What kind of printer for a Vehicle Wrap job?

[J Hill Designs]

outdoor. mostly solvent, some latex, less UV.

an indoor printer, although capabable of printing negligibly finer detail, does not have to longevity needed with an outdoor printer - even when laminated.

 

[letterman7]

Holysteel... we're not picking on you. In your profile you have listed that you do billboards and such with a 3.2 meter solvent printer. Obviously you must have some knowledge of the industry and printing, you're just not researching your questions correctly. Gino's right - the guys that know this stuff have quite a few years under their belts and have earned their knowledge. Handing it over to someone just starting out just doesn't happen. Talk with your current printer manufacturer - I'll bet they'll have input on what you need.

 

[Holysteel]

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

Thanks fmg

 

[briankb]

Anyone who told you to use indoor printers for more detailed prints, has probably never actually printed a auto wrap or tried to make money from it. Unless it is a show piece you don't need much resolution to make good wraps and any decent outdoor solvent or latex printer will do an excellent job.

What kind of equipment do you current own and operate for your banner business?

 

[wildside]

if the vehicle is outside you want an outside durable printer

what works with my shop for equipment will be different than what works in yours, this will be based on experience and level of ability

latex is huge in the states right now, i am not on that bandwagon as i see just as much negative as positive

seriously, google this stuff, it is not hard to find, the 2.7 million pages... uh read some of them, don't ask, read, read read.....

i have no hostility toward you and certainly aren't mad at anybody, you are wanting to know more about wrapping vehicles, great, get on these here internets and do some searches and do some reading, there is information overload on this place

go to a tradeshow and go from booth to booth and ask them directly questions you have about their printers, take a flash drive with your artwork on it, they will print you a sample so you can compare your exact file from machine to machine, hit the laminator booths too....

your are not the first or the last to ask questions like these and get the response you are getting.

 

[Gino]

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.

Edit: Forget it. Good luck....................

 

[Holysteel]

Anyone who told you to use indoor printers for more detailed prints, has probably never actually printed a auto wrap or tried to make money from it. Unless it is a show piece you don't need much resolution to make good wraps and any decent outdoor solvent or latex printer will do an excellent job.

What kind of equipment do you current own and operate for your banner business?

Briankb, i own a 'low class' junk no brand name 3.2 solvent outdoor printer using the 1024 Konica Minolta printhead. 4 colors CMYK. 360 dpi.

A hot leister hot welder. And a industrial 'foot step' sewing machine. & a production table.

Thats all i currently own in my small humble shop..until i expand in the future..hopefully..

 

[J Hill Designs]

3.2meters aint small by any means

 

[briankb]

find a nearby shop to outsource laminating the prints and start wrapping.

 

[Holysteel]

if the vehicle is outside you want an outside durable printer

what works with my shop for equipment will be different than what works in yours, this will be based on experience and level of ability

latex is huge in the states right now, i am not on that bandwagon as i see just as much negative as positive

seriously, google this stuff, it is not hard to find, the 2.7 million pages... uh read some of them, don't ask, read, read read.....

i have no hostility toward you and certainly aren't mad at anybody, you are wanting to know more about wrapping vehicles, great, get on these here internets and do some searches and do some reading, there is information overload on this place

go to a tradeshow and go from booth to booth and ask them directly questions you have about their printers, take a flash drive with your artwork on it, they will print you a sample so you can compare your exact file from machine to machine, hit the laminator booths too....

your are not the first or the last to ask questions like these and get the response you are getting.

Okay, thanks. Good suggestion. I will do exactly as you advised.

 

[Holysteel]

find a nearby shop to outsource laminating the prints and start wrapping.

Good idea ! But i will practice & research, perhaps get on course somewhere hopefully, on the wrap process to a skilled acceptable level before retailing it out.

 

[Wiggum PI]

The search function here isn't that great, just add signs101 at the end of your google search and you should get a lot better results. And do a search for the Wit Color 9000 if you want to check out a supposedly better made chinese unit for starters.
Good luck.

Chris.

 

[HulkSmash]

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.

I'm going to go ahead and say you're going to need an outdoor printer for a vehicle wrap... since it's... outdoors most of the time.

 

[Holysteel]

The search function here isn't that great, just add signs101 at the end of your google search and you should get a lot better results. And do a search for the Wit Color 9000 if you want to check out a supposedly better made chinese unit for starters.
Good luck.

Chris.

Thanks Chris. This tip is helpful.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

Outdoor without question. (was a dumb question)
Mutoh, Mimaki, Roland, HP, Epson, are most popular in America, SID Signs has some from Asian imports and there are tons of others available with little or no tech support (profiling, parts, etc.), Roland and Mimaki have integrated cutting plotters. (a whole nuther topic)

•What is your budget?
•Do you want ink diversity or just plain 'ol CMYK? Do you want to offer unique products above what your competition has to offer? (metallic inks, white inks, etc)
•54" or 60" (or 48" lol)
•Are you planning on keeping it for a long time or trading it out before warranty expires?
•Are you concerned about fumes in your shop and curing time/space?

These are all questions YOU must ask yourself. If you answer those...you'll have an easier answer as to what printer to buy.

 

[SqueeGee]

"Holla! City of squalla!"