HP FB700 alternatives

[PrintItBig]

Hi,

We're looking for a flatbed printer. Quite interested in the FB700 due to the reasonable price when considering the 2.5M print width.

Are there any other machines around that sort of price range that will print that wide? If so could you point me in the right direction?

Also is the FB700 now a bit long in the tooth? 3.5 years old, has the tech moved on significantly since then?

Thanks.

 

[wunder]

alternate and a little bit cheaper is the FB950 Serie.....if you dont need white option...

 

[PrintItBig]

Thanks for the suggestion but is that model discontinued?

Really looking for something newer or better than the FB700 not necessarily cheaper.

Any other suggestions?

 

[jasonx]

Thanks for the suggestion but is that model discontinued?

Really looking for something newer or better than the FB700 not necessarily cheaper.

Any other suggestions?

There arent many machines that go with the FB700 in the same price range.

Alot of models are 2 metres or less or 3.2 metres or wider.

If you want a flatbed with roll to roll Oce, Fuji, Swisss Q have models but they are above the FB700 in terms of price range.

If this is your first flatbed its a good starting machine. It was our first flatbed (hybrid) and we just recently added a true flatbed.

 

[PrintItBig]

Hi Jason and thanks for the reply.

I've read a few of your threads on here and the UK Sign Boards regarding your latex machines and then the FB700.

You see to be doing quite well and have trodden a similar path that we'd like to tread.

Would you go down the same route if you were to do it again? ie Hybrid then a true flat bed? Or would you jump straight to the true flat bed?

Was the HP not delivering in some area that meant you needed to upgrade? Which flat bed did you go for?

Thanks.

 

[jasonx]

Hi Jason and thanks for the reply.

I've read a few of your threads on here and the UK Sign Boards regarding your latex machines and then the FB700.

You see to be doing quite well and have trodden a similar path that we'd like to tread.

Would you go down the same route if you were to do it again? ie Hybrid then a true flat bed? Or would you jump straight to the true flat bed?

Was the HP not delivering in some area that meant you needed to upgrade? Which flat bed did you go for?

Thanks.

We wouldn't of changed our route. We took all the options at the time of our decision and the FB700 fit the bill. Having the 2.5m width for us meant we could run 8x4's across the machine and it actually gave us a smaller footprint and also better print speed. It came within our budget because at the time we also wanted to add a Zund cutting table. We've had the machine for 18 months and it has grown our business out of sight to the point where we needed more capacity recently.

The only real area the HP for us wasn't delivering was the speed department. Sure you can crank up the speed to outdoor and express modes but we'd need better quality at those speeds.

We have now added a Swiss Q Nyala which is a true flatbed with roll to roll. Its 3.2m wide and a lot faster then our FB with better quality output at those speeds. We are talking about bare minimum four times the speed at higher resolution etc in comparable quality modes to the HP. We also have full time white so don't have to make the switch over as we had to do with our FB.

We also do some problem materials which a true flatbed is better at handling really sucking down the substrate so there isn't a change of a head strike.

I'd put the HP in the entry level lot and the Swiss Q in the middle level. So you can't really compare the two they are in different price points and you get what you pay for.

You can see my threads on here asking ForgeInc about flatbed versus hybrid and we are actually 4 times faster on our Swiss Q even for 8x4 boards including the unloading and loading time versus the same job on our FB.

I guess if you don't have the funds or want to take such a big risk in terms of investment the FB fits in an easier to manage investment.

If you want anything specific on the HP PM me I'll be more then happy to help.

 

[PrintItBig]

Thanks Jason.

Putting speed aside for a minute, would you say the Swiss Q was a big step up in print quality from the HP? Or would the average person not notice a huge difference?

 

[jasonx]

Thanks Jason.

Putting speed aside for a minute, would you say the Swiss Q was a big step up in print quality from the HP? Or would the average person not notice a huge difference?

I don't think you can put speed aside. Sure the HP can put out great prints in Photo mode.

The Swiss Q can print 2pt legible text.

But we need to look at it in terms of what substrates you are running day to day and what modes.

People on here will talk about quality in terms of dot placement etc. What you will find when you start pushing the HP in terms of faster mode you will see printing artifacts like banding etc. You don't get this on the Swiss Q. It's not really a fair comparison because one uses a belt and one is a fixed table. At the faster modes on the Swiss Q you won't see banding period.

We tend to stick to Indoor Signage Plus on the HP which is the mode they'll use to do test prints etc.
On our Swiss Q we use a 2-pass mode which is equivalent to the HP in terms of quality but you get no UV banding or small issues like that.

HP from memory is 16 square metres an hour which is about 5-6 8x4's an hour.
On the Swiss Q even with loading and unloading times were doing 19 an hour. So I guess it comes down to if you can afford or have the market to make an investment and get a return on your investment.

If flatbed is new to you then the HP will get you into the market and let you grow to a point where you can invest in more equipment to get a bigger return.

Our HP has been a solid investment. It's had a few quirks along the way and service or the communication of service could be improved.
We haven't had an issue with our Swiss Q so can't comment on the service apart from that installation and training which was exemplary.

 

[BigfishDM]

Have you seen the Jetrix UV Flatbed that Seiko distributes, Polytype USA sells a similar model. The print quality is the best I have seen from a flatbed

 

[PrintItBig]

Have you seen the Jetrix UV Flatbed that Seiko distributes, Polytype USA sells a similar model. The print quality is the best I have seen from a flatbed

No I haven't. I'm not familiar with Jetrix. Does anyone have one of these that could comment?

I assume they're a much smaller company than HP / Oce / Agfa?

My concern would be buying the machine and the company ceasing to exist / going bust etc, not being able to get parts or support. Am I wrong in worrying about this?

 

[PrintItBig]

I don't think you can put speed aside. Sure the HP can put out great prints in Photo mode.

I think my main concern with the HP is we would be buying a machine that was already lagging behind in terms of quality even on it's slowest / highest quality settings.

Most of the stuff we produce will be large exhibition graphics, hoardings, etc that will be viewed at a distance but there are always going to be times we're asked to produce A3s or even A4s with relatively small text and viewing distances. Is the HP up to that kind of work even at the higher quality settings?

(I realise we need to demo these machines and see for ourselves and we've got a demo on the HP booked for next week, just asking for some general opinions at the moment).

 

[BigfishDM]

No I haven't. I'm not familiar with Jetrix. Does anyone have one of these that could comment?

I assume they're a much smaller company than HP / Oce / Agfa?

My concern would be buying the machine and the company ceasing to exist / going bust etc, not being able to get parts or support. Am I wrong in worrying about this?

I you are in the UK then check this site for more info, they offer 24 hour all day support: http://www.lfp-products.com/jetrix.html

 

[cssamerican]

I you are in the UK then check this site for more info, they offer 24 hour all day support: http://www.lfp-products.com/jetrix.html

Here in the US http://www.wifag-polytype.com/ looks like a large company and they are the distributes of the SwiisQprint so it looks as if it as stable as anything else out there?