Mimaki JV300 Plus or Epson SureColor S40600

[Gary1]

I currently have a Mimaki JV150-160. Previous to that I also had a Mimaki CJV-130. Had a little strike and jets are firing about 50%-%70. Not very knowledgeable about cleaning heads,
just do the cleaning cycles and stuff. Looked into changing the head myself. Also looking into possibly getting new equipment. I hear the JV300 is phasing out sometime but they now have the PLUS
which I guess is more Green. Don't know how long this will stay on the market and how NEW it is. A vendor also suggested the Epson, as I want to continue to use Eco-Solvent cartridges.

Any good or bad concerning these two printers? After warranty I often go with third party inks. Epson doesn't use third party inks so cost of operating will be higher perhaps.

I know nothing about the Epson but am watching videos and to get a feel for it. I was looking back at the Mimaki because at my age, I don't usually like to learn new ways
of operating, lol. If you have either of these machines, how do you like them? I hear the JV300 has dual heads and goes through cleaning cartridges like there's no tomorrow.

I can still install a new head in my printer but there's no more warranty and what else will fail? It can nickel and dime you to death maybe and increase in more downtime.
Local Mimaki dealer will also take my JV150 on trade as well. No hassle for me to find a buyer.

Any thoughts and suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I like to stick with what I already know. I think the jv150-160 is still available.

 

[Gary1]

I like to stick with what I already know. I think the jv150-160 is still available.

I will Ask about this. They never offered this to me, nor did I ask. I also saw somewhere that Mimaki had discontinued support for this printer as it’s been discontinued. I do like newer and better technology but prefer to stay with the brand I know. The learning curve is not steep.

 

[Gary1]

I will Ask about this. They never offered this to me, nor did I ask. I also saw somewhere that Mimaki had discontinued support for this printer as it’s been discontinued. I do like newer and better technology but prefer to stay with the brand I know. The learning curve is not steep.

Vendor just advised JV150 no longer in stock. Also look at the JV100. Both JV300 and JV100 have two heads. Very expensive when you have a head strike!

 

[Gary1]

I've been trying to find Mimaki dealers here in Canada. Cannot locate anu from the Mimaki website.
Any help appreciated.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Maybe it was the CJV150-160 I saw that they had a promo on. I dunno about the JV100, I have a feeling that it's not going to be the same tank that the JV33 and the JV150/300 were. Like what happened to Roland but that remains to be seen.

 

[ikarasu]

Spicer's does Mimaki in Canada.

The s40 is awesome, just have to be sure it's not too slow for your needs. Having 2 heads on an s80 isn't bad, you'd need a really really bad head strike followed by a ton of bad luck to damage both at once.

 

[ikarasu]

Are you West coast? You can always come check out our s40 if you are. Compare it to our latex as well... If your worried about head strike, nothing beats $100 use replaceable heads.

 

[Gary1]

Are you West coast? You can always come check out our s40 if you are. Compare it to our latex as well... If your worried about head strike, nothing beats $100 use replaceable heads.

East coast. New Brunswick.

 

[Gary1]

Spicer's does Mimaki in Canada.

The s40 is awesome, just have to be sure it's not too slow for your needs. Having 2 heads on an s80 isn't bad, you'd need a really really bad head strike followed by a ton of bad luck to damage both at once.

I'm a one person shop. I could compare the printing speeds of the S40 to the JV150 and it'll give me an idea. Thanks!

 

[ikarasu]

A bit too far, then!

The s40 is nice. It's super cheap, half the speed of an s80 so it's a bit slow... But it has the same quality, which is pretty much the best in its class.

We use latex for 90% of our prints, then anything really small, or anything that needs photo quality or perfect alignment we print on our s40.

New machines are super easy to run and learn too. 90% of the maintenance is automatic. Once a month or two you do a manual wipe down and that's it - the only learning curve might be learning onyx, or whatever rip you use vs your current one... But even that's not so bad.

 

[Goatshaver]

I'm a one person shop. I upgraded to a S40600 from a Roland SP-540V. I've had my S40 for almost 4yrs now. Maintenance has been minimal, no service calls or replaced parts yet other than normal maintenance. Speed is good for for myself right now, faster is always better if you need it. It was pretty easy to learn and get up and running on Onyx. I can't offer much as I've never run a Mimaki, but I definitely can say the Epson is worth a look into.

 

[Solventinkjet]

I hear the JV300 has dual heads and goes through cleaning cartridges like there's no tomorrow.

It's not something I've run into with this machine but at the end of the day, you don't have to use the cleaning cartridge at all if you don't want to. All it does is put cleaning solution into the cap top once every 48 hours. You can either set that to a higher number or just not install a cartridge at all and manually put solution in the cap with a syringe at your own schedule. It won't stop you from printing.

 

[Gary1]

A bit too far, then!

The s40 is nice. It's super cheap, half the speed of an s80 so it's a bit slow... But it has the same quality, which is pretty much the best in its class.

We use latex for 90% of our prints, then anything really small, or anything that needs photo quality or perfect alignment we print on our s40.

New machines are super easy to run and learn too. 90% of the maintenance is automatic. Once a month or two you do a manual wipe down and that's it - the only learning curve might be learning onyx, or whatever rip you use vs your current one... But even that's not so bad.

Appreciate the reply!

 

[Gary1]

I like to stick with what I already know. I think the jv150-160 is still available.

Vendor said no longer available....

 

[Gary1]

Spicer's does Mimaki in Canada.

The s40 is awesome, just have to be sure it's not too slow for your needs. Having 2 heads on an s80 isn't bad, you'd need a really really bad head strike followed by a ton of bad luck to damage both at once.

There’s also two heads on an S60600

 

[Gary1]

I'm a one person shop. I could compare the printing speeds of the S40 to the JV150 and it'll give me an idea. Thanks!

If I’m not wrong, I just looked up the speeds and the JV150 was pretty slower.