Hello!! Any Info On Roland Vs640

[Eastwind]

Hello everyone,
I've been doing vinyl die cut stickers, signs, banners and vinyl wrapping for the past 5 years out of my garage and I've been thinking of stepping up to a Roland printer/ cutter.

I want to be able to do full printed car wraps with pref windows, signs and bumper stickers, labels, magnets, banners. Also want to do heat pressed printed t shirts. I was looking at the Roland vs540i but I just ran into a used Roland vs640 for sale. (Not the "I")

My question is do you guys have Any recommendations? How would a "Roland vs 640" hold up to what I want to do? Its a used 7 year old 640. Has a brand new head. it has been set up to do metallic and white. I have read that people say it's quite slow. What are some of your thoughts? What would you think a decent price for it is? Also has a 30 day warranty. Any info what so ever is greatly appreciated!!! I'm on a time crunch as a few other people are looking at the machine also. Thank you

 

[Bob Rochon]

Hello everyone,
I've been doing vinyl die cut stickers, signs, banners and vinyl wrapping for the past 5 years out of my garage and I've been thinking of stepping up to a Roland printer/ cutter.

I want to be able to do full printed car wraps with pref windows, signs and bumper stickers, labels, magnets, banners. Also want to do heat pressed printed t shirts. I was looking at the Roland vs540i but I just ran into a used Roland vs640 for sale. (Not the "I")

My question is do you guys have Any recommendations? How would a "Roland vs 640" hold up to what I want to do? Its a used 7 year old 640. Has a brand new head. it has been set up to do metallic and white. I have read that people say it's quite slow. What are some of your thoughts? What would you think a decent price for it is? Also has a 30 day warranty. Any info what so ever is greatly appreciated!!! I'm on a time crunch as a few other people are looking at the machine also. Thank you

I recently bought a VS300, paid 6K for it, and it needed a new head. It also was set up to do metallic and white, and I believe that was the problem. Check to see how many hours are on it, Mine had only 180. I replaced the head and changed the configuration to CMYK Lm Lc CM and it prints awesome. So roughly I'm int this machine for a little over 8K with minimal hours. Now this is only a 30" machine so use this figure and then look at what a new VSI costs, factor in how many hours on the machine and make your best offer. Just know I haven't heard anybody say good things about the white and silver option. And eventually you would most likely lose those two channels. I had a good friend who has a 54" machine and now only uses cleaning solution in those two channels as they are useless. Just my 2 cents for whatever it's worth.

 

[ActionGraphics]

I have a Versacamm 640 and it's a workhorse. If you treat it right, it will run like a dream. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE AND METALLIC INKS!!!

 

[Eastwind]

Thank you! I haven't learned when white or metallic inks/ prints would be needed. Do you have any examples by any chance? Thank you again for the info, I'm all ears

 

[Eastwind]

I have a Versacamm 640 and it's a workhorse. If you treat it right, it will run like a dream. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE AND METALLIC INKS!!!

Is it true that it's a much slower machine? I had a very successful shop owner who started in 1998 tell me that it's not a bad machine, it's just not ideal for fast production things. He gave me a lot of great advice but essentially recommended getting a new one unless I had a longer warranty or the experience to handle a used machine

 

[Bob Rochon]

In your initial post, you said you were looking at a VS540i and found a used VS640 no i. I hardly think you would be able to tell the difference in speed between the two. The VS or VSi aren't high production machines to begin with. But then again, just starting out you won't be doing high production work anyway. My VS is not a speed demon either, but I'm used to Gerber equipment. Between the two if the price is right it may not be a bad option. I would be more concerned with the machine using metallic and white, because sooner or later you will have issues with those two channels. So plan it being a 6 color machine or plan for a new head somewhere down the road. And check the hours. when I bought mine it only had 180 hours on it. Basicly brand new.

 

[Eastwind]

In your initial post, you said you were looking at a VS540i and found a used VS640 no i. I hardly think you would be able to tell the difference in speed between the two. The VS or VSi aren't high production machines to begin with. But then again, just starting out you won't be doing high production work anyway. My VS is not a speed demon either, but I'm used to Gerber equipment. Between the two if the price is right it may not be a bad option. I would be more concerned with the machine using metallic and white, because sooner or later you will have issues with those two channels. So plan it being a 6 color machine or plan for a new head somewhere down the road. And check the hours. when I bought mine it only had 180 hours on it. Basicly brand new.

Thank you for the information!
In what situations would one need to use white or metallic? In silk screen printing, I know sometimes you need to double layer a design with white ink first then the black (if I remember correctly) but I don't remember why lol

 

[Bob Rochon]

Well I stil have my Gerber Edge, it uses thermal resin foils to print. It can print white and a variety of metallics. In some prints and or designs it is nice to be able to add a metallic element or put a white base down under a color when printing on clear. So if you are planning on doing a LOT of things like that then get the 640 and you will be all set. But unless you plan on using it frequently then you most likely will end up clogging the print head where those come out. That is why I got my machine. The guy didn't use it enough and the metallic and white killed the head. Or at least part of it. It's beautiful when you can lay down a silver then print a nice color over it.

 

[Eastwind]

Well I stil have my Gerber Edge, it uses thermal resin foils to print. It can print white and a variety of metallics. In some prints and or designs it is nice to be able to add a metallic element or put a white base down under a color when printing on clear. So if you are planning on doing a LOT of things like that then get the 640 and you will be all set. But unless you plan on using it frequently then you most likely will end up clogging the print head where those come out. That is why I got my machine. The guy didn't use it enough and the metallic and white killed the head. Or at least part of it. It's beautiful when you can lay down a silver then print a nice color over it.

Thank you for the information! I think I might just hold off on this 640 and go with a new 540i... I figured that way I'll know the condition of the machine and I'll have the warranty. I'll also know that it's always had oem ink ran through it. I'm really leaning towards having the white and metallic too. The reason is because I see ALOT of people telling me to ver away from it but I feel like it might give me a jump on the compition. Also, I own an apparel/ brand where it would still give me a wider range of options/ products for our customers. Now I just gotta figure out what kind of laminator and heat press to go with and what type of vinyl / laminate to use lol

 

[Bob Rochon]

Good luck in your new purchase. Just remember there is a good reason a LOT of people recommend staying away from metallic and white.

 

[henryz]

If you are doing P.O.P. signage, decals and window prints, the Roland will be the way to go if your are going to be doing a lot of print and cut. You can do clear window cling that you can print white or metallic and clear decals are another item that would require white printing. You can also use it for back lit signage that has a second surface application instead of back spraying or applying white vinyl.

 

[printhog]

For heat press get a geoknight swing away at least 14". Great machine and you can also do some nice work with it. I should never have sold mine.

Laminator. Seal or GBC. Look for one that can double for mounting without major changes. Since you're new to that I suggest you find a repro graphics supplier that can teach you proper operation. Buy new as the likelihood of the rollers being crappy is to high in the used market. Try to find a machine that will do hot lam. The extra capability opens the door to hot mounting, paper lamination, and lots of low cost high margin presentation graphics. Also helps to kick adhesive flow for wrap laminates to stick better.

To be honest you'll need a good rip, and most importantly a color management system. Don't skimp on that. If you want to set your shop apart, become an expert at color. Correct Color is a merchant member here and having a tutor to get you thru that is very important. You'll save more than he'll charge on your first year of operation.

I'd shy away from the metallic and white inks.. you're reasoning is tradesperson thinking. "If I do metallics I'll get more business".. yes if the difference is sought after. But you're home based. Not really a place people will expect to find that type of output.

Worse yet - If you have to create the demand for metallic then your battling two fronts, one to get out of the home based business model and another to pioneer and educate people on the ink options. Pioneering is a VERY EXPENSIVE business condition. It will eat your financial resources.

Better model.. Find out what your prospective clients are buying. Then find out what problems they're having with current suppliers. Talk to them. Don't try to sell them. Just ask questions. Keep notes. Then fix what they complain about and let them know you can offer it to them.

Maybe they need metallic. Maybe they need immaculate color rendition. In my experience the market feedback has always expressed dissatisfaction with my competitors color, price and deadlines. I've never had a direct request for metallic. In 30 years.

Good luck.


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[jsjacobs]

Good luck in your new purchase. Just remember there is a good reason a LOT of people recommend staying away from metallic and white.

We have a 640 at our shop that is currently not configured to run metallic but the boss really wants to switch it over. Is there any reason in particular everyone seems to recommend staying away from it?

 

[Malardalensbildekor]

Thank you! I haven't learned when white or metallic inks/ prints would be needed. Do you have any examples by any chance? Thank you again for the info, I'm all ears

I have a Roland XR640 with white ink, have not had any problems because of the white ink but the white is totally useless, when you print white its not covering 100%, im thinking ti change to metallic, If you do stickers it might be useful with metallic but white you will have no use for