Questions for Starting Business printing Vinyl Stickers for Phone wraps.

[mattyah]

Hi, I've never done printing before and I want to start a business to print Vinyl stickers for phone wraps.

I've been doing research and going to demos to find out what machines I need to start the business. I looked at print&cut machines by Roland (VP-300) and Mimaki (CJV-30)... both seemed good but quite expensive.

I thought one print&cut machine was all I needed to get this business going, until I found that the paint gets scratched easily by fingernails (it doesn't rub off easily, but scratches easily)... Does this mean I need to "laminate" the vinyl also?... If yes, are the productin step:
1) print
2) laminate
3) cut

If the laminate step is added, then a print&cut machine is not helpful anymore, because the media is taken out of the machine after printing and re-inserted for cutting.

Should I get three different machines for print, laminate and cut? Or is there anything I can do to eliminate the lamination step (such as better material).

If I do need to get three separate machines, which ones do you reocmmend ? My work space is very small, and I hope the machines are small and not too expensive.

Are there any machines (not too expensive) that can do print+laminate+cut together ?

If you have more advise for me, it will be great to know !


Many thanks in advance.

Matt
Hong Kong











Questions:
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[Fred Weiss]

You've pretty well summed up the state of the technology. My preference in work flow is to have three different machines. The real question is whether or not you can generate enough business with just telephone wraps to make a profit. It's something anyone already having the equipment can do as a sideline so if you do any good you will find that you will have lots of competition.

• To answer you directly, you will have to print, laminate and cut to produce the product you want.
• You will save labor if you pay extra for media that has air release adhesive.
• There are no inexpensive solutions for a reliable production setup. If you are just learning, pay the price for a relationship with a reliable dealer who can help you when you need help. Use what the dealer recommends.
• Consider outsourcing the production until you prove that there is enough business for what you want to sell. This saves you the big cash outlay for equipment and leaves you free to design and sell. Use the profits to pay for the equipment after you prove the business idea is good.

 

[jasonx]

Theres an article on ding life in the sign magazine you can see at nbm.com

As you can see they've made a major investment to do this type of work.

 

[mattyah]

Thank you Fred, your advise is very helpful. And I may probably need to seriously think about outsourcing productions...

Btw, if I do go ahead myself, do you know where I can find the outlines of mobile phones, I need these to cut out the stickers?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[mattyah]

Also Fred, if it is three separate machines (1. solvent print, 2. laminator 3. cutter), which machines on the market will you recommend for getting the job done, but not too expensive.

Thanks,
matt

 

[Fred Weiss]

It's not a market I am involved with. The last time I looked though, there were people selling the templates on ebay. How good they are one can only find out by trying them. I would suspect however that if you plan to pursue such a market that you should become very good at making your own templates.

Recommendations on equipment have proven over the years to be an impossible task. The most important issue, as I already mentioned, is working with a dealer and building a relationship. That means you should then be looking at the equipment lines offered by the dealer you decide to work with. At your apparent experience level, you would be falling into a huge trap if you put the price of equipment as your primary criteria in selecting it. You need to concern yourself with reliability and support.

 

[mattyah]

I've found a company that is willing to speak with me about outsource my production (my volume is very small)... The company told me that they have a Epson Stylus Pro 7880C wide format printer.. They assured me that their machine can print on Vinyl (3M)... Does anyone know if the Epson ink can print on Vinyl, or will they be using 3rd party ink...

Thanks!
Matt

 

[iSign]

keep looking. Epson does a lot of great things, but I don't follow the changes in inkjet players, since i've had my mimaki for over 4 years & don't have a need to stay up on things... but I can say I've not heard much from Epson on the vinyl printing end of things...

Have you received samples from them?
I would look for solvent inks, or eco-solvent inks. Ask what this person with the Epson printer is offering to use for you.

 

[The Big Squeegee]

Welcome to signs 101

You could try several different vendors to see what the quality is like with the machines and ink combinations they use.

:Welcome: to :signs101: