The Carrickfergus, County Antrim-based outfit spent around £65,000 on the machine, which was installed in the middle of December. It replaces a four-year-old 2.6m-wide Mimaki JV34-260.

Managing director Brendan Nugent said the extra width on the new Mimaki was a key factor in the investment decision. It was supplied by Mimaki reseller GPMI Reprocentre, which has installed a number of UJV55s across Northern Ireland.

Nugent said: “The extra bit of width was the key thing because there were a number of times when three metres is a threshold you have to get past. We were having to buy large rolls and get them cut down and we ended up accumulating a huge amount of ends of rolls that ultimately went into the bin.

“We have a lot more print capability on this machine We can print everything we were printing before – vinyls, mesh banners, polyester and so on, but it’s also really good at backlit applications. Beforehand we had to do test prints but with this machine your backlit stuff is so easy, the lightbox on the front means you can see the result as it prints it.” 

Nugent added that the LED-UV machine's instant-drying and subsequent productivity boost was also a factor.

Launched at Fespa 2016, at which it clocked up a large number of sales, the Mimaki was initially launched to attract customers who previously may have outsourced work to companies with more expensive machines.

It has four piezo printheads in two staggered arrays and prints at between 30sqm/h and 60sqm/h at a maximum resolution of 1,200dpi. It prints a wide range of applications, including textile, banners and other display graphics.

Five-staff Signscript splits its work approximately 50/50 between digital wide-format work and signage. It runs the Mimaki as its sole press but also has a variety of finishing equipment, including Mimaki plotters and Seal laminators.