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getting some new equipment , VSI or hp latex ??

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thestickerMAFIA

New Member
I've been in the signs and graphics Biz for a lil over 9 years mainly doing cut and preprinted vinyl signs and graphics . I feel its time to expand into the printing world. I got a 30k budget and was looking at two different machines. I really got my heart set on the Roland vsi versacamm 54" but been reading allot on the HP latex 260 . I'm kinda torn between the two machines.seems both have pros and cons. The vsi is probably my pick at this point but the HP is on sale right now for 12k and I like the idea of the latex inks being able to laminate after printng with out gassing off and its a 60" . Like I said this is going to be my first printer and would like it to be a user friendly as possible and is going to be used for just about everything so I need a good well rounded machine. What would you guys get out of the two machines I've LISTED . I know tech support is important and HP is right here in my home town but this machine will NOT be relied on for putting food on the table my current Biz does that and this will be just a added bonus so if the machine needs to sit for a couple days while they fly somebody in its not to big of a deal to me . I also like the fact that the Roland comes with a 2yr Warranty while the HP only has a 1yr. So please give me some valuable input as I want to make a good buy, thanks!
 
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neil_se

New Member
L260 hands-down in my opinion, especially at that price (they're twice that here). I've got two Rolands that are a step up from the Versacamm and I still prefer my Latex. The instant drying is a huge bonus and the throughput is much faster for the same quality. You've got plenty of budget left for a plotter too which means you're not tying up your printer doing cutting.

The L260 can print on a wide range of materials, but it is a bit more particular about the material (particular banner and translucent SAV in my experiences. The L260 has fully automated cleaning and replacing consumables is simple, whereas the solvent will require manual cleaning.
 
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thestickerMAFIA

New Member
What do you guys recommend for laminator also? Seems like seal is top notch but is it nessisary and would you do hot or cold? I talked to a guy here locally and he said he didn't like the hot lam because of shrinkage anybody else have problems with the hot?
 
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airborneassault

New Member
neil_se said:
L260 hands-down in my opinion, especially at that price (they're twice that here). I've got two Rolands that are a step up from the Versacamm and I still prefer my Latex. The instant drying is a huge bonus and the throughput is much faster for the same quality. You've got plenty of budget left for a plotter too which means you're not tying up your printer doing cutting.

The L260 can print on a wide range of materials, but it is a bit more particular about the material (particular banner and translucent SAV in my experiences. The L260 has fully automated cleaning and replacing consumables is simple, whereas the solvent will require manual cleaning.
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+1
I came from a long line of Rolands which I loved and they were workhorses but my HP blows them out of the water. Quality is spot on and I have yet to find a material that I couldn't print on my L25 (older generation). With the extra budget, I'd spring for the extended warranty, they seem to get most finicky right after that 1 year mark.

As far as laminators I have an older Seal that is a workhorse, never fails me but if I had to do it again I'd look closely at the Kala laminators.
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
We were in the same boat. Picked up an HP in December. So far we've been practicing for months now (not constantly mind you), trying to get reasonably comfortable with being able to offer all the services that are attached to a wide format printer before we start pushing the services. So far we've been really happy with the HP and it's quality. Don't forget, you need a RIP. Those babies aren't cheap either.

We opted for Onyx Production House, but it looks like most everyone is in the same price range.

It's a lot to learn, but something I think is worth the effort.
 
HulkSmash

HulkSmash

New Member
260s are almost down to 13k. They're getting rid of all they have for the new release.

The new latex comes out in about 5 months and will have an optimizer... which means color will be much more consistent.
 
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thestickerMAFIA

New Member
just got off the phone with my sales rep and he recommended a cold seal laminator and said the heat assist would be un necessary for what im wanting to do. which i good news in my book to keep cost down , lol . with the savings im getting on the printer i will also be able to get a cutter as well and still stay with in my budget. he recommended a graphtec cutter which seems like the industry standard. my next question is what RIP software are you guys running/like ? he is recommending the onyx because of all of the profiles it comes with and said it would save me a ton of head ache down the road. he also mentioned that people use the flex cloud as well and that it would probably suit my needs just fine being that i will probably only be using a handful of medias . i would like to hear what you guys have to say about the 2 different RIPS.
last question i have is what are you guys using for design software? i know the whole photoshop / illustrator combo is pretty popular but ive been using the base flexi software for my cutting for the last 9 years and its real user friendly.he also said that if i did go with the illustrator option that it might make things easier for my customers if they a suppling their own art work because everbody has it. ive never used their higher end software (flexi pro) but my sales rep said if i know the base software that it might be a good idea to goto the pro version of it because it will be a easier transition . i know their is going to be allot to learn and i appreciate the comments and help so far and look forward to this new adventure!
 
Dennis422

Dennis422

New Member
I have Graphtec FC8600-130. I like it. SUMMA would be a step up, but that is all. No more up :)

As far as the laminators, they range from 1K Daige to a 15K seals (or more)

i gave Master laminator, or a UsTech laminator MVT500. 54" wide cold laminator for around 2K. Does the work, not top of a line, but it is heavy build and does what I ask it to do.

Good luck
 
parkedcar

parkedcar

New Member
With your budget I just got set up with a new L260, Summa S140T, Caldera Visual+ RIP and a GFP 463th laminator. I figured there would be a new HP coming soon with the way the prices were dropping, but I needed to pull the trigger now.
The HP is my first printer (was subbing out to the awesome folks at AZPro for years!) and the printer is easy! Its only been set up for a few days though. I just need to work on profiling. Chris at AZPro has always hit my colors dead on, so I expect nothing less and the profiles in Caldera just aren't cutting it.
 
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thestickerMAFIA

New Member
im glad to hear that you guys that have the HP machine are happy with it. i was worried that there wouldnt be allot of you on here with them cause it seems like there are allot of roland users on here, but good to know!
 
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thestickerMAFIA

New Member
Lil update. I ordered a HP 260, 54" seal laminator with out heat assist , graphtec 54" cutter, flexisign pro cloud payment per month option to keep up to date . I also got a 27" Asus monitor and a HP envy Phoenix tower. I'm ready to hit the ground running on this new adventure.
Couple other questions. What graphic CD's you guys using? I was thinking about getting eye candy 7 , Photoshop cc, vehicle pro outlines for sure . Are there any other good programs that are a must or would recommend?
 
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