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Questions for Those Who Have Latex Printers

Dennis422

Dennis422

New Member
I just purchased an used one.

No transfer printing, at least not until they find the material that will accept latex inks.
I have heard that a printed can stay a few weeks without printing and there will be no damages to the printheads.

No idea on the ink cost
 
C

chafro

New Member
1) hp can be idle for weeks maybe months and no problem. Remember heads are disposable and cheap so the worst scenario you get a few new heads.

2) it's around 30 cents.

3) I don't think so.
 
P

player

New Member
I talked to my tech yesterday about the HP printers and said they are expensive to run. He also said they don't print on all materials and HP recommends more expensive HP materials.
 
Dennis422

Dennis422

New Member
player said:
I talked to my tech yesterday about the HP printers and said they are expensive to run. He also said they don't print on all materials and HP recommends more expensive HP materials.
Click to expand...


Your tech works for a company that sells solvent printers and he only works on solvent printers?

Right?

You might have an answer right there.

In my opinion, the printer is much better for someone that does not print a lot. Also, a bit more expensive to run, yes, but savings on time when need to wait for the lamination and not needing to worry about print heads clogging are worth to me much more than a savings on ink if there are any.
 
gnatt66

gnatt66

New Member
with oem inks I've gone 10 days without printing no problem with my Roland..back when i first started.
 
S

Stephenedwardgraphic

New Member
The two main reasons we are going with Latex.

1. We do a lot of wall decals and customers don't like the solvent smell -- can be marketed as more "eco friendly"

2. We have periods where we might not use the printer for several days and I don't want it gumming up.
 
the graphics co

the graphics co

New Member
The hp can sit idle for long periods, if you lose a head they are around $100 to replace.

ink costs will vary depending on the pass mode you are running, a 750ml cartridge of oem ink will run you between $110-$130/cartridge which is the same as a 400ml cartridge of eco solvent. Nearly twice the ink for the same price says it is less than eco solvent.

you can print on t-shirt transfers, i have done it with success a number of times.
 
P Wagner

P Wagner

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Stephenedwardgraphic said:
Just about ready to purchase an HP Latex printer...have a couple of questions for you...

1. How long can the printer sit idle with no printing before it starts to clog up? Are they any better than solvent printers?

2. Roughly what is the square foot price for ink used?

3. Can you print on t shirt transfers with latex? For example: http://www.stahls.com/printable-heat-transfer-material-express-print
Click to expand...

Answers:
1) The HP Latex machines can sit without printing for a lengthy period of time without printing. I have gone several weeks at a time with no issues. Be aware that the machine should be powered on at all times and not shut down over weekends or evenings. It will go into a low power sleep state when not is use.

2) Your ink usage will vary significantly based on the media that you print on and the area coverage. In most cases, you will find a range between 1 and 1.5 ml per square foot is very accurate. This works out to between $.15 and $.23 for ink psf. See attached capture of the ink metrics taken from Latex 360 in my office that has been in service for about 1 month in a training (non-production) environment.

3) There are t-shirt transfer media products available for HP Latex inks from multiple manufacturers.
 

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Dennis422

Dennis422

New Member
2CT Media said:
Yes you can print on Heat Transfer material.... I have successfully run Siser, Themoflex, and even Easy Print from Stahls.
Click to expand...


If that is the case, GREAT.
I have talked to Siser and they have told me that the transfers are not made for Latex printing.
 
ProColorGraphics

ProColorGraphics

New Member
The HP being a power hog is a major myth! I have 2 of them running, and my power bill isn't much more than it used to be. I have had great results printing on the Sihl heat transfer material. Yes, heat transfer material works.
 
S

Split76

New Member
[h=2]http://www.chemica.fr/printable-flex-for-latex-inks.html,p,2,19,39#
Hewlett Packard and Chemica had developed a partnership to test the textile application purpose. Easyprint has been approved for Latex inks printing.[/h]
I have L260 and I use 1-2 rolls of easyprint every month with no issues. Straight from the printer -> cutter -> heat press. I used this same stuff for atleast 5 years with Roland eco-solvent before changing to HP and i like it. I've tried 3-4 other brands but easyprint is easier to weed.
 
Kentucky Wraps

Kentucky Wraps

Kentucky Wraps
Stephenedwardgraphic said:
The two main reasons we are going with Latex.

1. We do a lot of wall decals and customers don't like the solvent smell -- can be marketed as more "eco friendly"

2. We have periods where we might not use the printer for several days and I don't want it gumming up.
Click to expand...

1. When outgassed properly, and laminated...I've never had a single customer mention anything about a smell.
2. Roland can sit for that amount of time without "gumming up" because they have auto clean features.

But...no curing time would be nice...I don't think an HP is more "eco friendly" though. They also use solvents to carry pigment...and they use a lot more energy to cure prints...so overall not sure how much more eco-friendly they are.
 
danno

danno

New Member
Stephenedwardgraphic said:
Just about ready to purchase an HP Latex printer...have a couple of questions for you...

1. How long can the printer sit idle with no printing before it starts to clog up? Are they any better than solvent printers?

2. Roughly what is the square foot price for ink used?

3. Can you print on t shirt transfers with latex? For example: http://www.stahls.com/printable-heat-transfer-material-express-print
Click to expand...

Even though ours doesn't sit much, the most that would have to be replaced would be a set of printheads. As for are they better than a solvent printer, it depends on what you plan on printing. My suggestion would be to take some media that you plan on printing to and set up some files and test the machine. Why purchase a machine if you don't print with it first. You don't purchase a car that way.

Raw cost per square foot will vary depending on what you print and how you print. $0.17 to $0.50 depending on what you are printing to and what you include for as part of that cost (heads, cleaning, maintenance cartridges, etc.)

We haven't ventured into t-shirt transfers here, but have printed on some interesting fabrics directly with good results.
 
N

nate

New Member
player said:
I talked to my tech yesterday about the HP printers and said they are expensive to run. He also said they don't print on all materials and HP recommends more expensive HP materials.
Click to expand...

This is incorrect. Most materials that work in Roland/Mutoh/Mimaki will run fine-- typically the cheapest of the cheapest won't, but any normal vinyl or banner you'd want to run will work just fine.

Also, I have found the costing to be significantly cheaper than running the comparable machine with OEM inks (3rd party is a different story).
 
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