Welshpool Printing Group (WPG) has installed a Mimaki JFX200-2513 EX to ramp-up turnarounds.

The EX model, which is the successor to the JFX200-2513, boasts a doubled printing speed for white ink and a 280% faster drafting mode. It was installed in mid-August at WPG’s 1,900sqm site in Welshpool, Powys.

And while the firm found some teething issues - since fixed - with the printhead, joint managing director of WPG Paul Jones said he had been impressed with the machine’s output.

“It’s phenomenal when it’s running, the quality’s second to none. [It’s] allowing us to turn jobs around quicker; allowing the sales team to target more business.”

WPG bought the printer from distributor CMYUK, who Jones said have been "excellent."

The EX has joined an older cousin, the firm’s Mimaki roll-to-roll CJV300 printer, to supplement its growing wide-format capabilities - part of the predominantly litho printer’s push to diversify its offering.

“You don’t want your customer looking elsewhere where somebody can offer the full picture, really,” Jones explained.

The new EX model’s versatility of substrate and high quality, he added, would help enable WPG’s sales team to attract a diverse array of new custom.

“The speed and quality were exactly what we were looking for,” Jones said.

“We can now print direct to 8x4ft [2.44x1.22m] boards which will save us a great deal of time plus the huge choice of materials we can print to opens massive opportunities for even more products.”

To fit the printer on site, WPG had to rearrange its facility - relocating the company trophy and awards department, and creating a dedicated zone for its growing workwear and clothing department.

WPG, founded in 1960, has 33 employees and expects to turn over £3.3m in 2022/23.