Epson GS6000

[Rooster]

The dual CMYK set-up seems to be the only way to get the kind of production speeds you're after. Or moving up to a higher end roll to roll that gets away from the epson heads and their speed limitations.

It's tough to touch their quality but they've never been known for being the speediest print heads. You can only push so much ink through them so fast.

 

[randya]

So, we ran the printer last night and noticed some vertical lines / banding on solid colors. Did a cleaning and still saw some. Any idea of what could be causing this? Epson has still yet to get back to us.

Also, I'm not sure if this has ever happened to anyone.. but, we use Flexi as our current RIP program (we are going to give Onyx a try shortly).. anyway a 91' job finished printing and the job was set to delete once it finished printing.. next thing I know it's trying to run the same job again.

Any ideas?

In my previous posts I don't mean to sound like a dick however, we've had nothing but problems..

Horizontal banding on solid colors is typically profile/temps or Page Feed adjust.

Vertical banding can be Page Feed or head alignments.

 

[BALLPARK]

Which would you guys rather have...

Epson GS6000 or Roland XC-540


I have been looking into both printers. The GS6000 sounds like it has an amazing print quality. Which is better?

Thanks...

 

[randya]

Is the GS6000 still using the DX5 heads? They listed the machine as having an all new print head design. Is it 360 nozzles per color per head or do they combine the nozzle count from both heads?

In my experience Epson has always reserved the use of their newest heads for their own printers before releasing them to other manufacturers. If they've changed this policy or are still using a DX5 head then I'm definitely in error. This was the policy I was used to seeing when I owned my 9000's, 9500, 4000, 7600 and 9800.

What head is Mutoh using from Epson that's newer than the DX5 series?

It is a variation of the DX5.
360 per color is two channels of 180. 2 x 8 channel heads 8 color
Mutoh builds the Epson large format printers for them, so we have access to the latest technology and more control over the head than other manufacturers.

The 1618 and the 1608 uses the new variation, and the new textile printers will use them as well.

At least that is my understanding.

 

[nate]

That's a lot of volume for an epson. Good luck with that.

A lot of volume, yes, doable, certainly. We do it all the time with our two GS6000s. They've both been running strong since the day we got them.

 

[scene329]

Which would you guys rather have...

Epson GS6000 or Roland XC-540


I have been looking into both printers. The GS6000 sounds like it has an amazing print quality. Which is better?

Thanks...

I'd look at the Mutoh 1618A (dual head printer) it has an auto align take up system, 1 liter ink cartridges (2) sets of CMYK so you're looking at 2 liters of ink per color and the print speeds seem amazing.

I'm going to try and demo one here shortly.

Does anyone know where I could demo one?

 

[scene329]

A lot of volume, yes, doable, certainly. We do it all the time with our two GS6000s. They've both been running strong since the day we got them.

Who did you purchase them from? What RIP do you use? Have you had issues with the take up system feeding a whole roll of 150' material? What about color? Have you noticed a big difference with the 4 extra colors?

 

[nate]

Who did you purchase them from? What RIP do you use? Have you had issues with the take up system feeding a whole roll of 150' material? What about color? Have you noticed a big difference with the 4 extra colors?

I purchased both within a month of each other from Grimco. When we purchased them we were on Onyx. Now we've moved everything over to Caldera. Both RIPs work great with it.

We gave up on the take up reel. 100' in we'd headstrike. Could not ever seem to get it going so we've switched to manual mode-- We have a table, a clamp and a cardboard tube. Yes, kind of a pain, but printing @ 720x720 in 8pass mode you really don't have to race back to it every couple of minutes.

We routinely pass media through these machines for 8-10 hours a day straight. We only use them for car wrap. We run banner and other substrates through our other machines. I'm very happy with the quality. We print a lot of things that need to be viewed up close and having the small dot size sets us apart from competitors.

While I can't say I'v noticed a huge difference in color, I have noticed that I can match color easier which I'll give some credit to the machine itself for.

The ink is fairly priced (we pay $199/cart), the service is top notch in our area (we had a motherboard go bad. The guy was here within an hour of my call to Epson, diagnosed the error code on the panel and had the new part delivered and installed the next day).

We're happy. They're not the fastest, but we know that going in. my only real trouble is the take up reel-- Everyone gets a turn to be "manual" around here as they walk past the machines.

Would I purchase them again? Yep. In fact we're looking to purchase another two in the next little while to keep up with demand.

 

[dontdrivenaked]

@ Scene329.

Hey, thought I would jump in. I understand the frustration, just bought an Epson. I'm having issues that I hope amount to a learning curve.

Before I ask for help, I would feel very bad if I didn't tell the world how much I love Advantage. Trust me, they've had to listen to me rant before as well. Sometimes I think that we must have all been crazy to start a sign business in the first place.

Please indulge me. Matt is so amazing that everyone here loves him. He really does everything he can to help. Advantage has come through for me in ways I really don't want to discuss, like the dark days of the past when I didn't know how I was going to pay them...

They are limited by the manufacturers. And, I'm guessing for the most part that they have a personal life, evenings and weekends. I really wish I could call someone for ink cartridges at midnight on a Saturday, but hey, maybe someday?

I've worked with suppliers for years and I've been loyal to Advantage for many reasons, and one is the support. Even if it isn't instant or perfect, I just don't know of anyone else that will do it, without charging me by the hour. That's how it started, but after 15 years of doing business with them, they have become much more than that to me.

They all know my people, because we push the limits of tech support. We only do car wraps now, and we meet hurdles constantly.

I'm not always nice, polite, kind, patient etc. and I understand the frustration. If you need help though, Advantage people have been very forgiving, and boy am I thankful.

Please keep working with them.

John Wiley
Dream Street Graphics

If I can ever do ANYTHING to help you and you're business, call me: cell 317-701-8777. I can tell you work hard and are totally committed. I respect you for that, and I'll try to be helpful.

Thank you.

 

[astro8]

We have two Gs6000's and I can't understand the problems people are having.

First off I wouldn't use Flexi/Photoprint RIP, I don't trust it to get the best out of the machine...we use Ergosoft with dealer supplied profiles and the print quality, speed and workflow is great. I'd also use Caldera, Onyx, Colorburst or some other decent RIP.

Sounds to me as the take up reel adjustments, heat settings or loading issues are the problem even if you think it's not. We've regularly run 300ft through the GS6000's take up reel, one roll taped to the previous when it finished with no problems...never had a head strike ever.

My advise for anyone having problems is to level your machines, level the take -up reel, if in doubt, sit a heavy core on top of the media roll to eliminate the chance of buckling from heat/skew as the media enters the back of the printer. Tape the leading edge of the media as it nears the take-up reel squarely onto an empty core that is the same length as the media that is coming through the printer to eliminate any side skew if it's not square and you should have zero problems...hope this helps.

 

[Rooster]

It is a variation of the DX5.
360 per color is two channels of 180. 2 x 8 channel heads 8 color
Mutoh builds the Epson large format printers for them, so we have access to the latest technology and more control over the head than other manufacturers.

The 1618 and the 1608 uses the new variation, and the new textile printers will use them as well.

At least that is my understanding.

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm still wrong, but happy to admit it as long I get to learn something new.

 

[scene329]

I purchased both within a month of each other from Grimco. When we purchased them we were on Onyx. Now we've moved everything over to Caldera. Both RIPs work great with it.

We gave up on the take up reel. 100' in we'd headstrike. Could not ever seem to get it going so we've switched to manual mode-- We have a table, a clamp and a cardboard tube. Yes, kind of a pain, but printing @ 720x720 in 8pass mode you really don't have to race back to it every couple of minutes.

We routinely pass media through these machines for 8-10 hours a day straight. We only use them for car wrap. We run banner and other substrates through our other machines. I'm very happy with the quality. We print a lot of things that need to be viewed up close and having the small dot size sets us apart from competitors.

While I can't say I'v noticed a huge difference in color, I have noticed that I can match color easier which I'll give some credit to the machine itself for.

The ink is fairly priced (we pay $199/cart), the service is top notch in our area (we had a motherboard go bad. The guy was here within an hour of my call to Epson, diagnosed the error code on the panel and had the new part delivered and installed the next day).

We're happy. They're not the fastest, but we know that going in. my only real trouble is the take up reel-- Everyone gets a turn to be "manual" around here as they walk past the machines.

Would I purchase them again? Yep. In fact we're looking to purchase another two in the next little while to keep up with demand.

The thing is.. our Mutoh Valuejet 1304 prints pretty solid.. although the speed isn't there.. the reliability is. We've ran over 50+ rolls of material through our Mutoh and it always runs great (since Jan of this year). This has allowed us to get ahead even on weekends.

I am debating on sending the Espon back and replacing it with the Mutoh 1618A Dual Head printer.

We are a small shop that is quickly growing. I just need something reliable and a working take up reel is a must. We're already having to sand down the registration marks for our graphtech cutter...

 

[nate]

We're already having to sand down the registration marks for our graphtech cutter...

You ought to get that Summa. We a couple of the S Class T Series.... We throw a lot of different types of printed media through it-- never a problem with the registration makers. No sandpaper necessary.

 

[nate]

My advise for anyone having problems is to level your machines, level the take -up reel, if in doubt, sit a heavy core on top of the media roll to eliminate the chance of buckling from heat/skew as the media enters the back of the printer. Tape the leading edge of the media as it nears the take-up reel squarely onto an empty core that is the same length as the media that is coming through the printer to eliminate any side skew if it's not square and you should have zero problems...hope this helps.

If you throw a level on the top of our machine, on top of the rocker bar or on top of the bar the tube goes sits on, you'll see our machines and their parts are level. We've tried both same sized tubes as well as longer tubes and had the same trouble.

What is annoying is that it works for so long well before giving out. As I say this isn't two feet in-- this is a hundred feet in to a roll before any problem. There is no stoppage in printing either-- We hit print and the machine prints until 150' later it is at the end of the roll.

 

[scene329]

If you throw a level on the top of our machine, on top of the rocker bar or on top of the bar the tube goes sits on, you'll see our machines and their parts are level. We've tried both same sized tubes as well as longer tubes and had the same trouble.

What is annoying is that it works for so long well before giving out. As I say this isn't two feet in-- this is a hundred feet in to a roll before any problem. There is no stoppage in printing either-- We hit print and the machine prints until 150' later it is at the end of the roll.

I'll check that in the morning.


Does anyone know how much the Mimaki JV5 is?

 

[baxter gamble]

Well lots of great info here on the Epson GS6000. I had heard some good things about the machine. So we flew from Alaska to Florida to see for ourselves. Saw and heard lots of info. So we order a GS600, GBC laminator and Graphtec plotter. Everything cam in just fine. The tech guys called ahead of time as did the salesman. They checked with us a few times to arrange to come to Alaska to get us started. The tech started on Wed morning and by that afternoon we had some great training and producing sellable jobs. Again Thursday morning hit the ground running with the tech and kept on working just as I had expected. No problems or issues yet. We run 2 edges and a Maxx and just love the speed and quality along with the ease of use on the GS600. Couldn't be happier, and I am a hard nised guy when it comes to making sure I get what I want when I spend the big $$$. Oh yeah and by the way, we purchased all of this equipment from Advantage SS as we have for many many years. Superb service, honest folks, quick response to questions and Matthew Molenbeek is the without a doubt the most knowledgeable sales people I have ever dealt with. Straight up guy that has saved me money by NOT always selling me the most expensive equipment, but by selling me what is right for my business. If anyone has a GS6000 that they don't want, and don't like the quality please contact me and I'll buy it. And if there are spelling errors in my post, we can blame it on TGIF.

 

[scene329]

Well lots of great info here on the Epson GS6000. I had heard some good things about the machine. So we flew from Alaska to Florida to see for ourselves. Saw and heard lots of info. So we order a GS600, GBC laminator and Graphtec plotter. Everything cam in just fine. The tech guys called ahead of time as did the salesman. They checked with us a few times to arrange to come to Alaska to get us started. The tech started on Wed morning and by that afternoon we had some great training and producing sellable jobs. Again Thursday morning hit the ground running with the tech and kept on working just as I had expected. No problems or issues yet. We run 2 edges and a Maxx and just love the speed and quality along with the ease of use on the GS600. Couldn't be happier, and I am a hard nised guy when it comes to making sure I get what I want when I spend the big $$$. Oh yeah and by the way, we purchased all of this equipment from Advantage SS as we have for many many years. Superb service, honest folks, quick response to questions and Matthew Molenbeek is the without a doubt the most knowledgeable sales people I have ever dealt with. Straight up guy that has saved me money by NOT always selling me the most expensive equipment, but by selling me what is right for my business. If anyone has a GS6000 that they don't want, and don't like the quality please contact me and I'll buy it. And if there are spelling errors in my post, we can blame it on TGIF.

I just got off the phone with a very knowledgeable tech from Epson. Hopefully this fixes our issues. We're going to be testing the mutoh take up reel flanges on our epson to hopefully solve our take up reel issue. I'll keep you guys posted for everyone having take up issues.

Congrats on the new equipment. I must say the GBC laminator is awesome!! However, as for a cutter if you are going to be using the Graphtech a lot and using gloss laminate I would recommend sending it back and getting the Summa T-series cutter with Opus Cam and a take up reel. That's what we are looking at doing now. We are having a lot of issues with our Graphtech not reading registration marks properly because of the gloss laminate.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

One thing I've noticed recently is that I need to roll out some slack when printing banners. I don't know why, but when it's coming straight off the roll without slack, it will buckle going through the printer and get head strikes. Even with the print head raised. Just banner material - not vinyl. Maybe something with the rolls we've been getting lately? Definitely not a printer issue. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[nate]

I would recommend sending it back and getting the Summa T-series cutter with Opus Cam and a take up reel. That's what we are looking at doing now. We are having a lot of issues with our Graphtech not reading registration marks properly because of the gloss laminate.

If you cut a lot and have several different jobs on the roll a RIP like Caldera can create a Summa Cutter bar code which the cutter will then read, load the job, cut, look for the next bar code, load the job, cut and so on. Oddly enough it doesn't work with the OPOS Cam. I guess you have to decide whether you like the speed of the OPOSCam or the ability to put a roll on the machine and come back later to have it all cut down (like we do)

 

[nate]

I just got off the phone with a very knowledgeable tech from Epson. Hopefully this fixes our issues. We're going to be testing the mutoh take up reel flanges on our epson to hopefully solve our take up reel issue. I'll keep you guys posted for everyone having take up issues.

Interesting. Who did you speak with there?