EFI-Inkware and Mutoh Partner to Bring BioWare Biofriendly Inks to Mutoh Hybrid Inkjet Printers

EFI and Mutoh announced that Mutoh has named EFI-Inkware as the manufacturer and supplier of MUBIO inks to Mutoh worldwide. MUBIO inks are a low viscosity version of EFI-Inkware’s BioWare inks and are the only inks to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Design for Environment” program and authorized to display the EPA “Design for Environment” logo.

“We are delighted to be working with EFI-Inkware to bring true biofriendly printing to Mutoh customers,” said Randy Rickert, Mutoh’s general manager. “MUBIO inks are composed of 80 percent plant-derived substances (corn), contain no harmful VOCs, and with the low viscosity version we are bringing faster drying times to markets. This will be a major benefit to our customers as they leverage the ValueJet 1608 Hybrid printers for business growth and a reduced environmental footprint. Since initially rolling out the program, we have installed several ValueJet 1608 Hybrid printers a month using MUBIO inks and have received rave customer reviews.”

MUBIO inks and the ValueJet Hybrid printers were jointly developed by EFI-Inkware and Mutoh to ensure maximum efficiency, quality and range of output. The Mutoh ValueJet 1608 Hybrid easily converts from flatbed to roll-to-roll, and features drop-on-demand Micro Piezo Inkjet Technology. It is a 4-color printer with a maximum resolution of 1440 dpi, and includes automatic media thickness detection. The ValueJet 1608 Hybrid prints directly onto corrugated plastics, polystyrene, PVC, acrylic, polycarbonate, Xanita board, BioFlex biodegradable vinyl, foam board, aluminum composite, banner material, wall coverings and more.

“Our partnership with Mutoh is an important part of EFI-Inkware’s strategy to deploy BioWare inks to printer manufacturers,” said Stephen Emery Manager, OEM ink sales and marketing, of EFI-Inkware. “We are also very excited to be assisting Mutoh America in the delivery of a special open house titled ‘How to Go Green and Make Money.’ As both buyers and suppliers of print turn their attention to a more sustainable business model, seminars such as this are key to market success.”

“I have been printing with MUBIO inks for a couple months; they survived rain storms with great outdoor durability and scratch resistance!” said Ken Kubalak, owner of Sign Here of TN. “The performance of the inks printing directly on rigid substrates and roll-to-roll has been outstanding. We receive great reviews from our corporate accounts for projects we print for their charitable golf events.”

The “How to Go Green and Make Money” Open House is scheduled for Aug. 21 and 22 at the Mutoh headquarters in Phoenix, AZ. On either day, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from experts about how to go green while maintaining and growing profits, participate in an in-depth session on the production and installation of vehicle wraps, as well as see demonstrations of a number of special applications that will provide guidance on manufacturing and installation. Special applications include smooth and textured wall graphics, as well as printing on recyclable Xanita board and BioFlex biodegradeable vinyl.

MUBIO inks are available immediately. These inks perform especially well on rigid media, significantly broadening the array of applications that can be produced using the ValuJet 1608 Hybrid printer.