Do you use a Print/Cut System or Separate Print+Plotter

[appstro]

I do alot of decals so print/cut (Roland sp-300) for me. Also work out of the garage and may not be as busy as the others here. I have a separate 24 inch plotter for most plot jobs. This combo works great. I do wish I had a wider printer though so I could offer larger banners!

 

[Matt-Tastic]

For places that don't that the volume to require simultaneous printing/cutting, or whose primary business isn't graphics, a print/cut combo is ideal. it saves space and can require less interaction, leaving a 1-person operation time to do other tasks.

For places with nominal throughput, a separate device (typically a standalone cutter) makes you more efficient and gives you the ability to do 2 jobs at once. It requires more interaction with the devices, but standalone devices are typically faster and more accurate than their combo counterparts.

Example: the Mimaki CJV30 is basically a JV33 with a CGSR plotter built in. If you were to purchase a separate setup, the JV33 tracks media better (because it uses a single roller, rather than pinch rollers) and the plotter would most likely be a CGFX, which has double the speed and downforce to cut with. The cost difference is typically 1k-2k more, for significantly more production ability.

 

[redbarn]

We have both, I don't understand everyones problem. Can't beat the conveince of all in one, plotters are super cheap and relatively small. both.

 

[Gino]

When starting out, we always had an all-in-one setup. We now have several printers and cutters, but we still have an all-in-one setup in constant use.

It all depends on your needs, real estate and pocketbook.

 

[MikeD]

Another consideration is the type of printing you want to do. Print Cut combos don't really allow for dry time or lamination. Thermal resin (Summa DC4, Matan..) do not need to dry and can lay down clear scratch guard prior to cutting.
Good Luck!

 

[tsgstl]

separate

If one machine goes down....... WHEN one machine goes down you are still in business. Not to mention heavy ink saturation with full bleed (especially matte) needs to sit before contour cutting.

When things are hopping I have both machines making me money.

 

[bob]

I vastly prefer single purpose machines. A printer that also pretends to be a plotter, and perhaps vice versa, is inherently inferior to having separate machines.

Once upon a time, maybe 25-30 years ago, i watched a Shopsmith demo at a local mall. I was smitten with this machine. I bought one on the spot with all the accessories, went home and sold all my stationary tools. My radial arm saw, table saw, drill press, joiner-planer, and band saw all went down the road.

The Shopsmith turned out to everything imaginable and absolutely nothing well. I found myself spending far more time changing setups and wrangling accessories than actually using the tool. I turns out that more often than not one needs various tasks, such as sawing, edge planing, drilling, etc., simultaneously rather than serially.

It's major problem was that it was too light weight to provide a platform sufficiently stable to accurately cut and otherwise deal with woodworking. That and the ridiculously small table for a 10" table saw.

A short time later, disillusioned, I sold the Shopsmith and purchased stationary tools. Table saw, drill press, band saw, joiner-planer, belt/disk sander, and spindle sander. I didn't replace the radial arm saw, it was a relic from a different era and had no place in a civilized shop.

Separate single purpose tools have always trumped multipurpose equipment. In my experience.

 

[Caliber Sign Guy]

Depends on Priorities.....

I work on a Roland Sol-Jet SC-540EX which contour cuts or I can print on an HP L25500 which I then plot on a Graphtec FC-7000 130.....both work great but with different pros/cons. I think the Roland is more accurate for smaller decals and it is definitely a time saver when plotting without the lamination stage in between...it's a space saver in that sense as well. The HP printing with the Graphtec cutting leaves my printer available to print while cutting is occurring, but the alignment is only adequate for door graphic size stuff or very undemanding small decal work.

 

[xpressive]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt7swhHRDkM

I wouldn't use this video as an accurate representation of times. The person who created this video is most likely a sales person trying to sell the HP or Graphtec (or both) watch closely, you will see when the Roland cuts, it is jumping all over the sheet but they have the Graphtec cutting row by row (using a much More efficient cut file) the HP printer is also printing a lower resolution then the Roland which makes it print faster. The video also depicts one of HPs fastest printers and one Graphtecs fastest cutters but they are using Roland slowest entry level print/cut system. A Roland soljet is much faster then Versacamm. YES separate is slightly faster but it isn't 2 times faster as in the video. Like several people have said, the efficiency will depend on what you use it for, if you don't laminate anything, I would go print/cut. If you laminate much, I would do separate.

 

[MichaelAlmand]

I have had both and the separate is by far the most effective way to go.