This is good advise.
I would add, don't fall into the trap of buying an old and/or used printer, or a cheap, chinese printer!
Both cases are going to end up costing you a ton of money to get (and keep) them working. If you really want to buy a printer and you're on a budget, I would recommend just financing one.
You don't need to buy a top of the line, expensive printer, but definitely make sure you buy a reputable brand name, from a dealer in your local area that can actually support you and take care of warranty issues to keep you up and running.
As far as technology, UV is great, but pure Solvent (non UV) ink will save you some money, and UV doesn't really offer you that much more functionality over solvent to make it worth spending extra money on it.
When it comes to brand names, i'm not the best guy to ask because I've been loyal to Roland and Mimaki for many years, but ONLY because I'm just that way. I'm sure there are a ton of great brands of printer that I've just never put the effort into checking out.
I can't stress enough to NOT fall into the trap of buying a Chinese inkjet that has a very enticing price and feature set! I've known several people who have done this, and have regretted it from the moment they sent the payment for it.
The most important component of any inkjet printer is going to be the print heads, and most of the big brand names all use the same type of heads made by Epson. (I know it's confusing, but my Roland printers all have Epson print heads in them, because they're the industry standard, so whatever printer you buy, just make sure it uses genuine Epson print heads (not "Epson compatible"). There are a lot of Chinese companies that have copied Epsons design, but they make them terribly cheaply, and that's why they can sell you a solvent inkjet printer for $3000-5000, while Roland or Mimaki charge $10,000-15,000 for a printer with very similar specs. It's mainly because the Chinese printer uses cheap, chinese knock-off print heads! Also, they "cheapen" up their printers by using no-name, chinese linear rails (the ball bearing rails that the print carriage glides across). They use cheap, no-name stepper motors, plastic ink pumps, misc "parts-bin" power supplies, etc. Basically the cheapest possible versions of every component they can source in China, bolted onto flimsy chassis, then they pile them up into a cargo container, ship them to the U.S, and sell them at prices that entice new/inexperienced buyers and people with small budgets who want to start a new business out of their homes and think they'll be printing banners and tee shirts the second their new printer arrives from China.
Cheap chinese printers are a nightmare, and if you even manage to get one running at all, you'll be lucky if the thing isn't leaking ink everywhere, clogging up, and breaking-down within a week.. and of course you won't get any support once the payment is sent. So, save your money!
I'm sorry if this turned into a very negative post.. but I've just seen too many small sign shops fall into this trap before, and have their entire budget eaten up by an expensive mistake that they're never able to use to actually make any money with, and I'd hate to see you fall for it as well.. which is why I would strongly recommend just financing a brand new printer, even if you end up paying a premium in interest charges, you're still better off because at least you'll HAVE a working printer to make money with which is better than a pile of junk under a drop cloth in the corner of your shop that has never made you a single penny.
Good luck!
