I need to pick one! Please help!

[thewvsignguy]

I hear what your saying petesign but first we need to get some sort of cost efective digital print equipment with the option to cut. We can still sub out the lamanated stuff and when we get to the point where it's cost efective to buy a laminater then we will buy one.

That's why we are at the point where we want/need to print all of our items in house. We have been subbing our work out for the last 2 years??? So would you get a printer/cutter like the 300i or cjv30-100 or a seperate printer and cutter like the SW mutoh package?

 

[petesign]

I bought a jv33-130 and cg130srII, and have absolutely no regrets. I'd caution you to get a 54" printer, but there are days I wish I had something wider (seamed hoods on wraps)... So I guess you always want more. I like the es3 inks on my Mimaki most of the time, you dont have to ventilate for fumes, which saved me a little cash. The folks are right though, the es3 ink doesn't "bite" into the vinyl like the ss21 does... But my banners have all held up just fine so far, and unless my signs are a cheap coro yard sign I laminate everything, so that's fine by me.

If you are fine to ventilate (and spend extra for the air vents etc) I would recommend the ss21, there are a lot of color profiles out there for ss21 inks, none for es3 yet. I haven't had a lot of issues color matching though, but when I first got going I thought it would be an issue.

Good luck, and once you have made your purchase, don't look back, just use your new toy to the best of it's abilities.

 

[iSign]

If I were you, I would heed the advice of folks here. Trust me, I learned the hard way that you are about to learn.. I thought my printer was the only big expenditure I needed to justify.

It's like buying an exotic sports car and telling the dealership you don't want any tires, and you drive off on the rims...

+1

I'm sure you don't do it on purpose, and i applaud you for researching as well as you have, but honestly it sounds like you are digging your heels in & clinging to your preconceived notions (or the results of early research) and as a result, losing some of the value of the very experienced advice you sought...

what are these budgetary concerns? another preconceived notion? or are you paying cash & only have so much? trust me, you will regret not doing this right... so if you can't afford to do it yet... DON'T... but listen to everyone.. buy big enough equipment, buy separate cutters, buy an air duster if you are convinced Mimaki is the best printer (I am) and buy a laminator.. if you can get financing, check the difference on monthly payments to set things up right the first time...

If you have to upgrade before the purchase is obsolete, you will lose way more then you will save by starting small, without the proper tools (separate cutter, laminator etc)

 

[Mainframe]

I can't speak for other brands, but I bought a Roland VP 540 2.5 years ago & I expected a big "learning curve/profile/printing nightmare at start up". Much to my surprise the thing was basically plug and play. The tech came in & set it up, hooked the ethernet up & installed windows on my Mac for me, (I had cables & XP bought & ready & waiting for the printer) After he made all the adjustments, head alignment, installing cartridges etc, he asked me if I had anything to print, I had a small job (and some big ones) waiting to print so we ran one through for a "test print" & I sold it later that day. (it was an inside wall graphic print by the way) I think one of the best things about the Roland is the Versaworks software & profiles. I Design in illy & dump the files in VW without a lot of worry. The program is made by the manufacturer & is constantly updated with new features added from time to time. VW also has a built in swatch color picker you print out that has your printer serial number on it, you pick out the color you want & name it from a VW swatch you can import in illy (I think this also works with Correll) After you do that the color prints dead on & most of the time the customer picked it from the swatch so you get no surprises. Although I would recommend a wider printer than 30" , you are going to have a printer payment & not be able to print a 3 OR a 4 foot banner, this would be troublesome to me, I would rather have a 54" Mutoh or Mimaki than a 30" Roland, even though I like the VW program, I think having the wide printer is more important. The people who have the other machines are too satisfied for me to condemn them. Good luck

 

[tbaker]

In the world of screen printing you sell a TON of 18x24 signage, but if you look at the large format industry, the bulk of things printed are 36-40" in one aspect. This isn't to say that you couldn't get by with a smaller unit, being able to rotate your print will solve the media issue, but it won't help the 3x8' banners, which was a staple for me when I ran one.

I have never been a huge fan of print/cut units, it could just be me, but think on this, when you print, the manufacturers recommend your prints rest to allow the ink to set fully into the media Are you just going to stop your printer, waiting for the hours it takes for your ink to cure?

You'd be better served with separate printer/cutter combo. That being said, Rolands have by far some of the best print quality, and VW is a good software package, designed specifically for their equipment.

Mimakis are work horses, I've seen them plow through print after print, give consistent quality, and get through some of the toughest jobs out there, but they don't have the BEST print quality, but is a solid performer.

I'm not impressed at all with Mutohs, any of them. they always seem "thrown together" somehow. That being said, I have clients that love them, but from a technical side, I can't stand working on them, troubleshooting them is a royal pain in the.... well you get the picture.

RIP: Which RIP are you going to use, VW is solid, I used to love flexi, but version 8.6 left a foul taste in my mouth and I haven't had the pleasure of working with 10 yet. Onyx, well it gives great color, but you can't cut out of Onyx, so you need another program, with another program comes a learning curve and a chance to mess things up.

Laminator: You may not think you need it, but trust me, you do. Even if a job is interior it should be laminated for longevity. One of the manufacturers of laminators used to have a saying; The job isn't finished until it's SEALED. It's corny, but true. Lamination takes things from the hobby range of the industry ( *Gasp* he said the "H" word) and puts it into the professional range. It takes ordinary work, and typically makes them look professional, as well as afford them protection from things like fingerprints, dust, cleaners, etc.

SUPPORT!!!! that should be one of the huge keys in your mind, it's all well and good to have a new printer/cutter/laminator/whatever, but unless you've been working on the thing for years, it's going to break, and when that does, who do you call? how long will it take them to get there and fix it? Is it going to cost anything to get them there?

Regardless of what you purchase, good luck

 

[mark in tx]

If you have the budget of 13k, I would suggest coming up with another 2-3k to be able to get whatever you buy professionally profiled.

 

[thewvsignguy]

Thank you everyone for input! We went with the SW package and it's a great deal and I think it will work well for what we do and can't wait until it gets here!!!

 

[tbaker]

I just worked on an older prismjet today, after 4 hours working on the thing, I wanted to stab myself in my eye with my long screwdriver.

That being said, it's 5 years old, and has been a work horse for my client, it runs 8 hours a day 5 days a week, and apart from those issues that make you say hmmmm..... seems to have been a good unit for him.

 

[g1sammons]

hope you have no problems:}
i made the same choice 3 years ago
i figured out in three years what suport really means
its all great when it works but when your broke down and not making money
you will have wished you had spent a little more for better suport
wish ya the best and hope you dont find out what i did about sw!!

 

[onestringer]

hope you have no problems:}
i made the same choice 3 years ago
i figured out in three years what suport really means
its all great when it works but when your broke down and not making money
you will have wished you had spent a little more for better suport
wish ya the best and hope you dont find out what i did about sw!!

You can buy extended warranty...or just put back some cash for fixes later. It is mechanical and will need repairs over time. FACT.

SW support is open until 11pm...others until 5pm. And after the original warranty period, phone support from our vendor (not SW) is $120 per hour...OUCH!

We do small applications also and use 24" material on our 48" printer...the material doesn't take up as much room in our shop. We have not regretted the space factor at all. The speed and quality have made up for it by far.

Good luck and congrats on the new printer.