One thing I miss about our old Roland printer....being able to print on 'just enough' material. Can't do that on the HP Latex. Even if I think I have plenty left, the printer has a different opinion, and seems to require an extra 3 yards at the end.....and if it's still attached to the core? Game Over.
I was looking into getting an HP, but heard about issues with media usage. Most of my jobs are small/random, so it wouldn't be ideal for me. ~3 yards at the end? Yikes!
I still run a Mutoh 1614 (purchased in 2008), and this machine is such a workhorse. Still looks/runs like brand new. I've only replaced (1) printhead, (1) maintenance station, (1) CR motor and (2) sets of dampers in 12 years. Pretty awesome.
My next printer will probably be the S80600 for better color matching (e.g., OSU orange)
However, the rear media sensor wasn't reliable (maybe a half dozen false triggers in the first year), so I just put a piece of tape over it and called it good (knowing I'd have to keep a close eye on actual media use from time to time). It's rarely a problem, but last week I had to print close to (2) full rolls of 54" vinyl for a
1 day rush turnaround (in a one man sign shop) for a bunch of yard signs (
mostly double-sided 4' x 4' x 10mm coro, and a few small sticker jobs). Thankfully I have a Fotoba DreamCut and RollsRoller so I can knock those out
really fast....
Just don't assume that your vinyl "actually" has 50 yards on the roll. I ran 2 rolls back-to-back -- and I "think" one (or both) of my rolls were a little short. So I came in the next day to discover this. Whoops!
