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Flatbed Printers

You can but it's not ideal. The material would be held in place by the vaccum table. As to the set up question, it all depends. You can buy flatbed printers that are hybrid which allows you to do both.
 
If you purchased say a Jeti 3150 flatbed printer

http://www.gandinnovations.com/f_main_printer2.asp

Can you print on vinyl? If so how do you get it to lay flat on the table?

Would the ideal setup by a flat bed printer and another printer to do the vinyl?

We have two Jeti 3150s and have never run vinyl on them. That is what a roll 2 roll machine is for not a fixed bed flatbed.

If you want the ability to do both get a Vutek press Vu or QS.

Hybrids can do two things good but not one thing great.
 

sportycliff

New Member
We've had our Gandi 1224 for a little over a month now and have printed
on everything from 70lb paper to accoustical ceiling tiles, with no problems whatsoever...including gen form press sens vinyl and 13oz banner. The only reason we still have our JV3 is the size limitation of the Gandi...
we're getting the white soon and can't wait!:biggrin:
 

steveimage

New Member
You can print self-adhsive or banner vinyl on a Gandi flatbed. However, we have found that you are better off taping down the material around the edges for security and this becomes quite cumbersome especially on top of sheeting rolled goods. If one were to have the means, I would suggest having both a r-t-r and a flat bed printer. The other option, if you can afford only one printer, is a hybrid like the Vutek PressVu or Colorspan.
 

jdigital

New Member
We have printed vinyls on our Inca Spyder with great success. One thing to keep in mind is when you order our vinyls, make sure the print side is rolled out
 

wonsngis

New Member
We've had many occasions to print adhesive vinyl on our Jeti 1224. Among other things, its a very useful trick if you have to change something that has already been direct printed. Make sure to tape down the leading and trailing edges of the vinyl, though.

You'l find that there are several projects typically done on roll-fed materials that work out better on a UV flatbed. For instance: we print all of our banner stands on out 1224- both scrim and smooth materials. The satin-like finish on the inks is particularly good for POP and tradeshow graphics and, even better yet, there is no banner curl like there was from the solvents we used to use. Of course, that may be true of a hybrid UV as well, but I don't have one so I don't know. But with the flatbed, you can easily print of scraps of any size (as long as they're secured properly) if you have the want/need to.
 

MacDaddy

New Member
The Mutoh 1608 has a media roller as well as the substrate tables (with rollers). It has the same Pre, Platen and After Heaters as the 1604 as well as the Forced Air Heaters... Prints on Vinyl and other thick substrates as well...I think they go for about 45K......
 

zmatalucci

New Member
The Mutoh 1608 has a media roller as well as the substrate tables (with rollers). It has the same Pre, Platen and After Heaters as the 1604 as well as the Forced Air Heaters... Prints on Vinyl and other thick substrates as well...I think they go for about 45K......

These are Very slow!
 

ksc

New Member
The Mutoh 1608 has onley has a 2-year outdoor durability ....not a good choise of printer.... Gerber ion all the way Baby....
 

ksc

New Member
The Gerber Solara ion is a wide-format UV inkjet that is both a true flatbed and true roll-to-roll printer. Its advanced GerberCAT™ cationic inks and low temperature patent-pending Cold Fire Cure™ technology make it compatible with a wide range of materials, including those sensitive to heat. The printer produces flexible, three-year outdoor-durable graphics that are instantly usable on rigid material up to 64" wide, 120" long, and up to 1" thick, with speeds up to 639 ft2/hr and resolution up to 1440 dpi apparent.
 

ksc

New Member
SOLARA IONx
Printing Technology

Piezo, drop-on-demand Cationic UV curable
Curing Technology

Cold Fire Cure™ low energy curing
Inkset

GerberCat™ Cationic UV Inks – 1 liter pouch
Colors

4 colors: Vibrant C, M, Y, K
Print Head Set

Two print heads per color
Drying Method

Dual Cold Fire Cure UV lamps
Resolution

Up to 1440 dpi apparent resolution
Production Capacity

Nine (9) available print modes between:
Highest Speed = 639 ft²/hr 2-pass bi
Highest Quality = 80 ft²/hr 8-pass uni
Max Printing Width

64" rigid (Full-Bleed), 63” roll to roll
64” x 120” (162cm x 305cm), 63” (160cm)
Max Material Thickness

Up to 1" (25mm) thick
Overall Size

104” (w) x 54” (h) x 147” (d)
264cm (w) x 137cm (h) x 373cm (d)
Communication Port

Ethernet TCP/IP
Power Range

230 VAC +/- 10%, 50/60 Hz, 15 A, single phase
Operating Temperature

65-75° F
Operating Humidity

40-60% RH (Not condensing)
Operating Altitude

8,000' (2,438m) or less
Venting

No special ventilation required
 

KR3signguy

New Member
You can't beat Gandi for the quality, overengineering, print precision and their support.
One time I had to call them in for an emergency & they flew in a tech from Toronto within hours to diagnose, fix & keep us up & running.
They are terrific.

I'm not impressed with Gerber's Ion.
Highest Speed = 639 ft²/hr 2-pass bi = absolute crap quality
Highest Quality = 80 ft²/hr 8-pass uni = slow as crap
 
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