Print & Cut Solution for new user

[CreativeDave]

Hello all Signs101 members. This is my first post to the site as a newbie and looking forward to being part of the community. I run a small design & print business in the UK, printing mainly indoor graphics, point of sale, posters, roll banners, etc. Currently print using Canon IPF8300s water based printers (both on their last legs). I'm looking at investing in some new print & cut tech so that I can print outdoor work and also indoor work that does not need to be laminated, in addition, the ability to contour cut printed graphics or even traditional sign vinyl will be a bonus. I have a budget of £15k. I have identified the Mimaki UCJV150-160, Mimaki CJV150-130, Roland VG2-540, Mutoh 1604X and HP Latex 315 bundle as possible options. All seem to have pros & cons - but your advice on which would best suit would be appreciated. Must be easy to use an maintain. Printer will often sit unused for a week on occasions. Also, our production room can get very cold in the winter (14ºC). Dealer advice has not really been very helpful - just want to sell me the kit they make the most money on. Really hope you folks can provide some good old constructive advice as real life end users. Cheers.

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

Add the Epson S40600 to your list of machines to look at. Very low maintenance, outstanding print quality. Grab a Graphtec or Summa cutter to pair with it.

 

[Bly]

You'd need to laminate anything off the Epson.
I like the look of those Mimaki UV print/cut machines but not sure if they like sitting unused.
You would probably need to get a separate cutter once you got the printer busy.

 

[Chriswagner92]

I've been running the HP 335 Latex Print and cut bundle (separate cutter, I feel like that's a better setup anyway) for about 2 years now and have very few complaints with the hardware; those being that the spindle clamps are not the strongest, and the touchscreen buttons can be annoying when loading. After you load the roll it gives you the option to hit "ok" but if you actually hit it, it changes to unload, and you have to start loading all over again. There is hardly any maintenance, and the ability to let it sit without worry unlike a solvent machine is very comforting. I would like to try to switch away from Flexi production manager, but that's all the company has been using for 10+ years, so it's kind of ingrained at this point.

 

[iPrintStuff]

Where about in the UK are you? Scotland here. From the sounds of it a HP might suit you, though as long as you do regular maintenance on the solvents they can sit for a while too.

We started out with a print and cut mimaki CJV-30, id highly recommend mimaki but if you can get a separate printer and cutter it does make the world of difference. Depends on your space though!

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

Don't let people scare you too much with solvents not being used frequently. Modern ones are leaps ahead of older models. We've left ours for a month turned off during holiday periods. A single automatic light clean upon return had everything working as good as the day it was installed.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Mimaki UV print/cut machines but not sure if they like sitting unused.

Way better than solvent. We have a demo machine in the warehouse right now that we only use for demos which are far and few between these day. That thing doesn't lose a nozzle over weeks and months of sitting, obviously with the automatic refresh cycles on.

 

[BigfishDM]

Too many cons to other machines that aren't latex. No banding, no wasted ink, no maintenance, user changeable heads, and much more. All other machines are like dogs, you have to take care of them EVERYDAY. Latex is like a cat, they just take care of themselves.

 

[GAC05]

Too many cons to other machines that aren't latex. No banding, no wasted ink, no maintenance, user changeable heads, and much more. All other machines are like dogs, you have to take care of them EVERYDAY. Latex is like a cat, they just take care of themselves.

Yeah but, have you ever been petting a cat and everything is purring along nicely when suddenly, for no reason at all the cat will pin your hand with its front claws & teeth then proceed to shred your forearm with its rear claws? Dogs don't do that, even if you forget to take care of them for a day or so.

 

[BigfishDM]

Yeah but, have you ever been petting a cat and everything is purring along nicely when suddenly, for no reason at all the cat will pin your hand with its front claws & teeth then proceed to shred your forearm with its rear claws? Dogs don't do that, even if you forget to take care of them for a day or so.

Lol, that is a hilarious response to that post! Most of the time those are problems related to the owner I'm sure! lololol

 

[ikarasu]

Way better than solvent. We have a demo machine in the warehouse right now that we only use for demos which are far and few between these day. That thing doesn't lose a nozzle over weeks and months of sitting, obviously with the automatic refresh cycles on.

UV's auto cleaning is nice - But one thing you forgot to mention is it gets expensive. I dont know about the particular machine you guys have, however our FB500 just chugs ink when it's not in use.

We mainly do real estate signs on ours - Its pretty dead at x-mas time, So very light use - I was surprised to see the 4 liter jug filled up from ink cleanings in such a short period when we used the machine maybe a dozen times. Feels like UV machines use a ton of ink during its cleanings and maintenance.

 

[Manning]

We've had a Roland Versacamm VP540i (print &cut) for 10 plus years. Had a tech change the black print head once. I've replaced the pinch rollers once. This year I changed the dampers and pumps. We have never performed the recommended weekly cleaning, probably not even monthly. We usually clean it when we see an issue with the print. (My wife runs a dog rescue, so there unlimited dust & hair in here). I'm about to upgrade in the next year and the only change will be separate printer and cutter. This thing has been a workhorse.