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  1. Used VS-540i vs. TrueVis SG-540

    I have the VS-540i in the configuration you mentioned. I don't know how it compares to the new TrueVIS model, but I can say I'm very happy with it. Skin tones and gradients come out nice and smooth. It's been nearly completely trouble-free for the 5 years we've owned it. The only minor issue...
  2. Air spray gun painting vs corded/cordless painting

    +1 on the Graco cordless sprayer. I picked one up just a month or so ago. But I also have a traditional HVLP (auto-paint-style gun). Each has their place. The Graco uses the same kind of tip that would be used in a larger airless sprayer for painting a house. Different tip sizes are...
  3. Rosback Clipper I Corner Rounder

    I think someone else might manufacture a similar product. I saw it at a trade show a while back, but don't think it was this one. Maybe there was some kind of patent dispute?
  4. Take-up Reel Flange

    Not exactly relevant here, but I'll post anyhow. When we bought our printer, I started with a ReelPro takeup reel. Every year or so the plastic teeth on the drive wheel would wear down from friction on the inside of the cores; I'd have to buy a new wheel to the tune of $30-$40 bucks. This...
  5. Need Help Problem Solving Skeeels Needed

    I guess I don't understand either why the perf is needed. Can't you just use a white face, and then light it at night with green LEDs? Seems like that would solve the problem
  6. Silent Air Compressor - Indoors

    I'll add some more positive feedback for California Air Tools. We have one of their small compressors that we use with our laminator. It's not silent, but you can have a phone conversation 10' away from it. Their support is great - we've had a couple minor issues with ours and they've always...
  7. Printed/Plotted Vinyl Peeling Away From PVC

    In nearly 5 years of doing this, I've only seen vinyl peel off PVC once like that - and it was Avery 2903. We switched to 3M IJ35 and IJ40 and have never experienced another problem with mounting prints on PVC. It really irritates me - We have a local sign supplier that has the best service...
  8. RIP Files to a SSD drive or mechanical type?

    I don't know if 128GB will be large enough. Maybe it will work if it's just a second drive in the machine. I had a dedicated RIP computer running an SSD with Roland Versaworks and kept getting "not enough storage" errors. Upgraded to 500GB and no more problems!
  9. Roland VS-540i Purchase

    We've had the same machine for 4+ years. If it's in good condition and all nozzles are printing, I'd go for it. You can run everything from banners to wraps to magnets on it. We've occasionally had an issue with banding. Roland was never able to help us nail it down because it was so...
  10. thoughts on non-oem ecosol ink?

    I can only chime in with my own experience. We run a Roland VS-540i. When the warranty ran out, I switched to Bordeaux inks. Cost is about a 40% savings over OEM. I've not noticed a difference in color, print quality, or durability. If we're running a long print with heavy ink coverage I do...
  11. Need Help Roland color inconsistency issue - help please

    We run a VS-540i and run into this - usually with dark gray/blacks and sometimes dark reds. Roland first replaced the head (when we were still under warranty), and then blamed it on low humidity. It's a rare intermittent problem for us now, but it does seem to show up more in the cold & dry...
  12. My Very First 3D Sign w/ the Shaper Origin

    Interesting that you can print your own tape. To me, the continuing cost of the tape was the big negative in the system. Have you found that there's more waste when using the Shaper? I would think that it would be difficult to cut close the edge of a sheet.
  13. Free estimates...friend or foe?

    There's a lot of truth in this. Not a one-size-fits-all solution, at least for me. But definitely good points.
  14. Free estimates...friend or foe?

    I don't typically charge for an estimate that I can simply write up based on customer-supplied specs. If a site visit is required, then it depends on the customer. For many of our regular customers, or for a business very close to us, I don't charge to come out and take photos/measurements...
  15. It’s not the name but the layout that made me laugh the most

    I think I've had a few customers like that... "How much if you just give me the letters and I put them on the sign?" "I don't know how big. Maybe about like that (points to sign on lobby wall) but a little bigger!"
  16. Who is going to ISA this year and what is your favorite part about it?

    I'm thinking about going this year. I typically visit the regional shows in our area, but haven't gone to any of the larger national ones yet. I'm on the fence since we're not exactly just a sign company - more of a regular print shop that also does signs and apparel. But signs is a big part...
  17. How do you charge for waste?

    Most responses here talk about substrate panels, so I'll answer that one first. Our internal pricing lists shows two prices for each substrate - a per-square-foot price and then a full-sheet price. The square-foot price is much higher than the full-sheet price, and depending on the size, we...
  18. Need Help Printer Cutter for non-graphics business?

    Another thing to consider. I own a roland eco-sol printer. When I have a customer who needs 4,000 stickers, I usually outsource them to a vendor who has equipment that is far more efficient than mine and can run the entire process (print, laminate, cut) all in one step. Running thousands of...
  19. best sign related injury :)

    Not exactly sign related, but I was hanging a basketball goal, using a scissor lift, in a new gym my church was building. A fabricator had hung the entire ceiling crank-up mounting bracket. I painted it and then had to hang the glass backboard on the already-installed height adjusting...
  20. Need Help Roland XR-640 Print and Cut issues

    I'm not sure which way you're running this through when you're cutting. A few months ago, the side-to-side (Scan direction) alignment on our Roland started to mess up in the middle of a print. It would start cutting okay and then get worse as the cut progressed. Cleaning the encoder strip...
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