Most versatile entry level roll to roll printer

[jdwilliams1]

We are looking for advice on the best entry level roll to roll $15k-$30km under 72 inches most likely.

Our early focus would be to make make die cut stickers so we are needing the printer and wanting to go with a summa or graphtec cutter most likely the Graphtec FC9000.

We were leaning towards the Epson SureColor S80600 or Epson SureColor S80600L, but wanted thoughts on the HP Latex 365 and also the TrueVis VG2-640.

So if our focus is stickers and decals is our wourld better with latex vs. solvent thoughts?

Also what about versatility? What if we want to print on fabrics, canvas, banners etc. I am trying to learn as much as I can before purchasing but wanted to hear from the experts on this forum.

What about maintenance?

My printing knowledge is in flatbeds, we currently run 3 mimaki JFX200 machines, so if you would put a Mimaki roll to roll up against any of these I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you so much.

 

[Geneva Olson]

I have an HP315. It's a 54". HP is king in latex. My machine is fairly simple to operate. We use to for auto wrapping, signs, banners, stickers. Inks are easy to replace and fairly inexpensive in the whole scheme of things. I switch out printheads about once a year. They are fairly inexpensive as well. It does jam on occassion, but it's easy to fix. There is a lot of waste involved on the front end and backend. And my favorite printable material is Arlon. I also laminate most everything I do. Except banners and window perf.
I have a very old roland cutter. It's a great machine. Someday I will buy a new one, but until that day comes, I'm having fun with this one.

That being said, I often talk about getting a small roland 24 inch printer. I would love to have that for running stickers. But I just don't have enough sticker business. I will tell you that for stickers, I go through Firesprint. If people dont need a fast turn around time, I will order them through firesprint to get them in about a week's time.
I have found that I can send these small sticker and magnet jobs to outsource and that allows me to free up my printer when we are wrapping vehicles. It just works for us.

 

[Solventinkjet]

The Mimaki UCJV300 is essentially the roll to roll version of your JFX200 so that might be something to look into. It's very versatile in that it can print, cut, and print white and clear. It's within your budget on the high end.

If you want to go solvent, you can't go wrong with one of the Epson Surecolors or if you want to stick with Mimaki, the JV150/300. I personally don't think Latex stands up to Solvent or UV but there are many who would disagree with me on that.

One machine I think you should just forget about is the TruVis though. It's another one of those things where I'm sure someone will say, "No way! The TruVis is great!" but I think you'll find more complaints than compliments about it.

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

We've had our 80600 for 4 years now. Not a single regret... prints are stunning, no grain, massive colour gamut and quick and paired with an FC8600 it's an excellent match (FC9000 would be even better).

 

[jdwilliams1]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but are all of these printers able to print on banner material? Textile material, like fabric for pillows, canvas for artwork?

Also, since I am in the UV flatbed world, are there certain things to contend with for latex or solvent? I believe solvent needs drying time?

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

No problem printing on banners or fabric with the Epson, however I wouldn't recommend solvent for textile printing in general. There are more suited machines (dye sub) for that sort of thing.
Canvases come out beautifully when using proper solvent canvas material. We moved all of our printing from an aqueous machine to our Epson and couldn't be happier.
Epson GS3 inks have a recommended dry time of 6 hours, however we find them to be dry far earlier than that most of the time. It all depends on saturation. UV/latex will give you instant dry if needed, but at the expense of print quality in comparison to solvent.

 

[rjssigns]

Best is what fits your needs and has tech support in the same town. The last bit is important. Before buying anything bring your own files and media to run samples on the printers you chose.

If fabrics are not a profit center sub out those occasional jobs.