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Banner only printer advice needed
- Thread starter GoTeez
- Start date
GoTeez
New Member
We have been printing tees for 22 years and there are some basics I would share if asked. A salesaman is there to sell you his line of product. I would rather hear from sign makers who have been doing to for years or decades because chances are I don't need the latest and greatest. Maybe I can make a good banner from a base level machine. I doubt a salesman will want me buying low.
GAC05
Quit buggin' me
I don't know what is best but some things to consider:
Look for a 4 color printer - if banners are going to be your focus extra color channels are not going to help, but dual cmyk for speed would be good if you need to print really fast.
The fewer channels the less to maintain.
See if they offer a bulk ink option. If they don't see if a 3rd party bulk system is offered for the model you want and see what end users have to say about it.
Banners eat up a lot of ink due to their size and a bulk system could save a good deal of money over the long run.
I'd skip the latex machines for banners as most solvent/eco-solvent are faster and are easier to load/unload.
Look for a printer with good sturdy material handling set-ups both going into the printer and the take up reel on the other end - banner material is heavy.
I have a Mutoh 1304 (the latest in this series is the 1324) - it does banners but is not ideal for them. The take up reel is pretty good but the roll holders cannot hold a full roll of 54 x 50m banner.
Max weight for the roll on mine is 42lbs and a full 54" roll can weigh 70lbs + depending on the type of material 10oz, 13oz, 18oz etc..
Buy the biggest printer you can afford and learn to panel banners wider than your printer either by glue (HH66) or heat welding.
When you do meet up with a dealer have him show you what the output looks like on banner material at the different production speeds that are offered.
Most advertise really high speeds but the quality might not be as good you would expect. Banners don't need to be perfect but they do need to look good.
Good luck.
wayne k
guam usa
Look for a 4 color printer - if banners are going to be your focus extra color channels are not going to help, but dual cmyk for speed would be good if you need to print really fast.
The fewer channels the less to maintain.
See if they offer a bulk ink option. If they don't see if a 3rd party bulk system is offered for the model you want and see what end users have to say about it.
Banners eat up a lot of ink due to their size and a bulk system could save a good deal of money over the long run.
I'd skip the latex machines for banners as most solvent/eco-solvent are faster and are easier to load/unload.
Look for a printer with good sturdy material handling set-ups both going into the printer and the take up reel on the other end - banner material is heavy.
I have a Mutoh 1304 (the latest in this series is the 1324) - it does banners but is not ideal for them. The take up reel is pretty good but the roll holders cannot hold a full roll of 54 x 50m banner.
Max weight for the roll on mine is 42lbs and a full 54" roll can weigh 70lbs + depending on the type of material 10oz, 13oz, 18oz etc..
Buy the biggest printer you can afford and learn to panel banners wider than your printer either by glue (HH66) or heat welding.
When you do meet up with a dealer have him show you what the output looks like on banner material at the different production speeds that are offered.
Most advertise really high speeds but the quality might not be as good you would expect. Banners don't need to be perfect but they do need to look good.
Good luck.
wayne k
guam usa
Pacific Sign
New Member
We have been having great success with our Mimaki JV3-160 SP. It's an older machine, but I've just seen a sale on the newer model Mimaki JV33-160 for around $10,000. It was in an email somewhere. You can run banners at 4 pass/ Bi Directional on the fast setting for quick turnarounds.
It probably also depends on what quantities you plan on running? Just wanted to say that the latex is great because the banners are dry the moment they come out of the printer, even with heavy ink coverage. This can be an advantage if you are in a hurry to start finishing the banners. On the con side is that you for the moment won't find bulk ink for them as GAC05 pointed out. I think that is a very important point if you plan to run larger quantities. I also think you can get a great del on some new Roland print only machines at the moment. They have great speed if that's important. Good luck!
FatCat
New Member
IMHO - there are 2 ways to look at this.
1. If you HAVE to get a printer (you didn't say what kind of volume) and you want to do it on the cheap, I would guess an old JV3 would be perfect if it is in good working order. They are built like tanks, can handle the heavy weights easily and will print all day without missing a beat and handle everything up to 5' baner. However, I would stress that having a printer is not the entire solution. Realize you will have to have big room and big tables (5x10-12' minimum) Even so, you'll get the orders for 15', 20, etc. and will need to be able to work on those efficiently in your shop. Add in a grommet machine, hemming tape and/or a sewing machine and you'll start to realize there is more to it than just the printer.
2. If it were me, and ALL I was going to do was banners - I would sub it out to someone like Signs365 or another wholesaler and know that I'm getting a good deal at $1.00-$1.49/sq ft. and mark it up to what my market will bear. NO PRINTER TO REPAIR, NO SEWING, NO GROMMETS, NO MESS and NO LARGE TABLES AND SPACE NEEDED!!!
1. If you HAVE to get a printer (you didn't say what kind of volume) and you want to do it on the cheap, I would guess an old JV3 would be perfect if it is in good working order. They are built like tanks, can handle the heavy weights easily and will print all day without missing a beat and handle everything up to 5' baner. However, I would stress that having a printer is not the entire solution. Realize you will have to have big room and big tables (5x10-12' minimum) Even so, you'll get the orders for 15', 20, etc. and will need to be able to work on those efficiently in your shop. Add in a grommet machine, hemming tape and/or a sewing machine and you'll start to realize there is more to it than just the printer.
2. If it were me, and ALL I was going to do was banners - I would sub it out to someone like Signs365 or another wholesaler and know that I'm getting a good deal at $1.00-$1.49/sq ft. and mark it up to what my market will bear. NO PRINTER TO REPAIR, NO SEWING, NO GROMMETS, NO MESS and NO LARGE TABLES AND SPACE NEEDED!!!
rjssigns
Active Member
To answer the initial question get a 54" machine and stock 54" and 36" 13oz and a roll of 36" anti-curl for retractable displays.
But the truth is FatCat nailed it with Item 2 in his post. Sub-it-out. If we get an order for more than three 4x8's they get jobbed out.
My last nugget of wisdom. Sit down with your accountant and do an opportunity cost analysis. In lieu of that a cost/benefit analysis. Your accountant will also be made aware of a an ugly thing called carrying costs. You may be shocked.
But the truth is FatCat nailed it with Item 2 in his post. Sub-it-out. If we get an order for more than three 4x8's they get jobbed out.
My last nugget of wisdom. Sit down with your accountant and do an opportunity cost analysis. In lieu of that a cost/benefit analysis. Your accountant will also be made aware of a an ugly thing called carrying costs. You may be shocked.
you are the one who sounds paranoid.. as you can see by his avatar, his company is GoTeez add a .com and you see right on the main page that they are in alcoa tn