Buying a used flatbed printer, good idea? Which one?

[PrintItBig]

We've been looking at flatbed printers for a while now and to free up some cash to buy a cutter at the same time we're considering buying a used machine.

Options we're looking at are...

4 year old Fuji Acuity Advanced X2 (Printed 12,000 SQM) = £50K ($75K)
6 year old Vutek QS 3220 (had 2 previous owners, no data on mileage) = £60K ($90K)
1 year old Océ Arizona 480XT (Printed 12,000 SQM) = £80K ($120K)
2 year old Océ Arizona 550XT (Printed 48,000 SQM) = £100K ($150K)

Our current thinking is leading us towards the Fuji because of the price and the relatively low amount of printing it's done.

These machines would come with a limited warranty of about a month except for the Vutek which would come with 3 months. After that we would be on our own and it would be up to us to either take out a maintenance contract, an insurance policy, or just pay to fix it as and when it broke.

The Vutek is the only machine we would be able to see running, the others have been decommissioned by a Canon / Fuji engineer and are in storage.

This is our first UV printer. Taking that into account, are we mad considering something like this without it being backed by a full warranty or are the savings worth it?

Just looking for a bit of advice on whether there's anything in particular we need to consider or questions we need to ask about any of the above models?

Any other advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

 

[parrott]

All I can say is find a happy medium with speed and quality. We have had our machine about 3 years now and I can't count the amount of times I wish we had bought more machine/speed. Don't get me wrong our HP has been great, but if we had more room we would definitely buy another one or upgrade to something faster. I have been doing the same thing as yourself and considered buying another used machine (probably vutek) and adding another digital room. It has been a huge game changer for us and the big question is what is our next move. I guess its a good problem to have.

Also, wanted to add that I would never own a machine without a service contract. Make sure the contract is transferable and it's worth every penny and every good nights rest. HP's service thus far has been fantastic.

 

[BigfishDM]

The printheads are everything, if your going to spend $100k on a used machine you might as well spend a little more for a brand new one and get a full warranty.

 

[BigfishDM]

What are the main applications your going to be doing? Whats the most common material your going to use?

 

[BigfishDM]

Buying a printer that is 4 or 6 years old is not a good idea in those price ranges

 

[PrintItBig]

Thanks for the replies.

The printheads are everything, if your going to spend $100k on a used machine you might as well spend a little more for a brand new one and get a full warranty.

It would be quite a bit more to get a new machine of those specs though. The Fuji for example ($75K) was a bit less than 3 times that when new. The Vutek was about 4.5 times the used price.

What are the main applications your going to be doing? Whats the most common material your going to use?

It's a real mix. Foam PVC, Acrylic, ACM, Correx, Card, PVC banner, Vinyl etc

Buying a printer that is 4 or 6 years old is not a good idea in those price ranges

Why, because the prices are too high for those models? Or just that buying a second user machine for relatively large amounts of money is never a good idea?

We were attracted to the Fuji because of the low amount of prints it's done. Likewise the Vutek has a reputation for being built like tank and being a very robust machine.

Should we rethink?

Thanks.

 

[PrintItBig]

All I can say is find a happy medium with speed and quality. We have had our machine about 3 years now and I can't count the amount of times I wish we had bought more machine/speed. Don't get me wrong our HP has been great, but if we had more room we would definitely buy another one or upgrade to something faster. I have been doing the same thing as yourself and considered buying another used machine (probably vutek) and adding another digital room. It has been a huge game changer for us and the big question is what is our next move. I guess its a good problem to have.

Also, wanted to add that I would never own a machine without a service contract. Make sure the contract is transferable and it's worth every penny and every good nights rest. HP's service thus far has been fantastic.

Thanks for the reply.

When you say another used machine, do you mean your HP was used when you bought it? If so, how did that work out?

Thanks again.

 

[BigfishDM]

Whats your biggest concern, speed or quality? Service?

 

[BigfishDM]

Thanks for the replies.



It would be quite a bit more to get a new machine of those specs though. The Fuji for example ($75K) was a bit less than 3 times that when new. The Vutek was about 4.5 times the used price.



It's a real mix. Foam PVC, Acrylic, ACM, Correx, Card, PVC banner, Vinyl etc



Why, because the prices are too high for those models? Or just that buying a second user machine for relatively large amounts of money is never a good idea?

We were attracted to the Fuji because of the low amount of prints it's done. Likewise the Vutek has a reputation for being built like tank and being a very robust machine.

Should we rethink?

Thanks.

Get the heads checked out by a professional and dont buy anything without a head warranty. The Jetrix Flatbeds have 2 year warranty in the UK http://www.inktec-europe.com/jetrix/

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

The price on that vutek is high,

new Vutek Hybrids are listed for about $130k.

90k for 6 year old printer, def not worth that much

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

your in The UK, but a close friend of mine works for Konica here in DC, and they sell the the wide format Vuteks, i have the dealer price if you want to know how much they room they have to negotiate on new ones. if your looking to spend that much coin, go new! PM me

 

[PrintItBig]

Whats your biggest concern, speed or quality? Service?

A mix of speed and quality and hopefully at a reasonably low cost.

We'd also like to be able to print at least 2.2M wide roll to roll and a 10ft x 5ft panel in 1 section hence we're looking at the bigger machines.

Get the heads checked out by a professional and dont buy anything without a head warranty. The Jetrix Flatbeds have 2 year warranty in the UK http://www.inktec-europe.com/jetrix/

We've looked at Jetrix but to get the big bed it would have to be the KX7 which comes out at £130K ($200K).

 

[PrintItBig]

The price on that vutek is high,

new Vutek Hybrids are listed for about $130k.

90k for 6 year old printer, def not worth that much

I'm pretty sure you can't get a new 3.2M Vutek for $130K (possibly one of the smaller Rastek/EFI models?).

The UK list price for the QS3220 was about £280K. Not sure what it would have been in the states but it must of been hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

yeah the its new 65" model that is $130k

 

[Andy D]

I would never consider buying a used printer unless:

1 It was up and running
2 It was a printer I have already used and knew
well enough to spot issues / keep up and running.

My newest printer came with great training & has a 4 year "bumper to bumper" warranty,
that's something I can bank on.

It's hard to build a business on just hope, prayers and luck.
You might luck out or you might be buying someone else's headache.

 

[Nicky Zhou]

Try to find a local dealer who can provide you a good and long service, with a low price printer, with a good service, and lower cost for spare parts, then no matter it a new or used printer.

 

[Glennw]

2nd user flatbed

Hi, what did you go for in the end? We are now exactly where you were in March looking at very similar machines, be interesting to know how you got on

thanks

Glenn