Expert Advice: Andrew Gregory tells us how the Polish textile printer, Colourama, is integrating Mimaki’s new industrial dye sublimation printer

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I recently visited Polish textile printer, Colourama, to find out firsthand how the new Mimaki Tiger600-1800TS production dye sublimation printer was performing in a demanding, commercial environment.

Polish textile printer, Colourama delivers heat transfer paper printing for the fashion/apparel, décor and contract textile sectors, and has been heavily involved in the final market testing of Mimaki’s latest production dye sublimation printer, the new Tiger600-1800TS.

On my recent visit, I met with Bert Benckhuysen, the company’s Business Development Manager who described how, as one of the biggest sublimation printers in eastern Europe, they print around 12,000 – 15,000 linear metres of paper a day. Colourama is located in Loetz (known as ‘the Manchester of the East’ because of its importance in the country’s textile printing market), and their annual output includes around 1 million metres of print for their domestic fashion market alone.

The company uses only Mimaki hardware, with its latest addition being the new Tiger600-1800TS. Mimaki chose Colourama to beta-test the new model, and since Mimaki’s technical team installed the printer in the summer of 2023, Benckhuysen calculates that around 35 kilometres of print have already gone through the new machine.

In my video, Benckhuysen discusses how well the Tiger600-1800TS has fitted into their production setup, how its compact footprint and ease of media loading have simplified its operation, and how the new generation printheads deliver impressive solid colours in comparison to alternative technologies.

The Tiger600’s staggered printhead arrangement and stable nozzle performance ensure even at the highest speeds, quality is retained through some clever onboard technologies. Of equal importance is the stability and consistency of the rewind system, and Benckhuysen points to the need for this for when the jumbo rolls of printed paper are loaded onto the calendar for transferring to fabric.

Speed wise, the new Tiger600 is faster than the previous model, and Colourama opts to output in 2-pass mode, giving around 300 square metres per hour, however when required, the printer will run at up to 500 square metres per hour.

Mimaki’s newest sublimation printer has greatly assisted Colourama’s workflow, and Benckhuysen appreciates the stability and performance the Tiger600 offers, with reduced pressure on his personnel, and shared confidence in running the machines unattended – as large amounts of Colourama’s output is generated overnight.

My trip to Poland gave a fascinating insight into how Mimaki’s latest industrial printing solution is helping an already established high production print house increase its volume even further, and the opportunity it offers for UK and Irish companies to do the same.

You can find out more about the new Mimaki TS600-1800TS here.