Best Printer for Full Print Wraps

[gamefuel]

OK guys! we are in the middle of building a new shop separate from our sign shop we are dedicating to wraps only which is still pretty new to us. We are still a few months out from having the building finished and running. So we are researching printers just for Full print wraps. We are still a ways out, and are currently just running our wrap panels in our sign shop on the Epson SureColor s70670.

What printers are you guys using? and what would you recommend?

Thanks!

 

[jfiscus]

We are running two of those printers here now, printing wraps day and night.

 

[greysquirrel]

The best bang for the buck is still a latex printer...ink cost/sq' includes all consumables, ink PRINTHEADS and cleaning cartridges...there is no daily maintence..no waste ink to deal with...PRINTHEADS are a consumable lasting 4-5 ink cartridges ea...they off-gas immediately...

and if you are just doing vehicle wraps...you can get the 330 in lieu of the 360...or if you are that busy, get a 370 for bulk ink or wait for the newer units this fall...

nothing against Epson's, Roland's, Mimaki's...they all produce prints 1440x1440 in lieu of 1200x1200 on the hp...but the maintence, cleaning supplies and service can be a back breaker...

That might be my 3 cents!

 

[TXFB.INS]

if you are setting this building up to run only wraps, then go with an HP latex. this will allow you to print and immediately laminate with zero out-gassing

 

[jfiscus]

I have to respectfully disagree, we are a wrap shop here and the HP latex we purchased has been nothing but a nightmare for us. Not interested in debating the issue we have here, but if anyone is interested in buying one with low miles for around half price, let me know!

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

I have to respectfully disagree, we are a wrap shop here and the HP latex we purchased has been nothing but a nightmare for us. Not interested in debating the issue we have here, but if anyone is interested in buying one with low miles for around half price, let me know!

Is it a 360?

 

[myront]

I'd have to agree about not going with the HP360. Absolutely hate it for color matching. Not to mention a whole lot of other stuff. My vote?

AS MENTIONED MANY OTHER TIMES IN THIS FORUM, STAY AWAY FROM HP.

 

[Bly]

The HPs are so bad we have 3 of them.

 

[FatCat]

I have to respectfully disagree, we are a wrap shop here and the HP latex we purchased has been nothing but a nightmare for us. Not interested in debating the issue we have here, but if anyone is interested in buying one with low miles for around half price, let me know!

Sadly, I have heard several similar stories as well - don't want to argue it, but honestly I have found a 50/50 split on other shops either loving or hating their HP latex printers...

I would like to add we run 2 Mutoh 1624s here, and I can tell you there is no way ink price psf is cheaper with latex.
We run bulk ink systems on both and have it figured that our ink costs are roughly .13¢-.15¢ psf on average.

If you do a lot of wraps with a lot of coverage ink prices will be a major factor in your ability to price competitively.
Just my .02¢

 

[Andriy]

Maybe get S80 series if you're looking for something new, otherwise S70 should be fine imo.

 

[2B]

Maybe get S80 series if you're looking for something new, otherwise S70 should be fine imo.

get what you are comfortable with and whoever has the closest tech in case something happens and needs immediate attention.

we have Roland's VS series and it serves us well.
as for as out gassing, we print, let sit overnight and then laminate the following day

 

[Solventinkjet]

I agree with FatCat but couldn't quote for some reason. I love seeing posts saying that one brand or model is a complete piece of trash. Most of the time when you see those posts it's an isolated issue that tainted the users perception of the company. For every shop that says you should never buy a Mutoh, HP, Mimaki or Roland etc., there is one that says you should only use one of those brands. It's always funny to see someone bash a printer that is used by 1000's of shops around the world. They can't all be bad.

 

[rjssigns]

Something to think about if you are handy. Roland, Mimaki and Mutoh you can buy any part you need and service them yourself. Signs 101 has helped me save a ton of money over the years too.

Seems there will never be any aftermarket parts for HP.

If you're used to using "tails"(we don't call it scrap) you can forget the HP. IIRC the smallest usable piece needs to be 42" long. I find loading to be a PITA with HP also. If you run full rolls all day forget the last two.

 

[SightLine]

I also agree with Fatcat, Vander, etc. Something I have said about latex before and I'll say it again.... while I agree that an ink technology like latex or something with no VOC's is likely the future solvent (full/eco/lite) are very very far from dead. There is a very good reason pretty much all machine manufacturers are still developing and introducing brand new models of solvent printers and that is because they are very well proven workhorses. Does a DX5 or DX7 head cost a couple of grand, yes, but it also lasts several years if taken care of. Also ink costs - I have not researched OEM ink costs in a long time but I know if you run aftermarket inks your ink costs can be very low. Ours is right at .11 per milliliter using Triangle. I'd suggest, especially as a newer shop or on a new machine (or unless you are truly printing hours a day every day) to not mess with aftermarket ink though.

On subject and in my opinion my suggestion for a printer would be related to a couple of things. One is what you are comfortable with. That removes the learning curve of figuring out a totally new setup. You already have an Epson so getting another will dramatically minimize any new learning or interruption, will likely allow you to stock one type of ink that can be used in both machines, one set of color profiles that will be fairly consistent across both machines, one common interface, etc. That's one aspect to consider. Another is if you are happy with the Epson. Of course if the machine is terrible then yes you might want to consider something else. Another is support (unless you are highly technical and already do all of your own support in house) for any technical issues and hardware problems. If the closest dealer for your machine is 500 miles away downtime in the event of a problem can be long and expensive. Also somewhat related is supplies. If ink is not readily available (preferably from more than one source in case one happens to be out of some color) than that might also be a deciding factor. There are other considerations as well like physical size and power requirements. Of course reading real world reviews to see what others say about the ease of use and durability of the machines, their media handling, how good does the takeup work, etc., etc.

 

[jfiscus]

Is it a 360?

Yes,
FWIW, we ran 2 Mimakis here for 10+ years, then added an HP 360 6 months ago when we moved to our new building. I can't really say much good about it besides it is pretty fast and you can laminate immediately. As far as colors matching/varying... that's a whole different story. Tech support/repairs are slow also. We added an Epson S70670 3 months ago when workload increased so much that the HP couldn't keep up (and we're trying to phase out the Mimaki printers). Workload is still going up and we decided to add another Epson and get rid of the HP.

Just today we're dealing with reprinting one panel of a truck that was printed on the HP; or probably having to redo the whole side.

 

[Andriy]

Yes,
FWIW, we ran 2 Mimakis here for 10+ years, then added an HP 360 6 months ago when we moved to our new building. I can't really say much good about it besides it is pretty fast and you can laminate immediately. As far as colors matching/varying... that's a whole different story. Tech support/repairs are slow also. We added an Epson S70670 3 months ago when workload increased so much that the HP couldn't keep up (and we're trying to phase out the Mimaki printers). Workload is still going up and we decided to add another Epson and get rid of the HP.

Just today we're dealing with reprinting one panel of a truck that was printed on the HP; or probably having to redo the whole side.

Just out of curiosity, why are you replacing the (hopefully one) panel?
Did the color not match with others?

 

[jfiscus]

Just out of curiosity, why are you replacing the (hopefully one) panel?
Did the color not match with others?

Customer was in an accident, bringing it in for repair, the wrap was printed around 2 months ago.

 

[player]

I remember reading here that latex prints are not as forgiving and a little more difficult when wrapping with them. Anyone know if this is true?

 

[myront]

...Most of the time when you see those posts it's an isolated issue that tainted the users perception of the company

Not in this case. We used HP over ten years ago and hated it then. Went to Mimaki and it was awesome. We loaded one print profile for all different types of media and found it to work with all different types of media i.e. good. We've now went to HP (not my decision) and have tried several different print profiles on all sorts of media and the only ones acceptable to me are ones that use the most inks. Counterproductive to its speed and efficiency advertised. HP reps suggestion. Create your own color palette in your software and tweak the pms colors to te printer. I wanted to slap the ....

Want to eliminate daily head strikes on substrates, waste 8ft of material to pre-attach to the take up before printing - again counterproductive
Load/Unload - total pia
Here's another scenario - Let's say you've set up to do a rather lengthy print. Got it on the take-up and all is going good until you notice the you're getting dangerously close to running out of media. But that's ok, you only need about two feet to go and you have three feet of media left. That media happens to be GLUED to the core and once it reaches that point the print is going to stop without finishing the print. It's ok, I'll just slice it off the core...uh... can't do it because you have to be able reach back there to cut it. We had to rig a knife on a stick to do it.

AND...the onboard knife will not cut banner stock! WTH

bottom line! Do your homework when choosing a printer

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

A) If ink costs are going to weight that heavily on your choice of printer, you are NOT pricing your products right.
B) If you think HP has less maintenance than a Roland, do more research.
C) If you like plastic machines go Mutoh or HP, if you like sturdy metal machines go Roland or Mimaki.
D) Tech support near you should be a consideration.
E) Don't forget, you WILL need to contour cut plenty of graphics for wraps. You'll need a cutter as well.
F) Good luck, sounds like you're doing well.