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Suggestions New Printer, HP vs Epson

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Kelcy Deeds

New Member
Hey guys, so I'm a huge hp fan, regardless of my l25500 giving me tons of trouble, I know there new printer are great, or so I hear, but those newer epson printers have really grabbed my attention, so my question is, I have 10k to spend on a new printer, what would you guys buy?

The HP 315 is 10k and the Epson S40600 is on sale right now for 10k and I can't decide between the two. Mostly because there isn't much info/reviews out there concerning the Epson. Im open to other printers, I just didn't see any better options.

The Epson almost looks better build and looks more rugged to me but Ive heard quite a few things about the HP. I am really concerned about maintenance. I really want something that isnt gunna leave me sitting for weeks waiting on parts

I print mainly banner and adhesive vinyl and my monthly duty can range anywhere from 500-4000 sq ft a month.

I also live outside the US and there is absolutely no support where I'm at. Every bit of maintenance is done by me, and I'm used to doing quite a bit extensive things with owning the L25500 and all.

Any advice is much appreciated!
 
A

AKwrapguy

New Member
Kelcy Deeds said:
Hey guys, so I'm a huge hp fan, regardless of my l25500 giving me tons of trouble, I know there new printer are great, or so I hear, but those newer epson printers have really grabbed my attention, so my question is, I have 10k to spend on a new printer, what would you guys buy?

The HP 315 is 10k and the Epson S40600 is on sale right now for 10k and I can't decide between the two. Mostly because there isn't much info/reviews out there concerning the Epson. Im open to other printers, I just didn't see any better options.

The Epson almost looks better build and looks more rugged to me but Ive heard quite a few things about the HP. I am really concerned about maintenance. I really want something that isnt gunna leave me sitting for weeks waiting on parts

I print mainly banner and adhesive vinyl and my monthly duty can range anywhere from 500-4000 sq ft a month.

I also live outside the US and there is absolutely no support where I'm at. Every bit of maintenance is done by me, and I'm used to doing quite a bit extensive things with owning the L25500 and all.

Any advice is much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Well I have yet to deal with a Epson, but look at your market, your needs. Weigh the pro's and cons. Is speed an issue, is waiting for prints to out gas a concern, do you have proper ventilation, do you plan on expanding into other things?

I think that if maintenance is an issue for you, look at the HP. It's also a popular printer so HP should still be supporting it for a while longer, parts should be pretty easy to come by for a while as well.

The solvent printers have to out gas, the epson is only CMYK, solvent also should be ventilated.

Are you able to check what ink cost is for each in your area as well as other consumables?
 
S

SignMeUpGraphics

Super Active Member
We bought an Epson S80600 last August. Still haven't needed to change the wiper system or air filters. Emptied the waste ink bottle twice.
Apart from that, the printer prompts us around once a month for a manual clean which takes about 10 minutes, quickly wiping around the heads and cap tops.
The S40600 should be even less work being single head and only CMYK to worry about.
Outgassing time is 6 hours according to Epson. We've laminated a lot earlier than that and haven't had any failures yet. The inks dry very quickly.
 
Bly

Bly

New Member
The latex inks are more scratch resistant than the eco sol.
But colours and lengths are more reliable on the Epson.
 
jfiscus

jfiscus

Rap Master
Epson 60600 if you're thinking production could ramp up; but if you're printing only that much vinyl (we print that much in 1-2 days) then a 40600 would be adequate for you.
I agree with everything posted above in SignMeUpGraphics post about how ours is also.
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
OP says he is the maintenance program. I would get the printer that I can go online to order any parts needed, and has a large support/info base for the DIY'er. Ease of repairing is important too. No one wants to spend a day digging into a machine to replace a consumable.
 
K

Kelcy Deeds

New Member
Yes, I know there is a lot of info out there on the hp as far as maintainance which is great, I'm just a little scared about hp having jams and stuff. I've had a crap load of jams on my l25500. Are the new series quite a bit better? I've never even been able to get a head go past 2L with the l25500 due to head strikes. And I do all the correct things to keep it from striking. I kinda like the idea of having a single printhead lasting me a few years, though the Epson printheads do cost way more. Does anyone know if the Epson printhead is user replaceable? And what model printhead it uses? Thanks everyone for the reply!
rjssigns said:
OP says he is the maintenance program. I would get the printer that I can go online to order any parts needed, and has a large support/info base for the DIY'er. Ease of repairing is important too. No one wants to spend a day digging into a machine to replace a consumable.
Click to expand...
 
K

Kelcy Deeds

New Member
Also, I do quite a bit of large banners with seems and the HP never seems to get the same length from panel to panel, and I often get customers complaining that the seems don't line up (obviously you don't notice this if your standing more than 5ft away but the customer is always right, right?) Is this problem still on the HPs or is it no difference with the Epson?
 
Ahmed Samy Nagada

Ahmed Samy Nagada

New Member
Since you already got L25500 (like I do) then you should go for the Epson, newer models are still crappy. I prefer Mutoh, and got 3 VJ1624, but must say that Epson, Roland & Mimaki are also great.
 
k.a.s.

k.a.s.

New Member
Until HP gets laminate to stick to their "scratch resistant" inks I wouldn't buy one. Those of us running them are doing so with crossed fingers. If I'm doing it over again I'd probably buy another Mimaki.

Kevin
 
sstevesc

sstevesc

Dynamic Decal & Printing
k.a.s. said:
Until HP gets laminate to stick to their "scratch resistant" inks I wouldn't buy one. Those of us running them are doing so with crossed fingers. If I'm doing it over again I'd probably buy another Mimaki.

Kevin
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I've been using a HP Latex 335 and a Flexi rollover applicator to apply laminate, works like a charm every time. Should I be worried about something? I have been doing this since december.
 
Reaction GFX

Reaction GFX

New Member
I'm also considering purchasing a S40600. I've been running an Epson GS6000 for over 8 years now and while I love it (despite its quirks), it's really starting to show its age. Curious to know if you've purchased one yet and if so, how do you like it?
 
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Asuma01

New Member
The new HP printers are trash. I have an HP 560 its the 4th large format printer I've used over the years and it BY FAR jams the most and wastes the most amount of material. Its like they designed the printer and forgot that you have to put media into it.
 
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AKwrapguy

New Member
Asuma01 said:
The new HP printers are trash. I have an HP 560 its the 4th large format printer I've used over the years and it BY FAR jams the most and wastes the most amount of material. Its like they designed the printer and forgot that you have to put media into it.
Click to expand...

What material is jamming up on you? Is it a carriage jam or a load jam?
 
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Asuma01

New Member
I get jams on everything. Both carriage and loading. Worst offending material though is Arlon DPF 4500G.
I have other gripes to though. Like the amount of waste the printer has built in. This isnt a printer that likes switching out materials frequently. Once its finally loaded it works great. But HP has taken major steps back with this model. My last HP 260 was awesome. Never had as many problems with that one.
 
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AKwrapguy

New Member
Asuma01 said:
I get jams on everything. Both carriage and loading. Worst offending material though is Arlon DPF 4500G.
I have other gripes to though. Like the amount of waste the printer has built in. This isnt a printer that likes switching out materials frequently. Once its finally loaded it works great. But HP has taken major steps back with this model. My last HP 260 was awesome. Never had as many problems with that one.
Click to expand...

So coming from a rear loading machine I also had issues with the front loading. I agree that it's a little more frustrating than it should be. I found that when done printing, extend the material out of the printer past the curing unit to cut the material. When doing so cut with a slight arc so that the material still in the printer should look like a tongue hanging out of the printer. This little trick has resolved most of my loading issues since it has a leading edge to guide it through the machine.

As far as the carriage strikes, I fonnd that playing with the vacuum settings has helped and on some materials using the edge guards also helps.

The material wastage especially on the front end is a frustrating when doing shorter runs. Using a leader helps, but than that's one extra step even though it take just a minute.
 
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