Eco-sol vs. UV printer pros and cons

[DAHVID]

Hi. I have an older Roland SG 300 which has been a workhorse. It's having quirks and I'm thinking about upgrading to a larger format 55 inch printer. I'm wondering if staying with Eco or changing to UV would be beneficial. I run a graphic design program at a high school and we print banners, stickers, wall decals, etc. Any expertise here is much appreciated. I've been really happy with Roland.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

As a person who works on both, I only run UV. It's more tolerant to neglect (inks don't dry up, but you need to shield them from light), no need for heated platens, and the ink tends to cost less depending on model. Still good to do your daily maintenance, but as long as powered, I don't have to worry about being out of town for a week or two and losing tons of nozzles or entire heads. Also fun things like clear and white are good to have and it gets people more familiar with modern workflows.