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Plotter & Laminator Recomendations

Pete Moss

Pete Moss

New Member
Good afternoon my fellow sign enthusiasts,

We are going to be in the market for a plotter, possibly a printer and a laminator. We have a Oce 250 GT at the moment. First, I am wondering if we can use it to print everything prior to cut. I cannot think of reason why not, however I am new to flatbeds. I've used HP, Mimaki, Cannon and Roland in the past for roll fed media. I suppose I prefer Rolland for their two-in-one capabilities. All of the printers worked well enough.

My question is can I continue to use the Oce for all jobs?

If not what printer do you recommend?

What laminator do you recommend?
It seems I have not yet worked with any laminators that were not persnickety, to say the least.

Lastly, what is your recommendation for plotters?

Thanks a ton for your time and wisdom.
 
Pete Moss

Pete Moss

New Member
I suppose the only constraint of using the Oce for all prints would be the size limitations, no more tan 4' x 8' at a time, which we don't run into often. I've been told that this machine could be roll fed though and wonder if there is capability for a take up reel or advancing media.
 
jtinker

jtinker

Owner
For printers I would recommend anything from Roland. I know, people swear by whatever machine they use but our roland is a workhorse. We have ran this thing almost nonstop for a year straight and every day I come in it works like a dream. I know when I need a job in a rush I dont have to worry about errors or faulty parts or anything clogging up my workflow.

Roland has a series of cutters as well. I haven't gotten a chance to use them but if they are anything like the printers then its going to be quality with great dealer support.

When it came to lamination we looked at a bunch of machines. We had a daige, but ended up upgrading to a Ledco, which works pretty well but wasnt able to keep up with production so we got a third. The seal EL 65.
Out of the three, the seal I can say was the best out of the bunch. This thing has damn near perfect accuracy when it comes to mounting and laminationg, almost fool proof. Once you get the hang of it, its hard to make a mistake.
 
Sidney

Sidney

New Member
Few sources

Roland printers are great and workhorses as mentioned. Signwarehouse.com has great plotter packages and their customer service is fantastic....I have been a customer of theirs for many 15 years.
 
Pete Moss

Pete Moss

New Member
Thanks you two. I am wondering if the capability to print with our flatbed is worth considering. It's speed and print quality is top notch. Maybe I'll post in the flatbed section. Yep, I love Rolands too. Thanks again!
 
B

BIG EASY DOES IT

New Member
It does look like a lot of the Oce flatbed printers are able to do roll fed. It is probably an add on piece of equipment but that is what I would consider as far as printers go. If I was going to get a plotter I would love to have a Summa OPOS-cam plotter. Probably the most precise.
 
Pete Moss

Pete Moss

New Member
I spoke with the Oce' Display Graphics Manager. He is confirming, but believes the add ons will work with our printer. Not sure since it was the first printer in this line. The thing is the price. After a 4K discount we would still pay $19K. We may be able to get a demo model for less though. Looking through ebay I can get a rolland 540 V used for around the 8K price point. I wonder if the extra money will make sense in the long run. The roll fed ad on keeps the gantry in one spot while printing so you can queue and set up the next job while it's in use and it can print 87" w compared to 54" with the Roland. Both bonus features although at this point we don't do that many jobs where that extra 33" is necessary.

Thoughts?
 
Pete Moss

Pete Moss

New Member
jtinker said:
When it came to lamination we looked at a bunch of machines. We had a daige, but ended up upgrading to a Ledco, which works pretty well but wasnt able to keep up with production so we got a third. The seal EL 65.
Out of the three, the seal I can say was the best out of the bunch. This thing has damn near perfect accuracy when it comes to mounting and laminationg, almost fool proof. Once you get the hang of it, its hard to make a mistake.
Click to expand...


Good call! I forgot about the Seal that I briefly used, way easier then most laminators. Good price point too. Looks like Seal will be the winner, for lamination, unless someone else chimes in....
 
Pete Moss

Pete Moss

New Member
As it stands now we are looking at a Rolland 540 V with a SEAL 54 EL. The Rolland will probably be used, since the prices I've found don't vary much, the SEAL will be new. This combined should cost around $14K compared to 19 K for the add ons for the Oce' without a laminator. Another bonus is I will be able to print two jobs at the same time. Thanks for the input everyone, I definitely appreciate it! Have an awesome weekend!:toasting:
 
V

vaughnlm

New Member
new or used plotter

If a like new plotter would work, we have a Graphtec FC-8000 with only 3 hrs on it . . . Private message if curious
 
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