Mutoh hybrid printer VS Mimaki flatbed

[wavedaveprint]

My shop is currently in the market for a flatbed printer and we are looking at the Mimaki JFX600-2513 and the Mutoh 1638UH Mark II. We currently have an HP Latex 365 as our main (and only wide format printer). Most of our work is A-Frame signage and with our current work flow, it's a lot of hand work (mounting, cutting, etc). So, we are trying to minimize that by adding a flatbed printer. We are not a super heavy volume shop (we are an in-plant at a university) and all our work is internal. But the volume of work has increased in the last year or so.

What I like about the Mutoh hybrid is the hybrid part. My thinking is that if our HP goes down, we would still be able to print roll-to-roll on the Mutoh. We print a good amount of banners as well. Of course, we woudn't be able to do that with the Mimaki. I don't have any experience with either Mutoh or Mimaki other than seeing them in shows rooms and demos. Given our needs, what do you all think would be the best option for us? Also, any thoughts on reliability, quality, etc. would be great.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[SoggyWinter]

I've had some bad experiences with Mutoh and would not buy from them again. Your mileage may vary. Signs101.com is a more wide format focused forum so you might ask there too.

 

[SirSpeedyCVA]

I have a Mimaki JFX2513 Ex and love it
You probably don’t need the speed of the 600 unless you are cranking out 20+ 4x8s a day

 

[wavedaveprint]

I've had some bad experiences with Mutoh and would not buy from them again. Your mileage may vary. Signs101.com is a more wide format focused forum so you might ask there too.

Thanks for the response. I will check out sings101. What are some of the issues you've had with Mutoh?

 

[wavedaveprint]

I have a Mimaki JFX2513 Ex and love it
You probably don’t need the speed of the 600 unless you are cranking out 20+ 4x8s a day

We are definitely not doing that much work. It is quite possible that it would actually sit for days at a time.