If you are only running, on average, jobs that are 1-10', then no - you don't. If you run more than that, or need to be able to multi-task without babysitting the printer, then it is essential.
I do a lot of print-lam-cut jobs, and I don't really trust the Roland to cut accurately after 8 ft, based on my experience. So I usually run jobs from 4-8 feet long. Do I
need a take up roll?
Absolutely! I will chain a series of jobs back to back in my rip and let it run everything together. Then I've got one long roll to laminate, instead of a bunch of individual sections. And I can still cut within the machine's accuracy limitations.
IF you have the money, I highly recommend the take up roll. Leaves you with fewer headaches. I was able to leave prints running for several hours after I left on Friday (after making sure I had enough ink/media), and came back to a set of finished prints this morning! Love it.
My previous shop didn't have one, so we had to hand roll everything as it printed out. Not too much of a problem if you're running matte vinyl, because IF the print touches itself, it won't stick. But when you're running the nice glossy wrap vinyl, you've got to have a babysitter for the machine or you'll lose a lot of money when everyone forgets to check on the print in time.