Need Help Advice on printer

[Mikeofcanton]

Currently using solvent printer and it's time for a new printer. I am wondering if switching to latex or UV would be better. We generally just print on vinyl and banner.

Would really appreciate input on advantages and disadvantages of the latex and uv roll to roll printers.

 

[d fleming]

Currently using solvent printer and it's time for a new printer. I am wondering if switching to latex or UV would be better. We generally just print on vinyl and banner.

Would really appreciate input on advantages and disadvantages of the latex and uv roll to roll printers.

Haven't used latex or uv personally but know those who have. If precision is key latex doesn't seem to be quite there and are power hogs from what I have seen. Dealing with hp can be a pita also. I just purchased a printer using eco sol inkset and I am impressed with how quick vinyl can be die cut even through bleeds versus my old full solvent printer. Not so stinky either.

 

[signheremd]

Advantages & Disadvantages of UV: Cures immediately, Color can flake off of vinyl if not laminated, Color is raised, so subtle air bubbles around edge of printed areas when laminated.

We have a Roland XR640 Eco-Solvent printer now. It has been great. If we were to buy another printer it would be another Roland or the new Epson S80600.

 

[TexasEmb]

Have an HP Latex: Pros - little maintenance. I can turn it off for weeks and not print and then fire up and it's good to go. No smell/no off gassing. Immediate use and ability to print on more media types than eco-solv. We do several banners for local teams, quick vinyl signage for convenience stores and HTV for sports. It's been great for those. Biggest for us was the cost of replacement heads. About $150 total easy to replace without a tech.
Cons: Has a graininess issue for some colors. Can be finicky on certain media - finding certified media it the best. You can create your own profiles for media. Some medias have a weird lead on them where you are printing 6-12 inches past the start of the roll in the media. Sounds terrible but on most media its maybe $.50-1.00 worth of media.

If the main purpose is small stickers - a latex would probably be disappointing to another industry/signage person. The stickers I've sold to sports parents, agriculture groups for their boxes, don't really pay attention to the graininess. Just really depends on needs.

 

[GC Decor]

If you have the Budget check out a Canon Colorado. Its a UV gel printer & its been amazing for us. Crazy fast & the colors are great, perfect for Banners and wallcoverings. The nice thing about UV is you can take it right from the printer & start working, no curing times or waiting to laminate. Best ink we have seen, doesn't crack or flake & its extremely durable without laminate. The main drawback for most is the high up front cost but it easily pays for itself at $.10 per sq ft ink cost.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

For latex owners, honestly, being able to sit for weeks is always cited. Why would you buy a printer if your workload is such that it'd sit for weeks? An eco solvent can sit for a week too. We went 5 years on the original captop and dampers. HP will sell you a lot of parts in 5 years.

 

[IndySignPro]

Advantages & Disadvantages of UV: Cures immediately, Color can flake off of vinyl if not laminated, Color is raised, so subtle air bubbles around edge of printed areas when laminated.

We have a Roland XR640 Eco-Solvent printer now. It has been great. If we were to buy another printer it would be another Roland or the new Epson S80600.

We have an 8 year old XR 640 and it is a TANK! 2 Years ago we bought an Epson S80600 and it is GARBAGE! Amazing print quality and speed, but the machine itself is junk. Over $10k in repairs under warranty and we have spend $6k on maintenance and repairs after that. We are replacing it in 2023 with another Roland.

 

[petepaz]

we have solvent, eco solvent, latex and uv all have there pro's and con's and all are good at specific purposes but if all you're doing is vinyl and banners i would stick with solvent. we have had good experiences with roland up until the truvis.
that was a piece of crap. also roland has done away with the workhorse models like XC and XR. their new printers have great print quality but speed is ridiculously slow. our latex seems to be a little bit touchy with different materials, great for backlit but other materials always takes a while to get dialed in. with our XC and XR we pretty much put the material in and away we go. UV machines you will have issues with lamination and they are also slower than the solvent and eco solvent machines

 

[darinmcd]

I've had multiple printers over the years. Currently running HP 800W. It's my favorite one I've ever had. Service is amazing as well.

 

[TexasEmb]

For latex owners, honestly, being able to sit for weeks is always cited. Why would you buy a printer if your workload is such that it'd sit for weeks? An eco solvent can sit for a week too. We went 5 years on the original captop and dampers. HP will sell you a lot of parts in 5 years.

For me, I'm not a full time sign shop - we are a sports team dealer so we have seasonal work. I do banners, stickers, HTV prints seasonally, not daily. The ability for my needs for a printer to not be in use and still fire up when needed was mandatory. I'm in S101 because of the crossover of equipment between sign shop and apparel shop.