Printer to direct print to Coroplast, Mutoh 1638UV didn't work

[AJB]

I'm looking for a printer that will direct print to coroplast. I went with a Mutoh 1638UV and it was a disaster. After receiving the printer, it took 3 techs from the factory and a month to get it to work correctly. Then on top of that all my customers that received coroplast signs from it brought them back within a month because the ink was peeling off. It cost me thousands in rework and who knows what to my reputation. Yes we try different methods of prep, inteplast and coroplast..... even the ones the factory reps did fell apart.

All that being said I am still looking for what everyone uses that doesn't peel apart. I see print coroplast signs every where so there has to be a printer that works well.

Suggestions would be great

 

[Solventinkjet]

Mimaki JFX200 Flatbed UV printer. I have a customer who prints coro all day long on that thing and he loves it. It is going to be more expensive than the Mutoh for sure but if you can afford it, it is a great machine.

 

[CanuckSigns]

after seeing what places like 4over and signs365 charge for coroplast printed, i would think really hard about if it was worth bringing in house.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

after seeing what places like 4over and signs365 charge for coroplast printed, i would think really hard about if it was worth bringing in house.

Why? We have clients that pay upwards of $300/sheet for coroplast. It's a profitable business if you go after the right job and clients.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Why? We have clients that pay upwards of $300/sheet for coroplast. It's a profitable business if you go after the right job and clients.

I'm sure there are some extremely rare circumstances that would allow you to get that, but lets face it for the most part direct printed coroplast is for cheap throw away signs that clients want for as little as possible. Now if you have other needs for a flatbed such as printing on aluminum or some type of specialty material, than you should look at buying a machine. But if you are looking for coroplast, some of the wholesalers print it for less than you can make it for, and then deliver it for free as well in 3-4 business days. No machine headaches, no learning curve, no paying for misprints.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

I'm sure there are some extremely rare circumstances that would allow you to get that, but lets face it for the most part direct printed coroplast is for cheap throw away signs that clients want for as little as possible. Now if you have other needs for a flatbed such as printing on aluminum or some type of specialty material, than you should look at buying a machine. But if you are looking for coroplast, some of the wholesalers print it for less than you can make it for, and then deliver it for free as well in 3-4 business days. No machine headaches, no learning curve, no paying for misprints.

There is nothing extremely rare about it, this year we have done 675 sheets of coro at a average price of $285/ea, we bought our flatbed application table last year because we did 300 sheets, this year we bought the FB750. It comes down to who you pursue working with and drawing a line in the Sand for the level of work you want to do. Now with the flatbed we can do stupid cheap jobs to fill lulls or pursue different types of clients who are willing to pay for certain types of jobs.

 

[TimToad]

There is nothing extremely rare about it, this year we have done 675 sheets of coro at a average price of $285/ea, we bought our flatbed application table last year because we did 300 sheets, this year we bought the FB750. It comes down to who you pursue working with and drawing a line in the Sand for the level of work you want to do. Now with the flatbed we can do stupid cheap jobs to fill lulls or pursue different types of clients who are willing to pay for certain types of jobs.

"Fill in the lulls"?

You're already running almost three 4'x8's PER DAY on average at a price and most likely print quality setting that should be taking about an hour per print. That's $192,000 per year just for that revenue alone. Not bad money and ROI for a couple of hours of shop time per day.I think most any of would take that and run with it all the way to the bank.

What else would you like a flatbed to do, make you breakfast and snuggle with you on the weekends?

If you can command that high of average price and have the staff and workload to support it, you should be buying the best machine you can afford. You are not in the average price range I've witnessed or had shared with me by other flatbed owners.

As far as your adhesion problem goes. Its either your UV cure rate, bad ink or panel cleaning process. We have an old Gerber ION and I literally can run my fingernails across a freshly printed panel vigorously and it won't leave a visible mark. We have work out on the streets in a high UV region that has lasted 4-6 years without much fading if not in direct SW sun exposure.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

"Fill in the lulls"?

You're already running almost three 4'x8's PER DAY on average at a price and most likely print quality setting that should be taking about an hour per print. That's $192,000 per year just for that revenue alone. Not bad money and ROI for a couple of hours of shop time per day.I think most any of would take that and run with it all the way to the bank.

What else would you like a flatbed to do, make you breakfast and snuggle with you on the weekends?

If you can command that high of average price and have the staff and workload to support it, you should be buying the best machine you can afford. You are not in the average price range I've witnessed or had shared with me by other flatbed owners.

As far as your adhesion problem goes. Its either your UV cure rate, bad ink or panel cleaning process. We have an old Gerber ION and I literally can run my fingernails across a freshly printed panel vigorously and it won't leave a visible mark. We have work out on the streets in a high UV region that has lasted 4-6 years without much fading if not in direct SW sun exposure.

I think you are talking to different people... I'm not the OP, I was giving my point of view on coroplast.

And yes there are lulls, we have done our 600 boards in 3 months or so. With mounting we were averaging 15/day now with the FB we are doing 30+/day with cutting when we are busy. The coro is equating to 20% of our business currently. The flatbed is now also doing all of our ACP and we just started with direct to wood.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I'm looking for a printer that will direct print to coroplast. I went with a Mutoh 1638UV and it was a disaster. After receiving the printer, it took 3 techs from the factory and a month to get it to work correctly. Then on top of that all my customers that received coroplast signs from it brought them back within a month because the ink was peeling off. It cost me thousands in rework and who knows what to my reputation. Yes we try different methods of prep, inteplast and coroplast..... even the ones the factory reps did fell apart.

All that being said I am still looking for what everyone uses that doesn't peel apart. I see print coroplast signs every where so there has to be a printer that works well.

Suggestions would be great

I went with the Fuji Acuity LED 1600. I am loving it!! I won't say it's perfect but I would highly recommend it for getting into a flatbed. I had several roll medias that I wanted to print on, which is why I wanted a hybrid. For coroplast, I have had the best luck using an adhesion promoter. I just talked with an Agfa rep who is sending some samples of a coroplast they sell that they say is prepped for UV printing. I am interested to see how it works.

PM me to let me know if you have any other specific questions.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

I went with the Fuji Acuity LED 1600. I am loving it!! I won't say it's perfect but I would highly recommend it for getting into a flatbed. I had several roll medias that I wanted to print on, which is why I wanted a hybrid. For coroplast, I have had the best luck using an adhesion promoter. I just talked with an Agfa rep who is sending some samples of a coroplast they sell that they say is prepped for UV printing. I am interested to see how it works.

PM me to let me know if you have any other specific questions.

Have you tried ultrasmooth coroplast, it seems to have a porous surface that grabs ink pretty well, unfortunately it's one side only.

 

[boxerbay]

Could it be that you are not cleaning the coro to remove the release agent? You should be cleaning the coro with MPC cleaner 6428SP.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Have you tried ultrasmooth coroplast, it seems to have a porous surface that grabs ink pretty well, unfortunately it's one side only.

I have thought about it, more so for the finished look. I will have to give that a try to see how it works.

 

[Superior_Adam]

We had a Mimaki JFX200 and it printed coroplast no problem all day. We now have 2 EFI machines 16H Hybrid and 24F Flatbed. I can print 1 side of coroplast in about 8 minutes. All we do is clean with isopropyl alcohol and print.