• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Why Gerber is for house wives and mommas boys....

rockz12

rockz12

Specializing in the strange and unusual
This a reply to an earlier thread. I'm sure there are some of you who will live by the Gerber and die by the Gerber. Others think it is overpriced and useless. These are a few things to consider when buying one. I will list better ways to spend your money later.

13 reasons why THE Gerber is less than desirable...

1. The Gerber Edge costs 17,000 dollars

2. Process printing looks horrible

3. Process printing cost $2.80 per square foot in film

4. Price for foils is .55 - .86 per square for common colors.

5. A library of colors is required to do a quick turn on a job - this requires a lot of $$$ laying around the shop doing nothing

6. Spot colors print serrated.

7. You are limited to 15" material and you can only print 12"... Oh sorry sir you want a big decal? We can only print 12" we can't do that!

8. Materials cost a lot more Example: Controltack 180c-10 $1.61sq.-gerber 1.03-Inkjet

9. Do we have enough material to finish the rush job? Well I guess, I dont know how much is left in the cassette... Gerber finally figured this one out in the latest FX

10. Foil is completely wasted if it is not utilized right. Waste of $$$$

11. You have to use The OMega...

12. Not economical in large quantities and too expensive for short runs. If someone wants 1000 1/c tomatoes in tomato red just screen print it.

13. You have to buy the sprocket cutter for $3,000 and it can only cut 15"
 
P

Poconopete

New Member
Instead of bashing Gerber, a lot of people make $$$$ with it, why not list your printer of choice and why you like it. Every printing process has pros & cons.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
............ and your point being ???????????????

Do you realize how many inconsistencies you have within your rant ??

….thus making it sound prejudiced. What’s the real problem here. Are you feeling unwanted or gypped ??
 
rockz12

rockz12

Specializing in the strange and unusual
What is not a fact in the statements I made? What is inconsistent? Im sure the gerber does make some people money. I am just educating the potential consumer. The gerber is a very expensive machine to run for the volume it is intended for.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Relax, take some deep breaths and count to ten.


You're upset and some of the things you say are true to some degree, but on a very biased sense of terms.

You sound like a very disgusted individual right now.

You made the statements.... it's up to you top prove each and every one of them and I'm pretty sure you can't.​
 
Replicator

Replicator

New Member
rockz12 said:
What is not a fact in the statements I made? What is inconsistent? Im sure the gerber does make some people money. I am just educating the potential consumer. The gerber is a very expensive machine to run for the volume it is intended for.
Click to expand...


What it is intended for is a very specific market and you may have been a fool

to purchase equipment that did not suit your specific needs as well as you

thought when you got suckered into buying it, while not knowing what you

were getting . . . Just a guess !
 
B Snyder

B Snyder

New Member
rockz... Find and report the sources that back up the information you posted.

#7 is the only item I'll concede, assuming tiling is not an option.
 
Fred Weiss

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
OTOH ...

  • Gerber brought their Edge products to market long before outdoor inkjets
  • My Edge system has consistently grossed in excess of $5,000 a month since I got it in 1998
  • Spot colors are a positive not a negative ... no color management concerns for openers
  • I don't have to laminate my prints, or let them dry, or deal with subdued fumes that may shorten my life
  • Process color looks fine if you go to the trouble of learning what's involved
  • Omega is designed for running an Edge but for those that insist, you can also run it from Flexi or SignLab
  • When you look up freedom and reliability in the dictionary you will find Gerber listed for it's sprocket fed plotters
  • When you look up profitability in the dictionary, the Gerber Edge is high on the list
 
Billct2

Billct2

Active Member
1. The Gerber Edge costs 17,000 dollars
Yes
2. Process printing looks horrible
No, I've done large paneled photos that looked fine, before other options became availalbe
3. Process printing cost $2.80 per square foot in film
I haven't checked prices lately, but I mark it up so much who cares
4. Price for foils is .55 - .86 per square for common colors.
see 3.
5. A library of colors is required to do a quick turn on a job - this requires a lot of $$$ laying around the shop doing nothing
Same can be said for vinyl, at least they don't go bad
6. Spot colors print serrated.
???That is a problem of your software or design not the edge, it prints perfect solid clean edges
7. You are limited to 15" material and you can only print 12"... Oh sorry sir you want a big decal? We can only print 12" we can't do that!
Ever hear of tiling? I've done tractor trailers on my Edge
8. Materials cost a lot more Example: Controltack 180c-10 $1.61sq.-gerber 1.03-Inkjet
Materials choices are unlimited and vinyl for the edge is no more than any other vinyl
9. Do we have enough material to finish the rush job? Well I guess, I dont know how much is left in the cassette... Gerber finally figured this one out in the latest FX
Yea, but you get used to estimating how much is there
10. Foil is completely wasted if it is not utilized right. Waste of $$$$
So is any material that isn't completely used, it's figured into the cost
11. You have to use The OMega...
I do, but I understand iother format are now supported
12. Not economical in large quantities and too expensive for short runs. If someone wants 1000 1/c tomatoes in tomato red just screen print it.
It's always best to chose the correct technique and material for every job
13. You have to buy the sprocket cutter for $3,000 and it can only cut 15"
Yes, but they're great plotters, I can print cut unlimited lenghts with great accuracy

There are other postives (and negatives with the Edge) but one great thing is it's
ease of use and incredibly low maintenance (as with the plotter) Also lamination isn't need, though we frog juice most of our prints.
It's also great for jobs that other machines can't do, like mettalics, there are tons of materials and use for the machine.
 
B Snyder

B Snyder

New Member
1. The Gerber Edge costs 17,000 dollars

FX, GSx plotter, Omega and 10 foils/caddies....$14,995
www.gspinc.com

2. Process printing looks horrible
If you don't know how to utilize the equipment and software your prints will look horrible on any machine.
http://www.advantagesignsupply.com/events/index.php

3. Process printing cost $2.80 per square foot in film
My foil cost is $1.48 using ZeroNine foils.
www.zeronine.com

4. Price for foils is .55 - .86 per square for common colors.
Again, much less.
Again, www.zeronine.com

5. A library of colors is required to do a quick turn on a job - this requires a lot of $$$ laying around the shop doing nothing
I'm always printing. If your foils are "laying around the shop doing nothing"
the problem could be sales, marketing or design skills.
www.ziglar.com

6. Spot colors print serrated.
See reply to #2
http://www.advantagesignsupply.com/events/index.php

7. You are limited to 15" material and you can only print 12"... Oh sorry sir you want a big decal? We can only print 12" we can't do that!
Tiling is an option.

8. Materials cost a lot more Example: Controltack 180c-10 $1.61sq.-gerber 1.03-Inkjet
I pay 20% off the list price of $255 for a 15x50 roll of 180c. (=$1.36/ft)

9. Do we have enough material to finish the rush job? Well I guess, I dont know how much is left in the cassette... Gerber finally figured this one out in the latest FX
EDGE, EDGE 2 and FX foils have a printed "Gerber Gauge" on the foil. Zeronine has the "Shuttle Cartridge."

10. Foil is completely wasted if it is not utilized right. Waste of $$$$
Customer pays for it whether its used or not...the same way they pay for "wasted" vinyl.

11. You have to use The OMega...
Really?
www.scanvec.com
www.signlab.com

12. Not economical in large quantities and too expensive for short runs. If someone wants 1000 1/c tomatoes in tomato red just screen print it.
That depends on the specifications the client requires for the completed product. There is not one single way to produce all output efficiently and econonomically.

13. You have to buy the sprocket cutter for $3,000 and it can only cut 15See reply to #1.
You could use any friction fed plotter with an optical registration system but if you ask anyone who owns a sprocket fed Gerber cutter if they'd rather use a friction fed machine to cut their prints they'd think you're nuts.
www.4edgetalk.com
 
ndemond

ndemond

New Member
Been using Gerber since 1993. Just got Omega last year and have the 750 30" enVision that has been down for all of 24 hours since I purchased it used. I have a good relationship w/ customer service, pay the extra for extended consult, no problems here.

Oh I am a housewife, mother of 4, and have been in the sign biz for over 25 years, and you?
 
The Sign Dude

The Sign Dude

New Member
one good thin about and edge is the ink doesnt dry in the lines and clogg it up.

I made tens of thousands of dollars a year with my 5K investment on my edge and hs15 plus. the gerber plotters are a true workhorse of the industry.
 
rockz12

rockz12

Specializing in the strange and unusual
1. The Gerber Edge costs 17,000 dollars
Yes
- Even 15,000 is too much - why not buy a Solvent printer? Better quality, at least more than twice the size 38", a used one can be bought for half the price of a gerber.

2. Process printing looks horrible
No, I've done large paneled photos that looked fine, before other options became availalbe
- Halftoning is flat out horrible

3. Process printing cost $2.80 per square foot in film
I haven't checked prices lately, but I mark it up so much who cares
- Are you sure your making money? If you dont know what your paying for supplies how do you know how much to charge?

4. Price for foils is .55 - .86 per square for common colors.
see 3.
- see3 5. A library of colors is required to do a quick turn on a job - this requires a lot of $$$ laying around the shop doing nothing
Same can be said for vinyl, at least they don't go bad
- I dont need 50 different rolls of vinyl in stock to get a job started 6. Spot colors print serrated.
???That is a problem of your software or design not the edge, it prints perfect solid clean edges


 7. You are limited to 15" material and you can only print 12"... Oh sorry sir you want a big decal? We can only print 12" we can't do that!
Ever hear of tiling? I've done tractor trailers on my Edge
-By the time you overlap, each panel will be 11" An average car is 12' wide. 14 panels per side? How many panels did you install for a tractor trailer? Seems like a lot of labor... what did it cost your client? Should have outsourced you would have made more money 8. Materials cost a lot more Example: Controltack 180c-10 $1.61sq.-gerber 1.03-Inkjet
Materials choices are unlimited and vinyl for the edge is no more than any other vinyl
-It is more expensive
9. Do we have enough material to finish the rush job? Well I guess, I dont know how much is left in the cassette... Gerber finally figured this one out in the latest FX
Yea, but you get used to estimating how much is there
-That is what the captain of the titanic said.. Full speed ahead 10. Foil is completely wasted if it is not utilized right. Waste of $$$$
So is any material that isn't completely used, it's figured into the cost
-True, but a little more expensive with the gerber
11. You have to use The OMega...
I do, but I understand iother format are now supported
12. Not economical in large quantities and too expensive for short runs. If someone wants 1000 1/c tomatoes in tomato red just screen print it.
It's always best to chose the correct technique and material for every job
- I agree 13. You have to buy the sprocket cutter for $3,000 and it can only cut 15"
Yes, but they're great plotters, I can print cut unlimited lenghts with great accuracy
- They are good cutters, but you could put that money towards a summa and do the same think in wider format. Why limit yourself?

There are other postives (and negatives with the Edge) but one great thing is it's
ease of use and incredibly low maintenance (as with the plotter) Also lamination isn't need, though we frog juice most of our prints.
It's also great for jobs that other machines can't do, like mettalics, there are tons of materials and use for the machine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top