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Whats good Whats bad looking to replace UV HP 45100

anthony smith

New Member
Have a HP 45100 has been a workhorse but never put out a great print.
We really need to replace but HP is not at all my favorite company to deal with on support issues,
Anyone with experience with some of the 75 to 100 thousand dollar machines.
We are wanting to expand our wholesale division and got to have a quality machine
mostly a corx printer.
But would love to find a machine with better registration and material feed
if you have run one of these old HPs you understand the issues
Lots of wasted ink with the profile readers heads are way expensive and now after what i think is a short time
of 6 years i have a 80,000.00 boat anchor.
suggestions recomendations warnings etc
all would be welcomed
 

jasonx

New Member
In this industry bank on making your return on your printer in 2 years. If you can't do it or don't see it happening then don't purchase it. The resale value of machines drops dramatically and with machines your age no one wants them.

You can look at Oce/HP FB500/Teckwin/CET etc that matches your budget.

Support is also an important factor as well.
 

VTSigns

New Member
I would definitely recommend the HP FB500/700 printers given your budget. I would also recommend keeping your eye out for used machines. You can save a good bit and still get a good machine. I started out with a Colorspan 98UVX about 7 years ago. It was good start for us back then but by moving up to the HP FB500 I was blown away. The quality of the printer is sufficient and the speed is also pretty good. IMO it is a perfect printer for what you are describing. I've had my machine about a year now and it was a great decision.
 

Printasaurus

New Member
Like everyone else has said, the FB500 should fit into your price range. I've used an FB500 quit a bit and it's a solid machine. We use it mostly roll to roll for white on lexan controller panels, but do our fair share of coroplast yard signs and aluminum composite. The ink doesn't adhere all that well to acrylic and the face of aluminum, but we clear coat a lot, so it's not an issue for us. Ours has been abused enough that it has some inconsistencies and can be a heartbreaker, at times, but overall it's a trooper and gets the job done.

If you get one, do the maintenance, do it often, never neglect it, ever. It will let you know if you missed something, then it will make you pay for that mistake.

Actual printing speeds have always been good for us. Express speeds were realistically at 350sqft/hr. Indoor speeds were between 45 and 100 sqft/hr.
 

rfulford

New Member
If your primarily print coro, you should be sure and check the ink adhesion with any machine you look at. I know some users are having problems with the sericol inks used in the Oce Arizonas on coro. Conversly, I hear the HP FB machines do really well on coro. The last thing you want to to start wiping a $50 per pint adhesion promoter on cheap substrates.
 
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