HP 5500 Products, What do you Make?

[cptcorn]

I have a HP 5500 PS / UV sitting around collecting dust.

What types of products do you guys create with these? I've made roll up banners and such, and that's essentially it...

What's the big difference between the dye ink and uv ink? I noticed the dye inc is finicky and prone to finger print marks on non laminated papers and such. Any sort of moisture destroys the print.

 

[tanneji]

I print out my pictures on photo paper and sell them to restaurants that need art

 

[MachServTech]

Dye is essentially just that. It fades quickly in the sun. UV (in HP aqueous ink terms) has pigment particles that are much more colorfast.

These machines are great indoor POP work horses. Ink and media is more $$ than solvent, but the print quality is generally better. HP5500 is also slower than most solvent printers.

Good if you need more bandwidth in your shop for indoor signage.

 

[cptcorn]

Well the owners here bought it new years ago... And they really have never sold much of anything beyond a couple roll up banners every couple of years. Not a wise investment... So now they're thinking of off loading the machine to anyone, for pennies... ($1500-$2000)... I think it's worth more to hold onto it then sell it for nothing compared to what they bought the thing for.

I think since stuff is moving slowly we should really try and market a product that would utilize this... and in reality, I know its awesome for printing indoor displays and such, yet I haven't quite made the connection to what types of stuff people make. If you could include some photos of stuff you've made that would be great.

I print out my pictures on photo paper and sell them to restaurants that need art

Are you laminating these at all?

 

[MachServTech]

FedEx/Kinkos uses the hell out of these machines for A LOT, so there is a market for the products coming off of it.

 

[tanneji]

not at all ... i bought some frames from blick art supplies for 15 to 20 bucks and then frame them etc and sell them depending on the size from $40 and up. All of pictures are from local points of interest and that really makes them valuable locally. Good little source of income for my new monitor

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

i;ve noticed a lot of sign companies purchased hp5000-5500 only to purchase a solvent printer not to long after. i run across these almost weekly at prices that are hard to pass up but then again..what would i use it for?

 

[cptcorn]

The place I'm at seems to have purchased equipment based upon the possibility of making money and not effectively establishing a plan between the idea of making money and the actual receiving of money.

 

[animenick65]

The 5500 is a work horse. Its extremely easy to use, requires a quarter of the maintenance of a solvent and its print quality is amazing (so long as the files look good). The UV inks last quite some time and it uses ink quite well. We don't go through too many cartridges but pump a lot through our machine. We use the Sihl maranello photopaper all the time without lam and it works well for indoor trade shows and such. By no means is it a solvent though. Anything that is going outside needs a lam.

 

[MachServTech]

These machines make a good print. they actually have a built in densitometer that does a basic calibration. You can still do a lot worse for output. Ever have a customer complain that the text was too fuzzy? Aqueous printers are great for that up close print quality.

 

[cptcorn]

Right, and I build my own profiles for our JV3. In reality, I'm doing this because I'm a glutton for information. It's more to make me more knowledgeable and determine what I'm capable of doing.

I wish I had a finished product to examine.

 

[MachServTech]

Finished product of what? What material are you interested in?

 

[cptcorn]

Finished product of what? What material are you interested in?

Anything really... I've printed on a couple misc things just for the heck of it but that's about it... The problems I'm coming into are, how are the graphics assembled on large curved displays and such. Is there an overlapping seem?

Sorry if I'm sounding ignorant. I'm literally in the dark.

 

[DigiWriter]

We print posters, banners, banners for banner stands, trade show displays, etc with ours. It's all we had for years before we got a solvent. We generally do laminate everything we print with the 5500. We have the HP Z6100 now and it's even better than the 5500 (print quality and outdoor durable ink).

 

[KB Graphics]

We print Polybanner PLUS from Jack Ripper with the HP5500. Use the uv ink, print, no lam needed, and we sell the alot of em'.

 

[vroongraphics]

Hi. I have a HP5500 PS UV...60"

I use this printer for just about everything. Using the right media, I have made 4x8 signs that have lasted 2 years without lamination (no fading!) outdoors in Northern British Columbia! These signs were placed "unprotected" by a busy intersection and I watched them get blasted with road grime and snow from clearing....exposed to sun and rain....I was impressed.
I also do everything from photo reproduction, banner stands, window cling graphics, back lit displays, canvas etc. etc. etc. using this printer.

It prints at 1200 dpi, so quality is there, even compared to newer printers.

Calibrated properly with profiled media, this printer still holds its own in the market.

You can pick them up cheap, even new in box. I bought mine "top dollar" 4 years ago, but am still happy with it.

I currently outsource "solvent" jobs (clients that need printing done for long term outdoor, as solvent cheaper than aqueous UV which requires special "coated stock" which is expensive!), as I am still building a client base for outdoor print jobs...I figure I am a year away from purchasing a new solvent printer.