...if you don't mind having to perform daily head cleaning maintenance tasks such as the Epson requires, or performing weekly head cleaning maintenance tasks such as the Mutoh, then solvent is the right printer.
Here is common verbiage found in all solvent printer manuals:
• When not using the printer for a long period (one week or more), perform Head cleaning once a
week.
If not performing Head cleaning, the print head is clogged. Doing so will preserve print quality.
• Remove media when cleaning.
Cleaning with media loaded may lead to contact between the print head and media.
When cleaning around the print head,
• do not touch the nozzles of the print head.
Doing so may damage the print head.
• Do not touch the tip of the cleaning stick.
The print head may be damaged because of oil from your hands.
• Never put water, etc on the tip of the cleaning stick.
Doing so may damage the print head.
• Do not reuse the cleaning stick.
The attached dust, etc may damage the print head.
The waste fluid from the printer falls under the category of waste oil (waste ink) of
industrial waste (out of the 19 items of general waste from business activities).
You are obligated to properly dispose of waste fluid in compliance with Wastes
Disposal and Public Cleansing Act and local ordinances.
Delegate disposal to an industrial waste disposal contractor.
As for getting a Roland print/cut device, like the Mutoh - both are excellent printers, by the way, it is a solvent printer. A print/cut device will determine the growth of your business and, at some point, you will experience the print/cut bottleneck such as needing to print a rush banner while printer is in the middle of contour cutting the 500 sticker job. Here is an interesting video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU65Sc-nCA4
As for print quality, which is subjective, contact your local dealers for Roland, Mutoh, Epson, and HP and ask where you can submit your own file so you can compare print quality. They'll all want to send you their own printed samples, which is nice to have, but none will be of them will be the same. This is why you must submit your
own file! If they hem and haw, then cross that manufacture off your list and move on because this is your business, not theirs. This is a free service they all offer, or should, so you might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Putting aside all the information above, once you compare apples to apples, the decision you make regarding which printer to buy will be the one that best fits your needs, period - regardless of brand and technology.
