Prestige Signs, Ireland’s provider of corporate branding and signage solutions, has made a major investment in production capability with the installation of a Mimaki JFX500-2131 grand format flatbed UV printer. Supplied and supported by Spectrum Digital in Dublin, the new printer has already delivered significant efficiencies - helping the ISO 9001 accredited business complete a high volume contract in half the expected time.
Established in 1970, Prestige Signs has long been recognised as the go to partner for national signage and branding programmes across Ireland. From initial site survey and design to manufacture, installation and ongoing maintenance, the Dublin based company delivers a complete, turnkey service - a significant factor behind its longstanding client relationships, with more than half of its customers working with the company for over 20 years.
When a major contract materialised in 2024, Production Director John Nolan recognised that existing production capacity was going to be tested. “We were running an older Mimaki flatbed, which we’d been happy with in terms of quality,” he explains. “But we had a lot of work coming in, and knew we needed something faster. We took our time to evaluate the options.”
John says it quickly became clear that Mimaki still had the edge. “When we realised that Spectrum Digital could supply and support the Mimaki range locally, that made the decision to investigate things further even easier.”
Spectrum ran live samples to prove performance, and the difference was immediate. “It was considerably quicker than what we had, it hit the right price point, and the results were excellent,” says John. “We placed the order, and it’s been going extremely well since.”
The company’s new JFX500 was put straight to work producing large quantities of polycarbonate panels for light boxes with great efficiency. Printing time has been reduced with no sacrifice to quality. The 3m x 2m panels had previously been printed overnight due to long cycle times, taking up to eight hours each. With the new flatbed, Prestige Signs saw an instant transformation in productivity.
“Printing takes a fraction of the time we’d previously required,” John reports. “Those big panels used to take up to eight hours and this time has now been dramatically reduced. It’s a colossal difference. We now have the capacity to run all our jobs during the normal working day, which is a game changer.”
The ability of the JFX500 to efficiently handle white ink – a feature often critical for high impact backlit applications – was another performance highlight. “It’s perfect for what we do,” John notes. “The speed and quality of Mimaki’s opaque white are both spot on and make a big difference to our overall productivity.”
Prestige Signs has benefited from the local backup of Authorised Mimaki Partner, Spectrum Digital, finding the team both prompt and effective. “Any time we needed assistance; we were looked after straight away by both Spectrum and [UK & Ireland Mimaki distributor] Hybrid Services” John says. “We’ve been really, really happy with how we’ve been supported. It’s reassuring to have that kind of service behind you.”
With speed, quality and reliability all playing their part, Prestige Signs’ investment in the Mimaki JFX500-2131 has not only delivered results on a key contract but also laid the groundwork for even greater production agility in the years to come. “The printer has already served us very well,” John concludes. “It’s the right machine for the work we’re doing.”
www.hybridservices.co.uk