Suggestions Discussion Looking to buy a printer, HP 335 print & cut system has really caught my eye

- HP uses a lot of electricity to heat up. Will cost me more to run it than a EcoSolvent
We're talking like pennies to dollars per month. We didn't even notice a difference in our bill.

- HP has cheap print heads, yes they are cheaper to replace, but in the long run I will be replacing them a lot and they will add up.
You can run the heads to like 8000ml. Which is way more than competitors use in pricing comparisons.

- HP doesnt adhere well to a lot of vinyl materials (this one I do not believe)
What? That may have been true like 7-8 years ago. Not true anymore.

 

Quill,

I am surprised that folks at this site haven't jumped all over your post with..."Have I got the deal for you!" I see you have done a little bit of due diligence and identified the major players. I like to reference HP and the "rest"...as HP is the only Latex printer and the "rest" includes Epson, Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland, and OKI, all eco- or mild-solvent printers. All of these digital printers have Pros and Cons; however, it is my opinion that HP Latex Pros are considerably greater than all other printers' Pros and that HP Latex Cons are far less than all other printers' Cons. Most importantly, for users just getting into wide format digital printing, the HP Latex are easiest to use and maintain and are far more versatile in the types of substrates it will print on.

I could probably write a thesis on the questions you have posed. Most of the larger Digital Printer Resellers in NA offer multiple brands of printers; but, HP Latex is by far their largest seller.

Feel free to message me for additional info.

Bob Gruner

 

I’ve never used a HP but something you also may want to consider is solvents like to be run as much as possible. Need to be cleaned daily-weekly depending on the model you choose and don’t fare well being switched off for long periods (or really any period) of time.

with the latex I believe you can leave it off for extended periods and then go back to it and its not a brick. Which is probably ideal for a start out business that probably won’t be running it all day every day.

Disposable heads are also probably not a con in your case, do you want the head costs to come out in little, disposable nibbles or do you want to spend a giant chunk of money at once to replace the head on a solvent? (That last sentence had too many eating references, hungry now).

Have a search, there’s hundreds of threads here about people trying to save their solvent heads because they don’t want to throw all their money at an engineer for his time and a very expensive new head. Anything that is user replaceable means you’re not paying for an engineer. Not paying for an engineer = happy face.

 

Before you buy any printer, do two things.

1. Check your area for resellers that also offer support of any printer you would buy. If you can't get local service for a printer you might buy, remove that printer from your list.

2. Take your files to these resellers, and have them print YOUR files on YOUR material. Don't fall for the "here is a sample print" from the marketing department.

For signs and banners, latex would be fine. If you are doing anything that requires high quality prints viewed up close, latex won't work well in that situation, and you'll see that once you have your sample files printed on them.

Put money aside for electrical work as well, you will need (2) 220v/20amp circuits installed for the HP machine to operate.

I own a latex machine, it works well for any of our signs/products viewed from a distance, it sucks major *** for anything that is for our indoor sticker/decal business. We use Canon 4000's for that now and are looking at adding Epson 60600 or 80600 to handle that.

HP support majorly blows and if you want support on the printer after the initial warranty, it was $1800+ a year for us on the HP 300 model we have to keep an extended warranty.

These are also cheaply made, and after 4 years or so when things like the heater/fans start to go, it will be cheaper to buy another printer then to keep dumping money into them.

While you work on lining up visits to your friendly resellers to print your samples, search threads on here for latex and read away.

Do I hate my HP Latex? No. Would I buy another one now, knowing what I know? No. BUT I am not a high volume wrap, banner, etc type shop either.

Whatever you decide to buy, buy local. Buy from a place that has local techs that will come out and train you, techs you can call and have dispatched when there is a problem, etc. You don't want to "mail order" this piece of equipment, trust me.

 

I have had very good results with my HP 365, and before that a HP 26500 (one issue only there was the lack of the optimizer that came later).
Electricity, well, would have to be a huge production to probably make any difference. You have no smell, prints come out dry, you can laminate right away if you want.
Replacing printheads, only after very long runs, and then, super easy. No need to be cleaning at all, no messy clothes, etc.
I have had excellent technical support from HP, even when I haven't been in warranty. They have very patiently talked me through a couple of issues, including changing one or two parts.
Also, the 365 I bought through Grimco, GSG also carries HP latex line. I would check to see who has the better deal, and Grimco may be closer to you. The Grimco support and install was very commendable as well, to the point that I finally got to learn how to do print and cut (may seem something basic for the ones that already know it, but it was next to impossible for me to find any help with the plotter provider, the Cadlink people, lots of YouTube videos, etc.).
I believe the 365 has the Spectrophotometer vs the 335. See if you can get the 365 (with take up reel) plus a good plotter, maybe under 20K if they're running specials.

 

The 335 only needs 1 20 AMP breaker - It uses 16A, and 3A... so a single 20 is fine. The bigger systems like a 365 require their own seperate lines.



One thing no one is mentioning... you know you need a laminator, right? So while the 20k may be in your budget, tack a laminator onto that and you're probably going over it.

 

For the applications they listed, they really do not need a laminator. The scratch resistance with Latex ink is incredible, for banners and decals you do not need lam off latex. Unless you are doing car wraps then you definitely need a laminator.

 

I like my 560, and it can sit for a week or two unused and you'd never know it.

 

Only maintenance is oil the rail
Ink cost per square foot combines 1 set of print heads, 1 maintenance cartridge and 1.5 sets of ink...most people get 4-5 sets of ink through a head...$.24/sq’
Yes you need a 220 line for power but you get a full set of ink cartridges with the unit.
The 115/315/335 ship with an Hp version of Flexi that will never expire and you get free updates(not that I like Flexi but it is a great solution for most)
Install and training are included on all except the 115.
No smell to the ink
Immediate off gassing to allow instant lamination
Firmware upgraded on the printer directly
Profiles downloaded directly from the printer
Color calibration, head alignment and feed calibration automatic

but don’t let me sway your decision on a Mutoh