IGO-POST prints full colour promotional materials on Mimaki printers

Harold Pellenaars (IGO-POST) (r) and Lars Vreeke (Dimix)

UV inkjet printing is considered the answer to the increasing demand for colour printing of promotional articles and gifts. That’s why IGO-POST, located in Helmond, The Netherlands, recently invested in the newest generation UV flatbed inkjet printer: the UJF-7151 plus by Mimaki. Digital printing on the rise.
Millions of promotional material and gifts are being printed in Helmond. Applications range from tin cans, key rings, umbrellas, bags, pens to USB sticks. The family-owned IGO-POST company is growing fast. So fast that further expanding its already impressive Helmond production facility was in order. The company harbours several screen, pad printing and laser gravure machines.
And recently they also set up a separate production room dedicated solely to digital printing. The space is dominated by the large format printers by Mimaki, installed by distributor Dimix. Two solvent printers (roll to roll) print stickers and banners, two sublimation printers (also roll to roll) print on textiles, coats and mugs, all complemented by two cutters and two UV flatbed inkjet printers. And as of 2016, IGO-Post also deploys the newest generation UV flatbed inkjet printer, the UJF-7151 plus by Mimaki.

Harold Pellenaars: ‘More and more customers want to see their logo printed in full colour.’

UV inkjet
Harold Pellenaars has over 18 years of experience at IGO-POST mastering any kind of printing technique. He is now the main man in charge of the digital production department. He’s very proud to be able to show off the UJF-7151 plus. It’s the company’s fastest and most powerful machine to date and they use it mainly to print promotional gifts, ranging from pens, boxes, USB sticks to parking tickets. With UV printing, the ink is directly deposited onto the substrate and then immediately dried by exposing it to UV light. Printing is done directly onto the material, enabling printers to print on any kind of product. Moulds do need to be prepared of course for the different promotional items to be printed. IGO-POST easily handles this in-house. The operator puts the promotional item in the moulds, these moulds (JIGs) get placed onto the print bed and are taken off again at the front. Resulting in a splendid full colour printing result thanks to the advanced UV inkjet technique.

The full colour demand
Pellenaars raves about the new UJF-7151 plus. ‘We’re still experimenting to make sure we get the hang of the printer. Testing various materials, exploring our options.’ The biggest advantage of the UV inkjet technique is that no cliché or screen has to be prepared beforehand, which allows for personalisation. But Pellenaars considers the high quality full colour print results the biggest advantage of the UV flatbed inkjet printer. “It’s faster than pad or screen printing and the digital print quality increasingly resembles PMS print. Pens can now be printed in full colour thanks to the UV printer. We couldn’t do that with pad printing.’ IGO-POST keeps up with the trend. ‘More and more customers want to see their logo printed in full colour.’ On top of that, the UV flatbed inkjet printer enables personalised print. ‘For example, for workshops we can have the names of the participants printed on mugs or folders even.’

‘I actually have a crush on large format printing.’
Lars Vreeke, Dimix – Mimaki dealer

Technical expertise and service
‘Four years ago we hadn’t a clue about printing digitally and directly on promotional items.’ Pellenaars explains. Lars Vreeke at Dimix, their Mimaki distributor, alerted him to the opportunity. Vreeke: ‘I’ve been working since the late ‘90s with inkjet printers and have had a crush ever since on large format printing. Over the years you just gain more and more substrate and product knowledge.’ That’s the forte of Dimix according to him. ‘Anybody can supply a printer, but we offer knowledge, flexibility and service – our key values.’ Pellenaars concurs from his own experience. ‘The Dimix technical service houses a lot of knowledge. If and when we need a mechanic, he’ll be at our doorstep the very next day.’

Jointly discovering the most optimal solution is what Pellenaars and Vreke do best. ‘For any new application Lars will suggest a new substrate. We’ll start roll testing on the printer in order to find the best match with the substrate.’ Vreeke completes: ‘Sometimes it turns out that a cheaper material will close the deal just as well. We’re always looking for the most price effective solution for the customer. He relies on you to provide him with the most beneficial advice. So in the end, it’s all about helping your customer to make money.’

This article has been written by Arthur Lubbers (PRstory) on behalf of Mimaki