VS 540 vs. Mimaki JV33 vs. Summa DC4 for motocross graphics

[Coban]

I've been doing research now for a few months on what machine upgrade we should do here at the shop. We mainly print motocross decal kits and have been using a Gerber Edge (we have had two die on us and are kind of over the edge) and have been out sourcing our larger stuff. There are three options we are considering:

1. Roland VS540
2. Mimaki JV33 130
3. Summa DC4 (SX)

This three all have metallic printing available, which is a must. There are obviously pros and cons to each machine and print quality is very important. Any feedback from fellow users would be great.

 

[tomence]

If your work is only solid colors i would go with the Summa.

 

[2B]

Since metallic is a must the Summa is going to be the better option.

We have a VS 640 with metallic and the metallic is no where near the same as the Summa

 

[Coban]

The Summa seems like a good fit but the lack of information about them scares me a bit. Anyone have experience with them? How is there cutting thick material?

 

[FrankW]

The Summa seems like a good fit but the lack of information about them scares me a bit. Anyone have experience with them? How is there cutting thick material?

The cutting engine integrated into the DC4 is the same as the SummaCUT, except the feed system. So max. 400g and different knife types are available.

Be aware of that mirror metallic on the DC4 (as with the eco-solvents too) is not suitable for outdoor use (except matte gold and matte silver, these colours are mentioned with up to 2 years). Because metallic can't be overprinted with scratchguard, you should need to overlaminate. While on an eco-solvent-metallic printer the basic metallic color can be mixed with process colors to create hundreds of metallic colors, the DC4 only offers mirror silver, mirror gold, mirror red, mirror blue, matte silver and matte gold.

But, for my opinion too, when metallic is needed or white the Summa is the better choice.

 

[Bill Heishman]

I have a DC3. Although it is difficult to find 50" material besides white and clear for this particular machine (only uses one size), you should be able to print on 24" u/m silver or metallic silver with a DC5. The ribbon colors are translucent so the metallic texture would be obvious. The color will last a pretty long time without laminating. Fuel or oil does not usually affect the print, but strong solvents sometimes used in cleaning bikes might.

You would have to set up a new profile in the printer control software for metallic vinyl, probably. Tech support there is very good and would talk you through that. Print cost per sq. ft. is much higher, but the convenience of print and cut without waiting for the ink to dry is very handy sometimes. Also, setup for print and cut is time saving with the Summa DC printers, as you don't have to worry about setting up crop marks or feeding it back into another machine for cutting.

Also, if you have to print on clear and use white as a bottom layer, the Summa is really the way to go. Much less issues with a white ribbon vs white ink.

If you are needing to print only one or two days a week and you may like the Summa's as there is very little to do in the way of maintenance. Also, it would be the best one for small runs. Large production would call for an ink jet printer of some kind. I have printed on reflective and u/m colors with my OKI M64s with good results. I use both printers pretty regularly. One for speed and convenience for small jobs (DC3) and one for productivity, cost and speed on large jobs (ink jet).