Next-day print provider Hippoprint has invested in a Mimaki JV400-160SUV via reseller Granthams to augment its diverse online-led offering. The first such machine in the UK was chosen to drive an 'ever-expanding' product line on a diverse range of substrates and is part of a bid to become a Mimaki-only house.

Company owner Anthony Wood selected the JV400-160SUV – a 1.6m printer that combines the ink technology benefits of both solvent and UV-curable formulations – after seeing it in action at a Granthams demonstration with UK and Ireland distributor Hybrid Services. Speed of turnaround was crucial to the selection of the machine given the Wakefield-based provider's promise of 24-hour turnaround.

"We frequently supply high colour posters and pull up banners with large ink loads but it can be a real challenge to finish them the same day as they're printed," comments Wood. "The SUV means we can print and send within a matter of minutes and with 95 percent of our orders coming late in the day, it takes a little bit of the pressure off."

The four-colour JV400-160SUV outputs at 18sq m/hr in draft mode and promises 'high levels' of weather- and scratch-resistance.