Should I buy a refurbished HP Latex 360 (64")?

[gogreennyc]

Hi Everyone,

Baby sign shop owner here - I'm looking to get a large format printer to get into making a few additional products; banners, black text prints onto clear vinyl, product labels, stickers, and maybe large format advertisement prints. I believe I'm set on a latex printer, what do you feel about the HP 360 model? Do they last a long time? Easy to fix if broken? Are refurbished ones a good idea? What should I look for in one? I'm looking at one nearby for about 6k from a dealer who sells used and new equipment.

Thanks for any input. Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Tim Miller]

We have a 360. It is great for banners, black text on clear vinyl, decals, etc. On vehicle wraps, there can be a fair amount of difference in size between panels, in our experience. Make sure the media sensor is working ... that enables you to print double-sided banners fairly easily ... at least more easily than any other roll-to-roll printer I've worked with. I really think the 360 is underrated for the low purchase cost and relatively low maintenance cost. Plus, there are lots of them out there, so your average printer tech should be able to find parts and knowledge to fix it.

 

[jimmmi]

Go for it. About panel jobs mentioned above, color and size consistency is easy to achieve, with correct profile and sacrificing some speed you get pretty nice results.

 

[eahicks]

If you can get a refurbed 560 I'd get that. Much improvement, easier to load/unload. Same heads/inks.

 

[balstestrat]

How many sqfeet on it?
Search for trailing cable and inspect that before buying. Or tell them to replace it. If ink pack is rubbed, it needs a new one or leak is coming.
Refurb doesn't mean anything. Best case they threw in New heads and inks, cleaned the dust off... Worst case they didn't do anything.

 

[gogreennyc]

Thanks for the answers everyone, over the last week I've looked into what you all mentioned and it helped me a lot.

It seems now I am in between the above mentioned used 360 and a new Epson S80600.. There's a considerable price difference, but I'm trying to gauge if it'll be worth it if I'm doing wallpapers and high quality prints as well. I would like to grow into the machine and not have to upgrade in the next year or two. What are your thoughts on latex, vs eco-solvent.. material options/print capabilities/ overall quality between these two models? Is there another eco-solvent you would pick over the S80? Would the new Epson latex or newest HP latex (with white ink capability) be a better machine overall? Latex seems to be overall a better option but without the vivid color capabilities on the Epson..

Thanks in advanced!

 

[balstestrat]

Epson is just eco-solvent, not "UV solvent" .

 

[gogreennyc]

Oh! Oops. I'll correct that, thanks.