Launch of 'Wood Board,' 'Stone Board,' and 'Exterior Materials'—high realism, non-combustibility, and large formats drive strong consumer preference
Inmok Co., Ltd. (CEO Seok Jeong-gi), Korea's largest specialist in wood veneer, is expanding the product range of its Digital Printing Paper brand 'MIMMETIC' and strengthening its marketing in the related market.
'MIMMETIC' is the world's first specialist digital printing brand, established under an exclusive sales agreement with Spain's Losan Group, a world-leading wood specialist. It has overcome the shortcomings of conventional cylinder printing and opened a new chapter in the decor paper industry. Losan, a global wood and design group, is the world's first company specializing in the manufacture of digital printing paper. After signing an exclusive sales agreement with the Losan Group, Inmok uses the MIMMETIC brand name identically in Korea as well. MIMMETIC digital printing paper is opening a new paradigm in printed decor paper by dramatically transcending the design and quality limitations of the gravure-printed decor paper currently produced worldwide.
The defining feature of MIMMETIC decor paper is that it digitally prints the entire image of an object—such as marble or wood—as a single continuous print, so the pattern does not repeat. With as many as 248 color ink heads and a digitally controlled resolution of 12,000 dpi, it overwhelms conventional decor paper in realism, depth, and color rendering. In fact, patterns of stone, wood, fabric, and the like are printed so precisely that they are difficult to distinguish from the real thing, earning it the reputation of being 'more real than the real thing.' Moreover, there is no color variation between production lots, and even irregular mosaic patterns, rusted iron plates, and other intricate and subtle designs, as well as fantasy patterns, can all be printed regardless of the design. It can even render a single strand of a dog's fur with remarkable clarity and detail. However, conventional digital printing paper had the drawback of being three to five times more expensive than gravure-printed decor paper. MIMMETIC has revolutionized productivity through ultra-high-speed mass production of 135–180 m per minute on specialized digital printing equipment, and Inmok now supplies it exclusively in the domestic market at a price on par with imported gravure decor paper.
Inmok CEO Seok Jeong-gi explained, "Our flagship products—wood veneer and its processed goods—are excellent products made from wood, a sustainable natural resource that contributes to carbon neutrality, but they tend to be somewhat expensive." He added, "While searching for a next-generation item that is wood-based yet offers high cost-effectiveness, we aligned with Losan, Spain's largest wood and design group, which has been Inmok's European partner for over 20 years and has shared the same concerns, and together we decided to launch the Digital Printing Paper (DPP) business." CEO Seok also gave two reasons behind the choice of digital printing paper. First, paper is a wood product—not a petrochemical product like PVC, PP, or PET—so it contains no environmentally harmful substances, and it releases no toxic gases when burned, making it an environmentally and human-friendly product. Second, decor paper is a key material for LPL and HPL and is the most fundamental material in the manufacture of furniture, wall panels, flooring, and interior products. Yet conventional gravure-printed decor paper cannot deliver the design and quality demanded by today's market, so he was convinced that converting to digitally printed decor paper could fully contribute to innovation in the design and quality of end products.
MIMMETIC also passes as a water- and fire-resistant, non-combustible, and exterior material
MIMMETIC products include DPP, LPL, HPL, Wood Board, Stone Board, and Outdoor Board. Among these, 'Wood Board' refers to MFC and MFB—products in which MIMMETIC decor paper is laminated and bonded onto PB or MDF, the representative wood-based panels. Inmok launched it early last year and already supplies it to Korea's largest furniture companies, interior design firms, laminate flooring companies, construction firms, and more. Recently, it launched the 'Mimmetic Stone Board,' in which MIMMETIC LPL is laminated and bonded onto 'Stone Fiber Board,' a water- and fire-resistant, non-combustible material. Stone Fiber Board (hereinafter Stone Board) is manufactured by burning rock at high temperatures of around 1,500°C, then crushing it and extracting stone fiber with a high-speed turbine, which is mixed with an eco-friendly binder and molded under high heat and high pressure. It retains the properties of natural rock and achieves Grade 1 non-combustible material performance. Although the Mimmetic Stone Board has MIMMETIC LPL laminated and bonded onto the Stone Board, its non-combustibility is outstanding, giving it Grade 2 non-combustible material performance, and its durability is semi-permanent. In addition, the Mimmetic Stone Board does not swell or warp even when exposed to water or moisture for extended periods, and it does not decay due to mold or fungi. It is an eco-friendly material that emits almost no radon or volatile harmful substances, and unlike plastic, it does not release toxic gases in the event of a fire. Therefore, it can be used with confidence as bathroom material and wall material in residential facilities such as apartments, single-family homes, and residential officetels, as well as material for multi-use facilities, educational facilities, and public institutions. Furthermore, the Mimmetic Stone Board is installed using a dry construction method, and with a specific gravity of only about 1:1, it is significantly lighter than stone or tile, which have a specific gravity of 2.5–3.0. It is also supplied in large formats, making installation simple and greatly reducing construction time. Inmok, which is exploring multiple ways to maximize MIMMETIC's strengths, recently collaborated with a company specializing in exterior material manufacturing to launch the 'Mimmetic Outdoor Board,' a non-combustible, waterproof material with outstanding impact resistance and rigidity. The main materials of the Mimmetic Outdoor Board are MIMMETIC digital printing paper, glass fiber, phenolic resin, melamine resin, and epoxy resin, giving it excellent physical properties such as strength and hardness. It withstands climates ranging from -50°C to +80°C and is safe against impacts from natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, so it is used on the exterior walls of residential facilities, commercial facilities, government offices, schools, private academies, factories, and more.
Expanding consumer touchpoints through participation in the February 'Korea Build' exhibition
The MIMMETIC products launched for a wide range of interior and exterior uses in residential and commercial spaces all share the same base surface material: MIMMETIC digital printing paper. In particular, in line with the trend toward increasingly large interior and exterior products, MIMMETIC is supplied in Big Slab formats of 1.2 × 2.4–3.6 m, yet its printed patterns do not repeat, and its realism, depth, and color rendering are far superior to other products, all while offering excellent cost-effectiveness. Based on these strengths, the Mimmetic Wood Board targets the MFC and MFB markets used for furniture, kitchen cabinetry, wall closets, and interiors, while the Mimmetic Stone Board is aggressively targeting the market for replacing porcelain tile, tile, stone, and marble used as bathroom and interior wall materials. Mimmetic exterior materials target the market for exterior finishing materials such as stone for the exterior walls of residential, commercial, and public buildings.
Inmok is also engaging directly with buyers to communicate the outstanding advantages of MIMMETIC products. From February 21 to 24, Inmok participated in 'Korea Build,' held at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Ilsan, where it introduced its diverse range of MIMMETIC products. At Korea Build, visited by a wide range of consumer segments, Inmok actively promoted its Wood Board, Stone Board, and exterior materials built on MIMMETIC digital printing paper.
Inmok CEO Seok Jeong-gi explained, "For interior and exterior finishing materials to be loved by consumers, they must first satisfy the basics of quality, price, and aesthetics." He added, "In particular, the global trend is moving toward large formats, so products must be able to accommodate this while also being aesthetically refined by design—and MIMMETIC products are recognized as meeting all of these conditions." Since introducing MIMMETIC to the domestic market in February last year, Inmok has received a strong response from customers and established itself as a frontrunner in digital printing paper. Going forward, Inmok plans to continue carrying out optimal operations so that customers can use products based on MIMMETIC digital printing paper with confidence, while continuing to develop new, innovative products that can contribute to market expansion.
▲ Mimmetic Wood Board Galileo
▲ Mimmetic Wood Board Cubic & Thassos Marble
▲ Mimmetic Wood Board Maveric
▲ Mimmetic Stone Board Travertine Beige
▲ Mimmetic Stone Board Acarnas
▲ Mimmetic Outdoor Board Baroke Marble