Recently, Kale Print installed the country’s first Mimaki JFX600 flatbed printer, supplied through Total Supply (Total).

Chris Knuckey, product manager at Total, says, “Peter Lloyd [general manager at Kale Print] initially contacted Total in June 2025 to enquire about our flatbed printer options. The Kale Print management team had a distinct vision for rigid print media and the type of work they wanted to offer their clients. 

“Over the following months, we discussed and presented different platforms to the management team with the final decision on the Mimaki JFX600 coinciding with completion of their new site. We were absolutely delighted to supply and install the JFX600 into what is one of the very best printing environments in the country.”

Peter Lloyd says, “The Mimaki JFX600 allows us to add additional signage services to our growing list of other trade products. The Mimaki JFX600 offers us the best value in wide format. It is well supported post installation, and it complements our other wide format technology. Its colour range, speed, UV, and embellishment give us options to further enhance printed products.

Kale Print has partnered with Total Supply for 10 years. Chris says, “As this was the first JFX600 in New Zealand, we supported the installation with technicians from both Mimaki and Total, as well as ongoing support through regular monthly visits by Total’s technicians.”

Peter says, “Chris was fantastic at helping right through the whole process from initial presentation right through to installation and training. His technical knowledge was invaluable in helping us make an informed decision on the best way forward.

“The installation went really well, and the team is enjoying the new technology. It’s one of the favourites to see running when clients visit for a plant tour.”

Mimaki has aimed the JFX600, its industrial flagship flatbed printer, squarely at high volume commercial territory. The platform incorporates UV-LED curing and a UV ink system providing the best durability and flexibility for the widest range of materials.

The Mimaki JFX600 enables Kale Print to offer a diverse range a of products with high end photographic quality, high build textured 2.5D print, and raw speed for high volume print. Chris says, “Kale Print elected to configure the machine with six-colours plus white and clear, significantly widening the usable colour gamut. The addition of light cyan and light magenta drastically reduces graininess in highlights, skin tones, and soft gradients.”

Impressive capabilities

The Mimaki JFX600 offers a range of impressive capabilities. Housing 16 print heads, variable dot technology and a range of resolutions up to 1200dpi x 1200dpi, it achieves a maximum draft print speed of up to 200 square metres per hour. Even at high speed, it delivers clean and crisp print.

A multi-layer 2.5D printing option allows Kale Print to create embossed, tactile textures, such as woodgrain, brick, or braille, adding high value structural effects to otherwise mundane flat graphics.

Its ability to split the print bed into two operational zones (front and back) enables operators to unload and reload media in one zone while the printer continues working uninterrupted in the other. The built-in Nozzle Check Unit and Nozzle Recovery System automatically detects deflected or clogged nozzles and substitutes them with working nozzles. This minimises physical intervention and vastly reduces reject prints.

The system relies on a modernised, touchscreen-driven graphic user interface. This simplifies job queuing, real-time maintenance status checks, and height adjustments. An integrated automatic media height sensor maps out substrate variations to eliminate printhead crashes.

Kale Print will make full use of the JFX600’s capabilities. Peter says, “Our studio design team is buzzing with ideas. We are currently developing a self-promotion campaign using the Mimaki JFX600’s ability to build texture directly onto rigid substrates. It’s sure to be a real showstopper that we can use to grow new business and spark creativity within our clients.

He concludes, “The Mimaki JFX600 ticks all the boxes for speed, flexibility, and quality.”