Myla Graphics adds ColorPainters

South Brisbane based Myla Graphics is investing in two new Oki ColorPainter wide format printers, the third and fourth to be added to its ranks while decommissioning an older machine.

The company in Darra deals mostly in trade work, with owner Ken Thorne noting that some 20-25 per cent of their work will still come directly from the end-user.

Myla was formerly an offset printer, doing catalogue runs of up to 1.2 million, before commercial print volumes started to fall, prompting a transition into signage. It already had two older Colourpainters in place, with its three-year old M64 still running, and an older Seiko H2-104 now retired.

Thorne says, “The M64 and H3104S ColorPainters, they just work, a lot of machines you get to them in the morning and there is work involved, heads need to be checked, ink cleared, but these are reliable.

“Everything we pull off the machine is saleable, which is why I bought them.

“It has no worries printing anything from the cheapest bit of mono, to canvas, class one and two reflectors, polypropylene. I am yet to find a material we cannot print on it. It surprises me what we can print in there.”

The printheads on OKI ColorPainters are industrial-grade piezo greyscale units with 508 nozzles each. They print at 900dpi with Dynamic Dot control that varies the ink droplet size according to image area needs, which Oki says eliminates banding.

[Related: Easy Signs adopts rigid latex]

The H3-104s model has an extra eighth channel for a light gray ink, which Oki says produces stunning monotones and smooth gradations.

Both printers feature Smart Nozzle Mapping that compensates for clogged nozzles and improves uptime. Both are running the OKI edition of Onyx Rip Center as the input controller.

Ben Eaton, CEO, Starleaton, supplier of the two machines to Myla Graphics, says, “We are delighted to have retained Ken’s business with the two new ColorPainters and supply of the Eco SX inks. Trade printers like Myla Graphics require high service levels because they can be subject to demanding deadlines.

“Their equipment needs to be bullet-proof and the OKI ColorPainters fit that bill - they have earned a reputation as the most reliable high production workhorses in the sign industry, and deservedly so.”

Myla Graphics does a wide range of print work, with Thorne noting, “We print everything from V8 Supercar wraps, bank stuff, Government jobs, corporate work, I am amazed at what comes in the door.

“We take on work with short deadlines and we go out of our way to make sure its finished. Printing is a service, which a lot of people forget.”