LEJ-640 reboot

[spawn2031]

Hey guys, been working with an LEJ-640 loaded with the ECO-UV S inks for about 6 months now. Issues have arisen with our 640 that is causing us to have the entire ink system ripped out and replaced so we have an opportunity to choose a different set of inks.

When we got the 640 initially, my boss wanted to go with the standard Eco-UV, not the S type so we could print clear using the CMYK+White+Clear setup. The guy who set it up loaded it with the S type ink in CMYK+wht+wht config instead and you can't go back supposedly w/o tearing all the guts out. So I have been doing some research on the difference between the two ink sets to see which one is really the best for us to go with this time around. The non-S type costs about $20 less per cartridge and the S type is formulated to be super stretchable. Besides that, I am not finding too many differences between them. So I am posting here to see what your guys take on the difference between them are. Besides the capability to print clear with the non-S ink, are there any other benefits?

Thanks!

 

[gritsonis]

What type of applications do you use the printer for? We do packaging prototypes and use the standard ECO-UV w/ clear ink with no problems. Most of our prints are to vinyl mounted to sbs or fluted material and then cut/crease/scored without any issues. I would imagine having a more stretchy ink would be great for packaging but I wouldn't trade the clear for that any day. The clear is game changer for us.

 

[spawn2031]

Right now we have been printing banners, posters, vinyl vehicle wraps and printing to a lot of ridged materials like PVC and Ceramic tiles. I honestly can't see any need for us to keep using the S ink. How well does that clear work out as a protectant layer?

 

[gritsonis]

When it comes to protecting prints it does the job well and makes it look better at the same time. The sucky thing about this printer is that there is barely anything online about it.

 

[spawn2031]

So then from your usage, you havn't seen the normal UV inks have any issues with cracking when rolled or bent? Like for printing on a banner or rolling a graphic up in a tube?

 

[Jimsee]

We run a LEJ640 with standard UV ink too, no problem with banner or sticker or anything. The ink seems to be flexible.

 

[Andrew O]

S ink is good for vacuumforming, thermoforming, and shrink. If you are primarily printing rigid or standard roll materials like PET, PVC, etc., the standard ink is probably a good solution.