MP31 and MS31 Ink: Color Vibrancy on Reflective Media

MUTOH builds different ink types for a wide variety of substrates, including reflective media. This guide focuses on two of them: MP31 and MS31, both of which can print on materials like reflective vinyl and metallized film, with MP31 ink also suited to mirror board. Each is engineered for its own wide format printer platforms. How each one looks once printed often comes down to the colors in the design and how well the ink holds up against a reflective surface.

Quick Comparison: MP31 vs. MS31 Ink

MP31 and MS31 inks are each built for a different set of printer platforms, and the ink channels available in each one shape how they perform on reflective media. The sections below break down what each ink includes, where each one runs, and how color choice affects the result.

What Is Reflective Media, and Why Does It Change How Color Prints?

Reflective media is any substrate built to bounce light back toward its source instead of absorbing it: mirror board, metallized film, and reflective vinyl are common examples. Many reflective vinyls carry a silver, gray, or prism-based background, and color printed directly on top of that background can look muddy or muted instead of true to the design.

Printing on these substrates also calls for careful setup, since the surface behaves differently than absorbent media and can affect ink adhesion. This is one of the first things to think through when choosing ink for a wide format printer job on reflective media.

MP31 Multi-Purpose Ink: Built-In White for Vibrant Color

MP31 includes CMYK color along with up to eight ink channels total, including spot colors such as orange, blue, and green, plus white. Spot color inks extend the color gamut and add saturation. The white channel is what sets MP31 apart on reflective media: printing it underneath color adds opacity, so the ink on top sits on a solid base rather than fighting the surface underneath, and the colors come through more vibrant.

• Prints directly on coated or uncoated board, clear and flexible film, and other specialty materials.

• Maintains the true surface feel of each substrate.
• Eliminates extra steps such as lamination or coating for proofing.
• Full white base: print white ink beneath the entire design for maximum contrast, so every color stays visible against the reflective surface.
• Selective white ink: leave white out of specific areas so the raw metallic or reflective quality of the substrate shows through on purpose, for designs that call for that look.
• For logos, labels, or text in black or another dark, opaque color, either ink performs well on reflective substrates without added white.
• For grays and lighter or more vibrant colors, the MP31 white ink helps the color read the way it was designed.
• Match the ink, and on MS31 platforms the available ink channels, to the printer already running in the shop.

Ways to Use White Ink on Reflective Media

Printing white ink underneath color gives the design a clean, opaque foundation instead of letting the reflective background mute the color on top. Because CMYK color is largely transparent on its own, that white ink base is what keeps graphics visible whether the piece is viewed in bright light or in a dimmer setting.

Used either way, MP31 white ink works as an opaque base coat or as its own design element, giving a shop control over exactly how much of the substrate's natural shine comes through in the finished piece.

MS31 Solvent Ink: A 7-Color Set for Select Printer Platforms

MS31 is an eco solvent ink built around a 7-color set: CMYK plus Light Cyan, Light Magenta, and Light Black, though which channels are active depends on the wide format printer platform in use. On the XpertJet C641SR Pro and XpertJet 1341SR Pro, MS31 runs as a CMYK set. On the ValueJet 2638X, the ink set expands to include Light Cyan, Light Magenta, and Light Black alongside CMYK, adding smoother gradients and less graininess.

How Color Choices Affect the Result on Reflective Media

Printing Black or Other Dark, Opaque Colors

Black and other dark, opaque colors are dense enough to hold their own against a reflective background without help. Designs printed with either MP31 or MS31 ink come out clean, and there is no need for a white base underneath for the color to read true. That makes either ink a straightforward, efficient choice for single-color signage, text-heavy designs, or any job where the color itself is dark enough to stand out without added opacity.

Printing Grays or Other Colors That Need More Vibrancy

The need for a white base is not only about how many colors are in a design, it comes down to how much vibrancy a specific color needs against the reflective surface. A single gray, or lighter and more saturated colors like blue, orange, and green, can still look muted without white underneath. Printing white first with MUTOH MP31 ink gives that color, or any combination of colors, a clean base to sit on, so it reads at full strength instead of picking up the shine from the substrate underneath.

Practical Tips for Printing on Reflective Media

• For logos, labels, or text in black or another dark, opaque color, either ink performs well on reflective substrates without added white.
• For grays and lighter or more vibrant colors, the MP31 white ink helps the color read the way it was designed.
• Match the ink, and on MS31 platforms the available ink channels, to the printer already running in the shop.
  

Comparing MP31 and MS31 Ink Channels

The table below lines up how each ink is built and where each one runs.

Where Each Ink Runs on Your Wide Format Printer

MP31 inks run on the ValueJet 628MP and ValueJet 1628MH, platforms built for short-run specialty work such as packaging prototypes, labels and more. MS31 ink runs on the XpertJet C641SR Pro, XpertJet 1341SR Pro, and ValueJet 2638X, an eco-solvent platform built for higher-volume roll-to-roll production such as signage and graphics.

The ink channels available differ by platform: the XpertJet C641SR Pro and XpertJet 1341SR Pro print MS31 as CMYK, while the ValueJet 2638X adds Light Cyan, Light Magenta, and Light Black to the mix. Matching ink to platform keeps color output predictable across a shop's large format printer lineup.

H2: MP31 and MS31 on Your Next Reflective Media Job

MP31 and MS31 are each built for their own MUTOH wide format printer platforms, and how each one looks on reflective media depends largely on the colors in the design. Dark, opaque colors print cleanly with either ink, while grays and lighter or more vibrant colors benefit from the white ink in MP31.

See the difference firsthand. Request a free print sample to compare MP31 and MS31 inks on reflective media, or find the nearest MUTOH dealer to talk through which platform is best for your upcoming projects.