedented level of user comfort, allowing you to effortlessly deliver the right print quality at the lowest cost possible. No more over-specified print jobs that take longer and cost more than they should. No more under-specified print jobs that result in inferior quality and risk of repeat business. Mutoh’s i² will allow you to continuously deliver fit for purpose print quality. | |
Read more on this amazing technology:
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Color Management Secrets Webinar – International Sign Association Replay
Color Management Secrets
What if you could match your monitor with output from your wide format printer? What if you could get training in color management that was not confusing? What if you could attend a class that would teach you how to match spot colors like logos and more? This seminar is designed for anyone interested in answers to those questions. Designed for any wide-format printer learnings gained from the session will allow users to apply these principles in your shop and save time color matching, enhancing your print image quality and improving customer satisfaction. All of this allows for easy increases to profits and improved ROI.
- Speaker: Mark Rugen, Mutoh America, Inc.
- Price: $25.00 member; $75.00 non-members
- Estimated time to complete course: 1 hour
- Register Now
MUTOH the No. 1 Wide Format Printer Manufacturer in the World Expected to have Enormous Impact at Printing United
MUTOH Expected to Have a Huge Impact at the Printing United Show
Looks like MUTOH, manufacturer of the world top line of wide format printer is preparing to have a huge impact at the Printing United show. They will have all of their Product of the Year printers to show as well as their all-new XPJ ExpertJet series of wide-format eco-solvent printers.
The “XpertJet 1682SR 64” Eco-Solvent Printer from Mutoh has a staggered dual-head design that provides ultra-fast print speeds. It’s capable of producing smooth gradations while delivering high-quality printing even with reduced resolution thanks to the 7-color ink configuration (CMYK Lc Lm Lk).
The newly designed platform is packed with features like automatic bi-directional alignments, a user-friendly touch panel, added LED lighting, and an upgraded media feed flange that allows operators to easily and quickly load media and exchange multiple rolls. These features are designed to increase user-friendly operation and maintenance while continuing to offer high production, high-quality output. The “XPJ” 1682SR is paired with Mutoh’s “MS41” Eco-Solvent ink, which offers users a larger color gamut, outstanding durability, and improved dot gain.
Features:
- 64″ Eco-Solvent Printer
- Uses Mutoh’s new MS-41 Eco-Solvent ink
- Environmentally conscious 1-liter ink bags
- Staggered dual-print heads
- Print speeds up to 1000 sqft/hr
- User-friendly touch panel
- Automatic Bi-Directional Alignments
- New media feed flange
- Internal LED Lighting
- Mutoh edition FlexiSign & Print RIP software
- 30kg take-up included
- One-year on-site limited warranty
Meet the Experts at the MUTOH Booth
All printer product managers will be attending the show and they are experts in UV-LED, Eco-Solvent and Dye-Sublimation & Textile printing. Even if you just have a few questions about the market or a process or how to set a job up, they can help and want to help! So stop by booth 4404. Come by and see how a MUTOH wide format printer might just be the answer for your shop or just meet with the experts!
Be sure to visit www.mutoh.com for more information about all MUTOH wide format printers.
You might also want more information about the training sessions we offer: www.thinkmutoh.com/events
Read MoreUsing Color Modes in FlexiSIGN & Print for Awesome Design & Color Matching
FlexiSIGN & Print and Using Color Modes
Every wondered how to use Color Modes in FlexiSGN & Print? We’ll read the paper below and find out the secrets to better printing!
Visit www.mutoh.com for the best in wide format printers. FlexiSIGN included for free with most printers a $3200 value!
Read MoreRyan Arakaki Promoted to Product Manager of Technical Training at MUTOH America
Ryan Arakaki, Product Manager, Technical Training
Ryan Arakaki, formerly Marketing Manager at MUTOH America has been promoted to Product Manager of Technical Training. Ryan is a talented individual with tremendous experience in video production as well as being thoroughly familiar with all MUTOH printers. His capabilities will be used to develop an extensive video library of technical training for our resellers as well as for our end users of our wide format printers.
Along with assistance from the entire Product Marketing team and Service Department, he will reorganize, and reignite the already great reputation for service that MUTOH America resellers and end users receive.
How MUTOH Training Just Got Better!
While, Ryan will coordinate and execute the training for our resellers on procedures for servicing our wide format printers, MUTOH will also draw from the talent of other individuals in our company such as Brain Armenta and Mike Davenport both of which currently serve in the Service Department of MUTOH. These individuals are intimately familiar with the entire line of wide format printers MUTOH offers and will assist Ryan in the hands on portion of our break/fix classes for our resellers.
MUTOH believes in training and education for our resellers so they can assist our printer users first hand, but we also believe in the training and education of our user base and will continue to develop online classes, webinars and live training sessions to assist them in printer maintenance, as well as software and application education.
Printer Info & Live Training Sessions
Find out more about all the MUTOH wide format printers: www.mutoh.com
See where we will be hosting a LIVE training event: LIVE EVENTS
Read MoreChoosing the Best Transfer Paper for Great Output from a MUTOH Printer
Choosing a transfer paper for your MUTOH printer for optimal output.
So, you’ve either bought a MUTOH dye sublimation printer or are looking at one. If you are now looking at transfer paper for a MUTOH printer there are some things you may want to consider.
Raw papers vary in particle size and particle distribution affecting its density and uniformity which in turn affect the absorption and adsorption of ink without any dot gain control while at the same time making the release of the dye uncontrollable as well. MUTOH printers are industrial designed printers designed with high resolution capability to output very high quality images for hard substrates while providing the speed capacity for high volume output, so uncoated papers are not recommended.
The secret sauce in dye sublimation transfer paper is the coating and there are primarily two basic types of coating.
High load or solid surface ‘clay’ coated papers have the most universal applications and can be used on the widest range of finished products. These work well for solid surfaces like metals, ceramics and glass as well as fabrics for soft signage, apparel, home décor and rubber koozies. Clay coated papers are high load papers, they can take high ink loads at print, but then dry fast. They are also gas permeable allowing excess sublimation gas to escape through the paper rather than creating blowouts or ghosting. While they don’t transfer as efficiently as CMC coated paper, they are friendlier to unstable print room environments making it a better choice first time and lower volume users.
High release or CMC (CarboxyMethyl Cellulose/ cellulose gum) coated papers work well for textile applications like fashion, apparel, home décor and soft signage. The high ink release property of these papers means it leaves less ink on the paper, requiring less ink to achieve the same color gamut, therefore reducing ink costs. The ‘high release’ property of these papers means this paper also releases that ink quicker, for less ghosting, shorted dwell times and higher productivity. While CMC papers are slower drying, they are still the choice for high speed printers.
Coatings plus.
Take a CMC coated paper and add a heat activated adhesive to it and you have Thermo Adhesive or ‘tacky’ paper. This allows the paper to ‘stick’ to the polyester fabric eliminating ghosting with slippery textiles and sports apparel. It eliminates difficulties when using clam shell presses that can shift during pressing causing blow outs or ghosting. It is a bit more expensive than other CMC coated papers and does not stick to hard substrates. It really shines when sublimating pre-sewn clothing, sticking to the garment allowing pressing of the second side while still attached leaving no lightening of the first side, giving a uniform two sided garment. https://www.thinkMUTOH.com/it-is-a-bit-tacky-but-for-me-it-really-is-all-over/?v=7516fd43adaa
Coatings plus, take two.
Take a coated paper and add a special UV inhibitor formulation and you have Kaspar Papir’s Sunpaper. The UV inhibitors in this paper actually gas with the dye sublimation dyes and encapsulate the dye around the layers of polyester fabric fibers, absorbing into the polyester with the dye molecules. So this is not a surface treatment and it needs no additional processing. Print and sublimate as normal to get extended outdoor protection typically double that of unprotected processes.
Special thanks to:
Rob Repasi – who provided the technical information.
Mark Freeman – President Digital Print Solutions, Inc. for providing the information on Kaspar Papir Sunpaper. http://www.kaspar-papir.com/
Need help choosing the right MUTOH wide format printer? Use the link below for assistance. we can walk you though a simple process to make sure you get what you are looking for.
http://www.thinkMUTOH.com/help-choosing-a-MUTOH-printer/
Read MoreAwesome Technical Support – 5 Things You Need to Do to Get It
Everyone will at some point need technical support. In this blog, we will show you 5 things you MUST do if you want awesome technical support!
Prepare for the Call
Okay, somethings gone wrong and maybe you’ve tried to find out what and fix it on your own, but you’ve reached an end and you’re not happy because you’ve got customers waiting for you to finish their jobs!
Sound familiar?
You may not like calling technical support because you feel like they just don’t help fast enough. Well, maybe it’s not just them. Perhaps you don’t gather enough information to give them some starting point to track down what’s going on.
Technical support is all about communication. To get it fast and right, you’ll need to prepare for the call.
1: Who Are You?
Don’t get offended. This could take a few minutes.
First, remember that the person you are calling has probably never met you. You’ll need to start the conversation by telling them who you are. Not just your name and contact info, but also your user number, identification number, serial number, account number or whatever system they use so they can “lookup” your account. Give them a few moments to find you and read about you or setup where they will be taking notes. Most technical support departments require a log of the call, so you can be sure they are logging your information if nothing else.
Think about making a new friend. If you start the conversation with an attitude, the person on the other side will remember that the next time you call, but if you start in a calm manner, they will remember that as well. In fact, keep in mind that the other side of this important call is a human being!
Ask them how they are doing, what the weather is like, try to make a friend and they will be even more helpful now and the next time you call. I’ve talked to some technical support people in some companies and there are people who call in that are always angry. The tech folks will toss that person around to avoid talking to them. Is that the kind of help you want?
2: Gather Your Info and Calmly Describe the Issue
After identifying yourself, now you can start with some information for the tech person. This is critical, BEFORE you call, make sure you can answer some questions:
- What version of the software or what exact model of printer do you have?
- Has anything changed since the last time you use the software or device?
- If software, what version of Windows are you using?
- Do you have antivirus software installed and if so what is it?
- Has the issue occurred only once, randomly or every time you do something?
- CALMLY, describe IN DETAIL, what happened.
Notice that we don’t go into detail on what happened until last! Also, I’ve found when I need support, sometimes going through this process helps me find the answer myself.
3: Expect a Few Questions and Experiments
Now, once you have clearly communicated the issue, the tech will likely want to verify a few things, and perhaps suggest trying a few solutions. be calm, it’s possible none of them will work. remember, this tech is trying to visualize what’s happening and how to fix it without being right in front of your computer.
As you try different possible solutions, be sure to describe what’s happening while you try them. Speak slowly and clearly and be very observant about what happens.
Some support systems might want to log into your computer using remote access software like TeamViewer. This can help the tech actually see the error and many times they can fix it faster, BUT if that’s the case, ask them to speak while they are doing it and take notes because the issue can return and the next time perhaps you can fix it yourself.
4: Expect a Followup if It’s A Real Bug
Okay, you’ve done what you can and the tech is still not able to fix the issue. It could be a real bug or issue and the tech will have to investigate further and followup with you. Look, this is normal and you shouldn’t get angry. They can’t do anything about it.
If this is the situation, once you hang up, try some things yourself, keep beating the issue until you fix it or just wait on the tech to call back. DO follow up with the tech if you don’t hear from them within 24 hours.
Go back and review all the questions that you used to prepare for the call, one by one eliminate them as the source of the issue.
5: When All Else Fails
When all else fails, you may have to restore your system to a previous date using a backup or some other means. If that’s the case, be sure to write down critical info, like model numbers, passwords, driver info, anything that will help get it back to a previous working condition.
What’s the big lesson here?
Getting awesome technical support is about communication, staying calm, gathering information and treating the tech support person like a human and a friend, because if they solve your issue, believe me, you’ll think of them as a friend!
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MUTOH is known for its awesome customer service and technical support. We train all our resellers BEFORE we allow them to sell our products. In addition, we have a staff of experts in media, inks, printers, software and more. One thing you can count on at MUTOH is a great support experince. www.mutoh.com
More Resources
https://lifehacker.com/a-step-by-step-guide-to-getting-better-tech-support-1576312060
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-talk-to-tech-support-2619223
Read MoreNeed a New Sign Installer- How About a Drone?
Drones make a splash spray painting crowdsourced graffiti
In a collaboration between man and machine, humans designed the large-scale image and a swarm of drones painted it.
BY
Four drones armed with cans of spray paint worked on the canvas simultaneously. -Andrea Guermani
Watch out Banksy. When it comes to street art, you’re facing some serious competition from drones.
A swarm of artsy UAVs from Tsuru Robotics painted a large-scale work of graffiti on a giant public canvas in Torino, Italy, last week — and it did so, one could say, with flying colors.
As part of a collaborative project called UFO-Urban Flying Opera, thousands of people contributed, via app, visual representations inspired by the theme “Design the City.” A team of art curators selected and combined about 100 of the designs, then four flying drones drew the image simultaneously over the course of two days using about 2,034 feet of paint.
The large-scale vertical painting stood 46×39 feet. A central management system controlled the UAVs in real time, and a monitoring system tracked their precise location and coordinated their formation as they flew, wielding tanks of spray paint, inside a cathedral-like industrial structure in Aurelio Peccei park on Torino’s outskirts.
The art prompt asked participants around the world to ponder how they see or imagine their city, or any city, and what they love about urban life or want from it.
MORE CREATIVE MACHINES
The painting showed a swirl of shapes — buildings, houses, helicopters, trees, flowers, stick figures — layered in gray, magenta and light blue. The word “welcome” appears on the right and the words “city life” on the lower left.
“The city is an open canvas, where people can inscribe their stories in many ways,” said Professor Carlo Ratti of MIT’s Sensable City Lab and the international design and innovation firm CRA, which curated the project. “Such processes have always been happening; however, with UFO we tried to accelerate them, using drone technology to allow for a new use of painting as a means of expression.”
Originally published July 3, 2:56 p.m. PT.
What Is Intelligent Interweaving for Wide Format Printers?
What is Intelligent Interweaving?Mutoh’s patent pending Intelligent Interweaving printing technology, called i² [pronunciation: I square / ae skwer], is a revolutionary new way of laying down ink onto a substrate. Whereas wide-format printers commonly lay down ink onto a substrate in a “straight line”, Mutoh’s intelligent interweaving technology will enable the printer to lay down the ink in a totally different way, e.g. in a “wave form pattern”. | |
In doing so, depending on the application or media used, the new i² printing technique will vastly reduce or neutralise typical shortcomings inherently linked to inkjet printing, such as horizontal or vertical banding, missing or misfiring nozzles, step mismatch, mottle, etc.., since subsequent printing swaths are seamlessly “interlaced”. | |
i² printing technology:
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Mutoh’s i² technology offers a twofold benefit. At first, the technology offers an overall better printing quality. Secondly, the feature boosts user-friendly operation, since the user hardly needs to spend time to fine-tune his printer to obtain TOP output quality on a wide variety of media. |
Printing Made EasyDepending on the machine, head technology and ink used, Mutoh is defining special “weave patterns” per product. Thanks to our i² Intelligent Interweaving print technology, we are able to recommend print modes with which operators can obtain impeccable print quality for the intended viewing distance or application. | |
How Does Intelligent Interweaving Work? |
X-Rite Announces i1Pro 3 Plus Color Profiling Device for Imaging, Print, Textiles
Delivers production calibration and color profiling capabilities for the widest range of industrial print applications
(X-Rite: Grand Rapids, MI) — X-Rite Inc. and Pantone LLC, global leaders in color science and technology, announce the new i1Pro 3 Plus, a spectral color measurement solution specifically designed for imaging, print, and textile professionals who need advanced calibration and color profiling capabilities to support today’s wide-format and industrial printing applications.
The i1Pro 3 Plus has been optimized for digital printing on a range of materials and surfaces, including ceramics, textiles, glass, metal, wood, vinyl, plastics, thin films, cardboard, paper, and more. Commercial, wide-format, grand-format, packaging, and industrial printers can now create ICC profiles for almost any substrate and calibrate print production devices for the highest level of color accuracy.
As more industries turn to digital printing, customers are putting greater emphasis on achieving accurate and repeatable color. To do this, production print equipment needs to be linearized and profiled for each substrate in order to monitor color output. Current profiling solutions are limited in their ability to measure textured, rough, or uneven surfaces and cannot accommodate various material thicknesses. Many devices do not have the resolution required to ensure the highest color quality when printing detailed patterns, metallic effects, or photography images. This leads to costly color errors and rework which impacts a printer’s bottom line.
“The i1Pro 3 Plus builds on the success of the i1 Family and removes the variability to create accurate ICC profiles on the widest range of materials,” said Ray Cheydleur, Printing and Imaging Product Portfolio Manager, X-Rite. “Wide- and grand-format users and industrial material printers will see immediate value by incorporating the affordable i1Pro 3 Plus into their prepress and production workflows, resulting in more accurate and repeatable color, a reduction of waste, and an increased return on investment.”
A long-term X-Rite partner, EFI (Electronics For Imaging), also sees the great potential of this latest i1 Family member. “We are delighted to support X-Rite’s newly announced i1Pro 3 Plus measurement device within our latest Fiery technologies at ITMA 2019. Due to the nature of digital textile production, this large-aperture device is an excellent fit with our latest single pass EFI BOLT high-speed textile printer. For both color management and quality control, this device will allow our customers to produce accurate color much more easily,” said John Henze, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, EFI Fiery.
New in the i1Pro 3 Plus:
Larger aperture of 8 mm to support new materials and substrates used in digital printing applications.
New polarization (measurement condition M3) filter that reduces specular highlights and shadows on fabrics and ceramics. It provides “better blacks” and richer colors on rough surfaces and glossy medias, like canvas prints and fine art photo papers.
Simultaneously measure M0, M1 and M2 in a single pass to account for optical brighteners so prepress and print operators can quickly predict how colors printed on optically brightened substrates will look under different lighting conditions.
Longer ruler for measuring the wider charts used in grand-format printing. The ruler includes an ISO-compliant white backer and removable magnetic strips on the top and sides for holding samples in place while measuring.
New LED illuminant that improves device reliability. The i1Pr o3 Plus allows for four measurement conditions (ISO 13655 M0; M1: D50; M2: UV Excluded, M3 Polarized).
Now supports transmission scanning for backlit film and materials used in signage.
Measures high brightness, up to 5K NITs for ultra-bright displays.
“We are used to seeing bumpy shadow measurements from unpolarized devices on glossy textured medias like canvas. With the new polarization feature in the i1Pro 3 Plus, our M3 measurements are dramatically smoother in the shadows – perfect in fact,” commented Scott Martin, Founder, Onsight, a leading workflow consultant for print, prepress, design and photography.
New X-Rite iO Table
In addition, X-Rite announces a new i1iO Automated Scanning Table that supports the i1Pro 3 Plus. This hands-free test chart reader offers automated color profiling on a variety of substrates with reduced risk of color measurement errors. It is ideal for photographers, designers, and printers who want to speed up and automate the measurement process and eliminate manual strip reading.
The new i1iO table can be used with a variety of industrial materials including textiles, ceramics, corrugated, etc. and supports materials up to 33mm thick, with the optional z-axis spacer. It also supports transparencies and backlit materials.
www.thinkmutoh.com www.mutoh.com
Read MoreSuccessful Training Event at Kelley Imaging
Huge Training Event Successful!
Wow! We had a great session at Kelley Imaging in Seattle and Portland last week! Event the Kelley technicians attended our live Design and Color management Training seminar. It was so good even I learned something!
Here’s what happened.
Adobe InDesign & FlexiSIGN
There was a user of FlexiSIGN that create artwork using InDesign and then saves and sends the art to Production Manager for RIP and print. In some places, it looked like the black ink was bleeding into the red ink of the design. Other than that, she said the image colors were perfect! So what gives?
After a little investigating, I found out that InDesign assigns process black as an OVERPRINT, so when imported into production manager of Flexi, it assigns the ink to overprint other colors, thus the black process color was printing on top of the red ink below and thus bleeding. Turning off this preference in InDesign solved the issue. It can also be turned off or ignored in Production manager.
Anyway, an easy fix and now the customer is a happy camper.