Product Review: Mutoh XpertJet 661UF
Mutoh is a well-known name in the commercial printing industry. They have produced some of the best yet affordable commercial printers around, ranging from dye-sublimation printers to eco-solvent printers and hybrid printers.
The Mutoh XpertJet 661UF is far from the brand’s first foray into UV-LED printers. However, it is one of their latest models — and they have taken its features and capabilities to the next level.
The XpertJet 661UF not only follows the trend of past Mutoh UV printers of producing stunning and smooth color transitions but also its ability to print ADA-compliant Braille style signs. On top of that, this new model greatly improves upon the features of earlier Mutoh UV-LED printers.
The newer model is jam-packed with features that not only improve the quality of the prints it produces but also the overall user experience — making it an instant favorite and the perfect addition to any small- to medium-sized printing businesses.
Introducing the Mutoh XpertJet 661UF
The Mutoh XpertJet 661UF is one of the two new printers the manufacturer released amid the height of the pandemic. Despite the less than ideal economic situation back then for printing businesses, the Mutoh XpertJet 661UF quickly proved itself with its amazing features.
The model was named as the 2020 Product of the Year among tabletop flatbed printers, specifically for industrial and small item decorations.
Although larger than the earlier XpertJet 461UF model, the 661UF is still relatively compact, measuring 46.77 in wide, 64.06 in deep, and 23.78 in tall without its stand. The XpertJet 661UF comes with an approximately 48-inch high stand, which comes with casters for easy transport.
The XpertJet 661UF uses standard CMYK ink, plus white ink and varnish, for glossy and matte varnish print options.
What’s New With the XpertJet 661UF?
The Mutoh XpertJet 661UF has several noticeable upgrades compared to older models, especially the older and more compact UV-LED flatbed XpertJet 461UF. Aside from being bigger, the newer 661UF also comes with a stand. This small change alone adds a lot in terms of convenience.
Below are other significant upgrades the XpertJet 661UF brings to the table.
Redesigned Control Panel
Together with its sleek, modern design, the 661UF features an upgraded touchscreen control panel. The panel is now even more user-friendly, allowing users to easily operate and manipulate the printer with just a few touches on screen. This includes control over the advanced color settings and other printing specifications.
Automatic Table Height Adjustment
Another great improvement the 661UF offers is its automatic table height control. Now, printing operators can conveniently adjust the table height from zero up to 5.9 inches deep for easier direct printing on objects.
Moreover, there’s no need to manually dial up the table bed up and down to accommodate the material you’ll be printing on. Instead, the printer does the height adjustment automatically for you, which greatly reduces the chances of mistakes when calculating the head height and suffering from costly head strikes.
Large Viewing Window
Mutoh did not just add several great improvements to this UV-LED printer model. They also took into account all the reviews they received about earlier models. In direct response to customer feedback, they gave the XpertJet 661UF a larger viewing window to better check and oversee printing.
Convenient Vacuum Bed
One of the upgrade highlights of the XpertJet 661UF is its vacuum bed. Unlike the 461UF — which only has a vacuum bed as an option or extra add-on — the vacuum bed is a standard feature for the 661UF.
This feature makes printing on lighter materials a breeze. Now, you no longer have to worry about materials like paper, cardboard, or coroplast moving even half an inch away from its supposed spot and messing up your print. It even has five vacuum settings to accommodate various printing materials.
Best of all, the vacuum feature can conveniently be turned on and off, so the vacuum will not be a disturbance when printing on other materials or items.
Deeper Native Print Depth
The XpertJet 661UF’s larger size gives it a much greater native printing depth. Although the 461UF can also reach up to 5.9 inches in print depth, this will require you to remove the print table. With this table, the 461UF only has a native print depth of 2.75 inches.
The 661UF’s deeper 5.9-inch depth means you can print directly on larger objects without having to remove the vacuum bed or anything else.
Local Dimming Control Technology
Mutoh’s Local Dimming Control Technology is perhaps the greatest upgrade that they put into the XpertJet 661UF. This patent-pending feature is what gives the printer the ability to precisely place gloss, matte, and even semi-gloss varnish at the same time as it prints colors and white.
Even better, the unique technology allows the printer to do this on the same image with just a single print movement!
Only With ColDesi: Custom Software Bundle
One thing to love even more about the Mutoh XpertJet 661UF when you purchase it from ColDesi is the custom software bundle you get.
The bundle gives you both the Compress RIP and Compress Designer software programs to help you maximize the great features of the 661UF printer. These are the same tried-and-true software that ColDesi developed and offered with larger UV flatbed iUV600s and iUV1200s printers — now it’s updated to work seamlessly with the Mutohs.
Best of all, the Compress RIP custom software bundle doesn’t come at an extra cost. You get it as part of ColDesi’s standard 661UF printer package, together with the one-year on-site limited warranty.
What Makes the Mutoh XpertJet 661UF Amazing
All these feature upgrades may sound great, but what benefits do they actually offer in practice?
Overall, the features work together to give users a smoother experience as they handle the machine. It improves ease of use, reduces potential printing issues, and broadens the capabilities of the UV-flatbed printer.
Shorter Printing Time
This benefit is all thanks to the 661UF’s Local Dimming Control Technology. Being able to print glossy, matte, and semi-glossy varnish simultaneously with each other and with the color output can significantly reduce production time.
ADA Braille Signage Printing
Thanks again to its unique local dimming control technology, the XpertJet 661UF is capable of creating fine textured prints and even ADA-compliant Braille style signage. This not only adds greater value to printed products but also helps printing businesses expand their service offerings.
Braille sign printing is a large market, since the law requires ADA-compliant Braille on signs to designate any permanent rooms and spaces.
Printing on Cylindrical Items
The 661UF isn’t just ideal for direct printing on lighter materials. It is also great for direct printing on cylindrical items. Due to its deep native depth, this can easily be done. Moreover, Mutoh offers an optional rotary jig for the 661UF to make printing on cups, travel tumblers, and other cylindrical items even more convenient and stress-free.
Training Tool and User Guide
The Mutoh XpertJet 661UF comes with more than just the ColDesi custom software bundle. It also comes with a Mutoh training tool to ensure that new owners are well-equipped to operate the printer well. The Mutoh exclusive training tool, StartRight™ Kit 2.0, comes with every 661UF printer.
Mutoh also provides an Application Guides, which include lessons, video instructions, and even sample output to help you maximize the use and profitability of your new printer.
Listening to Customer Feedback
While it’s not exactly a feature of the printer itself, this is still something that Mutoh showed with its XpertJet 661UF — and something that makes both the brand and the printer even more amazing.
When a manufacturer listens to customer feedback and actively uses those insights to improve their succeeding product, it is a powerful thing. It shows not only appreciation for customers but also a willingness to truly improve the products.
Affordable Price and Financing Options
Last but definitely not the least, we love how the Mutoh XpertJet 661UF remains relatively affordable for such a feature-packed commercial UV-LED flatbed printer.
Competitively priced at just $28,995, this makes it possible to improve your existing printing business services with less than $30,000.
ColDesi also offers attractive financing rates to make it easier for hopeful small business owners to get their printing business off the ground. With financing, it is possible to buy the 661UF for as low as $589 per month.
See the Difference for Yourself
We highly recommend getting the 661UF printer for both new printing businesses and established small-to-medium businesses. However, you don’t just have to take our word for it.
