Looking for a beginner printer/cutter

[JandPVinyl]

I currently have just a cutter and I am looking in to printer/cutters. This business is a side gig for me so looking for something economical and also realitively easy to maintain. with a printer cutter I will be producing t-shirt transfers, sign graphics and some small vehicle graphics which is what I am currently doing with my cutter just want to advance to some more custom artwork and better designs which I could do with a printer cutter. I appreciate all input and thanks in advance.

 

[Solventinkjet]

One of the best starter printer/cutters is the Roland SP-300V. It's an older printer but they have outlasted any other printer using the same heads as far as reliability goes. There are tons of used ones out there and you can usually pick one up for between $4000 - $6000 depending on condition. A lot of people start out with this machine.

If your budget allows for a new model, I would recommend the Mimaki CJV150-75. You should be able to find one for close to $10,000. They are by far the best newer printer/cutter I have worked on and trained new customers on and I work on and train a lot of printers.

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

How often will you be running the printer?
If its a "side gig" and you arent printing daily, i don't know if i personally would want a solvent/ eco sol printer. Id go latex.
That said, i would also do a printer and cutter separately not 1 unit that does both.

 

[JandPVinyl]

I anticipate the printer at first to be used 3 days a week. I will not be printing daily that I know. What's the pros and cons of solvent/Eco solvent printer vs a latex? And why the opinion on a cutter and a printer separate? I currently only operate a 24 inch cutter and its getting to be the majority of the time I could use larger vinyl, so in this process I was wanting to upgrade to a larger media width

 

[Gino]

I anticipate the printer at first to be used 3 days a week. I will not be printing daily that I know. What's the pros and cons of solvent/Eco solvent printer vs a latex? And why the opinion on a cutter and a printer separate? I currently only operate a 24 inch cutter and its getting to be the majority of the time I could use larger vinyl, so in this process I was wanting to upgrade to a larger media width

Why does your profile indicate you already have a VersaCamm 540 ?? Did you break it ??

 

[FatCat]

Solvent printers become problematic when they aren't run consistently. The heads tend to dry up, drain lines clog, etc.
Latex would be the better choice based on your reply - or possibly a thermal print and cut machine like a Summa or older Gerber Edge system.

 

[JandPVinyl]

Gino- I joined this board in anticipation of buying that printer and needed some questions asked much like the ones I am asking now, I backed out of that printer after some discussions with a member on here and I sent him the hits on the print head. I have not been on since that time and am just now getting back into the printer discussion. I wasn't ready for a printer at that time but it was a good deal so I figured I'd join here to get some advice.

Thanks on on the advice thus far I am just beginning my research on the pros and cons. If I understand correctly the latex print heads go out quite a bit more often than the solvent ones correct? If so what is the typical life span for a latex print head?

 

[Gino]

In that case, why don't you consider subbing out your needs and after a few months to a year of that, get the machine most appropriate for your needs ?? That way, you can see the difference from both types of machines and how well they hold up. Heck, if you're only anticipating your future needs, no sense filling your head with nonsense. Wait and see what the best deal is for you.

 

[JandPVinyl]

A big issue I have with subbbing it out is 1) no one within an hour and a half possibly 2 hours owns or operates a printer so having to add additional cost for bringing a 3rd party in would either cut into my profit margin or in turn make me raise my price in order to keep my profit margin. 2) with having to outsource I would cut into my turnaround time in which I am currently in control of. If I outsource I am operating on there time and then my time

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

Based off what you said i would go latex.
Latex pros:
instantly cured, you can laminate right off the printer.
low/ no odor, if you are running this from home that would be a huge plus in my book.

why you would want a printer and cutter separate? Well, this is my opinion since i've owned and operated both.... the printer/cutter combos don't really do either great. That sounds harsh, but its not. They are good printers, they can do that no doubt, but cut registration can be hit or miss. Buying a machine that is dedicated to printing, it will (in theory) do exactly what you bought it for, print, and print fast/ high quality. If you buy a cutter that is strictly designed to cut, it has better options and does its job.

We went from roland eco sol, to mimaki both had on board cutters. When you are cutting you cant print so it had me tied up in production (this is just my experience in production). Since we switched to our L360 and graphtec cutter the printer never stops all day. When a print cut job is done, i cut it off the printer (already cured), laminate it and walk to the cutter right away and i can have the next print job already running while the last job is now cutting.... for me its work flow + quality. Our roland and mimaki couldn't touch the cut quality and accuracy of the dedicated graphtec cutter.

 

[Guerilla Signs]

There are some really good wholesalers that are merchant members here. They can do it and get you a fast turnaround as well. I have used Signs 365, Signs 2 trade, and Merritt. They are all good quality and pricing. They all have good turn around times as well. Never have a problem meeting a deadline letting one of them do my printing for me.

 

[Gino]

A big issue I have with subbbing it out is 1) no one within an hour and a half possibly 2 hours owns or operates a printer so having to add additional cost for bringing a 3rd party in would either cut into my profit margin or in turn make me raise my price in order to keep my profit margin. 2) with having to outsource I would cut into my turnaround time in which I am currently in control of. If I outsource I am operating on there time and then my time

With your being a part-timer, most wholesalers can turn this stuff around in 24 hours, with very inexpensive freight, which is probably much faster than your few hours a week you wanna spend doing this. You seem to have your heart set on buying a printer, so just get a decent one you can afford, a cutter and a laminator. If you're worried so much about perfection and cutting others out, then at least give your customers a good product. No sense being a hack, huh ??


I would seriously re-think your business plan, throw it out and put a new one together. You're working too close of deadlines for no money. You are hurting yourself based exactly on what you are saying. You are in your own way of progressing. You need to set some standards which are realistic and not based on some part-timers availability.


By the way..... what is your budget for this venture ?? That will determine which way you go, also.

 

[JandPVinyl]

Excellent points ExecuPrintsGS Do you have any experience with latex print heads? I read somewhere they require replacement on an average of 5:1 over Eco solv. Thanks for your input and yes I am operating it out of my house so odor and no ventilation will play a big part.

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

Excellent points ExecuPrintsGS Do you have any experience with latex print heads? I read somewhere they require replacement on an average of 5:1 over Eco solv. Thanks for your input and yes I am operating it out of my house so odor and no ventilation will play a big part.

We have had our L360 for about 3 months, my print heads life is still fine, i haven't replaced them yet. But yes, print heads are a "consumable" on latex printers, the difference is the cost. A replacement print head for our solvents were $xxxx + a tech coming out to replace them, and the replacements for the latex are $xxx, and i can swap them in and out as needed.

If you aren't using the machine every day i would stay away from solvent, thats just my opinion. I am the only sign person at our shop, last vacation i took was a thursday - monday. Came back and spent an hour doing head cleanings on our mimaki to get the heads back to 100%. Its not a huge issue, just an annoyance.

To me the biggest factor for you is ventilation. I would go latex, HP has models that are on the "cheap" side (slower, no take up roll, etc) but the quality is still on point.
Depending what you do you could get away without a laminator and use a big squeegee to hand laminate until you can afford a normal one. But that depends on the size of prints you are doing also.. Lot of factors to take into consideration.