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Opinion between used Summa D140 and Graphtec FC8000-130

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Bigdee

New Member
Looking to buy my equipment soon.

I found two used plotters for sale.

One is a 10 month old used Summa D140 for $3,500 and the other is a *like new* graphtec FC8000-130 for $4,000. May add AKZ in the future if I decide to stop hand cutting PPF if it becomes a big enough demand.

My main use will be for vehicle wraps. Secondly, is decals and cut vinyl for local car club guys. Thirdly, something I want to try on a more recreational level is creating stickers for Apple products like macbooks, ipads, and wall art.

Can either of these two plotters handle these applications?

Oh, I plan to pair it with a HP L25500 or L26500.
 
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LittleSnakey

New Member
We tried the fc800 brand new and never could get it to find the registration marks made by the printer consistantly, sometimes it would work, sometimes not. We replaced it with a brand new summa s140 and never had another problem finding marks. I am not sure about the d140 summa though. With the Summa s140 it is much easier to use the control panel than the graphtec because it is easier to understand.
If you have the option try both with a GLOSSY laminated print to see if it can find the registration marks.
Also, for "wraps" you really don't need a cutter.
We are just across the boarder if you want to see a summa work.
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Summa hands down. We have a 24" that is around 15 years old and we ran it mercilessly for most of those years. Never missed a beat. Cut vinyl has once again ramped up and it still cranks out the product.

When we were doing cut vinyl only we would load 50yd rolls and walk away. That was several times a week plus all the other "small" jobs we could fit in.
 
Bly

Bly

New Member
I would recommend Summa for sure.
We have a D160 and it is awesome.
We cut directly from Illustrator through Winplot and if you turn on xy opos it will measure any bowing caused by heat and compensate.
 
FatCat

FatCat

New Member
Another vote for the Summa. I have had a D-140 for almost 2 years and love it. On a very few occasions (like 3 or 4 times) I have had a weird issue where it wouldn't read the marks no matter what I did. Typically I would shut down and go home for the night and then next day it was fine. Not sure if it is/was a software issue or something else???

Anyway, the thing runs circles around the Roland CX-400 I used to have and also cuts dead accurate and tracks great. Would definitely buy a Summa again.
 
gabagoo

gabagoo

New Member
I have both Summa d140 and a graphtec fc4100... The Summa looks cheaper but dont let looks deceive you. Sometimes the Summa has trouble finding the registration marks but usually it is the laminate being a bit to silvery or the print being to fresh, but there are ways to make it find them.

The technical support for Summa is second to none and for that reason alone, I would choose Summa over everything else.
 
401Graphics

401Graphics

New Member
Im gonna say graphtec cuz i own a fc-8000 130 and never had issues. it always found registration marks, on glossy or matte, even on vinyl that wasnt white, like metallic gold, and silver.
 
B

Bigdee

New Member
Awesome, thanks so much for the replies. I knew you can't go wrong with a Summa. I just wasn't sure about the D140 since it seems like the entra level plotter.

So it should do well with doing fun stuff like the decals and stickers then?
 
ProColorGraphics

ProColorGraphics

New Member
Summa all the way! The Graphtec I started with was a pile, may just have been my luck, but I went through 2 of them and both sucked. Returned and got a Summa D140. Was a very good machine. Due to the large number of decals I make, I updated to the S Class 140T about 6 months later. The S Class T series is MORE than worth the extra money. Insanely faster and even more accurate. You can't go wrong with it.

I do a ton of labels that are 36" long. I print them with reg. marks after each set going across a 30" roll, so new reg marks every 38" or so. I will do a hole roll at once and it will go through the cutting process on the hole roll automatically without me having to touch it. With my Caldera, it has a barcode I print on each one, it reads it and continues to cut automatically. They all are dead on!
 
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msrobere

New Member
I had a graphtec fc7000 and I thought it was a great plotter. Got a d140 and love how accurate it is. I have recently done a 18' print, lam and contour cut and it was dead on for plotting the whole print. Something I would have never tried with the graphtec.
 
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