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Looking for feedback on some very entry level printers

N

nbayer

New Member
Hello everyone, this is my first post to this forum. I am looking into getting into the sign business and I am pricing out the various equipment I think I'll need.

I am planning on mostly printing out small vinyl decals for consumer electronics at the start. I have already decided on a Roland GX-24 to use as a cutter and now I am trying to figure out which printer to buy.

Most of the printers recommended on the other threads I've read are big 64"+ printers and I just don't need anything that big just yet. Basically what I want is something that can handle a 24" roll of vinyl and can print nice vibrant colors. These decals will be placed on various devices (cell phones, ipods, etc..) for pretty much purely aesthetic reasons so it is important that the print is crisp and bright.

Here are the two printers I have found so far that seem to fit my needs:

HP Designjet Z2100
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...=Designjet&catLevel=2&product_code=Q6675A#BCC

Epson Stylus Pro 7880
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/ProImaging/ProductDetails.do?sku=SP7880K3


They both appear to be very similar however I noticed all the really nice printers are solvent-based and I guess these would be considered pigment-based? Is this going to be a problem? I am open to any suggestions for alternate machines but I am trying to keep the price under $5K.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
 
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Bigdawg

Bigdawg

Just Me
I'd worry about getting something that isn't at least eco-solvent since cell-phones, ipods, etc get a lot of handling and I am assuming that you won't be laminating these since I didn't see that mentioned.
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
The deal is that vinyl printers use solvent, or eco solvent inks, and have platen heaters to soften the vinyl to make it receptive to the ink. Otherwise the ink just pools on the surface and never soaks in.

For 5K you could probably buy a used thermal printer (summa, etc..) or a 36-38" inkjet (Mutoh or Versacam)

You can lease one if you have a real business and can qualify and keep your capital .
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
That's a reasonable entry level eco-sol printer. I am not in love with the print/cut combo machines for workflow reasons but many folks like `em fine.

You will quickly wish you had gotten the bigger one.
 
FrankenSigns.biz

FrankenSigns.biz

New Member
Without a doubt the VP 540 is what you want.

Please, please, please, please, don't even consider anything else.

Let me be clear: choose the Roland VP 540 and don't look back.
 
high impact

high impact

New Member
You would be crazy to use a print/cut combo machine for cut only. The time it takes alone would drive you out of business...not to mention the wear and tear on the printer. You will still need a stand alone cutter even if you get a combo printer.
 
S

sizzlingsigns

New Member
I agree that you need another cutter besides the versacamm.. But i have the sp 540 and it cuts super fast there is no problem with them cutting slow... but i ussuly cut on my cutter.. i would defiently get a cutter and a printer cutter.. also you always have the roland for back up if your cutter breaks..
 
high impact

high impact

New Member
If an sp cuts fast to you then you must have a slow stand alone cutter as well! The sp series Roland is s s s s s l l l l l l l l l o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o w!
 
N

nbayer

New Member
Im not going to be using it for cut only, pretty much everything will be print/cut. I would prefer the VP-540 as well but at 20K I can't really afford it right now. So I suppose I will start with the SP-300 and can always upgrade later or buy a seperate cutter if I find myself doing a lot of cut only stuff or need to free up print time.

Before that I will probably need to find a laminator. I havn't done much research into them yet. How do you guys like your laminators? please give a model number if you respond.
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
You will soon run into the workflow thing I was talking about.

Print
Remove from printer
Laminate
Pull the roll out
Load the lam'd print
<pray you feed right, and optical sensor sees the marks>
Cut
Re-Load the roll

For every job!

If you are a slow shop and don't mind shutting off your printer so you can remove the roll then you are actually the perfect canditate for this machine. It was designed specifically for guys like you that are not high volume (printing all day).

There are better printers
There are faster cutters

As far as Laminators go.. you will probably not spend 6K on a RS or a Seal, so get a Quickmount Daige 4 and a bar of soap... to wash your mouth out from all the cussing you will be doing.
 
N

nbayer

New Member
Heh, well thanks for the info guys. It was all helpful, I'll be around the forums so I'm sure you'll hear from me again.
 
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