Hi guys, we’re looking at investing in a new printer - we’ve looked at a few but a Colorado seems likely. Just wondering if anyone here has had any good/bad experiences with it. It’s very quick but also has a very heavy price tag considering it’s only 64”. Around the same as a mimaki ujv55-320! We don’t do many full vehicle wraps so that’s not an issue. I done a bit of reading here but all the threads seem to be a bit dated.
Any insight is appreciated. 1st gen machines are usually a horror show!
You should look into the operating costs of the Colorado before just considering the $68K price tag to bring one in. The ink costs on this machine are only $.09/ft2. Do the math on the ink costs of 2 HP 560's. You'll be saving around $80/roll in ink/heads/maintenance trays which are all required in the latex unit.
Furthermore, the "high resolution" mode on the Colorado is 430sf/hr. At this speed, the machine automatically checks every single print nozzle to make sure it is firing, and if they aren't, they automatically remap so the output is flawless. You load up a roll in and 1.5 hours, come back and it will be done without any head dropping out. You can't do that with latex (or solvent). If you want to go faster on a job which isn't as image-important, then you can go up to 610 or 1210 sf/hr which will officially leave the latex in the dust. At these faster modes, you lose the ability to automatically check the nozzles with each pass...but now it is just like every other printer in the market where you have to keep an eye on the output from time to time to make sure things are going well.
The ink does not scratch. I just doesn't. If your jobs will allow for it, you don't have to laminate it like latex or solvent. There's another $150/roll back in your pocket.
The first versions had ink and firmware issues...those have been resolved. The machine is a beast. Do the homework and get in front of one or come to my facility and watch it go. We are distributors for the Colorado and this machine blows away the 60" latex machines in every application other than true 'wraps'...but it is fine for truck and car sides and pretty much every other application other than light and flimsy fabrics.
If you buy two 560's just keep a calculator around to add up the $80/roll more in ink and operating costs plus the pain-in-the-butt ink cartridges which will have you guessing if there is enough ink in the cartridge to print your last roll after you've left your shop. At the very least go with a 570 with the less expensive bulk ink.
