Flatbed questions

[Letterbox Mike]

Hey Insignia -

You have a great website! It looks like we have almost an identical line up when it comes to equipment, the only difference is the CET. Maybe it's a sign!

So it sounds like you have been happy with your CET. Has the service and support been all that you hoped it would be? How's the interaction with Advatage Sign Supply since they would be selling the unit? I know I can call CET direct for support, I just wasn't sure how the additional layer was working for them?

Thanks.

If you have an Epson GS6000 and hate it too then it's definitely the universe telling you to get the CET...

We are very happy with it. It's our first flatbed so we don't have any real-world experience to compare it to other than demo units, but we are very happy.

We've only had to call tech support once for help and that's because we set something on top of it and forgot it was there and the head carriage hit it and damaged the encoder strip and reader. CET was on top of getting us replacement parts and walking me through installation (which frankly wasn't needed, working on this is amazingly easy, it's put together in a very straightforward manner so accessing and replacing the parts was simple, it took me about 10 minutes).

I did put a call in to Advantage tech support for something after hours one night not expecting an immediate response and then figured out my answer on my own. But I did hear back very first thing the following morning and they followed up a second time to make sure everything was good.

The Advantage/CET tech support deal is pretty straightforward. You're supposed to call Advantage first and they will try to remedy the problem. If the repair needed is out of their scope they will bring in CET, I suspect this is probably fairly similar to other dealers and manufacturers as well. But it's not like CET isn't there backing them, so there is always someone who will get an answer.

And for the record, if you're looking at the hybrid, you will buy it directly from CET, but with Advantage's help, which is a little convoluted, but apparently HP won't allow Advantage to sell any other hybrid printers but theirs. In my case, Advantage put the deal together and was my point of contact, but the actual purchase was through CET. Advantage is still my first contact for support or supplies. Sort of strange, but it worked out well. Jeff Rice was my rep at Advantage and he was extremely helpful and worked hard to get the deal done in a timely manner.

 

[FishnSigns]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes, we have a love/hate relationship with our GS6000. We absolutely love our JV33.

It makes me feel a little better about this journey hearing from a similar size/equipped shop as ours.

Did you end up with the hybrid or the flatbed? We are leaning toward the flatbed since we already have RTR machines.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes, we have a love/hate relationship with our GS6000. We absolutely love our JV33.

It makes me feel a little better about this journey hearing from a similar size/equipped shop as ours.

Did you end up with the hybrid or the flatbed? We are leaning toward the flatbed since we already have RTR machines.

We went with the hybrid so we would be able to run roll stock as well. IN a month it's already proven to be worthwhile. Also, we print a ton of wallpaper and solvent isn't ideal for that, it scratches too easily during installation. Being able to run the wallpaper on the CET is great, we've already run a couple jobs on it and the durability is leaps and bounds better.

We were a little worried about front-to-back registration on double-sided boards with the hybrid, but it's not too bad. Having good square trimmed substrates is critical for this. It's taken a little trial and error to get it dialed in exactly but once you figure it out it works fine.

 

[FishnSigns]

We finally made a decision! After a very thorough, long process and thanks to a lot of good advice from the good people at Signs101 we have decided to go with the HP Scitex FB700. We took a very hard look at the Oce 360gt, the CET X-press 500, CET Q series, and the HP Scitex FB700. There really isn't a bad printer in the bunch. They all have their strengths and they all have some areas they could use improvement. For our facility we decided the FB700 would be the best fit. Combination of the speed, ease of use, automation, continuous work flow, and final negotiated price (not to mention a killer financing deal through HPFS that other banks couldn't touch). I really can't say anything bad about the CET line or the Oce line. CET is rapidly becoming a force and well worth taking a look at. For the price, you get a lot of bang for the buck. The new "Q" series can produce some great looking prints. The Oce was top in class when it came to quality. Not the fastest in the group but by far the best quality. If you need to print for specialty markets, high end graphics or really nice backlit prints - the Oce is for you. The sales/tech force at all three were great. There wasn't a question they couldn't answer and believe me... I asked a lot of questions. My biggest concern with the HP was their bad reputation with service. After speaking with a number of satisfied FB700 owners, I was able to put those concerns to rest.

With a little luck, we should have our new printer delivered and installed the week of the 11th. I can't wait to add the FB700 to our lineup, I think it will be a great fit.

I will be sure to keep you posted on the performance of the new machine.

Thank you again to everyone on the forum for their great input.

 

[sandraF]

Can you please share your thoughts on the fb700 after using it for a few months now?
I am looking into it as well, any info / recommendation is GREATLY appreciated !
If I proceed, I will coose R2R option and Caldera RIP
We are a busy shop and this machine will be cranking 8 hours a day
Can it handle constant production?
Thanks

 

[FishnSigns]

Hello Sandra. We have been very pleased with the FB700. It has proven to be a workhorse and has kept up with our busy shop. When slowed down, the quality is phenomenal. At mid speeds the quality is still good for most applications. Even in faster modes, the quality can still be good with the right artwork/substrate combo. We ended up not purchasing the R2R option so I can't advise you on that. We run some banners as "leafs" and it works pretty well. We have several R2R machines so we try to keep our flatbed for rigid work. I would advise against the white ink unless you are running a lot of it. Doesn't make sense for the occasional job. Overall I would give the Fb700 the green light! Best of luck.