At PRINTING United Expo 2024, Mimaki USA introduced a new hybrid textile printer that can easily be switched from printing on sublimation transfer paper to printing directly on polyester textiles. The Mimaki 3.2-meter TS330-3200DS prints 4 colors of water-based sublimation inks on rolls of transfer paper or polyester fabrics up to 127.6 in. wide.
Based on proven Mimaki 330 printheads and including many Mimaki Core Technologies, the TS330-3200DS printer is ideal for print-service providers who want the versatility to create a wider variety of soft signage, decor, apparel, and other applications.
Paper transfer sublimation can be used for decorating hard goods that can’t fit through a roll printer. It is also useful for decorating stretchy sportswear fabric because the rotary heat calendar reduces the risk that the fabric will stretch and distort the image during the image-transfer process.
Direct-to-fabric printing applications eliminate the costs of buying and storing the paper.
“Flags and fabric banners that require ink bleed-through (so as to be seen from both sides) are ideal applications for direct print,” explains Timothy Mitchell, Senior Manager, Customer Experience, Mimaki USA.
The direct-to-fabric print mode can also be used with coated polyester textiles for popular soft-signage applications such as SEG (silicon-edge-graphic) frames, backlit displays, theatre backdrops, and fence banners at events.
Mitchell points out that the direct-print process is particularly well suited for producing high-quality fabric backlit displays the require heavy ink saturation to keep the colors from looking washed out when the print is lit.
Non-stretchy interior decor fabrics for curtains, carpets, and bedspreads can also also be direct printed.
A hybrid mechanism in Mimaki on the TS3300-3200DS makes it easy for the operator to switch between the direct-print and transfer paper processes for different projects. For transfer sublimation, a flat plate (platen) is installed under the active print area. When the printer operator removes the platen, an ink-receiving spacer is revealed for direct-to-fabric printing.
For both processes, the printed roll must be transferred to a heated calendar press where the inks will either be transferred to the fabric fibers on the surface or fixed to the fabric fibers.
The printer uses four colors of sublimation ink: Blue, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. The inks are supplied in 2-liter packs. But can also be ordered in 10-liter bottles for use with Mimaki’s optional Uninterrupted Supply System that automatically switches from an empty ink container to a full one. For more information about the printer, visit: https://www.mimakiusa.com/ts330-3200ds/
About Mimaki USA
Mimaki is an innovator and pioneer in the development of digital printing and cutting products worldwide. The company engineers and manufactures a complete line of digital printers and cutters and offers total workflow solutions for the sign and graphics, textile and apparel, industrial printing, and 3D printing markets. In 2024, Mimaki USA celebrates 25 years of service to print service providers in the Americas. It is an operating entity of Mimaki Engineering of Japan. Visit https://www.mimakiusa.com/about/