Help in Choosing Printer...

[artaddict]

Hello Fellas,
I have been doing signs for over 8 years in Guyana South America using a Roland Cutter. Great Machine...I have to now get a large format printer for mostly short term outdoor work.. I am thinking hp 5500 and use opaque vinyl over. I have seen these machines for about $1500 ref. on
ebay. Question:-
1. Are they expensive to use i.e Are the nuv inks reasonable and do the inks give enought work for the cost?
2. Do many people still use these in te states ?
3.All & all for a starter machine in printing is it a good choice ?

i have done some reading here and have realised that they are lots of knowledgeable people in this field here...Thanks for any advice given.

[digitalsolutionsok]

1. I would not call the HP ink expensive its mearly cost effective, and they do great work for indoor use no outdoor printing recommended.
2. Yes alot of people run them, a matter of fact I see more HP 5500's than kodak,incad,epsons combined.
3. Yes its a great machine, it doesnt get much better comparing them to others they are easy to use.

[artaddict]

Thanks . This is good information but i am sorry to hear that no outdoor printing is recomended. I was really looking foward for something positive in this category.

[cdiesel]

You'll want to stick with a solvent machine if you're looking to print for outdoor use.

[Checkers]

I have to disagree about the outdoor use of the HP pigment inks. They are excellent machines for long-term indoor and short-term outdoor graphics - depending on the graphics themselves and how they will be used.

Compared to solvent printing, in general, aqueous ink jet print costs are more expensive, mainly because you need to use coated media. However, there is still plenty of (profitable) work for these machines.

Checkers

[Checkers]

oops :)

[artaddict]

I have realised that solvent is probably the only way. The cost of these things though....Is there any suggestions...

[artaddict]

Hay Checkers,
Thanks for the contribution. Have you ever used these machines personally or know someone who does ? If so with a regular beach scene print on the wind screen of a car how long doe you think it might last ? What exactly is meant by 'coated material' ?
Thanks

[Bly]

I used an HP5500 for a lot of outdoor stuff - shortish term on flat surfaces only. I got 3 years out of some windows. Decent outdoor media is more expensive than solvent though.

[artaddict]

Thanks Bly,
What type of media did you use to achieve these results ? In terms of Percentage what is the difference in price , compared to the solvent media.