shopping for new printer

[James Chrimes]

We were going in the direction of a roland, but went to an open house last week and now I am lening towards a Mimaki CJV30-130 Printer Cutter (54-inch) Anyone else use this setup and is it as sweet as it seemed? Thanks Jim

 

[anotherdog]

Slightly Higher learning curve with Mimaki, slightly cheaper build, a couple more issues with maintenance. Looks like a nice deal on the price though.

You do need a RIP with the Mimaki though.

I will add though, I'm creeping up on 5 Years heavy use with my VP540, all original parts, only the cutting strip and wipers needed replacing. My 2nd machine will be a Roland.

 

[tomence]

You don't need a RIP for the Mimaki, it comes with its own RIP which is RasterLink. If i was you, I would buy the Mimaki JV33 in 64" and a separate cutter, either Summa or Mimaki.

 

[Out There]

I love my CJV30 and would most definitely get another one over Roland. Nothing cheap about it.

The only thing I would say has a steeper learning curve would be Rasterlink. Unlike Versaworks, where you have a large knowledge support base. With Rasterlink you pretty much have to figure it out yourself, but once you start digging deeper into it and learning all it can do, it's a breeze.

 

[Mosh]

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a VersaArt 64. Been a Roalnd guy since 1988. Had Several plotters 24" and 30" and 4 54's printters and 2 30's printers and never even replaced a head. Workhorse machinces!!!

 

[booshworks]

We love our Mimaki CJV and are already contemplating purchasing a second one to sit next to it.

Be prepared to learn a completely new foreign language if you do go that route (Mimakinese). At least once a week I hear my ops manager slap his forehead while reading the CJV manual because of the really off English.

 

[tomence]

I have owned Roland and Mimaki printers. So far Mimaki is way better built and prints a lot better and faster using the SS2 inks, they are scratch proof. Now using the Eco Sol Max inks for the Roland, they don't smell as much as the Mimaki inks but they are not scratch proof. Even after a day or two of outgassing and drying you can still scratch the ink easily.

I like both printers but i think Mimaki is a better printer.

 

[rjssigns]

They are both good and it is the classic Ford v Chevy debate.
Here is your criteria for selection:
Between Roland and Mimaki who has tech support closest to your shop?

My tech is 40 minutes from me. Will do emergency call-outs on Saturday and Sunday at his regular rate. Will deliver ink on weekends. See where I am going with this?

If you do not have excellent support you will have a very expensive boat anchor in your shop. They do break down ya know.

 

[RocketBanner]

My recommendation is learn to work on your own machine if you at all can. They are not very complicated when you get into them. I was lucky. I was talked into trying the 11-10 inks from Grimco, sort of a dummy test case for them and they promised to fix anything that went wrong with my machine. Well a lot went wrong and they, being true to their word, flew a tech to me and he spent a couple days working on my Roland 545. It turned out to be the best thing. He taught me how to try and recover clogged heads, how to replace heads that were too far gone, how to get into and use the maintenance mode, change dampers, etc. etc. He brought me a maintenance manual and really educated me. It's worth it to hire a tech to teach you how to change heads, once you know that you can do about anything. Anyway, since then I have done it all myself including changing 5 heads, countless dampers, encoder strip, cap tops, a pump, the ribbon cable...what am i forgetting? The point is not only will you save a lot of money but as long as you stock the spare parts you can be up and running again in a couple hours instead of a couple days (you can buy DX4 print heads direct from china for $650, dampers for $2, pumps, etc..all real parts and all real cheap) My printer is running constantly and cannot be down for 2 days. Try explaining to an internet customer who ordered a banner with next day air that you're waiting on a tech.

 

[cdiesel]

I'm with RJ on this one. Service is key, as all machines will break sooner or later.

We have owned three Rolands and are very happy with them. Our XC540 is about five years old and has been an absolute work horse.

 

[SameDay Signs]

I don't think I'm alone when I saw Mimaki is much better built. The learning curve with Rasterlink as mentioned above does suck kind of but in the end I think a Mimaki would outlast a Roland, print faster depending on model & I think overall just has a better print quality. But either way choose wisely because it is a decision you have to live with.

 

[ironchef]

I agree. Mimaki was the winner. I'm currently waiting on delivery. I looked at both, romand and mimaki very closely. Mimaki happens to be a little cheaper. With more value (take-up reel included). More ink options. Should i keep going?

 

[ddarlak]

i was a roland guy for 15 years, i bought the HP latex last november and couldn't be happier.

 

[2B]

were running the VS 640 machines here, They have not let us down and have not had a flaw in the print quality

 

[signworldusinc]

we were running roland then we switched over to some mutoh's and mimakis and haven't look back since. Mutoh's and mimakis print much faster while retaining quality

 

[macmac]

any interested mimaki jv5 print head,..very low price,including pump,dumper,cup.
just email me..macmac227@yahoo.com

 

[petepaz]

we have only had rolands so can't comment on the others but when we where shopping roland seemed the easiest to use and the prices where good. we went printer cutter just so we wouldn't have two machines taking up room and after 11 years of digital printing we have 3 rolands. no major issues and roland tech support along with our dealers have been great. very helpfull and quick responses.