Looking for my first printer

[Kevin Schultz]

I've narrowed down from my original idea of a Roland TrueVIS to a Mimaki UCJV300 or HP 115 printer/cutter combo but I've seen alot (well... Too many criticisms for me) of folks saying the latex machine's prints are grainy. If you have experience with these machines, can you help a guy out? Do they print smoothly or is it an issue?

 

[ikarasu]

What are you going to be printing with it?


Solvent is grainy as well in certain colors. No printers are perfect - the newest latex is much less grainy... There isn't a perfect printer.
Why rule out the Epson r series? Latex technology with almost as good print quality as their solvent series.

Imo, best of both worlds. I'd stay away from solvent if you'll be printing once every other day though. Latex or resin if you don't have a ton of print work.

 

[Kevin Schultz]

What are you going to be printing with it?


Solvent is grainy as well in certain colors. No printers are perfect - the newest latex is much less grainy... There isn't a perfect printer.
Why rule out the Epson r series? Latex technology with almost as good print quality as their solvent series.

Imo, best of both worlds. I'd stay away from solvent if you'll be printing once every other day though. Latex or resin if you don't have a ton of print work.

I'm just going with what my local (ish) supplier has recommended & I'm not even sure if he handles Epson. I'll be printing decals on vinyl & on banner material. I'd like very good to great resolution (I'll notice it if no one else does) as far as ruling out the Epson r series, I can't really say that I did as I didn't even know about it until now!

 

[ikarasu]

Ever have a wide format before?

You won't get photographic quality like you do with desktop printers. They're designed for speed and wide material. They print great quality... Just not what you're used to!

I suggest asking your dealer for some samples. If they have no demo units... Hp is very quick and will mail you it on a bunch of different materials. Not sure about Roland.

I see your in Canada... Who's your dealer?

I'd never buy a machine that doesn't have a local tech... So you may be limited to what you can get make sure your dealer supports both, and isn't just selling a used one. Never heard of a dealer doing both Mimaki / hp.

 

[Kevin Schultz]

Ever have a wide format before?

You won't get photographic quality like you do with desktop printers. They're designed for speed and wide material. They print great quality... Just not what you're used to!

I suggest asking your dealer for some samples. If they have no demo units... Hp is very quick and will mail you it on a bunch of different materials. Not sure about Roland.

I see your in Canada... Who's your dealer?

I'd never buy a machine that doesn't have a local tech... So you may be limited to what you can get make sure your dealer supports both, and isn't just selling a used one. Never heard of a dealer doing both Mimaki / hp.

ND Graphics is my dealer. Closest is a 2.5 hour drive. No, I've never had a wide format printer before. I've been a vinyl cutter nerd and I have larger aspirations than it will allow. It's a home based business that I can run on my days off (I work in Northern Alberta in an oilfield camp 14on/14off). My son also has interests in this so he can man the machine while I'm gone.

 

[ikarasu]

Ah, yes, ND does latex.

https://reinvent.hp.com/na-en-printsamples-latex-stitch you can request samples from the 700/800 here - it'll be a bit better quality than a solvent.

If you're printing once every 2 weeks.. go for latex. They work great sitting idle for weeks at a time.

Not a fan of the 115 though... It's a bit slow, on-top of using smaller ink carts. If it's in your budget... Go for the 3xx series.

 

[Action Mary]

Why did you rule out the Roland? We just bought one. I am curious because we also have a home based business and found the Roland suited our needs better. Nothing against the other ones's. A friend just bought an Epson and he loves his.

 

[Kevin Schultz]

Why did you rule out the Roland? We just bought one. I am curious because we also have a home based business and found the Roland suited our needs better. Nothing against the other ones's. A friend just bought an Epson and he loves his.

Mainly the smell. UV & Latex are allegedly less stinky. What did you buy? How do you like it?

 

[balstestrat]

That UCJV is going to stink just as much as Roland when printing. At least in my nose. I definitely do not recommend to get one inside the house.

I don't think latex is too grainy. Sure you can say it's more grainy than others but it's still very sellable. If you wanted to do some very small text maybe then you have to consider things.

 

[Kevin Schultz]

Why did you rule out the Roland? We just bought one. I am curious because we also have a home based business and found the Roland suited our needs better. Nothing against the other ones's. A friend just bought an Epson and he loves his.

Curing time is also a factor. Honestly it's the biggest factor. I'm tired. Just finished night shift. Brains not fully engaged.

 

[Action Mary]

Mainly the smell. UV & Latex are allegedly less stinky. What did you buy? How do you like it?

Love it. This printer has different ink that doesn't smell as bad. The main reason I went with Roland was space. Roland is a one piece unit, where as the others are two piece. One prints, one cuts. Add a laminator and that takes up a lot of room. The Roland also self cleans, so if you have a dry spell, you don't have to worry about the ink drying up. (Although you do have to do a manual cleaning every so often. The machine will tell you when it is time.) Someone on YouTube has one and is showing you how it runs to give you an idea how it will preform for you. I also do a lot of decals and this machine will print, do the contour cut around the decal, then do a perforated cut so you just have to pop them out and weed them. I am still playing with that to get the right cutting adjustment, but the youtube video shows how easy that will be. Check it out. All in all, we ended up paying over $30,000.00. BUT it is brand spanking new and will pay for itself in the long run.

 

[garyroy]

Are you thinking of buying a printer because you have so much business you want to bring it in house, or are you looking to just get into the business of wide format printing?
If you're just getting into the business, why not get orders, have someone else print them/sub it out, then just resell them?
You can go to a company like Stouse or The Gill Line and use them as your vendor.
Not as glamorous as owning your own printer but certainly a lot easier to get started. No space required, no capital outlay, no learning curve....
See if you even like the business you're getting ready to invest $30,000 into by just subbing the orders out.

 

[APCInk]

I've narrowed down from my original idea of a Roland TrueVIS to a Mimaki UCJV300 or HP 115 printer/cutter combo but I've seen alot (well... Too many criticisms for me) of folks saying the latex machine's prints are grainy. If you have experience with these machines, can you help a guy out? Do they print smoothly or is it an issue?

Hey there Kevin-

You can't go wrong with the Mimaki UCJV300 it offers endless opportunities for a variety of applications!