• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Recommend a plotter to me.

WI

New Member
Short Version: We need a new plotter. Not interested in any Graphtec, and I'm skeptical about Mimakis. Thanks in advance.


Long Version: I have officially lost patience with our Graphtec.

After owning the thing for maybe five months it's broken down three times, and we don't even use it that much. Said breakdowns are invariably the result of shoddy manufacturing (the keypad keeps falling back into the housing, the blade on the cutting head doesn't retract properly because there's a plastic burr jamming up the rail, etc.)

We have a Mimaki CG-130 that I don't like much better because it's got no optical alignment (ie, you have to manually align 20 foot runs. GFL, dude.) The Graphtec was actually supposed to replace the old Mimaki, but you can probably see how well that's going.

The plotter that will always hold a special place in my heart is the Gerber Odyssey, which of course, is no longer manufactured. I mention this because I'm hopelessly naive and hope to some day find another plotter that was as good as that thing was.

Such being the case, I hear the occasional good thing about this plotter or that plotter around here, but I don't want to bet the farm on another piece of equipment without getting some professional opinions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Last edited:

TheSnowman

New Member
I have a Mimaki CG-130FX. Right now I'm cutting stuff that's 4' Long, and it won't stay on track. Never has. It'll start perfect, but if you have anything more than 2 squares to cut, it's toast. I've just always known it's limits, and haven't pushed them.

I don't know what Signs365 uses, but when you have them cut something, you have to put a bunch of 1/4 dots all over the artwork. I've sent big stuff to them several times, and it ALWAYS is dead on. I'd be interested to know what plotter reads those things, because after 7 years married to this Mimaki, it could be about time for wife 2.0
 

rjssigns

Active Member
Summa. We have a 24" and are looking at their 54". Our present Summa is about 15 years old and was beat mercilessly for 10 of those.
Wife and I were reminiscing about the good old days when we'd load a 50 yard roll and leave for dinner. We came back to perfectly cut graphics every time.
 

Kottwitz-Graphics

New Member
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

No offense, but here it comes anyway: try the search button.

This topic has been asked so many times.

Now if you had done a search, and had a question about a particular plotter, that would be different, but just to ask the same question over and over is...well, lazy.
 

WI

New Member
No offense, but here it comes anyway: try the search button.

This topic has been asked so many times.

Now if you had done a search, and had a question about a particular plotter, that would be different, but just to ask the same question over and over is...well, lazy.

Oh yeah, why don't you do a search for "Recommend Plotter" and see what pops up, tiger? I got about 500 pages of tech-support, which is awesome because it means that people (other than you) are tripping over each-other to help out, but it's not what I need.

I also don't need some snide forum goon bombing into my thread and calling me lazy, which comes off as especially stupid since you've got a stack of seven or eight people on top of you who apparently thought I asked a reasonable question.

So no offense, but go be bitter old **** somewhere else.

Everyone else, your advice is hugely appreciated, and thanks again.
 

FS-Keith

New Member
we have the mimaki CG160 and it has been awesome. we used our graphteec f700 or what ever it was about a dozen times and gave up on it. such trash
 

OldPaint

New Member
well, from another bitter old*****............you really need to learn to show some respect, but you are what you showed..
NOW.....i been cuttin since 1992.........have been exposed to most plotters on the planet.
my 1st purchase in 92, i was offered a GOOBER 4B,(fonts for this was $100 each then) and thank the gods i didnt buy it.
i passed on it and couple weeks later found a ROLAND PNC-1000. was 1 step ahead of the GOOBER..........as it cut 3 different sized of vinyl width, 15", 18" & 20". fonts usable was EVERY FONT TTF or ADOBE that COREL DRAW could see!!!!! YES, i cut directly from corel draw, NOTHING ELSE. so i was in phat font city!!! i ran this tank from 92-98 when i had become faster weeder then the roland could cut)))). i got a used PNC-1100 ROLAND. WOW... a full 24" cut, 35 ips now i was quick)))) worked so well when i set up my mobile sign shop, i bought another used PNC-1100!!!! never had a problem mechanically, never failed me. trackin........NOT THE BEST, but when i was doing a long cut( over 8 foot,very seldom)i would pre-feed the vinyl and then re-roll and cut, never a problem. had these 2 plotters from 2000-2006 and got a deal on a ROLAND CX-300!!!!! AWWWWWSOME MACHINE, and quiet, full 30" material and tracking was better then the 1100's. i cant say how satisfied i am with my ROLAND CAMM 1 PRO CX-300. its the last plotter i will own.
 

PHILJOHNSON

Sales Manager
Summa Cutters

Thank you for the kind words, and recommendations. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the different models we offer, and can compare our units to others you may be considering.

Also, for anyone else currently looking for a new unit, or perhaps a replacement device, we recently released our new S2 series cutter. The S2 offers the following new features -

  • Full color touch screen display and updated menu system
  • A new, faster internal processor
  • Ethernet(10/100Mb) connectivity
  • Brand new "flash cut" feature allows user to send cut ready files by simply using a USB thumb drive
  • Modified core holders
  • User changeable pinch rollers
We also have special pricing on our remaining inventory of S1 cutters as well. Please feel free to give me a call or send me an email if anybody has any questions.

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Summa Inc.
(800)527-7778, ext 112
philj@summa.us
 
Top