As for laminates, there are plenty of surface types (glossy, matte, semigloss, eggshell, etc) ... just need to search for them ... but mostly matte and glossy are the only 2 people ask for most of the time.
Ya, I'm just confused as to the sheen options on the vinyl itself. I plan on stocking a calandered and a cast, but should those be gloss or matte? I've heard a few people say how the matte results in a better print, and the gloss can be problematic, yet when you read the product description on, say, Oracal's site, they say:
"This high-performance 2.75-mil, 7-year solvent-based inkjet media features a brilliant gloss-white surface that produces vivid, colorful prints." (3551).
And I agree with the 54" printer talk, go big ... you can still mostly print with smaller rolls, but if you DO need to go big ... you can accomodate that process.
Ya, I hear ya, but $6500 extra for that occasional luxury when I can still sub-out the big print is a hard one to get my head around, given my lower volume.
My boat that I just sold is being picked up in about 4 hours, so next week I'll be ready to buy the printer, and I'm
really really really torn on this size thing. There are pros & cons both ways, and I'm still open and appreciative to further reasoning/discussion on this significant decision.
I fully understand how it's "nice" to be able to get into the 48" substrate realm, but a lot of that
can be done with the 30" machine using a seam. A few jobs obviously can't or shouldn't be. It's just that the reality is that I am not a store-front commercial lease space, and the amount of jobs that I would get requiring a seamless 48" print I think would be very few and far between, so it would take a long time to pay that $6500 off.
My space is another issue - I
could squeeze the 540 in here, but it would be a bit of an albatross.
I feel that the 30" will serve the
vast majority of my needs, and I don't want to opt for the 54" if that decision is based on or fueled by: 1) Fear, 2) Overzealousness, or 3) Testosterone.
There's been a couple on this thread who have a similar business situation as mine, and they declare that the 30" works for them just fine. One of my fears is getting the 54" and then finding that dealing with a 54" log or 4x8 (or bigger) print is just too difficult without an extra set of hands. Some have indicated that it wouldn't be that bad; it's hard to know until I do it myself I guess. Or, finding that the occasion that I need to print an image taller than 29"...........is two years from now.
*Oh, and one additional thing: One dealer quoted me $500
more for the Roland Take-Up reel for the 540. Isn't it the same T/U for either the 30" or 54"?
Thanks for listening and commenting.