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What kind of printer for a Vehicle Wrap job?

H

Holysteel

New Member
Hi all,

What kind of specific printer or specs should one purchase for a vehicle wrap job?

Should it be an indoor or an outdoor variety printer? Or perhaps an UV or a latex machine? How many Pico liters is best? 8? 14 ? 42 ?

What kinds of inks is best?

I was thinking of going with a Chinese made printer. What do you guys think?

Please kindly advise or share your insights. Thanks in advance.

All advise & opinions greatly appreciated.
 
letterman7

letterman7

New Member
I think you need to thoroughly read through the threads on printers on this forum before asking basic questions as those. What is available to you in Thailand may not be available or applicable elsewhere. Since you're just starting out, I suggest to find someone in your area that is already doing wraps and learn from them.
 
wildside

wildside

New Member
Hi all,

What kind of specific printer or specs should one purchase for a vehicle wrap job? purchasing a printer for one job seems a little unrealistic

 Should it be an indoor or an outdoor variety printer? Or perhaps an UV or a latex machine? How many Pico liters is best? 8? 14 ? 42 ? are vehicles indoors or outdoors?

What kinds of inks is best? what kind of machine are you getting?
I was thinking of going with a Chinese made printer. What do you guys think? chinese printers are typically cheaply made and junk

Please kindly advise or share your insights. Thanks in advance.

All advise & opinions greatly appreciated. you can't be seriously thinking your just going to buy a printer based off these questions and be in the wrap business......just like that:rolleyes:
 
H

Holysteel

New Member
letterman7 said:
I think you need to thoroughly read through the threads on printers on this forum before asking basic questions as those. What is available to you in Thailand may not be available or applicable elsewhere. Since you're just starting out, I suggest to find someone in your area that is already doing wraps and learn from them.
Click to expand...

letterman. Sorry if i made you unhappy with my basic question post. I have tried searching threads here, but to no similar result.

I have tried googling too, but to no results. Hence my posting here in signs101. Maybe it too simple a question, no one bother listing it . Im sorry for my inexperiences. I am just starting out, learning as much as i can as i progress. And i do not have huge pockets too, to go with the latest Vutek, Hp or a Gandhi. At best i could only go with a Roland. That is the best i could do.

As for learning from someone in my area. That is quite impossible. Because we are competitors within our own 'area' no one is teaching anyone anything. Beside, if given a choice i would not want to learn from them too, because i do not like what i see from their level of skill. I would want to learn from the top reputable international names if possible.

There is no course or training school here in Thailand where u can just pay for a course & get trained by the industry best.

So if anyone could kindly advise me on my question. Please do so. Many thanks in advance
 
SightLine

SightLine

║▌║█║▌│║▌║▌█
Find the next nearest sign show. Go to it. Look at the printers, talk with the manufacturers, talk with the dealers, talks with other signs shops that will be there. Signs shows also generally have informational sessions about the business and industry and sometimes demonstrations of wrapping vehicles. Read the trade magazines like Wide Format Imaging, Signs of the Times, etc. They usually have online versions of the magazines. There are many hundreds of threads on here discussing printing vehicle wraps where the users mention what printer they have, what vinyl they use, what laminate they use, etc.

You need a decent design computer with Adobe Creative Suite or some other design package, you need a printer of course, you need a RIP to drive the printer, you need a laminator, you need work tables, tools for finishing, tools for prepping a vehicle, tools for installing the wrap, assorted chemicals. If you have never installed vinyl graphics, let along an entire wrap, plan on ruining several thousand dollars worth of materials and ink destroying the first few you try. Get training somewhere.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Holysteel said:
letterman. Sorry if i made you unhappy with my basic question post. I have tried searching threads here, but to no similar result.

I have tried googling too, but to no results. Hence my posting here in signs101. Maybe it too simple a question, no one bother listing it . Im sorry for my inexperiences. I am just starting out, learning as much as i can as i progress. And i do not have huge pockets too, to go with the latest Vutek, Hp or a Gandhi. At best i could only go with a Roland. That is the best i could do.

As for learning from someone in my area. That is quite impossible. Because we are competitors within our own 'area' no one is teaching anyone anything. Beside, if given a choice i would not want to learn from them too, because i do not like what i see from their level of skill. I would want to learn from the top reputable international names if possible.

There is no course or training school here in Thailand where u can just pay for a course & get trained by the industry best.

So if anyone could kindly advise me on my question. Please do so. Many thanks in advance
Click to expand...


Perhaps with no prior training, no prior knowledge, no money and no idea of what you are doing..... perhaps, just perhaps, you chose the wrong profession to wander into.

You aren't making anyone upset with your basic questions, but your questions are so open ended, there are no simple answers.

Seriously, if you are just getting into this field as you said.... before you blow what money you don't have.... why not look for another line of work ?? This is not sour grapes or a bad attitude, but sound advice.

You don't sound like a business person, you don't sound like you have any money, you don't sound as if you have the first inclination of the industry, you don't sound as if you have any business plan in motion, you don't seem yo have anything in yur favor, except desire and that alone won't cut it.

There a very good guy in your neck of the woods named Rob Cooper. I'm sure if you look him up, he'd be thrilled to talk to you. You can see and read about him in just about every other SignCraft edition.
 
Imagital

Imagital

Designer/Installer
Im sorry for my inexperiences. I am just starting out,
if given a choice i would not want to learn from them too, because i do not like what i see from their level of skill.
Click to expand...

So you're just starting out...Your competitors skill level is more than what you got. it takes a lot more than thinking you can do better than them. Do you have any design training?, Software experience? Media knowledge? Do you have a Laminator already? Are you doing this by yourself? It doesn't just take a printer to do wraps. I suggest you watch some youtube tutorials on vehicle wraps, do some research. you'd be surprised how much you could learn before you just jump into it.
 
H

Holysteel

New Member
SightLine said:
Find the next nearest sign show. Go to it. Look at the printers, talk with the manufacturers, talk with the dealers, talks with other signs shops that will be there. Signs shows also generally have informational sessions about the business and industry and sometimes demonstrations of wrapping vehicles. Read the trade magazines like Wide Format Imaging, Signs of the Times, etc. They usually have online versions of the magazines. There are many hundreds of threads on here discussing printing vehicle wraps where the users mention what printer they have, what vinyl they use, what laminate they use, etc.

You need a decent design computer with Adobe Creative Suite or some other design package, you need a printer of course, you need a RIP to drive the printer, you need a laminator, you need work tables, tools for finishing, tools for prepping a vehicle, tools for installing the wrap, assorted chemicals. If you have never installed vinyl graphics, let along an entire wrap, plan on ruining several thousand dollars worth of materials and ink destroying the first few you try. Get training somewhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
H

Holysteel

New Member
Gino said:
Perhaps with no prior training, no prior knowledge, no money and no idea of what you are doing..... perhaps, just perhaps, you chose the wrong profession to wander into.

You aren't making anyone upset with your basic questions, but your questions are so open ended, there are no simple answers.

Seriously, if you are just getting into this field as you said.... before you blow what money you don't have.... why not look for another line of work ?? This is not sour grapes or a bad attitude, but sound advice.

You don't sound like a business person, you don't sound like you have any money, you don't sound as if you have the first inclination of the industry, you don't sound as if you have any business plan in motion, you don't seem yo have anything in yur favor, except desire and that alone won't cut it.

There a very good guy in your neck of the woods named Rob Cooper. I'm sure if you look him up, he'd be thrilled to talk to you. You can see and read about him in just about every other SignCraft edition.
Click to expand...

Why is this all verbal abuse hurled at me ? I am just asking a simple question on vehicle wrap's recommended equipment.

Do you happen to know every aspect of the trade when u were just starting out? How would u feel if someone call you an idiot and a deem to fail business when u are just trying to learn something new from the community? This is exactly what u are doing to me now.
 
anotherdog

anotherdog

New Member
No honestly, wraps are just big bumper stickers. How hard can that be?
print it on the special printer and slap it on.

Signage in general and wraps in particular require knowledge and skills that take years to aquire. by asking such a simplistic question you imply that anyone can just buy a cheap printer and setup in business (competition) churning out underpriced crap.

The hurtful thing is that thats exactly what happens.

This is why the hostility. If there was a sympathetic back story, or more thoughtful questions that are the result of you reading the thousands (kid you not) of threads asking the same questions. Then maybe you would get the answers you NEED before you can hope to progress in this business.
 
briankb

briankb

Premium Subscriber
You didn't just ask a simple question. You simplified an entire process into a single post with multiple generic questions. Like others I don't believe you even tried to search for the answers here or even google. The information on how and what equipment to use for sign making and auto wraps is abundant on the internet.

Your next step is to find a sign show and register for as many classes and sessions as possible. Contact the manufacturers like Roland (www.rolanddga.com) and see if they can spend an hour with you at the show.

People are not mad you asked a question. They are mad because you spent little to no time doing your own research and wanted it fed to you like a child. If you are serious you have a lot to learn and it will take a lot of money. $50k USD would be a good starting point for all the equipment and software you need but even $50k is the rock bottom. And doesn't include the space you need for the equipment and time to build up clients and business.
 
fmg

fmg

New Member
Roland, Mimaki, Mutoh are pretty good machines and will accommodate your needs for providing vehicle wraps.These machines use solvent inks and media however the new latex machines which I am not familiar with also cut the job.
Hope this helps
 
H

Holysteel

New Member
Ok i apologized to all. I think i phrased my original questions in a very wrong & misunderstood way. Sometimes i do not think throughly & clearly before i typed things out.

I just type as it goes randomly spirally in my thoughts & in a hurried way. I am sorry for that.

My question is this. Can a Chinese made machine print that kind of 'quality' used in vehicle wrap in the States?

If not, What are the differences? If there is any.

The reason i am asking what kind of inks is used is because here, we are using solvent inks here. I am not sure about u guys? Is it UV, latex or ? I just want to know what is going on in oversea market trend. Just to update myself.

Question on the indoor & outdoor. I have received many different answer from 10 differ person. Some said go for the indoor as it is more detailed, the prints are finer, more vibrant. Some said go for outdoor, for it is more durable. So which is which ?

As for the printer question. Well there is eco solvent, solvent, latex & UV. So what kind of printer u guys are using for the wrap?

I hope i made myself clearer. I am in the banners business, not the vehicle wrap biz. My english is not top notch excellent. So please try to understand. Thanks
 
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