New guy seeking info

[timmay]

Hello all,

Found these forums today. I currently own a HP DesignJet 2500CP wide format digital printer. I bought it a little over a year ago with the idea on starting my own large format printing business on the side (I don't run my own biz, I work as an IT Manager and looking to start my own thing). Idea was to do banners, posters, presentations, etc. with it for profit. I quickly found that the average customer wasn't willing to pay for the full color graphics I could provide - most were more than happy to settle for lower cost vinyl cut solutions. I also found this piece of equipment to be rather limiting in what I could do. I've since parked it in the corner and I need ink for it but don't want to spend the $200 (each x 4) for the cartridges.

Anyhoo... I'm really wanting to take another stab at things and think a vinyl cutter may be more the way to go to give me the versatility I want and lower production/material costs. Once again this is only something I can do as a second job/on the side thing out of my basement - but would be great if I could grow it into a full time biz someday.

I welcome any feedback, opinions, guidance, whatever you all can provide me with regards to what "to do" and what "not to do". Also, if anyone knows of any place that might take the designjet in on trade for a cutter let me know.

Thanks!!

 

[Fred Weiss]

Welcome to our boards Timmay.

On choosing a plotter, I'd suggest you read some of the threads in the Roland, Summa, Graphtec and Miscellaneous Plotters categories. My preference is to pay a little more for a reliable, well supported plotter ... but there are lots of Chinese plotters being sold with mixed reactions.

As to selling output from your HP, it's being sold everyday but in diminishing amounts due to the influx of solvent and ecosolvent inkjets reaching the field. I can't speak for resellers but I doubt you'd get much more for it in trade than you would get just by asking for their best price on a plotter. You might want to consider ebay if you have the ability to pack it up for shipping and just sell it outright.

 

[timmay]

I'm looking at the Roland CX-24. Interested in hearing feedback on that unit. Reasons I'm looking at it are....


1. Recognized Roland name and appears like a good choice based on what I've read.
2. I don't want to go too 'big' or too 'small' with the unit - this seems like a good starter size.

I want to be able to do all the 'normal' vinyl stuff - from retail signage, windows, vehicles, mag signs, banners and maybe even some heat transfer stuff.

timmay!!

 

[geb]

Timmay, when I started I bought a 15" roland, camm1. This cutter has served me well. No problems, good cutting and weeding, easy to use, never went through alot of blades. It now serves as a backup cutter for my 24" anagraph.

I think your doing the right thing by purchasing a 24" cutter, I wish I had at the time I bought my 15".

Don't get me wrong, I love my roland, but if I had to do over I would probably go 24" Summa, graphtec, roland in that order.

If you will be doing digital printing, get a cutter with OPUS, has the ability to contour cut digital prints.

George

 

[WVB]

The CX-24 I believe is or will be replaced by the Roland GX-24. Which has more force and faster cutting speeds then the CX-24. I love Rolands and always have. They are excellent machines, however like George stated if you will be doing prints and need them to be contour cut, then you will need a machine that has OPOS (Registration Sensor) such as a Graphtec FC5100 series or some Summa's have them, but both are pretty much more then the GX-24 can be had for with out OPOS. Sad that Roland does not support OPOS, but I believe they do this to push there VersaCAMM all in one.