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Help in Choosing An Entry Level Solvent Printer

artaddict

New Member
Hello Friends, I have been in the sign making biz for over 13 yrs now. I worked with plotters all this time, but i realised about 3 yrs ago that the digital printing is taking over the business. Hence i started designing with photoshop and outsourceing the prints. I do lots of work for cars and trucks here (Guyana, South America). Recently i cant stop thinking about entering the market with my own machine. I have searched and searched online for a good deal but is still not sure. I have had prints done with mimaki jv33, roland and mutoh. I love all the prints produced. Another thing is my budget. I can spend about $6,000 dollars. Any advise would be great. Thanks .
 

Scott Reynolds

New Member
You can get a used JV3 for 6K, (well in the states you can). Or you can put the 6K down on a mimaki or roland. You can save up another 4-5K and start looking for a used JV33.

I made the mistake of getting an "entry level" printer. I out grew it in a couple of months and had to start looking for a larger / faster printer. I would say to keep saving and buy a larger printer seeing that your already established in the industry.

Or, put the 6k down on a new printer. Your ballparkish payment would be in the $220-$340 range, depending on length and terms.
 

artaddict

New Member
I respect for comment Scott. i just wish there was a company which could have allowed hire purchase to this side of the world. Its not easy here to save up 6ks (not having the printer i mean)...I am looking at the 54 inch mutoh at Sign ware house...What do you think of them?
 

ligonr

New Member
mutoh printers are great but what kind of printing are you doing and what is your application that will also help define what kind of printer you need
 

signworldusinc

Merchant Member
With your experience and budget, I recommend getting a used Mutoh printer as it will be suffice for your needs. You can probably find a good deal on a used printer if you shop around and do your research first before purchasing. Make sure the nozzle checks are firing at least 95% and have them send a picture of the tests they run on said printer. When we first started, we had one small Roland printer and after upgrading to our first Mutoh VJ-1614, we gained almost twice the speed in printing without any quality lost. It was definitely a good investment for our company, we now have a warehouse full of nothing but Mutoh VJ1614’s and VJ1624’s doing our print work :Big Laugh. We sold a few used Mutoh 64” printers around that ballpark price range and honestly, as long as you are keeping proper maintenance, they should run just as good as a brand new Mutoh printer.
 

artaddict

New Member
Thanks for the heads up signworld.I definitely like hearing these success stories especially ones that align directly to my biz. WOW a ware house full ! I wish i could work for you man! Do you have any used that you can probably sell to me here ? Another question in terms of ink , do you use the bulk ink or cartridges?
 
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