Lots of bunk in this thread, not sure where you guys are getting your info.
I have a thread here on the forum where I have been documenting my findings with this new printer, and answering questions from the community. There was not much real world info on the internet when I bought this thing. I've definitely learned a lot!
https://signs101.com/threads/ive-owned-an-hp-r1000-since-april-2019-ask-me-anything.157677/
6 months ago we sold our r1000 and bought the r2000. 30% more throughput and 30% cheaper ink cost. Couldn't be happier.
Here's a snippet from my thread that discusses the numbers everyone's wondering about:
Please find attached our ink consumption and SQFT printed for the last 3 months.
365,496.883 ft² of substrate printed 3 months
150.194 L ink consumed in 3 months
Estimated cost per sqft = $0.045
(this is based on 3 months of printing with 60% of prints being on yard sign/ coroplast @ 3pass)
We have three main quality settings we use across all of our profiles:
Majority quality level used (about 60% of total jobs) = 3 pass, 4 color, 70 density (yard signs). I can get 100-110 double sided 18x24" signs per hour.
Second most used quality level = 4 pass, 6 color, 80 density (for nearly all prints that aren't required to be ultra high quality)
Least used quality level = 6 pass, 6 color, 90-100 density (for high res images & some solid color prints)
Keep in mind you can go up to like 10 or 12 pass. However, on a full coverage print I don't notice quality improving past a 6 pass. For fine text prints we would do 6 pass + 600dpi
White ink starts out at a 33 pass.
We hardly ever printed white in the last year. I think I did a single job. We just don't go after that kind of stuff.
White 33 pass 54" x 48" translucent vinyl (sandwich mode white/color/white) took approximately 45 minutes to print.
3L ink from grimco is $285. There are 8 colors : CMYK, LC, LM, Optimizer, Overcoat (actually 9 if you count white). You must use overcoat and optimizer on every print, though for certain things I profiled my substrate to use less than 5% for each (HP default profiles around 15-20%)
Print head is $460 - We replace @ between 50 and 60,000ml fired. (they are warrantied to 12,000ml). They are solid heads and easy to change out. I could swap one with my eyes closed. For us this was like every 3-4 months. Depends on the color though. Some heads I can get 6 months on them. Typically a print issue can be resolved by a calibration and so no need to replace the head.
R series cleaning kit (basically a paper towel roll & filters) $397 - we have to replace every 2 weeks or so. Good news about this is if you're replacing them it means you're printing which means you're making money. It only uses the roll during printing. Takes about 15 minutes to swap and clean properly.
Sometimes we would have a bad head and if it was under 12,000ml fired, we'd open a case and get a free head. Otherwise, we always kept 2 heads on hand. Remember, HP support and most suppliers are closed on the weekends so better to have your own stock of parts.
The R series beat the pants off the Scitex flatbed 550 I had, and the cost savings on ink and heads pretty much made the payment itself. Pros of latex versus UV:
- No ink smell
- No white ink turning yellow
- White ink heads can be removed when not in use, and stored in a box inside the machine. This prevents white ink being wasted during routine purges.
- Cheaper and easier to replace printheads
- I'm not allergic to latex ink, while UV would have me breaking out in seconds of contact
- Ink lines don't clog.
- When ink dries, it is ultra thin and so will show the texture fo the substrate. If you print on glossy media the print will be glossy and likewise for matte and satin
- R series has an intermediate tank system, meaning you can replace ink boxes without the machine stopping when the Out of Ink message appears.
Last thing you might want to know, HP offered me a 3 year extended warranty contract for $1445/month (full coverage). I'd certainly recommend this but I've always been a fan of warranties on printers.
