Epson or Mimaki

[Stian Mosfjeld]

Hi,

Our HP latex 360 life just ended so we need to buy something new. We already have a Canon Colorado M1650 so we need a good plotter for vehicle graphics mostly. I have an offer on a 2 year old Epson SC S80600 on my hand and i got price on a new Mimaki JV200.
Mimaki is cheaper than Epson so prices are almost the same....
What would you buy, old Epson or new Mimaki. Appreciate your thoughts mostly considering your user experience with the maschines more than the price..


Stian/Synkron Media

 

[jharler]

I have two Epson s80600s and one Mimaki UCJV330. At least once a week I say "I hate this printer" to the Mimaki but I have never said that to one of the Epsons. I would choose the Epson every time. The Epsons are low maintenance (cleaning once a month) vs the Mimaki (supposed to be cleaned daily). I can start a full roll print on the Epsons and have confidence that they'll print the entire roll without fail. I can't seem to get the Mimaki to print more than 15-20 feet before the there's something that needs attention. The LAN support on the Mimaki didn't work, so it has to be plugged in via USB and at least once a week it seems Onyx can't recognize the Mimaki until I restart it (which I can't do during an Epson print). It's been a constant source of frustration since I purchased it nearly a year ago.

 

[MarkSnelling]

Roland has one of the best warranties in the industry...why not consider them?

 

[White Haus]

I have two Epson s80600s and one Mimaki UCJV330. At least once a week I say "I hate this printer" to the Mimaki but I have never said that to one of the Epsons. I would choose the Epson every time. The Epsons are low maintenance (cleaning once a month) vs the Mimaki (supposed to be cleaned daily). I can start a full roll print on the Epsons and have confidence that they'll print the entire roll without fail. I can't seem to get the Mimaki to print more than 15-20 feet before the there's something that needs attention. The LAN support on the Mimaki didn't work, so it has to be plugged in via USB and at least once a week it seems Onyx can't recognize the Mimaki until I restart it (which I can't do during an Epson print). It's been a constant source of frustration since I purchased it nearly a year ago.

We've got a somewhat similar set up, a S60600 and a UCVJ300. In a way it's probably not a fair comparison since one is UV-LED and one is Solvent, but I definitely agree that the Epson build and user experience is superior.

We haven't quite had that level of issues with our Mimaki and for the most part it does what it's told, but the Epson is hands down the winner when it comes to firing it up and letting it rip.

I have no experience with Mimaki solvent printers nor would I go that route, or Roland's. Going forward I'd likely stick with Epson for solvent and then Canon Colorado for LED-UV/Gel.

 

[Graphic Extremes]

Epson for me also

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

I run Mimakis, but if you want to run any kind of non-Mimaki RIP, you're in for a really rough time. For the price, the 200 series is a pretty good starter printer, but really bare bones.

 

[chester215]

Went from a HP 360 to a Epson S40600 years ago, no complaints here.