What is the best entry level grand format printer 10' or larger currently

[benjakes]

Ben

I was at ISA and impressed with the CET unit as well. Can you let me know how long you have owned it and how many times has it been down? It seems to be an easier unit to work on as compared to the HP FB series.

The owners encourage you to come to Atlanta for a couple days to learn everything about the machine including tearing it apart and putting it back together. Nice machine prints fast and great quality.

Thanks

Larry

I've had my new unit for about 6 weeks. It has not gone down, print controller is awesome. Fiber optics make it very dependable. If you would rather come to Buffalo instead of Atlanta, just PM me (The snow is almost gone).

The reason why you should buy this unit (beside print qulaity) is because of the company. If you have an issue, Carrie/Jack/Marty/ or even Dave will answer the phone and call you back. They also know how to print, and workflow. They were not selling cars last week.

 

[MatthewTimothy]

The flora unit is the old unit cet designed and discontinued. The new cet unit is outstanding. If you have any quest.ions let me know, I own them both.

Ben

I was informed it was the other way around and that CET's model was reversed engineered. I still am looking for actual documentation and some stories ive heard I am trying to verify.

 

[artbot]

i thought it was very interesting how at the sgia, the CET booth was all about "popping the hood" on their machines. they were like "check out this sweet ink supply system" "look at that head carriage" etc. at the oce' or hp booth they were like "uh, the piece of board goes on this top part". any question i had was met with anxiety.

and the fact that the sales CET guys just come out and admit that all flatbeds are complex cantankerous machines. and that the owner will have issues occasionally and they were there to keep that machine cranking. i was confounded by the honesty.

 

[CS-SignSupply-TT]

???confounding!!!!

i thought it was very interesting how at the sgia, the CET booth was all about "popping the hood" on their machines. they were like "check out this sweet ink supply system" "look at that head carriage" etc. at the oce' or hp booth they were like "uh, the piece of board goes on this top part". any question i had was met with anxiety.

and the fact that the sales CET guys just come out and admit that all flatbeds are complex cantankerous machines. and that the owner will have issues occasionally and they were there to keep that machine cranking. i was confounded by the honesty.

Equally confounding is CET's ISA SHOW SPECIAL to convert GERBER (aka GSP) flatbeds to CET flatbeds for $40k - $60k

 

[benjakes]

Go to Atlanta, you will see the truth with your own eyes. They have the original hand made models from up to 10 years ago.

Flora is just mad because they do not make frames for CET anymore, and thier machine is inferior to CET's new one, IMO.

 

[artbot]

gerber conversions? that might sound like a great deal for a guy that has a big cnc/vacuum/x axis table that isn't worth squat. all they have to do is design a gantry that is plug and play. that is a little high though. seems like it would be $30k max.

 

[benjakes]

I thought that was Sweet!!!

Dave said they have done two already. Harvest the old Gerber frame, change to a screw drive system, change blowers, change gantry and carriage, along with installing spectra heads.

Pretty outside the box thinking in trying to provide a soltion to the Gerber Guys while buying ink revenue! The progressiveness of the company is what sets CET apart.

It is 40K for 4 heads without White, 50K with White if I recall correctly. The heads are 12 to 15k alone.

 

[artbot]

i wonder if they ebay all the gutted parts?

 

[CS-SignSupply-TT]

Which flatbed are you leaning towards?

I thought that was Sweet!!!

Dave said they have done two already. Harvest the old Gerber frame, change to a screw drive system, change blowers, change gantry and carriage, along with installing spectra heads.

Pretty outside the box thinking in trying to provide a soltion to the Gerber Guys while buying ink revenue! The progressiveness of the company is what sets CET apart.

It is 40K for 4 heads without White, 50K with White if I recall correctly. The heads are 12 to 15k alone.

benjakes, what do you like/dislike about your Colorspan and your Nur? Which new flatbed are you leaning towards?

 

[benjakes]

benjakes, what do you like/dislike about your Colorspan and your Nur? Which new flatbed are you leaning towards?

I made money with them all.

Colorspan: that is tough to have a positive thought on
Nur: quirky but dependable
CET FK512-quality
CET 500X/1000X- Speed quality and dependability. Plus ink sticks to everything.

 

[CS-SignSupply-TT]

benjakes, thank you for the reply. It appears you are discarding the Colorspan and NUR to make room for the CET

 

[HulkSmash]

benjakes, thank you for the reply. It appears you are discarding the Colorspan and NUR to make room for the CET

The colospan was the biggest paper weight ever made.

awful machine.

 

[Nicky Zhou]

The flora unit is the old unit cet designed and discontinued. The new cet unit is outstanding. If you have any quest.ions let me know, I own them both.

Ben

Come on, when CET was just known in this two years, and Flora was known for over 10 years.. what is that? where is the R&D ...

 

[10sacer]

CET vs. FLORA

uuggghhh... seriously.

I hate it when people who don't have all their facts and do their research jump on a forum and start spewing crap out of their a$$.

If you have questions or concerns or want to verify rumors or know why CET decided to build their own plant to manufacture their own frames - then call Dave Cich or Jack Skidmore and ask direct questions.

I am upgrading to the next model CET as soon as I can find the time to be down for 3 days.

When i was with DuPont - we had intimate dealings with Flora on all levels. They have been around for quite a while and make a good machine from whatever you design. If you design crap - they will build you crap. Its about how much money any manufacturer wishes to invest in producing a quality machine.

Thats why there are $19 Nike shoes at Payless and $200 Nike shoes at Foot Locker - which do you think they put more effort into?

 

[Nicky Zhou]

CET vs FLORA

haha...

You cannot know the shape of a moutain when you stand on it. Every mother's child is handsome.

Even I am not in Flora, but I think the fact is truth. Both machines are good,CET and FLORA, you can not down one to make another...

 

[National Sign Co. - Print]

Why on earth would you even think about getting involved?

Grand Format+Entry level = Horrible model..

 

[10sacer]

Why on earth would you even think about getting involved?

Grand Format+Entry level = Horrible model..

Mike... really? Explain why this is a bad model.

Everyone who drives an SUV can't afford a Hummer but does that make Jeep a bad model? One's high end and one is entry level. Do they both serve a purpose in the marketplace?

 

[National Sign Co. - Print]

gf is a whole different beast than just a low end printer...

you need space to finish them, machines and heads to finish them and low consumables to profit..

if you go low end chances are your entire infrastructure is low end and you will fail right out of the box...

seen many god shops fail by buying crap on a wing and prayer. vs doing it right...