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Epson GS600 vs. other printers
- Thread starter juantxo
- Start date
Letterbox Mike
New Member
Good choice! I will say I would have recommended a separate printer and cutter, an all-in-one machine could be a pretty big bottleneck in a high-production workflow, I know it would kill us. But you made an excellent decision, it's a very good machine.
"Insignia, just curious. What is the difference in ink cost GS6000 vs. JV-33? Also what material have you had problems with as far as extra heavy?"
I estimate it to be about twice as much. The GS6000 goes through a LOT of ink when it self-cleans. I've been told multiple times you can reduce the number of cleanings significantly, but as-is, the green has already killed one print head in 6 months, so I'm not taking the chance with fewer cleanings. Also, the JV33 is 4-color, the GS6000 is 8, and while it doesn't use a significant amount of lc, lm, orange and green, it still uses them and they still cost money.
As far as heavy material, we bought the thing specifically to print wallpaper material, we print a large amount of custom wallpaper using Korographics material. It absolutely will not run through the printer. The same for just about any banner material. Epson has been in a couple times to investigate and they always say "it's the material", to which I say BS, I remove it from the Epson, put it directly in the Mimaki and it prints flawlessly. This is the same for Korographics, Ultraflexx Wallscapes, Ultraflexx 13oz banner, Bantex 18oz banner, and a half dozen other "thick" materials. Literally nothing prints right, either it skews, doesn't pull at all, or warps, causing head strikes.
What Epson doesn't tell you when you buy the printer, is the only material they "approve" for printing through the GS6000 is their photo paper, their canvas and 3M IJ180. If you have problems running ANYTHING else, they will wash their hands of it and tell you it's "not approved media, this printer is not designed to run this". Seriously. That's their answer, I've heard it a dozen times from them now. I know others are able to run heavy stock through their machine with no problems, and that's great, but there are a lot of people who cant. The machine is not consistently manufactured, some work right, others don't, it's a tossup which one you'll get, and if you get a bad one, there is literally nothing they will do to help, they have excuses for everything that goes wrong, they trace it all back to media.
Patentagosse
New Member
Here's my 0.02¢...
There's a place near Toronto that printed some Sprinter kits for me (graphics + letters/logos) with their Mutoh printer but last year they decided to get a new printer so they opted for the Epson one. WoW! great results, great colors BUT they used liquid laminate previously which they no longer can now with the Epson. Clearcoat just don't grip on that ink as I've been said. That put 'em in hot water because prices were set according to material used (MPI1005EZ + Liquid Laminate + contour cut) but now they have to use laminate film, that really cut their profits. As we had a settlement for price, they were kind enough to respect it but I know they don't make very much on kits right now.
I'm telling you that in case some use liquid laminate (the Neschen 1600 something device, you know what I'm referring to) because I'm not sure Epson sellers know 'bout that. According to my supllier, if they knew that from the start, they would never bought it...
There's a place near Toronto that printed some Sprinter kits for me (graphics + letters/logos) with their Mutoh printer but last year they decided to get a new printer so they opted for the Epson one. WoW! great results, great colors BUT they used liquid laminate previously which they no longer can now with the Epson. Clearcoat just don't grip on that ink as I've been said. That put 'em in hot water because prices were set according to material used (MPI1005EZ + Liquid Laminate + contour cut) but now they have to use laminate film, that really cut their profits. As we had a settlement for price, they were kind enough to respect it but I know they don't make very much on kits right now.
I'm telling you that in case some use liquid laminate (the Neschen 1600 something device, you know what I'm referring to) because I'm not sure Epson sellers know 'bout that. According to my supllier, if they knew that from the start, they would never bought it...
Jim Doggett
New Member
Getting into too many of the minutia makes printer shopping pretty daunting, I believe. Plus few have used every printer, and we all tend to like what we bought, with a degree of bias since none of us want to think we made a bad decision.
So cutting to chase, I think it comes down to this: there's the new tech, HP latex, and then everyone else that matters, who use Epson heads and eco-sol.
My opinion ...
HP, is probably nice as all get out, especially being able to laminate immediately after printing. But HP heads aren't as good Espon's. Also, you're tied to HP inks, which are probably the real money-maker since dealers are price-cutting the equipment deeply and remarkable early in the printer's life-cycle. It's a razor and blades model that has served HP well.
Espon, Mimaki, Roland and Mutoh have higher-res and in my opinion the best heads around: Epson. Roland has print and cut. Mutoh has Wave Printing. And Epson has the real deal Hexachrome, albeit the non CMYK colors are not lasting as long outdoors. But for hitting the Pantone spectrum, no printer comes closer to hitting nearly all of them than the GS6000, by Espon / Mutoh. So for indoor and a bit shorter term outdoor, Epson is the bomb if you can afford it, which also has Wave printing. For everything else, it's a matter of preference between Roland, Mimaki and Mutoh, with proven ink technology and myriad third-party ink options that do not void warranties. These have got to have lower operating cost and will go lower still, probably, since you're not stuck with one source for inks.
So if I were buying a printer, I think I'd stick with proven eco-sol and lower operating cost, since output prices are competitive as all get out these days, and that'll only get worse. And for speed at quality, nothing beats Wave printing; it's a truly revolutionary tech that makes 720 x 720 a production speed, which is remarkable. So I'd go with Epson or Mutoh, depending on my budget.
JMO
So cutting to chase, I think it comes down to this: there's the new tech, HP latex, and then everyone else that matters, who use Epson heads and eco-sol.
My opinion ...
HP, is probably nice as all get out, especially being able to laminate immediately after printing. But HP heads aren't as good Espon's. Also, you're tied to HP inks, which are probably the real money-maker since dealers are price-cutting the equipment deeply and remarkable early in the printer's life-cycle. It's a razor and blades model that has served HP well.
Espon, Mimaki, Roland and Mutoh have higher-res and in my opinion the best heads around: Epson. Roland has print and cut. Mutoh has Wave Printing. And Epson has the real deal Hexachrome, albeit the non CMYK colors are not lasting as long outdoors. But for hitting the Pantone spectrum, no printer comes closer to hitting nearly all of them than the GS6000, by Espon / Mutoh. So for indoor and a bit shorter term outdoor, Epson is the bomb if you can afford it, which also has Wave printing. For everything else, it's a matter of preference between Roland, Mimaki and Mutoh, with proven ink technology and myriad third-party ink options that do not void warranties. These have got to have lower operating cost and will go lower still, probably, since you're not stuck with one source for inks.
So if I were buying a printer, I think I'd stick with proven eco-sol and lower operating cost, since output prices are competitive as all get out these days, and that'll only get worse. And for speed at quality, nothing beats Wave printing; it's a truly revolutionary tech that makes 720 x 720 a production speed, which is remarkable. So I'd go with Epson or Mutoh, depending on my budget.
JMO
Happyprinter
New Member
Insignia, thanks for answering my questions. Sorry to hear about all the problems you are having with your Epson. It sounds like you've got a lemon. We print Ultraflex 13 oz. and Bantex 18 oz. thru ours all the time and never have a problem as well as many other thick material. We have never ran any sort of wallpaper material so I cant speak on that. Sounds like your getting the same run around we got from a company called Xante on a printer we purchased several years ago. It was supposed to pull thru about any type or thickness of paper you put into it. After the purchase, it was amazing how quick they could back peddle on their claims before the sale vs. what it would truly do after the sale. We finally had to threaten legal action to get them to take the unit back and refund our money. Unfortunately, your situation is one we all face everytime we purchase any piece of equipment. It's to bad manufacturers, for the most part, do not stand behind their products.
Gs6000 review
I always wanted to reply to one of these questions, but I didn't have a Epson GS6000 to give my opinion on it or the servicing of it. I figured I could take the issues with the take up reel and the ink fading so I took the plunge and bought it for the quality of the print, etc. I can now reply since I have had one in my shop for approx. 30 days. It went down on the 13th of October after being up and running for 10 days and down and out for the last 18 days. Epson tech has changed out every part and some twice without any kind of response from Epson as to what they will do or what steps they will take to replace the machine. I spent the better part of 25k to get all set up with this puppy and I am eating it each and every day without so much as a Phone call from anyone high up at Epson to explain to me what they plan to do after the tech spent all day working on it again today. FYI I was told this was a top priority machine at the top of the list. Hate to see those other poor guys at the bottom of the list right now.
Wait a minute I think I hear my phone ringing, Oh no it's just my ears ringing from the thought of wasting so much time and money.
How many of you can afford to be down 18 days?
I always wanted to reply to one of these questions, but I didn't have a Epson GS6000 to give my opinion on it or the servicing of it. I figured I could take the issues with the take up reel and the ink fading so I took the plunge and bought it for the quality of the print, etc. I can now reply since I have had one in my shop for approx. 30 days. It went down on the 13th of October after being up and running for 10 days and down and out for the last 18 days. Epson tech has changed out every part and some twice without any kind of response from Epson as to what they will do or what steps they will take to replace the machine. I spent the better part of 25k to get all set up with this puppy and I am eating it each and every day without so much as a Phone call from anyone high up at Epson to explain to me what they plan to do after the tech spent all day working on it again today. FYI I was told this was a top priority machine at the top of the list. Hate to see those other poor guys at the bottom of the list right now.
Wait a minute I think I hear my phone ringing, Oh no it's just my ears ringing from the thought of wasting so much time and money.
How many of you can afford to be down 18 days?
Been running a GS6000 for 18 months and all though it has some issues, I would put another in our shop without hesitation. I have run 180C, cheap PSA vinyl, Banner, Wall Paper, canvas and a few other medias without any major problems. The take up is not the best, but quality is great and I reprint way less than I did with our JV3.
Sorry Guys! Epson broke down and shipped out a new printer! It will be here this Friday or Monday. I think Epson will just need to make a Lemon replacement policy when this happens again. Switch em out fast when they crap out and move on because the faster they do the better they look. I still want the machine and as much as I hear about how bad some are I hear others have no issues at all. Just like some cars when you mass produce things you get a few lemons.
FYI: Paper jamb and 1136 or 1137 error code. Tech spent days working on it and was still scratching his head along with epson Tech Dept.
I was temped by the Mimaki machines as Artbot said most operators are humping the machines because they are solid and pump. I just wasn't sold on the service and the local rep selling them for way more than what was on the web. No other local service person other than the Local Rep and he will not service machines bought elsewhere. It's a give and take on which one you buy and what you expect to get out of them. I picked the Epson over the Mimaki for the print quality and expect to see Mimaki come out with a new model in the next year and a half which have the new print heads, color gamut, and chassis everyone is going to want and expect. In the mean time Epson is going to Rethink what they just did and make a machine which can be serviced quickly and have a plug in diagnostic sevice port to eliminate all these part replacement service calls like most machines they produce.
Don't think I will give up my Epson GS6000 and I don't expect you guys to diss them if you are getting the great results you have been from the start. I expect to get great prints for a long time to come on my Epson GS6000.
FYI: Paper jamb and 1136 or 1137 error code. Tech spent days working on it and was still scratching his head along with epson Tech Dept.
I was temped by the Mimaki machines as Artbot said most operators are humping the machines because they are solid and pump. I just wasn't sold on the service and the local rep selling them for way more than what was on the web. No other local service person other than the Local Rep and he will not service machines bought elsewhere. It's a give and take on which one you buy and what you expect to get out of them. I picked the Epson over the Mimaki for the print quality and expect to see Mimaki come out with a new model in the next year and a half which have the new print heads, color gamut, and chassis everyone is going to want and expect. In the mean time Epson is going to Rethink what they just did and make a machine which can be serviced quickly and have a plug in diagnostic sevice port to eliminate all these part replacement service calls like most machines they produce.
Don't think I will give up my Epson GS6000 and I don't expect you guys to diss them if you are getting the great results you have been from the start. I expect to get great prints for a long time to come on my Epson GS6000.
datoshway
New Member
I second this. We have had the GS6000 for about 6 months now. This is an amazing industry printer. The quality is like nothing I have ever seen. We did have paper skew issues but like boxerbay said, it ended up being an operator error. Epson has been helpful in getting us up to speed and helping us along. The printer is quite, fast, clean, and efficient. What more could you ask for.
boxerbay
New Member
in colorburst rip increase the weave.
epson gs6000 green ink
as most epson owners already know there is a green ink issue. In the beginning the green ink would clog the heads and therefore epson would send techs and new heads and the problem would be resolved for about 2-3 months then PRESTO, call service again for the same problem.
about 6 months ago, epson replaced all our green inks with a new batch. as we all know green is not used much in any other colors except green.
We printed a tiled truck wrap and the problems began. The green tiles did not match. in fact any of the truck tiles printed after the original truck wrap was completed looked very different than the original. (it was lighter)
ONYX rip is being used
the heads are not clogged and the file wasnt re-ripped so colors shouldn't change. the nozzle check is perfect. when comparing older nozzle checks to the one currently printing a significant change in the green ink was visible. The green ink looked very light. after a closeup look with a loop one can see that something was wrong with the green ink.
epson must know of this problem and should be responsible to correct it.
many users may have this issue and never know
I know we are not alone. please comment with your green ink issues.
as most epson owners already know there is a green ink issue. In the beginning the green ink would clog the heads and therefore epson would send techs and new heads and the problem would be resolved for about 2-3 months then PRESTO, call service again for the same problem.
about 6 months ago, epson replaced all our green inks with a new batch. as we all know green is not used much in any other colors except green.
We printed a tiled truck wrap and the problems began. The green tiles did not match. in fact any of the truck tiles printed after the original truck wrap was completed looked very different than the original. (it was lighter)
ONYX rip is being used
the heads are not clogged and the file wasnt re-ripped so colors shouldn't change. the nozzle check is perfect. when comparing older nozzle checks to the one currently printing a significant change in the green ink was visible. The green ink looked very light. after a closeup look with a loop one can see that something was wrong with the green ink.
epson must know of this problem and should be responsible to correct it.
many users may have this issue and never know
I know we are not alone. please comment with your green ink issues.
We had a color shift in all our colors (most notably the green) when we updated our rip (Colorburst). The update allowed for faster printing, but under a loop was printing less or larger dots. Looked more like a 4 color machine printing than an 8 color. We ended up reverting back to the older firmware and have had zero problems.
Other than that, we have had zero issues with the green that many have complained about. We were sent 2 new boxes of green ink from Epson and have only used one. Like you said, you don't use much green except for when printing green.
Not sure if this helps since you are running Onxy, so I am suspicious that is an issue within the rip.
Other than that, we have had zero issues with the green that many have complained about. We were sent 2 new boxes of green ink from Epson and have only used one. Like you said, you don't use much green except for when printing green.
Not sure if this helps since you are running Onxy, so I am suspicious that is an issue within the rip.
green ink
thanks for the quick reply
maybe the reformulated ink was delivered with your machine
when did you purchase the gs6000?
when you make a nozzle test does your green ink look bold or very light like it is diluted down
we have nozzle checks from 1 year ago that show a very noticeable difference in color only in the green ink but how can one compare the absolute green color of the machine
maybe by printing a linearization swatch and scanning to compare values
epson says that the carrier and the pigment have separated in the subtanks, which sounds obsurd, and that the green ink channel has to be flushed. we flushed the green ink channel and there was no difference.
thanks for the quick reply
maybe the reformulated ink was delivered with your machine
when did you purchase the gs6000?
when you make a nozzle test does your green ink look bold or very light like it is diluted down
we have nozzle checks from 1 year ago that show a very noticeable difference in color only in the green ink but how can one compare the absolute green color of the machine
maybe by printing a linearization swatch and scanning to compare values
epson says that the carrier and the pigment have separated in the subtanks, which sounds obsurd, and that the green ink channel has to be flushed. we flushed the green ink channel and there was no difference.