Suggestions Which wide format printer brand is the best / easiest to locate parts, techs and support?

[bartm160]

Which printer brand would you say is best overall for locating parts, technician for repairs and online / phone support?

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

Highly depends on your location. Some places have better service for certain brands compared to others.

 

[Solventinkjet]

They all sort of have their strengths and weaknesses.

For parts I would say, Epson, Roland, Mimaki, and Mutoh because most of their machines run on the same Epson print head engine so a lot of the same parts are used on different models. This makes it easier to find, not only OEM parts, but tons of quality aftermarket ones. Can't find a cap top for your ValueJet 1624? Get a Mimaki JV33 one instead. It's like that for a lot of the parts. Also, I've never been trained on a Roland or Epson printer but have fixed many in the field because they are so similar to Mutoh and Mimakis.

As far as techs go, for some reason every independent tech I know works on Rolands. They also usually work on other brands but the one common brand seems to be Roland and I couldn't tell you why. Epson and HP tend to not have as many independent techs but have more official dealer and manufacturer techs so getting help out of warranty or an expensive service contract can be a little more difficult.

One thing I will mention that you didn't is, the availability of the end user to access tech resources i.e getting into service mode to run alignments etc. They all are going the wrong direction in my opinion but some are better than others.

Mimaki - Doesn't give out firmware and software to upload it but if you can get your hands on it (it's on the internet), you can do everything you need to do. There is no password to get into service mode. This makes them number 1 in my book even though they aren't necessarily my favorite brand.

Mutoh - Gives out only the latest firmware and allows you to enter service mode if you know the special code but you do need tech credentials to use the tech software on newer models which is the only reason I put them second. Mutohs are really easy to work on.

Epson and HP - Both are large corporations who have great tech support for models in warranty but once you're out of warranty it gets harder to find the resources needed to do the work. Epson for example has a different software for each model to enter the head rank etc. so you have to find that depending on the model and not one software for all models. HP is sort of special because they have made it easier to fix yourself but when there is a repair the end user can't do, it's super expensive to get a tech in.

Roland - Can't even get into service mode to check your head alignments without a tech login on newer models.

 

[unmateria]

For me... Any of them except Epson or hp. Those are not machines thinked by people but from martians lol

 

[victor bogdanov]

My experience with Canon has been great, Colorado 1650. On 2 separate problems tech shows up same day and fixes the problem same day including bringing parts. This was under warranty service. I'm in Houston and there are 5+ Colorado techs in the city ( they service other canon printers too)

 

[Geneva Olson]

I truly love my HP315. The consumables are cost effective. The thing always runs. It's easy to clean and it makes great prints. I am a little miffed about window perf issues. but I keep working through them.

 

[netsol]

My experience with Canon has been great, Colorado 1650. On 2 separate problems tech shows up same day and fixes the problem same day including bringing parts. This was under warranty service. I'm in Houston and there are 5+ Colorado techs in the city ( they service other canon printers too)

we have a canon/ oce, as well as mutoh & more rolands than you can count
canon treats you like they caught you shoplifting
(they agree with mutoh, that, having acquired my machine from an end user is an unforgivable. transgression)

i have always managed to get my hands. on parts & literature., when needed, but canon has been a horror.
ordering a fixture to suck ink through the line took months
i imposed on a friend to try to order a full service manual, and failed
he told me one of the other techs told him "he was lucky they didn't turn him in" for trying to order a manual for an end user [i guessgoing through canon/oce training is like joining the branch davidians]

 

[JamesLam]

we have a canon/ oce, as well as mutoh & more rolands than you can count
canon treats you like they caught you shoplifting
(they agree with mutoh, that, having acquired my machine from an end user is an unforgivable. transgression)

i have always managed to get my hands. on parts & literature., when needed, but canon has been a horror.
ordering a fixture to suck ink through the line took months
i imposed on a friend to try to order a full service manual, and failed
he told me one of the other techs told him "he was lucky they didn't turn him in" for trying to order a manual for an end user [i guessgoing through canon/oce training is like joining the branch davidians]

Is Canon really protecting themselves or are they getting in the way of their own future in this market?

I contacted a HP supplier last week to get pricing on inks and stuff and I was told that I was required to reach out to HP to get permission to use the new company as a HP supplier (even though they already sell all of the products that I would buy).

Most of us simply do not have time for this $#!+. It will be interesting to see who falls in the next few years as the economy tightens a little more and users of equipment & consumables look for more affordable options.

It will also be interesting to see how much longer the flatbed manufacturers & resellers can keep the prices inflated.

My spidey-sense tells me there's going to be a shake-up.

 

[chester215]

Another important thing to consider is how long will the company support the current machines they sell. Having been an owner of an HP L260
latex printer, I will never purchase another HP product because they stopped producing inks and supporting the printers not too long (in printer years) after they were produced and sold. Of course they had their reasons, but in this case being the end user of an HP produce sucked.

 

[netsol]

Is Canon really protecting themselves or are they getting in the way of their own future in this market?

I contacted a HP supplier last week to get pricing on inks and stuff and I was told that I was required to reach out to HP to get permission to use the new company as a HP supplier (even though they already sell all of the products that I would buy).

Most of us simply do not have time for this $#!+. It will be interesting to see who falls in the next few years as the economy tightens a little more and users of equipment & consumables look for more affordable options.

It will also be interesting to see how much longer the flatbed manufacturers & resellers can keep the prices inflated.

My spidey-sense tells me there's going to be a shake-up.

HP sells quite a bit more than mimaki, mutoh & roland put together.
and no one is more aware of this than HP...

i bought my first HP wide format printer (an 11 x 17 color inkjet, back when no one had a color printer at all (somewhere in 1991 or 1992 i think)
they have always been a difficult company to deal with...

 

[victor bogdanov]

Is Canon really protecting themselves or are they getting in the way of their own future in this market?

I contacted a HP supplier last week to get pricing on inks and stuff and I was told that I was required to reach out to HP to get permission to use the new company as a HP supplier (even though they already sell all of the products that I would buy).

Most of us simply do not have time for this $#!+. It will be interesting to see who falls in the next few years as the economy tightens a little more and users of equipment & consumables look for more affordable options.

It will also be interesting to see how much longer the flatbed manufacturers & resellers can keep the prices inflated.

My spidey-sense tells me there's going to be a shake-up.

2022 HP revenue $59.73 Billion
2022 Canon revenue $30.3 Billion

Both companies have a very diverse product ranges, wide format printing is a drop in the bucket for either company. They'll be alright either way

 

[netsol]

2022 HP revenue $59.73 Billion
2022 Canon revenue $30.3 Billion

Both companies have a very diverse product ranges, wide format printing is a drop in the bucket for either company. They'll be alright either way

exactly, victor
if we all stopped buying from them, it would hardly show on the annual report

 

[JamesLam]

2022 HP revenue $59.73 Billion
2022 Canon revenue $30.3 Billion

Both companies have a very diverse product ranges, wide format printing is a drop in the bucket for either company. They'll be alright either way

Hey, I'm not too unrealistic about their prospects. But certainly there may be some shake up over the next few years. Who knows what kind of affect Covid had on companies hoping to wait out the storm just to see sales and revenue do not come back adequately to allow for a rebound.