Roland Pc600 for small full color decals?

[Red-Eye]

I know this is a older machine and has it's issues, but how are they for short run small decals?

I found one for sale, with 100 roland ribbons.

How doe these work? I know each ribbon is a serparte cartridge?

I do alot of 3" decals. I have them done on a Versacamm right now, but I outsource that.

If I could get this machine for $1500 is it worth me doing that?
Am I going to regret it with other issues?

How would they hold up to outdoor usage?

I wouldn't get a ton of work, but it would get weekly use.

 

[signmeup]

They will print very nice small decals. Better than the versacam for very small sharp edged detail. The ability to print spot colours, metallics, foils, white etc, could be very usefull for decals in the sizes you are talking. If you laminate the output, it will be very durable.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

i'll keep my opinion of the machine to myself and let you be the judge of if it meets the requirements of your needs or not. but...make certain that the machine has no issues as Roland will not support the machine any longer and i know of NO techs that will work on them...that does not mean that there is NO techs that will work on them...they are just few and far between. Additionally there is talk that both zeronine and roland are no longer going to manufacture ribbons for them once their current inventory is exhausted.

 

[Red-Eye]

Don't you think your opinion of the machine is kind of what i'm asking for???

how the heck do I know if it's what i need without people telling me.

i've never seen one before, so I need to know for other peoples experience.

I use to have a Versacamm, business went in a different direction so I sold it.
Now that part of the business is fine and I'm looking to bring my decal business back inhouse, but don't have the money to drop on a new Versacamm, and only have about half what a used Versacamm costs (plus there aren't any local to me for sale).

 

[Gino]

It's a nice little machine, but in it's day. It does some things that the ink jets can't do, but like Dan said, when you run into a problem..... you'll be asking yourself why you didn't wait until you could afford a Summa or something else.

 

[The Big Squeegee]

There may be more PC-600 owners on printingdigital.net
also try http://www.4edgetalk.com/homepage/

Good luck!

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

well i apologize i was trying to give you some information that i felt was valuable in considering this purchase that might otherwise be overlooked.

my own personal feelings in regards to this machine is that it has no place in the professional sign industry and never did...i was trying not to be negative yet still add some information that should be considered...as someone who sold these machines and serviced them at one time it is a very sore subject for me... a lot of people were very unhappy with these machines. sadly i know many signshops that will NEVER even consider another roland product because of their experiences with this machine.

with that said i do think there is/was value in these machines but not as a production machine (again these are just my personal opinions). they should have been offered and sold to people who did prototype work, ad agencies for samples before a production run and hobby type projects (rc cars, etc) or to the small business who is not in the professional sign industry who wanted to dilly dally and waste large amounts of the money on ribbons to turn out an inconsistent sometimes mediocre project.

there are people who have dialed in these machines and had success with them, in my experience they are few and far between. for every one person that i have encountered that was happy with this machine and the output of it i can not tell you how many miserable angry customers felt that roland misrepresented these machines and its realistic capabilities.

this is why i say you need to decide if it meets your requirements or not. i would encourage you or anyone else who is considering purchasing one to generate multiple files of the work you would like to do with it and print them (generate a solid color image using a few differentt colors, generate an image with halftones, generate a photo, and also make sure to contour cut something). if the prints meet your standards and you feel they will be acceptable to your clients then great. my own personal opinion (for me) is that this machine does not generate a product that i would be proud to send out the door with my name on it...additionally the price of materials simply is not competitive when compared to what you will be competing against in regards to modern machines and supplies.

too many people have neglected to look at the cost of the materials and only the price of the machine.

so again i am not saying that this machine has no place or no use for anyone. but as said many times before in regards to this machine for me and my purposes it is an expensive boat anchor.

 

[ddarlak]

back in the day, I HAD one...

i got rid of it as fast as i could.....

 

[Rodi]

I love the idea of spot colors… I had an Alps 5000, I loved it, but it was so frustrating. It broke, it was slow, you would be 3/4 done, and something would screw up. There was a Kodak Machine that used the same ribbons that did exactly what Dan Striker says they would be perfect for.

If you get it, keep the original cartridges, you can buy Citizen ribbons, but you need the barcode (Silve I think) for each color.

 

[JBarraxSW]

The PC600 was a difficult machine to work with when new. A used one is not really a good investment.

 

[Dennis @ Sign FX]

The learning curve on the PC600 was fairly immense, but once you firgured it out it worked well. Yes it was slow, but for the price and small runs it had it's place.

That being said, I now have a vp300, which is an all around WAY better machine. I sold my 600 just before the solvent ink printer boom.

I think you need to look at your outsource pricing compared to what it costs to print with the 600. I scanned the posts and see where anyone mentioned it. The 600 is pricey to run.

Another issue is the longevity of the print head. If the machine you're looking to buy has a some time one the print head, chances are it will need replacing shortly. That costs some where in the $500 range.

Hope this helps.

 

[blake2415]

Well here's a twist for an opinion. I just love this unit. It is not the machine for large print jobs, but for small quantity varied work it's perfect. If you run 20 or 30 small decals or a few signs, lables, small graphics, etc, the machine will do fine. I bought mine about 15 months ago. I suppose I was lucky, it was sitting in a warehouse as damaged goods then found it's way onto ebay. It was originally a return back to one of the distributors from the papers I fouind. The machine was dropped on it's side which bent the frame and to many I suppose it was now junk. I gambled on it, got it, found it was brand new inside, not ever used. It would miss the cartridges on pick-up routinely. I pulled the cover off put a square against he side frame and simply pushed it back level. It hasn't missed a cartridge since. The only problems I've had all have been other than the machine itself, the same kind of issues I'd probably have with any other machine when software glitches, etc.

I printed a few test decals 15-16 months ago and stuck them outside facing the day and afternoon sun. They haven't faded and look just about as good as when I printed them, so it's a really durable print system.

If you can find a working model that isn't worn out, and if you are going to be doing small quick jobs with it, I'd say it's ideal. Most of the printer guys I know generally dislike the machine. I suppose it's all a matter of what you need to do with it. MY business is motorcycle decals. I need a highly durable print that can withstand the harsh elements and be resistant to fuel. I got that with this machine. While Zeronine has decided to stop providing ribbons for it, I took the plunge and set up to have ribbons made for me. The ribbons are not nearly as expensive as one might think when buying them through the standard channels. I hope I can use this unit fo rmany more years. So count me in as a strong positive for this unit under the right application.

Bill

P.S. I"m buying any used PC-600 cartridges if anyone here has them to sell. I prefer the Roland but will consider any of them.

 

[StreamlineDesign]

Similarly, we still have our PC-60 and use it almost daily.

We printed some small "Protected by BRINKS SECURITY" almost 10 years ago to stick on our windows. They still look good! Most are facing north, but even the one facing east is still holding up.

We only use it to do small spot color stuff - which it's good at. We have tried doing full color prints. Some have turned out great. Some were ok. Some looked like poo!