Support for Falcon Outdoor

[SummerSigns]

Hello everyone,

My husband and I just got back from ISA and have narrowed down our choices for a printer. I am leaning towards the Falcon Outdoor 48", but a local sign supplier said he would not recommend any Mutoh products, because of support issues. He said his company (big company - local office), was not able to get technical support even as a distributor for Mutoh and dropped their line. Can you tell me if you have had problems getting technical support for your Mutoh or is he just trying to steer me towards Mimaki, because that is what he sells? Any input would be appreciated!

 

[ChiknNutz]

I am looking at the very same printer. I contacted Ron at Exciters.com, seem to be very knowledgable. Give them a call, but be prepared to spend some time on the phone, cuz Ron likes to talk. A wealth of info though. I'm in WA state and they are in CA, didn't seem to be an issue, and I did express concern over that very thing - SUPPORT!

 

[WVB]

I have ran into issues with so called "distributors" who were not making their sales quota's or what have you, so they in fact were dropped by that manufacture for not following through with said contracts etc. So in turn they would make stories up as to why the product was of no good. And of course pushing their "new" product line because it was so much better. I would contact Mutoh directly and see if you can find anything out. Also SSK Sign has some really good deals going with the Mutoh and Graphtec cutters. Or you can buy only the Mutoh if you like. Their address is http://www.signsupplystore.com. Contact SSK and see if they have run into any issues concerning this with Mutoh. There can be so many variables as to why this "big company" is not longer a dist. for Mutoh.

 

[Scott Reynolds]

Bought a 48" Mutoh from Ron at Exciters. Every time we had any problem, we called them, and got answers. Great support. Graphixtrem is right, Ron talks alot, BUT, he knows alot. The 48" outdoor is great, and the price is more greater.. lol I would price shop SSK and Exciters.

www.exciters.com

www.ssksign.com

 

[skjeflo]

Mutoh support

GraphiXtreme, you might want to check with Northwest Sign Supply for Mutoh support. I have always had great experiences with them, both for day to day ordering and with print issues with a Mutoh Falcon 2 outdoor.

Mark

 

[Steve C.]

I Love MY Mutoh!.... Support will depend on who you buy if from. I got mine at Signwarehouse, Nothing great to say about them. I never tried calling Mutoh, I got most of my help from the people I get my print supplies from,
Advantage Sign Supply. I am real happy with every thing I have tried to do so far.

 

[SummerSigns]

OK. I called ssksign and Exciters. You are correct, Ron at Exciters will talk your ear off. But, I came out a little more knowledgeable. Mutoh does not support their printers, they act strictly as an OEM. The distributors are expected to support the printers. Most of the issues involve color profiling, which can be addressed by a distributor. He said the Falcon Outdoor Jr. was plug and play. I don't know if I believe that, but made me think that it will be manageable. Thanks for all the input.

 

[DPD]

Frustrated with Falcon Outdoor 48

I've had one for 2 mos. and I'm ready to throw it out the door. Mutoh does some support if you escalate past your reseller but its a typical finger pointing contest.

Mine has been professionally profiled (not by me) for banner material, photo paper, and vinyl. Works well with most things but the problem is with vinyl. Being that it's 48" you're limited in your media options.

Avery does not recommend it's vinyl for the Falcon 48 and Oracal is only so/so. You've got to print at high-quality to get any decent image. There are no other vinyls that I've been able to find that fit in the machine. So.....

My profiler guy says it the hardware, the hardware guys say it's the profile, and Mutoh tech support giggles when I tell them I'd like to print one big lemon and send it back.

If any of you Mutoh owners has an answer to why the vinyls don't accept inks readily or know of a brand of vinyl < 54" that will work on my machine (my profiler guy thinks its due to uneven heating) then please let me know.

I should'a gotten the HP5500.

 

[SummerSigns]

If you had to do it over...

If the Falcon is limiting you based on size, would you move up to a 54" printer instead? Or would you go to a 60"? I want the capability to do banners on this machine and if that is really limiting, then maybe I would be better off going with a Rolland 54". Advantage Sign has been pushing the Mimaki 60", but I do not see the value for a true solvent printer in my limited market. Most of the suppliers trying to sell me the Falcon are telling me I am limited by "types" of media - no one has mentioned that size would be a big consideration. Thanks for the input.

 

[Steve C.]

If any of you Mutoh owners has an answer to why the vinyls don't accept inks readily or know of a brand of vinyl < 54" that will work on my machine (my profiler guy thinks its due to uneven heating) then please let me know.QUOTE]

I dont understand, If you have a 48 inch machine, how will you use 54inch media? I have been using Orcal 3651 48" and 36" with great success. Also printing on Avery banner materal ( Jupitor) both unidirectional and bidirectional with good results. From what I hear Oracal and Avery both are hyping their products for the Falcon Outdoor.
I did struggle for a while when I first got it but I was trying to print on Oracal 751 at high speed. I have been able to get some good prints on 751, but it is a challange. Hang in there and Good luck!

BTW...Who did you buy it from?

 

[Barry]

At .51 cents a sq foot Oracal 751 is pretty pricey for digital printing. You can print on ORAJET 3651 for .23 cents a sq foot or ORAJET 3751 for .46 cents a sq foot. ORAJET seems to print much better than standard Oracal vinyl too.

 

[WVB]

SSK Sign Supply has a page dedicated to materials Mutoh Falcon ready:

http://www.signsupplystore.com/Falcon_Outdoor_Media.asp

 

[DPD]

Falcon Outdoor Media - My experiences

I'm not using 54" media for the Falcon Outdoor - there's plenty of that. The Falcon Outdoor is of course, limited to 48" or less. There's not much in the way of vinyl that can be had for the Falcon Outdoor.

I'm using Oracal 3651 for everyday vinyl printing. I've got problems printing at Hi-Speed and have gotten good prints at Hi-Quality. But..... That's a lot of ink.

Where I might have confused the issue is with the ink adhering to the vinyl. At hi-speed it's got problems - you've noticed that as you've also gone on to work at high-quality to get the ink to adhere.

My other point was that there is that compared to the water-based HP5500 there is not much media to choose from. It sort of limits the markets that you can sell into.

The worst part is that Mutoh, if they have tested with different media / settings, will not release the results and are not any help when choosing media. If you go by what's on the Mutoh website you may have problems and Mutoh does not stand behind their media claims.

Now, I'm being told that media that is solvent-based is not necessarily eco-solvent media. Aaaargh!!!!

If any of you veterans of the eco-solvent (Mutoh) world out there can help it would sure be appreciated.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Don't know where you bought yours, but try calling Ron at Exciters.com and see what he has to say. After talking to him, sounded like the biggest factor is your profile matching your media. They may be able to help as that is what they claim: after purchase customer support.

 

[stopngo]

You think you have problems?

:

I've had one for 2 mos. and I'm ready to throw it out the door. Mutoh does some support if you escalate past your reseller but its a typical finger pointing contest.

Mine has been professionally profiled (not by me) for banner material, photo paper, and vinyl. Works well with most things but the problem is with vinyl. Being that it's 48" you're limited in your media options.

Avery does not recommend it's vinyl for the Falcon 48 and Oracal is only so/so. You've got to print at high-quality to get any decent image. There are no other vinyls that I've been able to find that fit in the machine. So.....

My profiler guy says it the hardware, the hardware guys say it's the profile, and Mutoh tech support giggles when I tell them I'd like to print one big lemon and send it back.

If any of you Mutoh owners has an answer to why the vinyls don't accept inks readily or know of a brand of vinyl < 54" that will work on my machine (my profiler guy thinks its due to uneven heating) then please let me know.

I should'a gotten the HP5500.

I purchased my Mutoh 46" (that's right) before they came out with the 48". Try finding media for that. Everywhere I go I have to get the 36" media (the only size other than 40" before it goes to 54") to print on. I've had problems with it (mechanical) at first and it does have a very long learning curve before I became use to it and now can print fairly nice prints. Some companies will cut down a 54" roll for you if you ask (most charge for this). I do like running the Oracal products through it but only at medium/High quality and slow speeds otherwise the prints bleed (esp. on smaller prints). I purchased mine from Signwarehouse and dealt with Ron Adams who seems to know his stuff. Another big problem is warranty. While it comes with a 1 year warranty, to purchase aditional costs an arm and a leg.......esp. for a "buget" printer like this. I would like to sell mine (only 1 year old) along with a new Seal Laminator to upgrade to a larger machine. Anyone interested?

 

[IMPERIAL DESIGNS]

searching for parts for mutoh

i have a mutoh 48 falcon outdoor . where is the best place to find parts at a good prices. if any one could help me it would be greatly appreciated

 

[luggnut]

cmykparts.com

 

[IMPERIAL DESIGNS]

thanks bro i would check that site out

 

[Stealth Ryder]

My Goodness, how old is this thread? Falcon Outdoor, ain't we a generation or two past these machines... These machines have not been sold in what, 2 years or more...