Question I nee some advice PLEASE Roland VS-300i

[letsbefrancis]

Hello Everyone,
I would really appreciate any advice. I just purchased a Roland VS-300i, I'm really excited to start printing posters and stickers.

This forum has helped me for years with my Epson 9600, and I am seeking some expertise from all the amazing people here!

1. How much should I have paid for a Roland VS-300i?

2. Aftermarket or Genuine Ink?

3. What have you made with your Roland VS-300i?

Thank You!!

 

[IsItFasst]

1. I think I paid about $5k for mine about 3 years ago. It came from a refurbisher and has been pretty flawless since I got it. Not sure where the market is these days on them.
2. Unless you are doing a LOT of printing, normally OEM ink is the way to go. I stick with OEM inks because I only replace cartridges a few times a year. While there are a few good aftermarket ink systems out there, I have heard plenty of horror stories on others. So, for me, it's just not worth the trouble of saving maybe a few hundred dollars a year on aftermarket ink since some inks tend to wear out heads early.
3. I strictly do decals on mine. Essentially just our standard glossy vinyl too. I use my old SP-300V for other material (I have about a dozen other materials I print on) as swapping out rolls on it goes much faster than the VSi.

 

[garyroy]

OEM Ink only!

 

[Solventinkjet]

I don't blame anyone for using OEM ink but if you get a well known 3rd party ink you will save money and they are much more reliable than they were 10 - 15 years ago. The main thing you want to avoid are cheap refillable bulk systems. If you are getting cartridges you should be fine. Two very well known brands are Bordeaux and JetBest. But as mentioned above, if you're only going through 2 or 3 sets a year, the savings might not be worth it. But if you go through 2-3 sets a month, it's well worth it. A lot of my customers stick with OEM though so it really is a personal risk/reward choice.