The Cardiff-based sign and graphics company took delivery of one of the first batch of 15 Mimaki latex printers to hit the UK, a 1.6m-wide Mimaki JV400-160LX, which was installed in February.

It complements Mimaki JV3 and JV33 solvent-based printer and array of Mimaki cutting and laminating equipment at the firm's recently-formed fleet livery and vehicle-branding division PopIn Vehicle Graphics.

Based on the same premises as the rest of Morgan Signs, PopIn has its own climate-controlled double vehicle bay for the preparation of vehicles and the installation of vinyl graphics.

Craig Lovegrove, managing director of the vehicle wrapping division, which has been running as a separate entity since the start of the year and now employs a team of four dedicated fitters, said that the decision to invest in latex technology followed a "distinct decision making process".

"We had to offer faster turnaround times, so removing the need to out-gas prints meant latex was top of the list," he said.

"The smooth gradients, drop shadows and colour matching we're getting from the Mimaki RasterLink RIP software is so good that our production time has sped up even more."

Morgan Signs group operations director Rod Hill added: "The Mimaki latex printer has very low running costs. We're able to select from a huge range of materials and the output quality is head and shoulders above the competition."

The Mimaki JV400 was supplied by exclusive UK distributor Hybrid Services and installed by authorised reseller Graphic Printing Technologies.

Hill added that Morgan Signs was taking advantage of Hybrid's "Let's Do More" rebate linked recycling scheme, which focuses on recycling Mimaki solvent ink cartridges and supports the ISO 14001-certified printer's own environmental commitment.