Questions before making a purchase

[Jim Hill]

I am going to lease a new Roland Versacamm and have a few questions before I do.

What you lease from a local dealer or simply look for the best deal no matter where the dealer is located and why?

I have already looked a few used Roland Versacamms and some were over 5 years old and some just needed either new heads or something else.
One had even been in storage for over a year and was covered in dust.

I have also thought about just buying the priner outright but I think it makes more sense to least for me.

The real question for me is if the unit needs any type of service what would happen it I purchased the unit from a dealer in another state.

What would you do and why?

Thanks Jimbo

 

[Pro Image]

I leased my Valuejet from the dealer closest to me.......but they also are very highly rated in service......Its kind of a catch 22......Pay a little more now or a lot later after the warranty runs out and you have to pay for the drive time of a tech.......JMO......

 

[Pacific Coast Sign]

It doesn't matter where you purchase the printer, the warranty is the same where ever the printer is located, but some dealers usually like to service "their" customers first. Remember that Roland Dealers CANNOT sell to you out of their assigned areas..for example you are out of my area to sell. As for purchasing out right...if you have the money yes, but there are tax advantages to lease/option...ask your tax accountant for best answer. The dealer shouldn't care where you lease or how you purchase, Roland does have lease options on their website...check around.

 

[Jim Hill]

I have a question about dealers.

I understand that I can either purchase or lease a Roland printer where ever I want but you said the a dealer cannot sell out of their area.

I am located in Florida so would Beacon Grafhics located in N.J. be able to sell to me?

I just want to make sure I understand how the dealers work because one of my fears is if I do not purchase the printer in my area that it might be hard if I need service.

Do all the Roland techs work for local dealers or are they employed by Roland the parent company?

I am thinking more about leasing then purchasing and getting a dealer to set up the printer is also a plus.

Thanks for your help. Jim

 

[briankb]

What other options for equipment have you investigated? As far as I know there are only a few Roland dealers in Florida.

What price have you been quoted for the Roland?

 

[Jim Hill]

I have checked things such as Craigslist and different sign forums and I look at EBay but don't think I would buy off that site.

I have also contacted Roland about a referbushed unit.

I am looking for the 30" Versacamm model

I am not in the sign business and really do not need anything any bigger then this model so I was hoping to find a sign shop they might be upgrading to the larger model.

I have found a few used Roland printers but in many cases the price was between $8,000 and 10,000 dollars and they are a few years old so I started thinking more about just getting a new one.

Beacon has the 2 head model for $11,600 dollars brand new. My local Roland dealer also is close to this price.

I did find one up in Tn. that was around $6,000 dollars but it as been in storage for months and the guy said he could not hook it up to run any test prints and I am sure the unit would need service to unclog the heads and it about 5 years old.

Any other places I should be looking?

Thanks Jim

 

[briankb]

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52886

 

[Pacific Coast Sign]

I'm not familiar with the NJ dealer, but if your local dealer is close to the price they may deal with you. With the SP model you get a one year warranty..extended warranties are available for $995/yr; the refurb model has a 6 month warranty from Roland. I would not buy a printer that the owner cannot send you a test sample...the printer has two heads that cost $895/head...plus having a tech come install - a "good deal" can become expensive quickly. It should not be hard to get service from any local Roland Dealer. You need to start building a relationship with your local dealer, call them, introduce yourself, and ask questions with the tech/service department...we like having new customers!

 

[Mainframe]

Get the VP from the dealer that is closest to you with a good reputation, the VP is a better machine all around & has a better warranty, after the tech leaves your place on the first set up day you will fully understand why I gave you this advise & you will be glad he is local to answer your questions.-my 2 cents

 

[benjercorp]

Buy a solution not a problem!!

 

[briankb]

You should definitely try to go local. I'm in Florida and recently reviewed quotes from John at Florida Graphics Supply in Clearwater. Give them a call and see what they quote for the same equipment. I was looking at the VP-540i though but am going to get a HP Z3200ps instead because we are doing mostly poster/photos and not signage and want the better color output.

Good luck.

 

[Gino]

I have nothing against Beacon in New Jersey, but if you need help where the tech absolutely has to come to your shop.... well, I believe you will be up that famous creek without a paddle.

Buy from someone within a reasonable amount of driving time and distance, in case of a problem. Buying from that far away is almost like the distributor saying they don't care about after-sale tech support and you'll be on your own. They would only be interested in making the intial sale only.

Be careful. ​

 

[Jim Hill]

One more question.

When purchasing the Roland Versacamm SP330 it is my understanding that this is a two head machine but that the SPV300 is a four head machine.

I am going to go to a local Roland dealer but would like your opinion if it is worth the extra money.

First I should let you know that this machine is not going to be used in the sign business at all and will only be used for making stickers maybe two or three times a week.

I have had someone making the stickers for me for the past few years and when I add up all the money I have spend I good have owned the printer by now if I had purchased the machine from the start but I wanted to make sure the business plan would work first.

Should I spent the extra money and get the four head machine?

If the four head maching is just faster that would not really matter for the type of work I will be doing.

Thanks Jim

 

[Just Me]

look up GTS on signs 101 they are a merchant member here, i bought my SP 300 from her, laminator and bunch of supplies. Claudette is very knowledgable and very personable and helped me out so much. She is in the atlanta area but services the whole southeast, i highly recommend her!

http://www.graphicsolutions.biz/

 

[iSign]

I bought my printer from Advantage Sign Supply.
They have several branches, but none anywhere near me, but their service is second to none!!

What business are you in, if not the sign business?

 

[Sign Works]

When purchasing the Roland Versacamm SP330 it is my understanding that this is a two head machine but that the SPV300 is a four head machine.

I am going to go to a local Roland dealer but would like your opinion if it is worth the extra money.

First I should let you know that this machine is not going to be used in the sign business at all and will only be used for making stickers maybe two or three times a week.

I have had someone making the stickers for me for the past few years and when I add up all the money I have spend I good have owned the printer by now if I had purchased the machine from the start but I wanted to make sure the business plan would work first.

Should I spent the extra money and get the four head machine?

If the four head maching is just faster that would not really matter for the type of work I will be doing.

Thanks Jim

Jim, you can check all the specs for the current model Roland printer/cutters on Rolands site.

http://www.rolanddga.com/color/products/printcut/

SP-300V = 2 print heads & 1 year warranty
VP-300i = 4 print heads & 2 year warranty

Do yourself a favor and go visit some local dealers and talk to them about each machine and see them in operation if possible, this will help you make your decision based on facts not hearsay. Trade shows are very informative as well.

Jim, don't be suprised when you find out that there is much more to digital printing than just running out and buying a printer.

 

[Bigdawg]

I am not in the sign business and really do not need anything any bigger then this model so I was hoping to find a sign shop they might be upgrading to the larger model.

Would you care to clarify this comment? I see that you've been a member since 2007 and if you aren't a sign shop... why are you here? Because you paid too much for "stickers" in the past?

What exactly do you do?

 

[gnatt66]

I bought my vp-300 demo from New England Sign Supply, they set the thing up, spent as long as i wanted with me, made test prints, and contour cuts, showed me how to clean, etc.

Btw i also got my rep's CELL number and he has been absolutely awesome at returning my calls when he couldn't answer.

All that means a lot to me. It's the service that always makes the sale, imo.

 

[Jim Hill]

Bigdawg

I do grafhic reproductions for restoration shops around the world.

The answer to your question of do I think I paid to much to have the stickers printed is no.

The person I have doing the work is one of the best I have found in eight years and I have used a number of different people but the work this person turns out is head and shoulders over the rest of them.

My problem is I am spending over $4,000 a year and for that amount it would make more sense to either purchase or least the machine.

I do understand the amount of work that goes into printing and weeding and the rest of it because I have done.

I create all the grafhics and send the file to the person doing the printing.

The only reason I have not purchased sooner is I am a one person business and that means I created the web site and am the web master for over 3,000 products along with doing all the grafhics and shipping and everything else that needs to get done.

It just makes more sense to now control the production schedule by having my own machine.

Hope this answers your quesions.


Jim

 

[Bigdawg]

Thanks for clarifying Jim. That should soothe anyone's concerns that you don't belong here...