HP L26500/Graphtec FC8000 vs. Roland or Mimaki Print &Cut

[ProColorGraphics]

I went from a VP540 to a L25500 with a Summa S140T. I would highly recommend Summa over Graphtec. The FC-8000 I had was a piece of crap! I do a lot of labels and it is way fast have separate machines! You wouldn't think it is that big of a deal until you have had both setups.

Also with the Graphtec, having to scuff or put clear tape over the registration marks so the machine could read them was a pain too. That is what I had to do, even recommended by the Graphtec techs to do too. Still didn't always work.

 

[ColoPrinthead]

Worth every penny. You can't print and cut at the same time.
Not to mention that if your printer goes down, so does your cutter... or visa versa.

Print, remove, lam, put back in printer, cut. While your cutting, it takes time away from work that can be printing... just overall not a good idea.

 

[Hicalibersigns]

We have an HP L25500 and Graphtec FC8000. Keep them both chuggin' all the time. Haven't had any issues with the Graphtec. It is stoopid fast. It is a great combination.

 

[Freese]

I went from a VP540 to a L25500 with a Summa S140T. I would highly recommend Summa over Graphtec. The FC-8000 I had was a piece of crap! I do a lot of labels and it is way fast have separate machines! You wouldn't think it is that big of a deal until you have had both setups.

Also with the Graphtec, having to scuff or put clear tape over the registration marks so the machine could read them was a pain too. That is what I had to do, even recommended by the Graphtec techs to do too. Still didn't always work.

I think the FC8000's are far from crap...could you explain?

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I think the FC8000's are far from crap...could you explain?

I went through 2 machines as the first one the head assembly was broke. I could never get the second one to read and cut accurately. Even after hours on the phone with their tech support. Sent it back, got a Summa, and haven't had a problem since. I did upgrade again from the standard Summa to the S-Class T-Series.

From my experience, the Summa worked flawlessly where the Graphtec never did for me.

 

[LittleSnakey]

The graphtec does great on cut colored vinyl but if your trying to find reg marks on glossy material it can be tempermental. Although there are many people who have good luck with theirs we could not get ours to work and replaced it with a summa.

Once you have used both you will think the summa is better. And we did a true side by side comparison.

I think the FC8000's are far from crap...could you explain?

 

[Robert Gruner]

I do appreciate all the comments.

It would appear that most signmakers concur that stand alone printer and standalone cutter is generally a better sloution than all in one print & cut machine; and, that the higher price tag is worth the difference.

Over the past 30 years, I have sold many Summa and Graphtec cutters. While I concur that the Summa T series cutters are excellent machines, I do not believe that the $2-$3K higher price tangential knife is worth the difference unless you are cutting a lot of very small text.

Thank you all.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I do appreciate all the comments.

It would appear that most signmakers concur that stand alone printer and standalone cutter is generally a better sloution than all in one print & cut machine; and, that the higher price tag is worth the difference.

Over the past 30 years, I have sold many Summa and Graphtec cutters. While I concur that the Summa T series cutters are excellent machines, I do not believe that the $2-$3K higher price tangential knife is worth the difference unless you are cutting a lot of very small text.

Thank you all.

I don't remember the tangential being that much more? When comparing both in the S-Class. I really like mine anyways.

From someone who has had both, a print/cut machine and now (2) separate machines, if you have the room, I would highly recommend getting separate machines. You seem to always run into that job every now and then when you wish you could print and cut at the same time.

 

[rjssigns]

You have never had an edge curl up that had been cut right after print?
Do you ever print full bleed bumper stickers and such?

Why do you outsource more than you print in house if your roland can keep up? I understand large banners but why? $$$$?

I reserve the right to make blanket statements.

If you are just getting into the business...straight into print seems unlikely as I feel like most people start by weeding vinyl before going into print. You should have a plotter before a printer.

I am interested in your business model though.

Yes we do full bleed bumper stickers, and no we don't have them edge curl.
We recently did over 880 full bleed tribute decals in house on Kapco with no issues.

Why outsource? Because I ran the numbers and when I can buy finished product shipped to my door for less than my input costs it is a no brainer.

There are many more thing to consider than how fast the printer runs. Inventory carrying costs are important because of needed safety stocks. Ever considered something called Inventory Risk? ROI and ROA, I could go on, but I won't. Let's just say I am putting my college education to good use with number crunching and being able to analyze all aspects of our business.
The biggest reason to outsource is I can design or preflight a job send it to my sub then move on to the next job instead of having to run a printer, laminator etc... I let my subs worry about getting perfect output while I make money locking down the next client.

It is a simple business principle called leverage. While I an content to run my own equipment I am happier running multiple jobs simultaneously through my subs.

And we are not just getting into business. Been at it for many years. Just getting a lot smarter.

 

[Bigdee]

Which model Summa are you guys using?

Oops sorry, T-series.

Is the SummaCut D140 a good entry level cutter for mainly vehicle graphics? I plan on pairing it with either a L25500 or L26500.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Which model Summa are you guys using?

Oops sorry, T-series.

Is the SummaCut D140 a good entry level cutter for mainly vehicle graphics? I plan on pairing it with either a L25500 or L26500.

Depending on the amount of cutting you will do and how thick of material you will be cutting. That is the one I started out with. It worked okay, but there is definitely a reason the S-Class T Series is about twice as much. I think it was well worth the upgrade. It is more accurate and a lot faster. If you call up Summa, ask for Drew. He was very helpful with the ones I bought.

 

[Bigdee]

Depending on the amount of cutting you will do and how thick of material you will be cutting. That is the one I started out with. It worked okay, but there is definitely a reason the S-Class T Series is about twice as much. I think it was well worth the upgrade. It is more accurate and a lot faster. If you call up Summa, ask for Drew. He was very helpful with the ones I bought.

Thank you for your advice ProColor. Sorry for hijacking your thread OP.