First Time Printer Mutoh 1204

[BGphx]

Hello Folks,

I recently picked up a used 1204 at a price I really couldn't pass up. I have been outsourcing my print jobs and I'm excited to start printing on my own. My question is, is there anything I should be looking for on the printer to make sure it is ok? I won't have the option to try it before I buy it. Does anyone have links to good sites with how to instructions for this printer? Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,
Earl.

 

[FatCat]

Too many things to list but a short list;
1. Does it print? (I guess if you don't have a chance to see it print before you get it - it will be what it will be)
2. What does the test print look like? (Missing/deflected nozzles?)
3. Does ink drain out the drain tubes when you do a cleaning? (Is maintenance station in good working order?)
4. What do the prints look like? (Is there banding, colors are correct, etc.)

You haven't stated what RIP you will be using to drive the printer, or if it was included with purchase.

Good luck!

 

[GAC05]

Not really a good idea to buy a used printer without being able to see it running in person.
What do you know about the printer so far?
When was the last time it was used?
If it has been sitting unused you need to find out for how long and if it was flushed out before it was stored.
If it is still up and running have the seller print a file you supply so you can judge the quality along with a nozzle check.
The head and the maintenance station are the fairly expensive and will fail if they were allowed to sit with ink still in them.
Post what you know so far and someone here will be able to tell you if you are going in the right direction or just picked up an odd sized boat anchor.
If you need the maintenance manual for the 1204 shoot me an email address and I can send you a copy.
Good luck

wayne k
guam usa

 

[BGphx]

Here is the situation, It was at a repo auction, not sure how long it was sitting. I picked it up for $700, figured it would be a good investment even if it needed work. The only thing that it comes with is the power cord, and it doesn't appear to have ink loaded in it. No RIP software at the moment. I am open to suggestions. I will try to find out how long it was sitting.

 

[GAC05]

So you won't know until you pick it up. Hopefully they flushed it out before storing it.
If they didn't you will need to start checking pricing on a new print head, set of dampers & maintenance station at a minimum.
Pinch rollers would be most likely next on the list.
You'll need a RIP program to talk to it.
You can lease Flexisign by the month for a pretty reasonable rate.
Or see if you can get an older version off ebay or maybe here (8.6 will work with that printer)
If just the consumable parts need changing out it could still be a good deal.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[401Graphics]

you better hope it dont need a print head cuz for that printer its around $3000-4000

 

[floater302]

One other thing i always look for when i buy something used, You can tell alot about a item on how it looks, (if its all scratched up) thats a red flag to me , i figure if they dont take care of the cosmetic part of the machine then what does that tell me about the other parts. but one thing i like about the 1204's is they are easy to fix if it breaks(all but the damn f2 fuses being soldered in) thats why i like the 1304's lol

 

[BGphx]

Well, I picked it up, it is in amazing shape, there was no ink cartridges installed so I can only assume someone cleared them properly. However, of course, she's not working. I'm getting a print head cable error. I already have a new cable sourced. And just incase, I priced out a new print head at 1600, worst case. But I'm not surprised something is wrong with it, I kind of expected something to be wrong, hopefully, the cable is the only problem.

 

[BGphx]

I haven't had a chance to actually pull it apart yet to see if maybe the cable just became unplugged or if there is an actual issue with it yet. I'll be able to know more tonight.

Thanks everyone for the info thus far it is greatly appreciated!

 

[heyskull]

With no cleaning cartridges installed and the machine left switched off for any time, that machine needs at least a print head, print head cable, maintenance station and some flush through the lines.
The print head cable error is probably being caused by the head.

SC

 

[BGphx]

So based on that info, Its looking like about $2700 in parts. Do you guys think it's worth it to repair this or should I just forget about it and try to resell for parts?

 

[FatCat]

Kind of a toss up IMHO. You're $700.00 in, and need approx $3,000.00 in parts to get it up and running, plus time and effort. Not to mention you'll need some kind of RIP... As long as you can get it up and running, its probably OK but probably could have found one in decent shape for about that much - but you'll gain a better understanding of the printer if you do the work yourself and that is very valuable with machines like these.

 

[heyskull]

If it was your printer that you had previously used I would say "Yes get it running again".
But as it is an unknown machine, with possibly other faults it may end up being a money pit.
Sadly it is probably not worth any more or maybe less than what you have paid for it.

SC

 

[BGphx]

Well there is someone on this site selling two used ones for $4250 each. If I can get this one up and running for 3k, I think I would be doing ok. As long as there is nothing else wrong with it.

Would you guys suggest calling Mutoh and having a service guy look at it? Maybe he would be able to tell if there is something further wrong with it that I'm missing?

Aside from that, I am fine with working on the equipment. I am mechanically capable.

 

[heyskull]

Calling out a Mutoh Tech is going to add a further $1500+ to the job!

SC

 

[BigfishDM]

Well there is someone on this site selling two used ones for $4250 each. If I can get this one up and running for 3k, I think I would be doing ok. As long as there is nothing else wrong with it.

Would you guys suggest calling Mutoh and having a service guy look at it? Maybe he would be able to tell if there is something further wrong with it that I'm missing?

Aside from that, I am fine with working on the equipment. I am mechanically capable.

Dump it and cut your loss at $700, that's the TRUTH!

 

[floater302]

you always want to get a new head for used printers, and the error i bet is a loose cable, the maintnance station i would just take it out and changr the wiper and as long as the rubber seal is good just give a good cleaning, but i would change all the ink lines to be on the safe side, shouldnt cost anywhere close to 2700.00 in parts, the head look around you can get them for 1200.00