Need a backup rollfed printer ASAP

[4cpro]

I'm looking to buy a new roll fed printer. I don't particularly want to buy one but my Colorado M5 is a piece of garbage. They just replaced the last one with a new one that was a lemon. Canon service and support has been terrible. They actually used the heads from the old machine and installed in the new machine. Needless to say, the new machine is throwing the same errors as the previous machine.

Anyway, I have a huge backlog of work I need to get done which I'm pretty much screwed on. But I'm not going to let this happen again.

I need to buy a backup machine. I have an EFI 16h but it's terrible with roll fed media and slower than slow.

My wants... decent speed, good quality but a lower cost of operation when it comes to ink. I was looking at Mimaki, Roland and HP. Roland seems like it's kinda slow and the cost of operation is high. Mimaki seems like the best option. Reviews on HP are not great on their 630.

I just don't know which model fits the bill.

I wouldn't mind having a print and cut option to give me some flexibility and not need to cut certain things on the flatbed.

Again I don't particularly want to buy a printer but I can't operate the way I am now.

Thoughts?

 

[parrott]

I would advise to stay away from HP and take a look at Epson. Good quality, decent speed but don't know much about operating costs. Maybe somebody can chime in and help out on that. The price of these things keep coming down and you could come out way ahead of your Colorado.

 

[4cpro]

The Colorado was intended for long runs at decent speed. Unfortunately it's not running even with a brand new machine. Why they would pull old heads is baffling. Trying to save a buck at my expense. Now I have a bunch of large projects that are just waiting to print.

I have 280 prints due Friday AM and haven't printed a single one. I have a bunch behind it as well.

 

[dannyd1962]

If worse comes to worse you can always farm it out to Signs365.com
They are 24hr turn-around and 1 day ship for $10.....

 

[4cpro]

If worse comes to worse you can always farm it out to Signs365.com
They are 24hr turn-around and 1 day ship for $10.....

Yeah that won't fly for this. I'm running an 10mil ImageMax and went through 3 rounds of color adjustments. Need to run that on this Colorado if they ever fix it. Looking to the future so I have a backup. This job is a pretty specific.

 

[victor bogdanov]

I learned this lesson with my Colorado 1650, down for 2 weeks. Ended up buying a back up Epson. Now I haven't needed to use the backup in emergency but it still runs jobs daily. Good peace of ming

 

[MarkSnelling]

The Roland XP 640 is a pretty sweet option. It is a print-only device that is very fast if you load it up with dual CMYK. Ink costs are around $.10/ft2. You can get one for under $20K all in. I don't sell Roland units in Jersey, but I can find someone to quote you.

 

[P Wagner]

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- UV
- UVGel
- Latex

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[Notarealsignguy]

They're all garbage now IMHO. Pick your poison

 

[tulsagraphics]

They're all garbage now IMHO. Pick your poison

I wouldn't go that far. Epson is solid. I have yet to see any complaints about their S-series -- minus the ink costs. >.>

Also, if you want the best feedback on a machine, talk to the techs who work on / calibrate them. They'll tell you exactly which machines they prefer to work on vs. the nightmares. Fun fact: That's how I chose the S80. Thanks Yellowcase!

 

[Langelot]

I second the vote for the Roland XP-640... Additionally, it has the lowest ink cost of the entire Roland line...
Right now, the price and promotions are right, but it will be going back up in June.
In terms of speed, the Colorado is meant to replace 2 to 3 of the "normal" roll-to-roll printers - and the price reflects it.
So it's a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Personally I would prefer to have two separate machines instead of having all my eggs in a Colorado-basket...
If one machine is down, at least you are not entirely down...
Additionally, the Colorado is so "locked-down" in terms of the service manual, the USB service fob and all that propietary nonsense that unless you have the Canon godfather's blessing to work on the bloody monster, most techs won't touch the bastard to try to help - it very heavily limits your service options...
So, unless you have a fail-proof service plan in place (which takes into account the number of potential head failures a year) - it is so easy for those machines to turn into boat anchors or money-pits.

We sell Mimaki, Roland, Canon (Colorado & Arizona) and Epson.
We have an office in NJ as well - we're a bit of a mom & pop but have a very good reputation...
We fix everything we sell (with the exception of Epson - as they use a third party - always and everywhere).
PM me if you'd like specifics.

 

[chrisphilipps]

Hi — I’m replying to your post on Signs 101. We’re located in Wharton, NJ, about 45 minutes from you.

We are an HP Authorized 3-in-1 reseller, which means we handle sales, installation, and service for the equipment we provide. We currently have both new and used printers available, and our used equipment includes an onsite warranty for added peace of mind.

If you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to reach out. Being local, we’re able to provide fast and reliable service when you need it.

Dave Philipps
Graphic Resource Systems
105 West Dewey Ave
Wharton, NJ 07885
973-808-8600 ext. 112
dphilipps@thegrs.com

 

[Grizzly]

We have a Colorado 1650 and a Colorado M. Both run everyday. It's a bummer you've had a bad experience because they are good machines. I'm not a fan of Canon support either though. We use different vendor. I don't think they're a one trick pony though. Even from the 1650 to the M we Taylor certain products to each of them because one runs better than they other. We also have a Seiko that runs our full vehicle wraps but we'll run box truck and trailers on the Colorados with no issues.

I don't have one but it will be my next purchase is the Epson 9170. The S80 series is a solid machine but they phased those out for the 9170 so you'd only be able to find used.

 

[4cpro]

I had a 1650 that I replaced with an M. I had an old HP 360 that I kept as a backup but dumped it as I needed to replace 5 heads and all the ink. I just didn't run it much. The Colorado was a solid machine. I think my service is the problem.

In the end, I need a backup regardless in case I'm in the middle of a long run and need to run smaller projects. My 1650 was bulletproof. The M not so much.

 

[Grizzly]

I had a 1650 that I replaced with an M. I had an old HP 360 that I kept as a backup but dumped it as I needed to replace 5 heads and all the ink. I just didn't run it much. The Colorado was a solid machine. I think my service is the problem.

In the end, I need a backup regardless in case I'm in the middle of a long run and need to run smaller projects. My 1650 was bulletproof. The M not so much.

Is it just not running at all or not printing great? I'm not a fan of the switch from 8 to 4 heads and some other wonky things, tissue cassette, tiny waste carriage, etc. I don't think it runs as good but we occasionally use the white and FLX finish modes and the ability to wind print side in is a lot nicer when doing two sided banners.

 

[4cpro]

Is it just not running at all or not printing great? I'm not a fan of the switch from 8 to 4 heads and some other wonky things, tissue cassette, tiny waste carriage, etc. I don't think it runs as good but we occasionally use the white and FLX finish modes and the ability to wind print side in is a lot nicer when doing two sided banners.

Not running at all when it has issues which have been Many. It's running now but who knows how long it before the next problem.

 

[netsol]

They're all garbage now IMHO. Pick your poison

you are no more of a "glass half full" guy than i am...

 

[Geneva Olson]

I would advise to stay away from HP and take a look at Epson. Good quality, decent speed but don't know much about operating costs. Maybe somebody can chime in and help out on that. The price of these things keep coming down and you could come out way ahead of your Colorado.

I'm going to disagree with you on the HP. I've had my hp latex 315 for 8 years. it's been a good work horse.

 

[rydods]

I have an XR-640 I'm trying to sell

 

[MarkSnelling]

Is it just not running at all or not printing great? I'm not a fan of the switch from 8 to 4 heads and some other wonky things, tissue cassette, tiny waste carriage, etc. I don't think it runs as good but we occasionally use the white and FLX finish modes and the ability to wind print side in is a lot nicer when doing two sided banners.

I'll say this about the switch to 4 or 5 heads and the tissue cassette - in the more than a dozen units we placed we've only replaced 3 print heads in 2.5 years. We were/are replacing 1650 heads on a pretty regular basis. While this isn't "scientific", it is a pretty good perspective on what I think is an improvement from that perspective.