Any Good Wide Format Printers w/Cutters under $20,000?

[PrintingSol]

I currently have a deal for an OKI E64s for $10,500 and a Graphtec 8600 64" for $6000.

So a grand total of $16,500.

If there a better Printer w/Cutter than this?

The only think I personally like is a Mimaki CJV150-160 64" for about $16,000. But Im certain that the OKI + Graphtec bundle is a better deal.

Latex is an option as well. I just dislike the fact that latex (from what I heard) wastes about 12"-18" of material before each job.

 

[Gino]

The real question is.... are you looking for a deal on price or on quality ??

As for the waste, years ago, it wasn't a good feeling we got, when we hadda throw away the skin off the paint that formed in the cans. It was like throwing good money away, but it was a necessary evil. Group it in with the cost of doing business.

 

[player]

The built in cutters historically have not been as good as the quality stand alone cutters.

 

[PrintingSol]

The real question is.... are you looking for a deal on price or on quality ??

As for the waste, years ago, it wasn't a good feeling we got, when we hadda throw away the skin off the paint that formed in the cans. It was like throwing good money away, but it was a necessary evil. Group it in with the cost of doing business.

Well the obvious answer would be quality. I would love a latex since we do about 1-2 vehicle wraps per week. I know it’s not a huge loss, but we do use a lot of Reflective Wrap Vinyl ($90 a yard). I’ve just seen the HP nightmare a local shop, the machine has been constantly down since he bought his 360.

I currently own a Mimaki CJV30-160 and a Roland XR640. But would like a third printer.

 

[George S]

Well the obvious answer would be quality. I would love a latex since we do about 1-2 vehicle wraps per week. I know it’s not a huge loss, but we do use a lot of Reflective Wrap Vinyl ($90 a yard). I’ve just seen the HP nightmare a local shop, the machine has been constantly down since he bought his 360.

I currently own a Mimaki CJV30-160 and a Roland XR640. But would like a third printer.

"HP Nightmare"??? We have a 360 and a 365 and love them. Our 360 has had 1 service call in 3 years and we run it everyday. For the money I think they are a great value and the quality that comes out of them is really great.

 

[Gino]

With 1.5 wraps a week under your belt and other printers available, I'd go for quality, period. You'll make up the extra money within a week or two. As for latex vs eco-sol, that's a choice only you can make from actual comparisons. Here, you will basically get emotional outbursts and not always sound answers.

 

[BigfishDM]

I currently have a deal for an OKI E64s for $10,500 and a Graphtec 8600 64" for $6000.

So a grand total of $16,500.

If there a better Printer w/Cutter than this?

The only think I personally like is a Mimaki CJV150-160 64" for about $16,000. But Im certain that the OKI + Graphtec bundle is a better deal.

Latex is an option as well. I just dislike the fact that latex (from what I heard) wastes about 12"-18" of material before each job.

I have a branch in San Antonio with the HP latex and the new Mimaki UV w/white inks, why don't you come on down and we can show you which one would make a good choice for you. Bring a some files and we can print them for ya. We also have the Graphtec cutter in there as well to show you that one too.

 

[TomK]

Epson S40600 or Epson S60600, wait for a discount/special on them, and you can get a great price point. Also, get a Summa S2T series cutter, keep the workflow separate vs a single print/cut machine.

I'm a Latex owner, and if I were buying again (my next printer) I'd be buying the Epson machines. There are a bunch of threads on here that talk about Latex vs Eco-sol, like Gino said - only you can make that decision, not us.

Whatever route you go, do not buy a printer without printing samples of YOUR artwork, don't take what a vendor/reseller prints and think your output will look like that, it won't. Take your high quality files, and go print them on multiple vendor machines, not just one reseller that only carries 1 or 2 brands. Go see an HP dealer, a Mimaki dealer, an Epson dealer, etc.

When you go visit said dealer(s), I'd also take the vinyl that you use and not what the reseller has in stock, you are spending a big chunk of change, slow down, take your time, and don't rush into a decision or let a slick sales guy give you the pitch, especially the "on sale now, hurry and buy now!!!" - these things are always on sale, especially around the times of the industry trade shows.

 

[TimToad]

The built in cutters historically have not been as good as the quality stand alone cutters.

We're running a GERBER P2C 48" and a Roland VP540 VersaCamm and frankly can't see much difference in plotting accuracy except in the area of doing really long runs. The stand alone plotter did about a 200" long run of text yesterday and the Roland wouldn't handle that long of a run without some drift.

 

[Gino]

Just cut over 40 yards of white on the Gerber HP750. Absolutely perfect from front to back. I like sprocket fed plotters.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

I have a branch in San Antonio with the HP latex and the new Mimaki UV w/white inks, why don't you come on down and we can show you which one would make a good choice for you. Bring a some files and we can print them for ya. We also have the Graphtec cutter in there as well to show you that one too.

Are you guys seeing much success with the Mimaki uv for wraps? I just wish I could get their 10' machine with that inkset

 

[PrintingSol]

I have a branch in San Antonio with the HP latex and the new Mimaki UV w/white inks, why don't you come on down and we can show you which one would make a good choice for you. Bring a some files and we can print them for ya. We also have the Graphtec cutter in there as well to show you that one too.

So you actually got me thiniking, on the HP 64". Heres the question, I noticed that the HP Cut Solution is roughly $6,000.

How good is the HP Cut Solution compared to a Graphtec 8600?

 

[klingsdesigns]

That would be the summa cutter. They are comparable. I think the graphtec does better on perf cuts. But the summa is more accurate doing long runs.

 

[BigfishDM]

So you actually got me thiniking, on the HP 64". Heres the question, I noticed that the HP Cut Solution is roughly $6,000.

How good is the HP Cut Solution compared to a Graphtec 8600?

The cut solution is good and user friendly, The 8600 is a slightly better cutter in my opinion, but the HP solution is fine.

 

[BigfishDM]

Are you guys seeing much success with the Mimaki uv for wraps? I just wish I could get their 10' machine with that inkset

No, not at all. I sell it for a very specific market who must have white ink. Great for the decal mfg's and high end backlits off of clear film. I do not recommend UV for wraps yet.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

No, not at all. I sell it for a very specific market who must have white ink. Great for the decal mfg's and high end backlits off of clear film. I do not recommend UV for wraps yet.

Their 3M certified ink samples we have received seem to stretch really well, I just can't find anyone using it here for wraps in a traditional sense.