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100 • WRAPS • 2 0 1 6 TOOLS & EQUIPMENT cooler-running model is more energy efficient yet still delivers breathtaking print quality. It features orange and green ink—plus the world's first white latex ink—to produce a wide range of applica- tions. The addition of orange and green inks greatly widens the color gamut so that more colors can be accurately repro- duced. This is especially important when matching corporate colors on different surfaces," VanHorn explains. He says the Mimaki CJV Series of cut-and-print devices use eco-solvent inks in a variety of colors. "The CJV Series printers (available in a variety of widths and production levels) can print onto many popular brands of marking films using eco-solvent inks that are UV- and scratch resistant. When printed onto vinyl films for vehicles, the inks won't crack or separate when applied to tricky corners, concave or convex surfaces, or over fasteners." Lastly, he suggests the Mimaki JFX Series printers can be used to surface decorate existing goods—such as vehi- cle seating surfaces, tonneau covers, mud flaps, keys and key fobs, etc., to compli- ment a wrap job. West Coast Customs, Burbank, California, recently installed a Mimaki JV400LX large-format inkjet printer in its shop and use if for vinyl wraps—everything from artwork for the walls of the shop to full vehicle wraps. "Vehicle wraps, graphics and artwork are very important to our branding and our business," reports Ryan Friedlinghaus, CEO of West Coast Customs. "Having the Mimaki J V 400L X printer aids in building the best custom cars on the planet." A Wrappers Delight from Mutoh Conrad points out that the Mutoh ValueJet 1624 is an ideal unit for wrap shops. "For years it has been known as 'The Wrapper's Choice.' This printer is a real workhorse and production printer that is easy to learn and simple to oper- ate. It is ideal for the beginner or the professional wrap shop looking to grow production and expand their business. Smart Technology features like ValueJet Status Monitor, which allows printer operators to monitor the status of the printer remotely, Intelligent Interweave print technique is a technology that lays ink down in selectable wave patterns to virtually eliminate banding, and the two year warranty are all features that really do make the ValueJet 1624 a smart choice for wrap shops," he reports. Zachariah Lujano, owner at Wrap Nation.com, Phoenix, Arizona, says that his company's Mutoh ValueJet printer sets them apart in the wrap industry. "The interweave technology keeps our prints from banding, and the colors we put out look like they're RGB. Speeds are fast to keep up with demands and every client is 100 percent satisfied because of this option," he explains. The Rise of Latex Printing Ti m o t h y M i t c h e l l , H P L a t e x Solutions Specialist, HP Latex Group, Alpharetta, Georgia, says that wrap shops using HP's Latex printing system is on the rise. HP Latex ink is a huge hit with wrap shops, he says, because it is very elastic ink by nature, has terrific image quality and color gamut, and you don't have to wait to laminate as you do with solvent printers. "Everyone goofs a panel sooner or later, but with HP Latex, you just print another, right then, and laminate, right then. Also, with the built in closed-loop color calibration on the HP Latex 360 and Latex 370 printers, you can keep the colors very consistent over time by sim- ply printing an automated color chart— the onboard i1 spectrophotometer reads the charts and adjusts the ink levels and linearization automatically. The key to printing panels that look the same over time is having a rational and easy-to-use color calibration system, and HP Latex printers are among the few printers that have this built in." He explains that the HP Latex 360 and 370 printers are the most popular with wrap shops, no question. "The "Sticker City McLaren hero" is a black chrome PRAB1 P1 McLaren wrap printed and installed by Roland user Sticker City, a vehicle restyling shop in Sherman Oaks, California. (Image courtesy of Sticker Image) Mimaki CJV Series of cut-and-print devices use eco-solvent inks in a variety of colors—includ- ing Silver and White—to produce decals, window graphics and other spot graphics that can be an additional business for wrap shops. (Image cour- tesy of Mimaki USA)