-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
New Printer
- Thread starter jason91
- Start date
Gino
Premium Subscriber
What kind of space do you have ?? Do you have the area to house a printer, cutter and laminator, while having a bay to thoroughly clean and prep a vehicle to wrap ??
Asking a question like this is easy, but all the answers are going to sound quite convincing and until you go out into the field and try some.... it's better not to get swayed with what we all prefer, because you're gonna hear how good they all are and how lousy others are. So, you might as well do some homework and find out who can support the equipment you want to buy. How much do you want to spend on ink. Who has reliable techs and who has the best warranty program.
Personally, I like the Roland machines for wrapping, however there are many others that will do quite nicely.
Asking a question like this is easy, but all the answers are going to sound quite convincing and until you go out into the field and try some.... it's better not to get swayed with what we all prefer, because you're gonna hear how good they all are and how lousy others are. So, you might as well do some homework and find out who can support the equipment you want to buy. How much do you want to spend on ink. Who has reliable techs and who has the best warranty program.
Personally, I like the Roland machines for wrapping, however there are many others that will do quite nicely.
Letterbox Mike
New Member
Mimaki JV33 again. Fast, cheap, prints great and it's rock solid reliable. We've got a GS6000 too, prints great as well but it's not a production machine and can be a bottleneck at times...
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Like Gino said, they all have their pros and cons - and he's very right in raising the issue of service. Even if it's a good machine, but there's no one to help you with any problems or questions... you're in for a not so pleasant experience.
General rules to keep in mind...
1) knowledge base availability - eg info on signs101, online manuals etc. (stay away from unknown brands).
2) know the limitations of the machine BEFORE you buy. this sounds stupid, but if inexperienced you really need to look at all the small things from print width to media thickness to ink availability/price/longevity, print speed (don't be fooled by high numbers, they are usually based on low res printing which you'll NEVER use for wraps (99% of the time)... compare them at standard and/or high quality printing for real world numbers).
3) cost of maintenance - parts wise they might be similar, but back to the issue of service, if your nearest tech is 4 hours away, it's gonna cost you.
Anyway... best of luck.
General rules to keep in mind...
1) knowledge base availability - eg info on signs101, online manuals etc. (stay away from unknown brands).
2) know the limitations of the machine BEFORE you buy. this sounds stupid, but if inexperienced you really need to look at all the small things from print width to media thickness to ink availability/price/longevity, print speed (don't be fooled by high numbers, they are usually based on low res printing which you'll NEVER use for wraps (99% of the time)... compare them at standard and/or high quality printing for real world numbers).
3) cost of maintenance - parts wise they might be similar, but back to the issue of service, if your nearest tech is 4 hours away, it's gonna cost you.
Anyway... best of luck.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Molenbeek
New Member
call your local Advantage Sign Supply Rep and he can help you figure out which one fits best.
We carry Epson, HP, Mimaki & Mutoh- so we aren't like some people that only push the one brand we have.
http://www.advantagesignsupply.com/s.nl/it.I/id.12/.f
877-237-4464
We carry Epson, HP, Mimaki & Mutoh- so we aren't like some people that only push the one brand we have.
http://www.advantagesignsupply.com/s.nl/it.I/id.12/.f
877-237-4464
HulkSmash
New Member
even 13,999 for a 60 inch latex?
BigfishDM
Merchant Member
Not quite that low yet.
MachServTech
New Member
Advantage is one of the best in the industry and Matt L. is one of the best technicians around.
Who you buy from is as important as what you buy.
Who you buy from is as important as what you buy.
MontereySigns
New Member
Latex vs Solvent
I just received this document yesterday (see attached) comparing solvent ink printer versus latex ink printer. This may influence your decision- knowledge is power.
-Bud
I just received this document yesterday (see attached) comparing solvent ink printer versus latex ink printer. This may influence your decision- knowledge is power.
-Bud
petesign
New Member
Spend all of your money on a good printer, then buy the cheapest POS laminator you can get.. that's what I did... By the time you get done reprinting all of the ruined panels and it takes an additional couple of days to get the job done, you will realized you asked the wrong question.
Best question is...
"What's the best way for me to get into the car wrap business?"
answer.. sub out all of your prints to a supplier until you get so busy you can justify the expense of the printer and laminator, and production equipment you will need, design software, ripping software, etc.
**I'm just trying to help you realize there's a lot more to it than just buying a printer and wrapping cars. I'm not trying to be rude, just hoping you know all of the investments you are going to have to make.
Best question is...
"What's the best way for me to get into the car wrap business?"
answer.. sub out all of your prints to a supplier until you get so busy you can justify the expense of the printer and laminator, and production equipment you will need, design software, ripping software, etc.
**I'm just trying to help you realize there's a lot more to it than just buying a printer and wrapping cars. I'm not trying to be rude, just hoping you know all of the investments you are going to have to make.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Don't tell 'em that chit............
Where do you think all the used equipment comes from at a good price..........:ROFLMAO:
BigfishDM
Merchant Member
Im not an approved dealer and I can offer better service and knowledge and price then the other guys. But for the most part your statment is true, you gotta be careful where you get your stuff for sure.
Even with the color gamut advantage on the Epson? I really like Mimaki as well but I'm a sucker for a larger color gamut, being a designer first a production guy second.
Letterbox Mike
New Member
The color gamut on the Epson is nice, and it's large. Not as hugely large as they'd make you believe, but oranges are nicer and greens are richer and all around saturation is a touch better than the 4-color JV33. But with proper profiles, the JV33 produces some excellent color, for 99.9% of work the JV33 is every bit as good.
The Epson loses ground very quickly to the Mimaki when it comes to overall build and "heavy-dutiness". They're not in the same league. And I don't know who drastically overengineered the Epson's media infeed and takeup systems but they should be relegated to pumping gas or flipping burgers. They're about the two worst things I've ever seen, which makes the printer much less functional as a production machine. We get by, but it requires some babysitting.