• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

High volume printing - advices needed

HINT WITH TAKE UP REEL: As you load the media, hold the very center and give a quick jerk... this aligns the media to the printer, then use only one piece of tape in the center of your media to tape to the reel. After you have one wrap you are good to go...this works every time for straight rolls onto the takeup...no cork screwing it's way off.
 

messmedia

New Member
... and good advices continues!

First of all - my RS640 machine came, - day before yesterday. We install it, printed swatches, my gradient and lettering test, printed some of my photos ... ... And Me-Happy!!!
Although, at 1440x720 mode, there is some grain, but it's ok.
Otherwise, the colors ARE GREAT, and I get what I see on my monitor. ... my friend made a joke about it: it seems my monitor and Roland are MISCALIBRATED same way!!!
Lettering - I've printed text starting at 2 points up untill 12 pt.
3 point text is GOOD, Myriad font - black letters on white vinyl (3640). White lttrs on black and color bckgrnd - it is readible and ok, but letters are not that crisp, and I think it is more because of surrounding color and very thin lettering. So, from 4pt text up - have no worries! (but, again, if U print dark on lighter background, even 2 points is readible, it's just too small!!)

Now, @ topic, and @ anax:
7.3 $ for sq meter? it's INSANE price! Vinil costs U over 2 bucks alone! It's just too cheap, third party color or not! Is it price w or wo application?

By the way, I heard somewhere U get around 50% off of ink cost per print with 3rd party colors.
And based on my dealer estimations, very dark immage, very saturated can spend up to 5 € of color (ESM). I am counting 6. Lighter immages - 1.5 €/sq mt. Average that most of their Users expirience is around 3 €/sq mt - color only. I am counting 4 (JIC). So, U may get 2 euros/sq mt with 3rd pary color, which is OK, but U must calculate U have to change parts more often ... - I think :{).
And, even with that smaller price of color, U have UR prints costing U around 4 € (with vinyl). And U sell 'em for 7.3$ - which is around 5.2 €. So, U get 1.2 €/sq mt earned.
BUT THEN, U must take out the price of time needed to print it, worker salary, ammortization of printer, cost of power ... ... So, tell me, how U earn anything?????

Here, regular price of printed vinyl is 18 euros/sq meter. Application price not included. And I do think that is cheap too. But, money can be earned.
For high volumes, U must go under 18 with application, and removal. It's not great earning, but is enough, for one job.

...Unfortunatly, my Take Up Reel didn't came yet - I will order it, but for this job - I must do without it.
So, what can I do without TUR? Have someone always attending prints, cut sheets more often?? Should I roll the printed material immediatly, and then leave it to cure, or something else?
 

astro8

New Member
Looks like you'll have to make do with a couple of axle stands and a broomstick...what a bummer not having the take-up reel.

I've seen all types of contraptions...clothes line type hangers strung from the ceiling, draped over chairs, letting spool along the floor and cutting it off.

I'm sure you'll figure out something...necessity is the mother of invention!
 
Last edited:

anax

New Member
well mess media in POland we count like that:
let's say in euros right now:)
1 euro=4,2 zl, 1$- about 3 zl (zloty)
1 sq.m. vinyl 3164 costs 1 euro,
3 part vinyl- one sq.meter costs about 0,5euro-max 1 euro=checked!
price is without application
so if 1 sq.m. cost 5,5 euro; vinyl+ink=about 1,7euro= I earn 3,8 euro/sq.m x 8(per hour)=30,4 euro per hour x 8 hours=243 euro per day. This amount of money earns worker of Tesco in one month:) And additionaly when during printing I can do other thinks like projects , application and so. And yes of course you still have other costs like electricity, leasing etc. But this price is still possible, and if I want to have fair companies with me, this price have to be so low. They applicate and remove them selfs.

Actually I don't know printing companies working on originals, not in poland. Maybe small signs companies who have clients "from the street"- they can give normal price 10-12 euro/sq.m.

This are prices in poland. It's all depends on target client. I work only with big companies and they pay as they pay-good work , no complains, but low price. I have of course clients, who pays about 20 euro per sq m. but they are rare:)
Last month I earned for 1/3 part of new printer, without spending too much time printing...But it's fair time:)

thhat's all:)
Anax
 

messmedia

New Member
soooo, long time has been, I'm getting back here just to share my experiences ... - since U all helped so much, and I'm grateful for that.

We printed on 3620M vinyl, using generic profile (2) from VW (couldn't afford tests, 'cause client, like usuall, was late with designs;[) )
I also made a mistake using 720x720 mode. That lower 720 x 360 mode is not much worse, and is much faster. Actually, I am pretty amazed with print quality overall.
I Did Not Have !ANY! Problems With Printing This! So, thumbsUp for Roland!
Although, I am having problem today, with printing on some back-lit paper, but I think it's profile problem ... Gonna post it in it's own topic, though.

Tank You all again.

P.S. Forgot to mention: I had one small problem: I really missed that Take UpSystem! It really is a necessity (for longer runs) - as many of U mentioned upthere!
 
Last edited:
Top