Need Best Price (not ebay/amazn) Digital Media

[ZeroDays]

I just acquired my first printer/cutter. Roland VS-640. I'm looking for printable media. I have accounts with grimco, signwarehouse, feller.. Since i am just a poor starving artist and newbie to solvent printing. I'd like to afford media and not pay the highest amounts for it.. Any ideas on who i should dump the money on for my first order for printable media like poster paper, banner canvas, adhesive sticker media and laminates? I probably should get 54" and 30" first since I don't have any orders for 64" stuff yet.
Thanks in advance. Z

 

[JBurton]

Substance is some cheap, but top tier calendared media. They'll send sample rolls out if you contact them. https://substance.com/products/icon-pm-2755
Nekoosa will also send out samples. They have some unique products. https://nekoosa.com/
I'm struggling to think who else will shoot out samples.
I only suggest samples because they are obviously the best price...

 

[netsol]

Substance is some cheap, but top tier calendared media. They'll send sample rolls out if you contact them. https://substance.com/products/icon-pm-2755
Nekoosa will also send out samples. They have some unique products. https://nekoosa.com/
I'm struggling to think who else will shoot out samples.
I only suggest samples because they are obviously the best price...

we buy most things from harborsales.net in maryland

they are very good with samples. they use the word "unlimited"

 

[JBurton]

we buy most things from harborsales.net in maryland

they are very good with samples. they use the word "unlimited"

I've seen them mentioned here several times, but I've never looked into them. I'm not seeing a delivery/service area... Surely they can't get me a 4x8 of acm without some crazy shipping charges?

 

[Signstein]

Harbor rocks. Excellent service, next day deliveries, low pricing, plus their website ACTUALLY provides pricing and availability.

 

[ZeroDays]

Substance is some cheap, but top tier calendared media. They'll send sample rolls out if you contact them. https://substance.com/products/icon-pm-2755
Nekoosa will also send out samples. They have some unique products. https://nekoosa.com/
I'm struggling to think who else will shoot out samples.
I only suggest samples because they are obviously the best price...

i hadn't heard of either of those two company names you just mentioned. Thank you so much!

 

[ZeroDays]

Harbor rocks. Excellent service, next day deliveries, low pricing, plus their website ACTUALLY provides pricing and availability.

I haven't heard of this company name either.. Thank you very much !!!

 

[ZeroDays]

we buy most things from harborsales.net in maryland

they are very good with samples. they use the word "unlimited"

Thank you neighbor! I'm in Virginia

 

[White Haus]

I just acquired my first printer/cutter. Roland VS-640. I'm looking for printable media. I have accounts with grimco, signwarehouse, feller.. Since i am just a poor starving artist and newbie to solvent printing. I'd like to afford media and not pay the highest amounts for it.. Any ideas on who i should dump the money on for my first order for printable media like poster paper, banner canvas, adhesive sticker media and laminates? I probably should get 54" and 30" first since I don't have any orders for 64" stuff yet.
Thanks in advance. Z

Congrats! This will be a fun ride for you.

I don't have anything to contribute regarding US suppliers, but I will say this - don't worry about 30" rolls of anything. I'd recommend sticking with 54" rolls as they're more common.

If you want to stock different sizes of anything, I'd do 38" / 54" / 63" wide rolls of Duratex 13oz DSS (Grimco) as these sizes will work efficiently for 3' / 4' / 5' wide banners. The stuff is pretty cheap too, sell a banner per roll and it should pay for itself.

Otherwise here are our main materials that we use daily, all stocked in 54" wide rolls:

General Formulations 201 HTAP (Pretty much all our decals, signs etc get printed on this)
3M 40C-20 (Wall wraps, some decals)
3M IJ180cv3 (Fleet graphics, wraps etc)
Oracal 3651 clear (Clear decals, acrylic prints etc)

Avery DOL 2080 matte (Solid calendared matte laminate)
Arlon 3220 matte (Great cast dead matte laminate)
3M 8418G (Every day cast gloss laminate)
Drytac 5mil Emerytex (Textured laminate for durable applications etc.)

We don't mess with paper or canvas, so can't comment on those.

Hope that helps. I wish you best of luck on your journey. It's probably been close to 15 years since we got our first printer (Roland as well) and it was a big stepping stone for us.

 

[Stacey K]

Substance is some cheap, but top tier calendared media. They'll send sample rolls out if you contact them. https://substance.com/products/icon-pm-2755
Nekoosa will also send out samples. They have some unique products. https://nekoosa.com/
I'm struggling to think who else will shoot out samples.
I only suggest samples because they are obviously the best price...

I still need to order some of this!

 

[netsol]

Thank you neighbor! I'm in Virginia

they should deliver to your area daily.
they have no minimum.

 

[ZeroDays]

would one of you be willing to give me some assistance over the phone. I have probably newbie stupid questions I feel I need to ask before I load ink into this monster of a printer and turn it on.. lol .. I'd really really appreciate it... fyi, I must have watched 200 YT videos and stihlTV tuts... but I haven't found any startup unboxing video tutorials online.. not even from Roland... I don't want to brick this thing doing a newbie stupid move. lol... it's entirely possible I'm thinking too much.. If you're willing message me I'll give ya my cell. thanks again in advance

 

[ZeroDays]

Congrats! This will be a fun ride for you.

I don't have anything to contribute regarding US suppliers, but I will say this - don't worry about 30" rolls of anything. I'd recommend sticking with 54" rolls as they're more common.

If you want to stock different sizes of anything, I'd do 38" / 54" / 63" wide rolls of Duratex 13oz DSS (Grimco) as these sizes will work efficiently for 3' / 4' / 5' wide banners. The stuff is pretty cheap too, sell a banner per roll and it should pay for itself.

Otherwise here are our main materials that we use daily, all stocked in 54" wide rolls:

General Formulations 201 HTAP (Pretty much all our decals, signs etc get printed on this)
3M 40C-20 (Wall wraps, some decals)
3M IJ180cv3 (Fleet graphics, wraps etc)
Oracal 3651 clear (Clear decals, acrylic prints etc)

Avery DOL 2080 matte (Solid calendared matte laminate)
Arlon 3220 matte (Great cast dead matte laminate)
3M 8418G (Every day cast gloss laminate)
Drytac 5mil Emerytex (Textured laminate for durable applications etc.)

We don't mess with paper or canvas, so can't comment on those.

Hope that helps. I wish you best of luck on your journey. It's probably been close to 15 years since we got our first printer (Roland as well) and it was a big stepping stone for us.

PRICELESS INFO for me !!!! Thank you so much Haus !!!!

 

[JBurton]

I still need to order some of this!

sales@substance.com
Shoot them an email, ask for a sample roll of PM2755 for an ij35 replacement, or for some stupid aggressive stuff, 444LSE or the ultracurve X2, just never plan on removing the ultracurve.