Printing United is the peak industry body in the USA and the result of merging the PIA with the SGIA. In October at Phoenix, Arizona, no fewer than six Product of the Year Awards went to Mutoh wide format and benchtop UV technologies, in respect of ability to reproduce images and colour totally accurately, in particular in the Adobe RGB colour space.
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| Mutoh Australia managing director Russell Cavenagh with the 6 Product-of-the-Year Awards |
Mutoh America, Inc. was recently honoured with six Printing United Alliance Product of the Year awards, making 2020 the ninth consecutive year of Mutoh winning one or more awards. Open to all PRINTING United Alliance supplier members, the
Product of the Year competition evaluates products that are, or will be, available for sale in 2020. A highly qualified panel of judges from across the printing industry evaluated the annual contest’s 200+ entries in more than 85 categories spanning analog, digital, output and non-output technologies.
A delighted Mutoh Australia managing director Russell Cavenagh comments. “Winning six of the key Sign and Display categories is very pleasing and proof of Mutoh’s dedication to colour and engineering excellence. Our new XpertJet range has been very well received and we are looking forward to the continued expansion of the range. Mutoh printers are still proudly designed and manufactured under 
highest precision conditions in Japan, with the company's roots going back to 1952. It is this kind of dedication to engineering and colour intellectual property development that has delivered this record Printing United Awards haul.”
The six 2020 output categories won by Mutoh are:
- XpertJet 1641SR 64in Eco-Solvent Printer – Roll-to-Roll Solvent/Latex (under 80 in.)
- ValueJet 2638X 104 in Eco-Solvent Printer – Roll-to-Roll Solvent/Latex (over 80 in.)
- XpertJet 661UF 23x19 UV/LED Flatbed Printer – Tabletop Flatbed (Industrial/Small Item Decoration)
- ValueJet 1638UR 64” Roll to Roll UV/LED Printer – Roll-to-Roll UV (under 80 in.)
- ValueJet 1638UH 64” Hybrid UV/LED Printer – UV/Latex Hybrid (under $100K*)
- XpertJet 1682WR 64” Dye-Sublimation Printer – Roll-to-Roll Dye Sublimation on Textile (under $50K*)
[* US $]
Output devices are judged based on reports generated by measuring color charts and then comparing to industry 
specifications. “This is the only competition I know of that reports on the percentage of Adobe RGB a printer can hit,” says Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs, Printing United Alliance. “Some of the categories were decided by tenths of a point so fierce was the competition this year.”
Cavenagh's counterpart across the Pacific, Brian Phipps, President and general manager of Mutoh America enthuses: “I couldn’t be prouder of our best-in-class printers that are still made in Japan. Mutoh continues to demonstrate its commitment to the highest quality standards in the industry. Winning six more awards this year is just icing on the cake for us and our partners.”
To learn more about all of Mutoh’s award winners and other products visit www.mutoh-au.com
