• 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 ...

Roland pro4

cgsigns_jamie

New Member
I wish there was a 9 color option... they offer 9 colors (CMYK Lc Lm W M Lb)... but you can only have 8 colors loaded at one time... seems like they really should have thought about that a little more before releasing the machine.

I also wish they would have redesigned the take up system! I hate that the take up reel is fixed on the right side of the machine.

If they release an XJ version I might consider upgrading from our XC-540. I really like our XC-540 (minus the take up system) and feel that the Roland Pro series are built like tanks.
 

ProColorGraphics

New Member
That's what makes me lean towards Epson. I don't need a cutter and with Epson's, you can have all 10 colors loaded at the same time. (2) 5 channels heads versus (2) 8 channel ones. (My Mixup, I said 4 channel first)
 
Last edited:

DRamm76

New Member
This machine is going to blow everything else out of the water! Priced at $30,000 as well! You're getting sssssooooooooooooo much more than the XC-540 and it's $2000 less!! Not to mention over 500 sq ft per hour. Damn Right It's A Winner!
 

CS-SignSupply

New Member
2 Year warranty with 2 preventative maintenance visits free to end user
Cutting built in, when you need it
Versaworks improvements
and a bunch more...

Gonna be the buzz at SGIA if shown there.
 

Andrew O

Merchant Member
Thanks everyone for chiming in. We're very excited about the XR-640. To answer a couple of questions that have come up:

- Yes, they will be at SGIA.
- The 8 color setup allows a fully mirrored firing order regardless of ink configuration. That eliminates chromatic banding or the "lawnmower effect".
- We are getting great looking prints in standard and high speed modes. Even billboard modes, while there is a quality trade-off, will deliver saleable output for quick banners and some other applications.

Keep the questions and comments coming. It is going to be a busy day, but I'll be on to answer them.
 

Christian @ 2CT Media

Active Member
Do you guys have a print sample showing the different qualities side by side like hp did for their initial latex? It be interesting to see the quality to speed tradeoff.

Also is there a speed hit for white/silver inks like in other printers?
 

Andrew O

Merchant Member
We will be putting some sample books together that show the different modes available. There is a speed hit when running white or metallic. However, the print speed with those colors is roughly double what it is with our older printers.
 

Jack Knight1979

New Member
Andrew, Does Roland plan to move this ink train into a XJ series type printer? I already have a GX500 and don't need a print/cut machine.

I love this setup, but would like to see it in a print only machine.

Please advise.
 

Andrew O

Merchant Member
Jack Knight - There's nothing planned in the near term that I'm aware of.

I don't want to get too off topic, but there are a lot of jobs where integrated print/cut can be a real convenience. I realize everyone has their own working requirements, and that's why we offer the RE-640 and the XJ series, but the XR-640 is actually a little less expensive than an XJ-640, so you can use the cutter when you need it, and ignore it when you don't. I address some of the issues in a blog post here: http://rblog.rolanddga.com/inkjet/triple-threat/. It is old enough to feature some discontinued models, but I think the point still stands.

While I realize that an integrated device won't print and cut simultaneously, it will perform those functions sequentially, and without intervention. That means that for decals, labels, heat transfers, and other jobs that don't need lamination, you can be off doing something else in the shop while they finish themselves.
 

Robert M

New Member
Xr-640

What kind outdoor durability and scratch resistance are the Roland/Epson white and metallic inks going to have?
 

Robert M

New Member
White & Metallic

The current generation of those colors is not very scratch resistant. Looks like the new Roland is using the earlier generation DX5 heads with 8 channels and the Sure color has the newer 10 channel heads. I saw somewhere that the Sure Color has print head redundancy, meaning if one head went out it can still print, I think the Mutoh 1638 has a similar feature. So basically the new Roland is an Epson GS6000 with a cutter and more ink colors. I was sure they were going to go with a latex printer. Solvent is still alive and well, which is fine by me.
 
Top