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Are big names over rated ?

V

V-P

New Member
Hi everyone !

I am a newbie in this forum and a newbie in solvent/eco solvent technology.
I come from the dye/pigment world. A heavy user & specialized technician in canon lfp-s from years.

Well, lately my boss is thinking of jumping into the eco solvent world.

I have been looking around for manufacturers and I see great products from let's say Mutoh, Roland, Epson and others.

I also have been talking to some Chinese manufacturers like StarJet products.
Of course their pricing is 1/3 or 1/4 of the bigger guys.

Most of Chinese manufacturers claim that they use Epson printhead DX5.
Now I don't personally know the quality of the DX5 but if Epson made it, than it must be good. From my experience I know for sure that print head plays a big role in the quality of print. And since every one is using pretty much the same eco solvent ink, than are these Chinese printers worth the money ?

I guess there must be some hidden aspects that I am not able to see now, and I would like to avoid unpleasant surprises, but my boss is pushing me toward the Chinese manufacturers.

Can anyone who has tried both worlds give me some pointers ?

Thnx in advance !
 
rushworks graphics

rushworks graphics

New Member
i have no idea about the chinese printers but you need to think about warrenties, tech help etc. if your new chinese printer arrives and you need a tech to install or if you have a problem at some point how do they cover this?
 
V

V-P

New Member
well, I asked them and they offer one year warranty.
As for replacing parts I don't see much difficulty as I have a lot of experience in servicing dye/pigment plotters.
 
SignManiac

SignManiac

New Member
Careful if ordering directly from Asia. You might pay for and not get anything at all. A lot of scams out there. As the saying goes, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably aint.
 
sfr table hockey

sfr table hockey

New Member
Welcome...

I would say that print heads would not change the quality as much as they change the speed of printing. My old Roland with a DX2 head can print every bit as good as some of the newer printers (DX4 heads) just takes a lot longer. If time is an issue then the new printers are the way to go. As far a replacing a DX5 head or DX4.... all I know is it does not hurt as bad repacing a DX2.

Some printers are a lot easier to work on, love my roland for that, but on a new printer you won't be doing your own repairs....... at least for the first few years.

Latex is another option if you have not looked into it.
 
HulkSmash

HulkSmash

New Member
Ok yes the big names do make a difference in our equipment industry.
Ask the guys with the Chinese plotters. a epson and latex are only 16k.
can't ask for a better deal
 
V

V-P

New Member
sfr table hockey said:
Welcome...

I would say that print heads would not change the quality as much as they change the speed of printing. My old Roland with a DX2 head can print every bit as good as some of the newer printers (DX4 heads) just takes a lot longer. If time is an issue then the new printers are the way to go. As far a replacing a DX5 head or DX4.... all I know is it does not hurt as bad repacing a DX2.

Some printers are a lot easier to work on, love my roland for that, but on a new printer you won't be doing your own repairs....... at least for the first few years.

Latex is another option if you have not looked into it.
Click to expand...

I don't know, from the video I saw it looked pretty simple design.
Carriage + tubes, a service station, feeding rollers. But as I said cannot be sure unless I tear it appart.
What I fear most are quality issues like banding. I don't know how stable Eco solvent technology is in this aspect. Thnx
 
SightLine

SightLine

║▌║█║▌│║▌║▌█
Ok - you can replace parts fine. Good. Now where are you going to get that odd belt, or encoder, or sensor when it needs it? Thing with the mainstream machines - if I need a part I can have it the next day. When my business and livelyhood relies on this machine - that is very important to me.
 
V

V-P

New Member
now, that is a GOOD Point !
If we go Chinese I would have to have stock most of breakable spares...
 
O

OhioSignShop

New Member
Your "Boss" is ignorant of the whole printing industry if he is even considering this crap. The "big names" are big for a good reason, they don't sell junk and they will respond when you have a problem.
 
Letterbox Mike

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Stretchdcanvas said:
What RIPs support that printer?
Click to expand...

this.

And support is a major issue. Tearing down an HP or Canon printer may not be easy, but it's probably a little different than tearing down a solvent machine. And with a brand NOBODY else has, when you disassemble the thing to replace a belt or encoder strip and then can't get it back together right, you'll have nobody here or anywhere else to lean on for help. Dealer/tech support is worth more than the printer to say the least.
 
V

V-P

New Member
I believe the RIP is iPRINT. I don't personally know this RIP

Of course I second all your opinions and I always say:
"Your machine is as good as your service guy"

But in my company there is a tradition : whenever there is a problem - I fix it within 2-3 hours. And when I told my boss that I am not familiar with eco solvent, all he said was : you will manage !

I am trying to push my boss to at least consider a used mutoh or roland.

Thnx guys for reminding me the Importance of Things !!!
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
I’ve seen these deals from China and other far away places. Never understood, why these guys have to be advertising over here when almost ¾’s of the world lives in their country. I mean, let’s face it… if business is so good over there and they have most of the world’s money…. or at least our money….. why not keep it over there ?? Why waste time and money sending chit to the other side of the world ?? The Japanese and Koreans and some others are already doing it, but they’ve been set up over here for years.

Seems most of these things are some type of knockoff. There always seems to be a catch. What does the freight cost you ?? Who is going to set it up for you ?? Where do you get support for tech, let alone parts knowledge ?? When you need help with a profile, do you always have to call China ?? What’s in their ink, since they have different laws over there compared to our much greener laws ?? When they paint the equipment, do they powder coat it with lead based paint ??

For me, I don’t know a single person or company that has one of these machines…… does anyone else ??

That might mean something is wrong…………. or not.


By the way.... where or what is 'Close Enough' close to ??
 
astro8

astro8

New Member
Are you serious?...don't even consider a chinese printer unless you like heartache and headache...complete junk. I'd rather have a second hand big name printer or nothing than a chinese one.
 
V

V-P

New Member
Gino said:
I’ve seen these deals from China and other far away places. Never understood, why these guys have to be advertising over here when almost ¾’s of the world lives in their country. I mean, let’s face it… if business is so good over there and they have most of the world’s money…. or at least our money….. why not keep it over there ?? Why waste time and money sending chit to the other side of the world ?? The Japanese and Koreans and some others are already doing it, but they’ve been set up over here for years.

Seems most of these things are some type of knockoff. There always seems to be a catch. What does the freight cost you ?? Who is going to set it up for you ?? Where do you get support for tech, let alone parts knowledge ?? When you need help with a profile, do you always have to call China ?? What’s in their ink, since they have different laws over there compared to our much greener laws ?? When they paint the equipment, do they powder coat it with lead based paint ??

For me, I don’t know a single person or company that has one of these machines…… does anyone else ??

That might mean something is wrong…………. or not.


By the way.... where or what is 'Close Enough' close to ??
Click to expand...

hem .... nice point of view !!!
I am located in Europe.
 
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