Wilflex MX System

[tancehughes]

I know this has probably been touched on before, and I've read a few threads on some of you who are on this system, but does anyone have any complaints or tips on the Wilflex MX system? We are about to buy the starter kit and just want to be aware of everything I possibly can before I buy this and start mixing. The general feel I get about it is that it's one of the best systems out there.

[blue moon]

from what I understand, it is a high opacity system. So there will be some color matching constraints with it. . .


pierre

[tonypep]

It's one the best out there and you'll be paying for it in spades. Might want to compare to Rutland. I've used both for what seems like forever and I've found them to be interchangeable. Rutland is generally less expensive

[Rob Coleman]

I have a few comments to add.  Heading out for the day, but will post up tonight!

Thanks!

[Rob Coleman]

This post is not intended as a sales pithc.  The OP asked specifically about the Epic PF (MX) sytem and I want to address that question as well as the cost that was posted as well.

Wilflex markets three colors systems:

Epic PF (MX) Mixing System - A simple finished ink system that allows you to simulate the entire PANTONE® spectrum with just 15 inter-mixable colors.
Epic PC Express System - The ultimate ink mixing system designed for maximum versatility. Includes 15 pigment concentrates and your choice of a range of bases for different substrates.
Epic Equalizer System - A balanced colorant system that gives the freedom of using different bases with the safety of a balanced system.  This is the most popular and generally the most cost effective system.

The PF (MX) system is the "easiest" and also the most expensive to produce colors.  Finished Ink cost is probably 10% higher than EQ System on average.  Being a finished ink system, the opacity levels are set for you; you cannot make more opaque than what the mixing colors already are.  This system competes head-to-head against Rutland M3.

As far as cost, you REALLY need to be concerned with your final mixing costs.  In any system, white and yellow components will generally account for a bulk (over 1/2) of the total usage.  I analyzed random 50 pms colors across the color palette including tints, shades. and saturated colors for both Rutland M3 and Wilflex PF (MX) - Rutland White and Yellow accounted for  44% and 12% of the usage respectively; Wilflex White and Yellow 40% and 13%.

Why is this important?  Obviously, these are the components you want to look at the cost on.   I am not going to share the exact specifics, but rest assured these two colors are generally SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive in Brand R.  Look online at pricing and compare.  I have done this analysis numerous times for many individual customers in all the ink systems.

In all transparency - I work for SourceOne and spent many years at Wilflex.  Yes,  I have vested interest in the W brand.  But, the fact are the facts!

With that stated, both R and W have excellent color systems that run extremely well on automatics for WOW printing.  From a standpoint of color reproduction and print quality, you cannot go wrong with either.

Hope this helps some!

[GraphicDisorder]

This post is not intended as a sales pithc.  The OP asked specifically about the Epic PF (MX) sytem and I want to address that question as well as the cost that was posted as well.

Wilflex markets three colors systems:

Epic PF (MX) Mixing System - A simple finished ink system that allows you to simulate the entire PANTONE® spectrum with just 15 inter-mixable colors.
Epic PC Express System - The ultimate ink mixing system designed for maximum versatility. Includes 15 pigment concentrates and your choice of a range of bases for different substrates.
Epic Equalizer System - A balanced colorant system that gives the freedom of using different bases with the safety of a balanced system.  This is the most popular and generally the most cost effective system.

The PF (MX) system is the "easiest" and also the most expensive to produce colors.  Finished Ink cost is probably 10% higher than EQ System on average.  Being a finished ink system, the opacity levels are set for you; you cannot make more opaque than what the mixing colors already are.  This system competes head-to-head against Rutland M3.

As far as cost, you REALLY need to be concerned with your final mixing costs.  In any system, white and yellow components will generally account for a bulk (over 1/2) of the total usage.  I analyzed random 50 pms colors across the color palette including tints, shades. and saturated colors for both Rutland M3 and Wilflex PF (MX) - Rutland White and Yellow accounted for  44% and 12% of the usage respectively; Wilflex White and Yellow 40% and 13%.

Why is this important?  Obviously, these are the components you want to look at the cost on.   I am not going to share the exact specifics, but rest assured these two colors are generally SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive in Brand R.  Look online at pricing and compare.  I have done this analysis numerous times for many individual customers in all the ink systems.

In all transparency - I work for SourceOne and spent many years at Wilflex.  Yes,  I have vested interest in the W brand.  But, the fact are the facts!

With that stated, both R and W have excellent color systems that run extremely well on automatics for WOW printing.  From a standpoint of color reproduction and print quality, you cannot go wrong with either.

Hope this helps some!

Good info!

[tancehughes]

Thanks Rob, I appreciate that. I have been doing a lot of research on the systems and I do have Wilflex at the top of my list.

My main concern was do I start out with the MX or go ahead and bump up to the pigment system. I believe I am going to start out with MX simply because of cost and ease of use, and then down the road I will migrate over to the pigment system.

Shifting gears now, when a customers asks for a Pantone color do you who mix your own inks in house charge extra for that?

[abchung]

I still use the ink with phthalate.
I also had the dilemma in choosing PC or MX.

I went the PC way so I can use it for Halftone base or Genesis Plus base.
The problem with PC is, we have to use an accurate scale. Our scale can only measure up to 1-kg with an accuracy of 0.01g. Anything that measures more with the same accuracy is just out of my budget.

I do raise my print cost if customer want to specific pantone colour.


Good luck
Anthony

[tonypep]

Many do, we do not. We have quarts of 80% of the pantone colors in the ink library room with the formula labels on the buckets. We can re-mix in minutes as needed.

[tonypep]

Mixing station

[tonypep]

camera getting wiggy

[Rob Coleman]

Tony:  very nice set-up.  Organized and clean!

Them walls look so bare in that ink room!  I would hang an old Farrah Fawcett poster -- but that shows my age!  HAHA.

Maybe frame some nice prints and hang!

Rob

[bimmridder]

Rob, you have that poster hanging over your bed , don't you?

[tonypep]

Thanks Rob. The set up is 15 ys old. Hard to tell from the pic but the back of the mixing table is angled so the buckets point towards the ink mixing person. Minimizes spills. I banned all posters and stickers as this eventually gets out of hand. I hate when press ops put stickers on equipment that doesn't belong to them.

[Rob Coleman]

Rob, you have that poster hanging over your bed , don't you?

Dammit Dave!  You outed me!