Roland XC 540 vs SC 545

[camille kindle]

We are looking at 2 printers and are unsure which we are going to decide on. One is a XC 540 $21,000 no warranty plus we need to figure out how to transport it 500 miles. The other is an SC 545 newly refurbished and also comes with a laminator for $18,000 delivered to our home for free.

We want to leave our options open to hopefully get into vehicle wraps done the line but for now we have a great market for banners, labels and car graphics.

Thanks for your input everyone

 

[signage]

You will need a laminator for car graphics!

 

[Ponto]

We are looking at 2 printers and are unsure which we are going to decide on. One is a XC 540 $21,000 no warranty plus we need to figure out how to transport it 500 miles. The other is an SC 545 newly refurbished and also comes with a laminator for $18,000 delivered to our home for free.

We want to leave our options open to hopefully get into vehicle wraps done the line but for now we have a great market for banners, labels and car graphics.

Thanks for your input everyone

Both very good machines... the 540 being the newer more robust version... used the 545 and am currently on the 540. "Refurbished" always scares me so do your homework and ask for a printer service report... and I would never purchase sight unseen unless the warranty was rock solid ... and what type of laminator...

JP

 

[klmjff]

Theres an sc 545ex soljet pro II for 9K in las vegas right now. I was gonna buy it last week, but I don't have enuff $ to purchase right now. The lady who owns it is super cool and she did a printtest for me. It needs 3 news caps ( about 30 bucks each) and thats it. It also comes with brand new inks in the machine and some extra ink as well. She was very eager to sell last Friday, so send me a pm if you are interested. You can pick up a laminator for about $2500 on Craigslist.

 

[digitalsolutionsok]

In my opinion the XC-540 is a full metal jacket and the SC-545ex is a jacket with metal patched around it. 7yrs. of service on solvent printers of all sorts. The XC is belt driven were as the SC is cable driven, the XC has a dryer built on the front (big enough to print full speed and no drying issue's) SC no dryer and it needs a aftermarket add-on. Thats just a few of the differents between the two units. XC-540 is a great machine its made just for that a solvent outdoor printer.

The SC was a aqueous printer converted to be a solvent printer by the manufacture. Not saying the SC wont do the job but it is more maintance and babysitting intensive. Last and final deal breaker is the take up built on the XC, I have never seen one fail were as the SC the sensor can go out or the reflector can be reposistioned not to work...... Just dont buy off price b/c you will get what you pay for. HAGD

 

[mark in tx]

I have two XC540s, excellent machines.

 

[Pacific Coast Sign]

Get the XC... and you can get an extended warranty if you need peace of mind. A laminator is around $2500 and can be purchased as you get the customer base. Both printers can be setup to print white if you need, but the 6 color is always king for quality.

 

[camille kindle]

Both very good machines... the 540 being the newer more robust version... used the 545 and am currently on the 540. "Refurbished" always scares me so do your homework and ask for a printer service report... and I would never purchase sight unseen unless the warranty was rock solid ... and what type of laminator...

JP

cold laminator...royal sovereign sp?

 

[CustomRide]

Your at the back end of an era with the 545 vs XC.

The $21k price is a little steep for just a XC540 especially out of warranty. Sometimes if it has been out of warranty too long Roland will give you a new warranty sight unseen but back date it to when the printers factory warranty expired...so if its been out of warranty for 4 months you pay $1295 for a 8mo warranty....SOMETIMES....not all the time.

Be patient especially the time of year and so on. Don't be afraid of transporting the machine...Penske usually has unlimited miles on their trucks if you work a deal with them even as a first time renter....

I would offer $17K-$18.5k for a XC....and pass on the 545 no matter what. I bet they take it....

If you call Roland headquarters there in CA you can talk to them and see if they have any "refurb" units in stock...their refurbs I would trust cause they will back with a warranty out the gate. If someone at roland tells you no we don't have any refurbs in stock....call back and talk to someone else...or call a dealer like nazdar and ask them to check rolands refurb inventory. Some of the dealers don't like to act like the Roland refurb inventory exist unless they feel you are crunching dollars and its a last resort sale for them.

BACK TO BUYING USED OUTSIDE A DEALER DO NOT GIVE THEM A DOLLAR UNTIL YOU GET A COPECK REPORT AND SEND IT TO ROLAND OR YOUR DEALER! This will give you the run down on the printer...if numbers are off like hours low but shot count mild to high then part of the printers memory has been reset which is a huge red flag especially trying to get a warranty tacked back on....first thing roland will ask for is a COPECK report.

Hope this helps been down this road before.

 

[Mainframe]

In my opinion you would be better off with a new VP540 than buying a used XC, same price & you have dealer support (worth more to you than the printer at times if you are new to printing) & you will have a 2 year warranty

 

[juniorferg]

Hey Camille!

Im fairly new to the scene myself and we started off with a xc 540 to cut down on space with having to buy a plotter at the same time. We are not a high flying business but have our busy weeks and the 540 has been a wonderful work horse with great graphics. Your going to be doing banners and vehicle graphics right? Well with the banner you cant cut with this machine but for the cut out graphics I would think thats a perfect side of things. Then you wont need to buy a laminator AND a plotter. And I totally agree with the other members, as a solid point I dont trust refurbished anything.

Good luck to ya!