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VP-540i verses XC-540???
- Thread starter topcat
- Start date
Signalaugh
New Member
It all depends
I don't know about those thoughts. I had a printer and got rid of it. Cheaper for me to buy a 4 bucks a square foot for decals and banners.
They tell you it is under a buck to print, then you need to laminate (well that is your choice) add labour and waste. I don't know if spending 25 grand on a machine is worth it unless you are buying over 2000 sq ft (real prints) per year to break even and then driving a profit from there.
(Price based on a buck a square foot and machine replaced in 4 years.)
You don't have the headaches, the broken parts, waste, emplyees and everything else.
To me, you close the shop in Friday and the other guy is working his tail off to make your decals for you to pay his bills. When the printer screws up he takes the hit, not you. Believe me that that all do. You have more time to sell more product.
But there is always something to be said for owning your own.
I don't know about those thoughts. I had a printer and got rid of it. Cheaper for me to buy a 4 bucks a square foot for decals and banners.
They tell you it is under a buck to print, then you need to laminate (well that is your choice) add labour and waste. I don't know if spending 25 grand on a machine is worth it unless you are buying over 2000 sq ft (real prints) per year to break even and then driving a profit from there.
(Price based on a buck a square foot and machine replaced in 4 years.)
You don't have the headaches, the broken parts, waste, emplyees and everything else.
To me, you close the shop in Friday and the other guy is working his tail off to make your decals for you to pay his bills. When the printer screws up he takes the hit, not you. Believe me that that all do. You have more time to sell more product.
But there is always something to be said for owning your own.
Pro Image
New Member
Bull Crap..................Just wait until the order that he is working on is a rush order for you and he cant get it fixed before you need your sign for a golf tourney or special one day event........Then its your butt that takes the hit as the guy that can't deliver..................Think about that..........
Just like right now......Im printing 2 rush order banners 3x6 for 200.00 each......Now send that out to your printer and get it back in 2 hours........
Last edited:
bigben
Not a newbie
Bull Crap..................Just wait until the order that he is working on is a rush order for you and he cant get it fixed before you need your sign for a golf tourney or special one day event........Then its your but that takes the hit as the guy that can't deliver..................Think about that..........
Just like right now......Im printing 2 rush order banners 3x6 for 200.00 each......Now send that out to your printer and get it back in 2 hours........
Amen... I can't wait to get my printer...
adamfilip
New Member
my backup guy.. can do it within 2 hours
but we can also do it inhouse
so when is Roland releasing a flatbed Printer/Router?
thanks yukon, cheers topcatI contemplated the same about 6 mos ago and felt it wasn't worth the extra 10K to get an XC for the added speed and 6 color ink. I'm very very happy with my VP540. It prints phenomenally.
Yukon
:AustraliaI was outsourcing all my printing until one day I decided to look at buying my own. I bought a Roland SP540 and now I do a heap more digital printing, in fact this machine has basically become the business.I am now in the process of looking to upgrade to something faster. Buy your own and make more money. Dont forget the machines do come with warranty!!! Good Luck
Pacific Coast Sign
New Member
The $10k difference IS well worth the price difference. With the XC540 you also get 3 Heaters, a Heavy Duty Take-up, 6 (or 4 color) color printings, and at times Roland extends the warranty to 3 years! Try printing banners or vehicle wraps overnight with your SLOWER VP540 without purchasing a $2,000 takeup and extra heater for $1500... Suddenly the price is looking much more competitive. Believe me, as a Roland Tech, I personally feel the difference is WELL worth the price.
Signs Express
New Member
We debated the same thing. We ended up going with the VP540 instead of the XC. It is not as fast, but we didn't really need something that prints several hundred square feet an hour, and running a four color machine costs less per square foot than a six color with very little difference in image quality.
synergy_jim
New Member
we bought the xc and have never looked back. It is a true workhorse and you will not regret it. It paid its self off 90 days after we purchased it.
The Big Squeegee
Long Time Member
Welcome from OK
DRamm76
New Member
Exactly..If you have the means to get into the XC I'd do it..Everyone has to start looking at this stuff as an INVESTMENT purchase not an EXPENSE purchase. In the time it takes people to nickel and dime over nothing, they could be printing another banner and cashing in at 440 sq ft per hour. I have people come to me everyday asking me the differences. I send a banner job..PRINT ONLY to the VP then send a PRINT CUT on vinyl to the XC..Same Size..Same Standard Mode..By the time the XC is done printing and cutting the banner is no where near done..By the time the VP is done, the customer has already written a check for the deposit of the XC...
Don't buy into these "self made" videos on youtube with the comparison crap..Take the drive..Visit a dealer who has both and have them put it to the test.
Mainframe
New Member
There is a lot more to this question 540 vs xc than just the difference in the 2 printers, if you are using 4 color & don't need white ink the 540 will print most anything the xc will, the answer to your question should fall on what type of shop you have, where it is located & how large your digital print demand is now. If you need to set up prints to do overnight & are in a large metro area, you may want the xc, but for the smaller 1 or 2 man sign shop, in a small town location the 540 is plenty fast enough, I have the 540 & just let the banners & prints lay out on the floor, for the very long banners I use a makeshift take up with 2 counter stools & a cardboard tube & just walk over to it & roll it up every once in a while, the extra 10 g's would have kept me from getting into the printer as I am a smaller shop. If money is no object & you are planning a massive amount of printing & would like it to be unattended the xc would be a better choice. Also, I have been playing with the new ripc profiles when printing some jobs, & they look good & print what I consider a little faster than the old profiles but I don't stand there with a stop watch, there is a lot more that goes into a job than just print speed, it is just one piece of the puzzle, you have design time, loading & storing media, dealing with the customer for price & proofing, etc. usually the machine is just sitting there waiting for you to get to the "file ready for print stage of the game" good luck on your choice-Bill
design unfolds
New Member
What is the speed different between VP-540i and XC-540?
Pacific Coast Sign
New Member
More than twice the speed...and 4 times faster (and better print) than a SP