Special Report 30 years of innovative partnership
As the print industry has developed and evolved, so too has Mimaki’s technology and Hybrid Services’ relationship with the Japanese manufacturer. Curious to learn more and celebrate the relationship and Mimaki’s newly launched UV hybrid printer, assistant editor, Ana Lambert, headed to Crewe to visit the Hybrid HQ and team.
F
ounded in 1996, Hybrid Services partnered with a virtually unknown brand in the UK and Ireland – Mimaki – to create a relationship that has since spanned three decades. Starting with 610mm cutters to handle
coloured vinyl, and a flatbed cutting table – Hybrid was very much starting from zero as it partnered with Mimaki as its exclusive distributor for the UK and Ireland. However, just a couple of years later Mimaki introduced its first inkjet printer, which was followed in quick succession by the JV2 and JV4 series’ pigment machines which became popular in the graphics and display sector. Then in 1998, Mimaki launched its very
first textile printer, the Tx-1600, further launching its recognition in the UK and Ireland further. In the early 2000s, the JV3, Mimaki’s
first solvent printer, was launched, and Hybrid and Mimaki cemented their influence in the UK and Ireland both in the sign and graphics industry and textile industries. Then 20 years ago, having always
been based in Cheshire, Hybrid to a new HQ in Crewe, giving them a polished showroom, large warehouse and significant office space, where they have been based ever since.
Hybrid and the industry Over the years, Hybrid has developed many relationships with resellers and customer throughout the sign and graphics industries. Duncan Jefferies, head of marketing
for Hybrid Services, explained that 30 years was a great achievement for the company and an important part of that was down to the relationship they have with their resellers. He said: “30 years is a fantastic
achievement for the company. We have a fantastic relationship with Mimaki, and it’s wonderful to be associated with them for such a long time and to share success with them.
| 32 | May/June 2026
The newly launched Mimaki UJ330H-160 hybrid UV inkjet printer “A lot of that shared success is also
with our resellers, a lot of whom we’ve worked with for a very, very long period of time. At Hybrid, business is all about creating and maintaining long term relationships, ultimately to the benefit of everyone, including our customers.”
Having a dedicated reseller network
that includes many well-known companies across the UK and Ireland, it’s easy to see why Hybrid and Mimaki are now ‘household’ names. Duncan emphasised that Hybrid’s relationship with its resellers is
Creativity at its heart Decked out in vivid colour and containing many machines, the Hybrid Services showroom is a delight to the eyes. Highlighting the printers’ creative capabilities to prospective sign making businesses, the display cabinets, lightboxes and artwork showcase the power of the Mimaki technology on offer. The showroom is laid out in business sectors – while most of their products
Mimaki’s sign making workhorse, the CIV330-160 solvent printer
can be cross-used through industries – all of the printers and technologies were laid out in order of sign and graphics, flatbed technologies, textile, and DTF as their main offerings, whilst full colour 3D and small-format could also be found. For instance, for sign and graphics companies, Mimaki’s usual suspects, the
CJV330-160, CJV200-130 and JV200-160 solvent printers can be found together along with a collection of Mimaki UV roll-to-roll models. On the opposite wall is one of the largest printers in the showroom, the Mimaki
TS330-3200DS superwide-format dye sublimation printer, suitable for those in soft signage or wanting to diversify printing up to 3.2m wide.
www.signupdate.co.uk
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