Guidance on print/ cut machines

[i love nachos]

Hello everyone! I have been doing graphic design and vinyl decals for about 6 years now. I run a small business out of my house as extra income to fund my hobbies. I have more business than I can keep up with, so I am considering expanding and going full time with it. Currently I only have the capabilities to cut vinyl. I have a Saga 24" cutter and it has treated me very good. I am trying to figure out how much of an investment I would need to expand in to printing capabilities. There seems to be such a huge price difference between machines so I am struggling to figure out which is the right direction to go. Currently I have a little niche that is designing graphics for model airplanes, so I haven't needed any graphics larger than what I can cut on the 24" cutter. Any input would be much appreciated! If you'd like to check out my website to see what I do its www.NachosCheese.Net . I am currently redoing he product cart so its only about half there.

Thank you!
Nick

 

[player]

Get a used Roland SP300 or something in that size from Roland. Great solid machines that will print and cut 30". They are 4 colour, and use the DX4 heads. You will want to get a laminator also. USTech sells some lower end yet useful machines.

 

[i love nachos]

Thanks Player. Do you or anyone else have a vendor you would recommend purchasing from?

 

[player]

Check for Roland dealers in your area. The service will be a big thing so get some Roland owners to vouch for your potential dealers.

You can buy used from a dealer, but also privately. Check the classifieds here and on other sites, eBay etc. A warranty and some training from a dealer would be nice to have though if you are new to the printers.

All the Roland machines keep track of the hours of use, head strikes, maintenance etc. 200-800 hours is very low. Also check the print test that all the heads are firing. Look for banding (bad) as well as static or halos around solid colored letters. The print cut alignment is another thing to watch for. Make sure it can print squares and cut them out without going off. There are limits to this accuracy, but some machines are defective out of the box...

For printing you will also need to laminate. There are machines from USTech that are decent for the money. The Big Squeegee is a manual system that some have good luck with. I would recommend a nice basic laminator, but you should check out The Big Squeegee if cash is super tight.