buying a second hand vs new

[Pacific Coast Sign]

If you do find a used printer you are interested in, get the serial number from the owner. You can then contact a Roland tech and have them look up the repair history on that printer.

And, as mentioned above, have the owner do a test print for you... I'm talking about having them push the Test Print button to print a test pattern from each head. Having them print an actual print would be good too.

Personal experience: I know someone who payed $5,000 for a used SP-540v. It printed great for about a month then... poof... one of the print heads died. The new owner spent a little over a grand to buy a new print head and have it installed by a service tech. Sounds like a big bill, but over all, still a great deal at $6,500! That repair was over two years ago and the printer is still going strong.

I, personally, wouldn't be to overlyconcerned with buying used equipment... even if you have to spend a little bit of money to have a tech come out and tune it up. Most repairs are straight forward and long lasting.

I would not consider a used printer if:
- It's interior looks like an ink bomb went off inside. (Some ink spattering is to be expected)
- Several of the covers and protective plates are missing.
- Was used in a "Mobile" print shop. (Sorry mobile print shop owners... not knocking you!)
- The printer is in a humid environment.

~R~

 

[DRamm76]

It's just like buying a car. Look for for one with low miles and a good owner.

I would hope you only mean that in the "miles and good owner" sense..Buying a printer or ANY equipment for that matter is NOTHING like buying a car. Buying a car the thing loses value the second you drive it off the lot and it only COSTS you money. The printer MAKES you money..HUGE difference.

 

[HulkSmash]

I would hope you only mean that in the "miles and good owner" sense..Buying a printer or ANY equipment for that matter is NOTHING like buying a car. Buying a car the thing loses value the second you drive it off the lot and it only COSTS you money. The printer MAKES you money..HUGE difference.

I think he was referring to a condition of something, and to make sure it was taken care of... not a literal sense of a car value...

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

You can also look into demo machines from your suppliers and save thousands and get a full warranty.

 

[Pacific Coast Sign]

You can also look into demo machines from your suppliers and save thousands and get a full warranty.

Good call.

 

[DRamm76]

I think he was referring to a condition of something, and to make sure it was taken care of... not a literal sense of a car value...

Figured I'd ask..you'd be surprised lol

 

[SignManiac]

In service mode you can print a report that will tell you how many times each side of the head has fired.

They are meant to be changed at around 6 million.

Black seems to go first then Cyan.

My Cyan head just got swapped out at 10 million shots.

Pretty damn accurate. My SolJet is six years old and I replaced the black head last winter and now the cyan is the next to go. Hmm, what comes after cyan?

 

[2 see signz]

some great options there guys, i have been subbing my digital work out, and lately having a few hassles with the output from both owner and quality of work, i think if i had my own , i could be 100% responsible for my own work.
true i don't know allot about digital machines, and i don't have work lined up waiting for it to arrive, but having the machine will open new work and clients...

 

[Jim Hill]

Just my experience but when I looked at all the options such as leasing, buying new and buying used I selected a used SP-300.

After two years the printer I purchased runs like a charm with just doing the general cleanings.

I will say that you can save a great deal of money if you are mechanical and can fix things yourself.

Another factor to consider is how much will the printer be used? 10 hours a day or maybe one hour a day.

Keep the printer clean and in a controlled environment such as a room with A/C

Finding a good used printer is not easy and seeing a test prints before you buy it is very important.

I was lucky in many ways because the person I purchased by printer from was the original owner and he kept the printer like brand new and he replaced many of the parts before he sold it to me.

I could not be happier with the printer and for $5,200 dollars it was a great investment.

The $5,200 included all new ink along with 250 yards of material and all the original manuals and CD's

I am also using ColorRip software and have never had a problem with it.

Just my opinion. Jim Hill

 

[DRamm76]

Just my experience but when I looked at all the options such as leasing, buying new and buying used I selected a used SP-300.

After two years the printer I purchased runs like a charm with just doing the general cleanings.

I will say that you can save a great deal of money if you are mechanical and can fix things yourself.

Another factor to consider is how much will the printer be used? 10 hours a day or maybe one hour a day.

Keep the printer clean and in a controlled environment such as a room with A/C

Finding a good used printer is not easy and seeing a test prints before you buy it is very important.

I was lucky in many ways because the person I purchased by printer from was the original owner and he kept the printer like brand new and he replaced many of the parts before he sold it to me.

I could not be happier with the printer and for $5,200 dollars it was a great investment.

The $5,200 included all new ink along with 250 yards of material and all the original manuals and CD's

I am also using ColorRip software and have never had a problem with it.

Just my opinion. Jim Hill

Jim,

The first line of your post says it all.."runs like a charm with doing the regular cleanings"

Here's the facts..we probably do more Service Calls in the NJ, PA, and NY area than any other dealer out here..We get more calls for NY customers which is funny because there are a couple of pretty well known dealers practically in the same town! NJ uses us frequently and PA now more than ever with Proveer no longer being a Roland dealer..

What I am getting at is with all the calls we go on..90% (and that's no exaggeration) of all the service calls we go on are due to either lack of machine, or failing/malfunctioning 3rd party parts or inks. That's fact.

Good to hear you are getting some good mileage out of your machine just by taking care of it!

 

[Jim Hill]

Thanks!!!

I find cleaning the printer only takes about 15 minutes and it really helps you realize what a wonderful printer the Roland is if you just take care of it.

This printer has never had after market inks run through it.

The previous owner did all his own maintenance on the printer and he was really very helpful in explaining everything he did to me.

Because the former owner did not live close to anyone servicing Roland Printer he did everything himself including changing heads.

I had looked at many used Roland Printers before finding this one.

Many had been in storage for a year or more and there way no way of doing a test print before you purchased the printer which is not a good practice to get into.

Jim Hill