Buying a new printer...Which one?

[danger]

Im loving my surecolor ! crazy fast with great color gamut

 

[klemgraphics]

And I still haven't made a decision.....more confused now than before

Seriously considering the HP L26500 right now

A few concerns I have for it though....

Will I be able to print on economy grade vinyl?
If used only 1-4 hrs per day how long will it last? 3yrs? 5yrs? 10yrs?
Will it even be supported when HP comes out with a new model in a year or so? I read in another thread that HP designed them to be 3 year printers and would discontinue support fter that.
What is the best rip to use?

Probably 2nd is the Epson 30670

Concerns...

Parts prices once it is out of warranty??
Ink cost psf??
Ink dry time & durability??

The more i think about the Mimaki JV33 the more I think I will be buying old technology and be behind before I even start printing with it...maybe not.


Which printer has the widest color gamut???

Maybe I should just toss a coin??

 

[tomence]

I would get the SureColor for sure. I really liked that printer but bought a Roland, not that i've made a mistake but should have waited little bit longer to get the Epson, just for the speed nothing else.

 

[BigfishDM]

Just the time you will save cleaning your heads makes the latex the best option for you especially if you plan on not running it all the time. Support won't be any issue with HP even when the printer is not sold anymore, just look at how they did the 5500's they have been off the market for years but support is still great on it. It prints economy vinyl and just about anything else you can imagine. Ink costs are not going to be much different then the solvent guys either.

 

[WI]

Buy the Mimaki.

All the shiny new whiz-bang tech in the world is pretty much insignificant in the face of a machine that prints bright, consistent colors, very quickly with relentless reliability.

(That said, DO NOT get white/silver ink on the JV33. That is a waste of time and money. If you need white, get a UV printer)

I would personally warn you away from anything with an HP logo on it, and leave it at that.

 

[petepaz]

Here is the answer you are looking for: Buy the printer from the dealer that is closest to your shop and has certified techs. Do this even if you have to pay more.

I learned an ugly expensive lesson ignoring this principle.

You can thank me the first time your new printer quits in the middle of a deadline job and the repair tech is just across town.

+1
service is a big part of buying a printer. we have 4 rolands and they work great not to say your other options won't but we also have good service from tyrrelltech. there have been 1 or 2 times our machine was down and i couldn't fix it and they came out and got us running again with little down time. we can't go a day ot two with our printers not working

 

[klemgraphics]

After talking with a few people today I think I am leaning toward the Mimaki (which I can get a smokin deal on right now)....Then if I want to get into a latex later on I'm sure the technology will improve as it always does and I will still have a good amount of value in the Mimaki. Also this way I will get an extra year warranty, not have near the learning curve, and have something that I know will be solid for a long time. I'm looking at the cmyk x2.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

latex is not a good choice ! there many things vs eco-solvent !!!
any Latex User often tell there is a great machine/technic but still solvent Printer can you bring the right profit for your business. If you will to make HP and her latex lie (latex are green a.s.o) the only winner in business is HP !!!

1st the Printheads are the greates ****...you need many PH in the year.
ok.....they looks cheap...is it cheap for sh..? garbage mountain of PH not even the 3-4-6ltr. worked be very very Big..... ohhyeaahhh is very green.
2. Inks are to expensive
3. Printing Media to small and to expensive
4. Energie cost very very expensive (Germany a big Position ~0,25€ per Kwh) ohhhyeahhhh a very good advice for Green !
5. startup time 30mins for preheating....5000-6000 Watt, very green too!!!
6. electricity consumption of the print is very high !!! usable green electric to make it light green ;-)
AND the WINNER are.......HP ;-)

ok sorry for my quote.....but still is eco-solvent the best choice this time.

The EPSON SURECOLOR is the favorit and a real alternativ to Latex(HP)...
1. The Printquality is better then Latex(HP)
2. Mediahandling better, cheaper and many many Medias they work Good.
3. you need no aircleaner a.s.o
4. Very Cheap Ink-Cost
5. Very Cheap electrical cost
6. Faster Print in same and better Quality
7.8.9.100.........
and many many more things they make the surecolor to the favorit !!!

regards
wunder

My startup time takes no where near 30 minutes, I went over a year with the same set of print heads and HP recycles them for free anyways, my electricity cost has hardly changed at all and I contribute the slight increase due to the fact that I run it at least twice as much as the solvent printer I had.

 

[xxaxx]

The HP is really nice, the colors and gradients are great (Caldera Rip), you can print then take straight from the printer to the laminator and run it through immediately with no wait time, no solvent chemical smells, and really easy to use. We have had ours for I believe almost 3 years and no major issues at all ... everyday constant use and running strong.

And yeah it is nowhere near 30 minutes start up time for heating up ... more like 2-3 minutes.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

If you like dull flat images printed on gloss materials that scrach off like a water based printer, go with a latex.

If you want nice bright glossy prints that have that POP factor, Id get a solvent printer id also buy the Mimaki. I have my JV3 160SP since 2006 and it still runs excelent to this day!

 

[Mr. Sign Pro]

If you like dull flat images printed on gloss materials that scrach off like a water based printer, go with a latex.

This statement is absurd. The prints off my latex are far more scratch resistant than they ever were off my Roland. The prints aren't glossy, that is correct but how many things do you send out your door that aren't laminated with gloss laminate anyhow? HP latex is a great technology it is only hated by those who haven't adopted it.

 

[BigfishDM]

this statement is absurd. The prints off my latex are far more scratch resistant than they ever were off my roland. The prints aren't glossy, that is correct but how many things do you send out your door that aren't laminated with gloss laminate anyhow? Hp latex is a great technology it is only hated by those who haven't adopted it.

x1000!

 

[xxaxx]

This statement is absurd. The prints off my latex are far more scratch resistant than they ever were off my Roland. The prints aren't glossy, that is correct but how many things do you send out your door that aren't laminated with gloss laminate anyhow? HP latex is a great technology it is only hated by those who haven't adopted it.

Agreed!

 

[ForgeInc]

Didn't know "glossy" meant better. Personally, I prefer a much more matte finish to finished prints anyway, looks higher end in my humble opinion.

 

[particleman]

The 26500 inkset is considerably more glossy than the 25500. So much so we thought the ink wasn't cured properly compared to the 25. So to each his own, the 26500 pretty much took care of the gloss issue IMO. If you want high gloss use laminate.

 

[Esdale]

We purchased a HP 26500 latex 6 months ago use Onyx 10.2
I have nothing but good things to say about the 26500 it has done really well with every job we have thrown at it so far. We also have a Mutoh 1608 which is a big waste of time and money the 26500 was the right move for us.