If you run a print shop, you already know the pressure to do more with less, more applications, more substrates, faster turnarounds, and fewer trade-offs between quality and responsibility. The HydrAton 1642 delivers on all of it. This 64-inch roll-to-roll large format printer, powered by water-based UV ink, has redefined what a single machine can do, with stretch performance, instant curing, and an environmental profile that makes it one of the safest printing platforms on the market today. For production managers and shop owners looking to expand their capabilities and win clients who care about how their graphics are made, this is the machine that makes that conversation easy.
Water-Based UV Ink: A New Category in Wide Format Printing
For years, print shops have worked with two well-established technologies, each with a clear role. Eco solvent earned its place in vehicle wrap production and outdoor applications because the ink remains flexible, conforms to complex surfaces, and holds up against the elements over time. UV systems built their reputation on a different strength: output that cures instantly, moving directly to finishing work. Both technologies continue to serve their purpose, and for good reasons.
The HydrAton 1642 introduces a new category of roll-to-roll printing, powered by AQUAFUZE™, a highly safe UV-curable water-based ink made using Fujifilm Group’s proprietary technology for stable water dispersion of photopolymers. The water-based formulation shares some characteristics with eco solvent in that it remains flexible after curing, while also curing under UV light for immediate finishing. It is a capable addition to a shop's production options, bringing water-based UV ink and low VOC emissions into a single platform.
How the Ink System Works in Production
The AQUAFUZE™ ink formulation is largely water-based in composition, roughly 70% water. As media travels through the print path, a heating system beneath the printheads begins driving off that moisture, and a pair of integrated air blowers accelerates the evaporation process to keep pace with production demands.
By the time the substrate reaches the UV lamp at the end of the print zone, the water content has evaporated, and the lamp completes the cure, bonding photopolymers within the ink into a durable, flexible layer that is fixed to the media and ready for finishing. There is no waiting period, no extended off-gassing window before lamination is possible. Output moves directly from the machine to the laminator, which, for shops running vehicle wraps on tight deadlines, is a fundamental workflow requirement.
Sustainable Large Format Printing Without Sacrificing Performance
Sustainable large format printing has moved from a nice-to-have to a genuine competitive differentiator for print shops serving corporate, institutional, and healthcare clients. Many of those clients now ask pointed questions about the materials and processes behind the graphics on their walls, windows, and vehicles. The HydrAton 1642 gives shops a straightforward, credible answer.
The AQUAFUZE™ ink is GREENGUARD Gold certified, validating its low VOC emissions and virtually no detectable odor during operation, making the HydrAton 1642 one of the most responsible wide format printer platforms available for indoor and high-occupancy environments.
The ink formulation carries no GHS hazard symbols and is free from Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), and as far as the industry is aware, AQUAFUZE™ water-based UV ink stands as the safest ink formulation commercially available today.
Energy-Efficient Curing and Media Preservation
Sustainable large format printing is not only about ink chemistry, it extends to how a machine consumes energy and handles materials. The HydrAton 1642 cures at temperatures between 30°C and 50°C, considerably lower than latex systems, and a meaningful advantage for heat-sensitive substrates that require dimensional stability throughout the print process.
They also mean less thermal stress on substrates, preserving dimensional stability across a wider range of media and reducing waste from heat-related distortion. The thin ink layers deposited by the AccuFine HD printheads further extend that benefit, maintaining the natural texture and feel of each substrate rather than masking it under heavy ink deposits.
One Machine, Every Application: the Real Strength of the HydrAton 1642
Here is where the HydrAton 1642 truly separates itself. This is not a specialty machine built for one vertical. It is a roll-to-roll production platform engineered to handle the full breadth of what a modern print shop is asked to produce, and to do it on almost any substrate a client brings in.
Vehicle Wraps, Signage, Décor, and Beyond
Because AQUAFUZE™ water-based UV ink remains stretchable after curing, vehicle wraps are a natural application and a major selling point for shops that have traditionally relied on eco solvent for wrap jobs precisely because of its outdoor durability and ink flexibility. The HydrAton 1642 brings those similar qualities into a water-based platform.
The same machine that wraps a fleet vehicle in the morning can produce vivid interior wall graphics, window perforated films, retail display signage, and specialty substrate applications in the afternoon all without changing the ink system or reconfiguring the workflow.
Media acceptance runs from 19.7 inches up to 64 inches wide, and the printer works across uncoated, coated, and roll substrates without requiring primers, optimizers, or UV-specific laminates. Standard solvent lamination films are fully compatible; no finishing workflow overhaul is required.
For shops that print graphics for sustainable large format printing programs at corporate campuses, school districts, or healthcare networks, being able to deliver certified-safe output across this range of applications is a compelling capability to bring to the sales conversation.
Production-Ready Workflow from Start to Finish
The HydrAton 1642 is built for shops that cannot afford bottlenecks. Automated bidirectional calibration, media feed adjustment, roll balance tracking, and barcode-based roll management reduce operator touchpoints and maintain consistency across long production runs.
The bundled VerteLith RIP software supports tiling, step-and-repeat, and bleed processing, giving production teams complete layout control from the workstation. And because the output is immediately cured, every job moves directly to finishing the moment it leaves the machine.
Print Quality That Holds Up Under Scrutiny
Versatility and sustainability are only part of the story. The HydrAton 1642 delivers up to 1,200×2,400 dpi resolution through its dual AccuFine HD printhead configuration, with the staggered printhead arrangement maintaining stable drop placement even at production speeds. Graphics hold up under close viewing conditions, critical for interior environments where the audience is rarely more than a few feet away.
Color consistency is maintained across both the feed and scan directions, and the cured output resists abrasion, cleaning agents, and chemical exposure, preserving image quality in the high-traffic, frequently cleaned spaces where much of this output ends up. For shops that have had to turn down interior graphics projects because their existing equipment could not meet an environmental specification or a safety certification requirement, the HydrAton 1642 opens those conversations back up and closes them.
The Water-Based UV Ink Platform Built for What Print Shops Sell Today
The HydrAton 1642 is not a machine chasing a trend. It is a production tool engineered for the direction the industry is already moving toward broader application versatility, more responsible ink chemistry, faster finishing workflows, and the ability to serve clients who care as much about how something was printed as it looks.
The water-based UV ink, at its core powered by AQUAFUZE™ technology, delivers the flexibility, speed, safety, and output quality that production managers and shop owners need to grow their business without growing their footprint. For any shop evaluating its next large format printer investment, the HydrAton 1642 is one of the most complete answers on the market.
Ready to put it to the test? Request a print sample to evaluate output quality firsthand or find your nearest authorized dealer to connect with a MUTOH expert and explore what the HydrAton 1642 can do for your operation.