Economical upgrade from designjet 5500uv

[Zed666]

Hi all,

Apologies if I have posted this in the incorrect subforum, I was not sure which was most relevant.

I currently have a 42" designjet 5500uv (pigmented) that I use to print purely canvas art which I find is fairly economical to run (cheap printheads/ink/parts).

The only problem with this printer is that the ink is easily scratched / rubbed off leaving me no choice but to apply liquid lamination to every piece I print which is very time consuming.

So my question is, on a relatively tight budget for a second hand printer would I realistically be able to upgrade to possibly an eco solvent printer that has similar running costs / parts costs to my current 5500 or would switching to anything else considerably drive up my costs?

I have done a lot of reading but being new to the printing game trying to find understandable information is difficult

Upgrading my printer is also on my mind as I would like to start venturing into outdoor signage and don't think my 5500 is well suited to the task.

Thankyou for any pointers.

Phil.

 

[BigfishDM]

I can get you a used HP-Z6100 for $2800 that would be a 60" unit. Killer deal and these machines are great. Dont venture outdoors most of the profitable applications are going to be inddor applications.

 

[Zed666]

Hi Bigfish,

So you suggest another printer running pigmented ink?.....my main reason for wanting to switch to possibly an eco solvent is the ink adhesion problem with lots of different media.

A google search reveals that many people do have this problem with pigmented inks (especially HP pigmented it seems).

I'm sure you will tell me that it is a media compatibility problem, which i'm sure is the case..... But I simply dont make the margin on my products to pay for very expensive media that would be perfectly matched to the inks.

From what I have been reading, the eco/solvent printers are much better with ink adhesion allowing me to cut out the time consuming lamination steps.

I appreciate your advice mate

 

[BigfishDM]

Yes I understand that but if you want to get a printer to compete with the outdoor market then I would say dont bother, what applications do you want to do for outdoors? I can tell you that the only big difference in consumables will be banner material and adhesive vinyl. I also reccomend laminating as much as you can as it can be a huge profit maker. You can buy laminate at $0.15-$0.22 a sq.ft and sell it for $2.00 all day long. You tell me what applications you want to do and I will show you what machines will be a good buy for you.

 

[Zed666]

Disregard the outdoor work as that is just an option I was looking into but not important.

Basically I'm spending way too much time (as well as space, drying times) applying liquid lamination to my canvas prints as they are too easily rubbed/scuffed without it.

So I am looking for a second hand printer that has much better ink adhesion properties than my current setup..... But will also be reasonably economical.

I'm not sure if the newer hp pigmented inks (for the Z series) are any better with adhesion?, On my travels I have seen some companies advertising bulk ink compatible with 5500 & Z series leading me to believe they are very similar.

Phil.

 

[J Hill Designs]

what liquid lam do you use?

 

[BigfishDM]

Ok great, now lets talk about your budget. I know you want to spend as little as possible but PM me a number your working with and I can refer you to some equipment sites to check out.

 

[Zed666]

Jhill..... I have used a few different liquid lams but I have settled on some made by these guys: http://www.senecioeditions.co.uk/. I use Glamour II if I sell anything with a high margin but that's rare.

BigFish.... Right now my budget would be around £1500-£2500. Obviously I would wait and up my budget should this not be enough rather than buy something that will not solve my issues.

Max resolution is not a major selling point for me due to working quite happily at the 5500 resolutions (obviously very poor by todays standards)

 

[BigfishDM]

Ok well I would say to outsource to a few different guys over there and see what type of prints you can get on canvas. The 5500's will produce better looking images then a solvent printer will. Compare your 5500 print to a solvent print and let me know if you still think its a poor resolution.