Looking to replace a GS6000- latex or Eco-solvent?

[alphabaltimore]

Hi all,
I've been browsing around on the forums and have read a lot about some of the options- we're intrigued by the HP latex 330/360, read some bad reviews of the Epson Surecolors, and have no idea where to start with the other brands. I'd love some feedback on the new HP latex printers if anyone has a recent review.
We are a small graphics shop, and the bulk of our printing is adhesive vinyl posters (laminated and not) on foamcore, but with great image quality and PMS color matches. We also run scrim banners, poly banners, photo paper, and are starting to experiment with some fabrics. My main concerns are image quality and ability to get good color matches. We currently have a GS6000 and are very pleased with the output on most media, but it's probably on its last legs and we've had a fair amount of issues. The shop is small and not super well ventilated, so we'd like to avoid full-on solvent.
Any advice?

 

[chrisphilipps]

You should take a look at the Mutoh ValueJet 1638X. We have an account in upstate NY that originally had the GS6000 and went with Epson's recommendation and purchased the SureColor S70. They have had problems with those units from the start and have purchased a Mutoh because of this. The GS6000 was manufactured by Mutoh, not Epson. When Epson created the SureColor series they went out on their own for both design and manufacturing. The customer in NY knew this and that is why the became interested in the Mutoh.

With the 1638X you can configure it with 2x CMYK for speed or CMYK + Light Cyan, Light Magenta, and Light Black for image quality. When configured as CMYK x2 the printer has a max speed of 1,012sfph, setting it up with the Light Magenta, Light Cyan and Light black cuts that speed in half. In a side by side testing between the Epson S70 and the 1638X, the image quality and colors were almost identical. We can get samples printed for you for you to view.

You can see more about this printer on our website.

 

[P Wagner]

I would encourage you to perform thorough due diligence. There is a wealth of knowledge on this, and other online sites, but be sure to speak with the reseller that you would be directly purchasing from about support and training that they offer.

Obviously, both types of ink (eco-solvent and latex) afford similar output options when the output going onto PVC media, which is the bulk of what sign makers are producing today. When you move away from these traditional PVC medias, and look into things like true (often non PVC based) wall coverings, fabrics, and various paper medias like vellum and bond, you are likely to find that latex ink tends to offer more compatibility with these disparate medias than eco-solvent does. This can potentially translate into a wider variety of products that can be produced with the latex machine.

Speaking as someone who has been running the HP Latex 360 for the past 6 weeks (albeit in a training environment), I am extremely impressed with the improvements in this generation of latex. The warmup time for the heaters to come to temp has been reduced from around 10 minutes to less than two minutes. Media profiles can be easily produced on-board using the embedded spectrophotometer. RIP time has been reduced by orders of magnitude, and printer throughput has been increased by at least two times, if not three on some medias (244 to 330 sfph in production modes).

 

[alphabaltimore]

Thank you both for the input. We do want to be able to offer a wide variety of materials (fabrics, fine art-type paper, etc.) as well as our bread-and-butter vinyl posters and banners. We have had issues getting good color on the more fabric-y types of media with our GS6000.

Still researching but it's nice to have this forum for real-person advice!

 

[jtinker]

Research is probably the best bet. People are just going to pick what they have because theyre used to it. With that said we got ourselves the Roland RE-640 & VS-640 Eco-Solvent. Those two printing at full speed can produce fantastic results on a variety of media in some of the fastest turnaround times i've come to know. I believe the RE-640 also doubles as a sublimation printer as well. I've only encountered latex printers at demos or trade shows, from what I can see they do a fine job but I guess it really depends on what type of needs your shop has. Do you need speed over quality, do you need A larger color gamete.

 

[chrisphilipps]

One thing I forgot to mention is that we are having an Open Houes next Thursday and Friday (6/19 and 6/20). We will have the 1638X setup in CMYKx2 and you can come and look at it for yourself. We will have our Mutoh sales rep and the VP and General Manager of Mutoh America here as well to answer any questions you might have.

 

[KevSign]

My opinion HP Latex 360 best for small shop. If your shop not busy, the print head will not clog, low maintenance, print head changeable. You can print and working the print right away.

HP Latex: Scratch resistance, faster than normal solvent, lower cost ink, you can print fabric, backlite film very nice.

 

[Haimduek]

Latex is replacing solvent

Hi all,
I've been browsing around on the forums and have read a lot about some of the options- we're intrigued by the HP latex 330/360, read some bad reviews of the Epson Surecolors, and have no idea where to start with the other brands. I'd love some feedback on the new HP latex printers if anyone has a recent review.
We are a small graphics shop, and the bulk of our printing is adhesive vinyl posters (laminated and not) on foamcore, but with great image quality and PMS color matches. We also run scrim banners, poly banners, photo paper, and are starting to experiment with some fabrics. My main concerns are image quality and ability to get good color matches. We currently have a GS6000 and are very pleased with the output on most media, but it's probably on its last legs and we've had a fair amount of issues. The shop is small and not super well ventilated, so we'd like to avoid full-on solvent.
Any advice?

I am with HP and wanted to shed some light on the question you have posed. As you know latex is replacing solvent and very quickly. By now more than 20,000+ hp latex devices were sold and for the following reasons: No need to gas out: With solvent you have to wait 4 - 8 hours before lamination, with latex you don't, you can laminate right away. Harmful odors: Solvent and Eco Solvent has harmful odors and cancer causing material (read the ink label). Latex is green does not need to be vented has no smell and can be used for applications in Hospitals, restaurants, Hotels, Airports, homes. Solvent cant print on uncoated material, latex can. The new L300 3rd generation Latex has anti scratching additive to it and will not scratch like solvent does. The latex L300 is easy to use (automatic ICC Profiles, Auto heads cleaning, User replaceable print heads, Auto print heads alignment, easy maintenance and un attendant operation). Solvent required end of day routine and heads cleaning which if not done can cause severe damage and costly replacement by a tech. Latex is versatile and can print on variety of media's, 100's of media's been profiled. Check on HP.com. The L360 device includes on board I1 spectrophotometer to match color from print to print and from printer to printer. The machine has auto media sensing for thickness and edge sensing for media edge start. The L360 also includes OMAS - Optical Media Advance Sensor which tracks media advance and allows for accurate printing w no banding. The L300 series includes ink optimizer which accurately place the dot on the media and allows it to run faster. There are additional benefits over latex too long to list so rather than making an investment in a technology that eventually will go away, I recommend that you buy latex and expand your applications / profitability .

 

[Haimduek]

Latex replaces solvent

I am with HP and wanted to shed some light on the question you have posed. As you know latex is replacing solvent and very quickly. By now more than 20,000+ hp latex devices were sold and for the following reasons: No need to gas out: With solvent you have to wait 4 - 8 hours before lamination, with latex you don't, you can laminate right away. Harmful odors: Solvent and Eco Solvent has harmful odors and cancer causing material (read the ink label). Latex is green does not need to be vented has no smell and can be used for applications in Hospitals, restaurants, Hotels, Airports, homes. Solvent cant print on uncoated material, latex can. The new L300 3rd generation Latex has anti scratching additive to it and will not scratch like solvent does. The latex L300 is easy to use (automatic ICC Profiles, Auto heads cleaning, User replaceable print heads, Auto print heads alignment, easy maintenance and un attendant operation). Solvent required end of day routine and heads cleaning which if not done can cause severe damage and costly replacement by a tech. Latex is versatile and can print on variety of media's, 100's of media's been profiled. Check on HP.com. L360 can also print on textile and porous materials with its included ink collector kit. The L360 device includes on board I1 spectrophotometer to match color from print to print and from printer to printer. The machine has auto media sensing for thickness and edge sensing for media edge start. The L360 also includes OMAS - Optical Media Advance Sensor which tracks media advance and allows for accurate printing w no banding. The L300 series includes ink optimizer which accurately place the dot on the media and allows it to run faster. There are additional benefits over latex too long to list so rather than making an investment in a technology that eventually will go away, I recommend that you buy latex and expand your applications / profitability. Contact me and I will get you in touch w one of our resellers in the area.

 

[InkTrapStudios]

I was in a very similar situation not too long ago OP,

Our shop purchased a GS6000 about 4 years ago. We've been delighted with the consistency and ease of the machine so far, with very little issue. Fortunately, our production increased nearly 4x over the years and we were in desperate need of an additional printer.

About two months ago we purchased the HP Latex 360 and absolutely love it!

The speeds are remarkable (especially around 6 - 10 pass) and the colors are consistent. We really haven't been too strong in the textile market, but we look forward to expanding our capabilities there with the 360.

If I had to mention anything negative about the machine, it's that the take-up reel can be hard to figure out for the first dozen or-so print sessions. Definitely not as easy as the GS6000 (but when are they ever easy, amirite?)

 

[danno]

I have a L26500, a LX800, a FB700 and 2 9000s. I would find a couple machines that you think would be able to do the jobs that you do and take them for a test drive. Take your media and print files and go run the machine. We are currently looking to upgrade one of our and am leaning towards the Seiko M-series.

 

[PrintItBig]

Go with one of the latest generation latex machines. That's what we'd get if we were buying that type of machine now.