Hi Dan. Thinking of getting a GP-604D, has it been working good for you, any issues and feedback you can share with us? Thanks....
Same question here. We have a demonstration of the GP-604D in Belgium in 9 days time. Pls tel me what things to look out for and ask or the mimaki rep (dunno regarding service, white on dark printing etc.)
I can say that in general, I am extremely happy with the product. I'll list my positives and a couple of negatives.
Posiitves - really solid machine. I have purchased from Action engineering a dual pallet setup that allows me to print two shirts at one time (if the print is no larger than 11x16). so some volume production is possible. the hardware has been rock solid, I must say. The discharge can produce some very nice effects, it does take some working with to figure out what works and what doesn't. I have been able to configure my pallets to work in a number of different ways for different purposes, and the highly adjustable printing height and highly accurate print location features have really helped. the output has been impressive, and the washability of the inks excellent. The support from my supplier, Jantex Inks, has been very good, I can almost always raise the tech, Louie, on his cell and he has always been able to help me with issues.
Negatives - I'm not a big fan of the RIP. first off, it only runs in windows, I've been on a mac for 20 years. So, taking five steps to do something that takes one step on the mac is continuing to frustrate me. Also, the RIP is proprietary and originally written in Japanese, the translation in the manual leaves a lot to be desired. an example of a dialog box: "the print is arranged outside of the print area, arrange it anyway?" sort of reads like old-school stereo instructions. I've also not been able to locate much information about the software.. the techs at mimaki will recommend certain output profiles or techniches for printing, but I'd like to have a source to have all of them explained, they must have a purpose if they are included? I did have the discharge head go bad on me after about six months. It was replaced under warranty ($628 us, normally). I did the work myself, with the tech guiding me on the phone. went pretty smoothly. I once experienced an issue with obtaining discharge fluid - apparently, they ship from japan only a few times a year, the shipment had been delayed, then stuck in customs, etc, etc, supply line has been good since then, but I always wonder when I call to order more fluid.
to summarize - great hardware, not-so-hot software. great support from supplier, not-so-hot support from company. it is a serious investment, not one of these toy-like little machines. I'm happy with my purchase, although I'm also willing to dive into the technical aspects of the RIP, profiles, and hardware. Hope this helps..
Thank you for the summary. Does the set up of the Mimaki require a ventilated area? As we are initially planning to setup the machine in the basement of our shop which is relatively small and with a low ceiling. Is this possbile or does the discharge feature require a large ventilated area?
the machine doesn't require ventinlation per se, but I wouldn't want to do a whole lot of discharge printing without some ventilation, it just doesn't smell good. the machine does have some operation limits in terms of temperature, it will not operate if it is too warm - I can't recall the temp of the top of my head, but I think it's around 100F. I operate mine in my garage, and it does get a bit warm where I live, so when this happens, I run a fan on the right side of the machine, where the electronics are housed. this seems to keep things cool enough to keep running. to get back to the discharge, there isn't a huge amount of the carcinogen that becomes airborne (breathable). it's diluted in water when sprayed by the printer, and the steam that escapes from the heat press contains sulphur dioxide, the formaldehyde stays in the garment. this is why they are supposed to be washed before wearing. I would think that if you could work yourself out a setup that evacuates the air from around your heat press, you'd be good to go.
Nothing specific, but I have been in the inkjet arena for a while - large format prints on an epson 9600. so profiles, colorspaces, separations, these are all things I was already familiar with. I'm not sure it's necessary to know all of this, I think you could probably get good results through trial and error, but as someone said in another thread, "if it was easy, then everyone would be doing it." If you can be persistent and non give up when things don't go the way you expected the first time, you'll find it quite rewarding to solve some of the puzzles.
Hi Dan. Thinking of getting a GP-604D, has it been working good for you, any issues and feedback you can share with us? Thanks....
Hello Shantiman,
I am located in Holland and I am wondering if you bought the mimaki 604d. And my next question is what is the name of the company, because I want to buy one also and I don't know a company in holland who sells a dtg from mimaki. There are lots of mimaki dealers but they all want to sell me solvent printers/cutters.
Best regards Prinsz
Hey guys, is this Mimaki GP-604D like a 25,000 dollar machine? Thats what I saw when I serched it by name. I am just looking to get into inkjet printing, and didnt want to spend that kind of money. I just want to know a good printer to start with, and if I need to use a speacial kind of ink, or does it only need to be printed on the transfer paper. Thanks for all your help.
There are many DTG machines out there and I believe Mimaki does have the largest platen at 16.5" x 24". I have been using mine for 2+ years and have many satisfied customers. It is a very fine machine with capabilities that many other printing machines does not have including a soft hand and a discharge system.
If you really want a Mimaki GP-604D, I know of a printer who is looking at selling a used one for $14k. It's in perfect condition and has barely been used because he switched to the screen printing method. Contact me if you want more information.
Mimaki Gp-604d information and experiences 
