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New Printer Recommendations
Hey guys,
In the market for a new printer. Doesn’t need a print and cut facility just printing.
Minimum media width is 54".
Three things mainly concern me. The print speed, the print quality and the ability for unattended printing. When I say unattended printing I mean I’m able to load banner material set it to print off 30 metres and not have to worry about it unless an ink cartridges goes out etc. I know the VersaCamm isn’t a production machine and at the moment I have to baby it through certain jobs.
So far looking at the
Roland Soljet XJ-640 with the optional heat dryer.Other contenders I’ve looked at are:
Mimaki JV5
Mutoh Spifire 65
Mutoh RockhopperHas anyone got an XJ-640 here and can provide some real world use feedback? Or comment on the other printers?
I’m more inclined to stay with the Roland so can we just use the same inks etc.
Any feedback appreciated.
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28 Replies
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Jason, In my opinion you won’t go wrong with the printers you have listed they all very good printers. There is one small issue I’ve heard with the JV5 that it has a drying problem when printing at high speed with ss2 ink but otherwise just like all Mimaki printers, it is a great machine.
The Mutoh printers are excellent machines. With Intelligent Interweaving Printing you can print at high speed without banding. Even the valuejet 16xx series are solidly built printers that worth considering. Though it has only one printhead it still impressive.
If you would prefer a Roland XJ-640 printer. I suggest you wait a little longer. Roland has come up with the "Roland Intelligent Pass Control" features which already included in their newly introduced XC-540 print & Cut printers and not yet in the XJ-640.
rgdsAndre
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quote :If you would prefer a Roland XJ-640 printer. I suggest you wait a little longer. Roland has come up with the “Roland Intelligent Pass Control” features which already included in their newly introduced XC-540 print & Cut printers and not yet in the XJ-640.
rgdsjason that is top advice IMO i bet you have not had much trouble with your roland and judging by the problems that others have had with only genuine ink protection. if i was buying again it would be another roland, when they bring out a flatbed uv. with print and cut.
chris
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i would be interested in trading in the jv3 for the jv33… but not looked at it at all
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quote Dave Rowland:i would be interested in trading in the jv3 for the jv33… but not looked at it at allSnap. 😀
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but… if it has date prevention in it like karls thread then i would have 2 think twice
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quote Dave Rowland:but… if it has date prevention in it like karls thread then i would have 2 think twice
It could be a concern I suppose but, until Karl posted, I didn’t know that the JV3 had it.
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John, does that mean you are thinking of going wide? I dont think the jv33 comes less than 1320
Dave
I dont know why you guys want to mess with the date anywayPeter
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quote Peter Normington:John, does that mean you are thinking of going wide?
Not voluntarily Peter. If the JV33 came in 760 wide I’d have one already. 😀
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have a look at the HP 9000 or 10000 or why not look at there new range of machines. They are bacically the colorspans. You can do flat bed or roll to roll. very nice to have.
HP just bought out Macdermid Colour Span. Top machine.
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Cheers for the advice Andrew and Chris.
John. Peter and Dave what are you on about?
daneread: What are the HP’s approximately worth? I haven’t really looked into them as an option. Are they solvent or UV?
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the HP 8000 which i have got is about US$18000
the 9000 is the same width 1600mm but just higher speed slightly more heavy duty.
the 10000 is 3000m but the same as the 9000.
all these are solvent based machines.
they now have just bought out mcdermid who have a range of flat bed solvents and UV machines. these are really nice but i think they arent too cheap Probably around US$35000 – 50000
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I first came across the HP Designjet 9000 the re-badge Seiko colorpainter s64 at Sign Expo 06 in Cape Town. The were reproducing a painting of Michael Adams. The result was excellent. even 6pts text were legible.
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hi Andre where are you based.
cant identify your flag.
I am based in Botswana.
i always go to the Johannesburg sign expos.
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Daneread I had friends Botswana with studied Graphics Design in The Netherlands in 1987 but lost contact. I’m in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles.
My supplier in SA is MIDCOMP. I will attend Sign Africa 08 in J’burg, August 08. Tomorrow I’m leaving for Singapore’s 2nd Media Expo. I am very curious about the Mutoh 1608 Hybrid printer and also the HP latex ink.
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Midcomp are also my supplier.
They have always been very good.
I have been having a few hassles with my heads drying up though. Over the long weekend. Only got my printer going at 5:00pm today. That was a bit of a pain.
what is latex ink?
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quote Jason Xuereb:John. Peter and Dave what are you on about?
Altering the date on Mimaki printers.
http://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.p … 737#273737
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hi my apologies i have only now just realized that we have deviated completely off the subject of this topic.
i thought i was on another topic.
my apologies Jason.
Do yourself a favor though and have a look at the HP range. HP is really doing well now and they have a brilliant backup service. And they are really bettering the technology.
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HP Latex ink waterbase which could replace solvent ink in the future. So no more of head clogging problem. It is said that it will be as durable as solvent ink. You mentioned the HP/Colorspan 35000 service UV printers. I saw it at the Middle East Sign & Graphic fair. Very good space saving printer and price @ US$65000 for the 4 head version.
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have a look at the artsystems news item on the home page. got the mutohs and the hps
that mutoh looks rally nice as well. wonder how much the consumables are??
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I may be wrong but I thought UV inks were not good for wrapping vehicles?
Unless this was a sale persons pitch I was told the UV inks can ‘crack’ or something along those lines when printing on a cast material and you start manipulating the vinyl?
On a side note my Roland supplier told me the XJ-640 already comes equip with "Roland Intelligent Pass Control".
The XJ-640 at the moment comes in nearly at half the price of the HP machine.
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which HP machine is this.
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hi i did think that the HP/Colourspan machines had a solvent version as well. But i have found out that they are only UV.
Have a look at ink cost on the HP. I would think about looking at the 8000 or 9000 remember that although Roland is very good dont get me wrong.
But I do feel that if you look at the HPs you will see a much more industrial looking machine and they really are. Its much more of a work horse in my mind.
Also solvent ink is just that much better. Eco sol just doesn’t cut it for me and i dont think it has ever been able to prove itself to the large print houses that have been in the industry for many years.
this is a very controversial comment i know but we are intitled to views and that’s just my view as one individual in a whole wide world. 😀
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The HP9000 is RRP of $60,000 down here. The XJ640 is about $34,000 RRP.
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that sound very expensive.
i would phone the supplier and check the price with them.
I know i payed US$19000 for my 8000 at the time the 9000 was eq to about US 35 000.
The world price did come down quite drastically when i bought it. In Jan this year they dropped the price. My 8000 was eq to US$25000 in 2007 but the price did come down in Jan considerably.
Also we are paying equ US$260 per liter of ink. which i think it quite good. compared to eco sol max.
I just think you can save quite a lot because you will be able to laminte less prints.
I was reading up about latex ink. HP have just released it. It is going to be an outdoor ink but very eco friendly. Looks like its going to replace eco sol completely. Thats why i would hate to buy an eco sol now and in about 6mts latex comes out. Maybe you should investigate latex ink a bit more and make your decision from there.
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I’m not to worried about new inks etc. By the time they come out, get used and proven in the work I need my printer for I think it will be about 2 years from now. Our new machine will be leased on a two year period so in two years we can upgrade to the latest equipment.
I really need a printer for vehicle wraps etc. That’s why I asked the question about UV inks on vehicle wrap material and then stretching vinyl etc. If we were just producing exhibition and banners etc then it wouldn’t be a problem.
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I have used UV inks before i love them for flat sufaces.
They just do not work on curved sufaces they have only about 20% stretch.
I have seen a basic wrap done with UV it was a pick up truck. Ford Bantum with a large canopy. I asked the applicators how it was and they said it was a nightmare to apply. Looked very nice as it had the mat finish but not recomended.
They are saying though the in a few years time UV inks will be formulated to handle wraps. Not sure it its ever going to happen.
If you want to do wraps then i highly recomend solvent inks they just last for that much longer. you can get away with a liquid varnish.
If you want an even better result then go for cold lamination on wraps with a mild solvent printer like the HPs you just cant beat it.
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Hey daneread,
We current cold laminate using pressure sensitive over laminates.
Were happy with the process. I can’t see us having a huge demand for flat surfaces ie pop, exhibition etc. Well not until we expand our staff. In that case adding a UV printer on top of another solvent won’t be an issue.
Cheers
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Hi Jason,
Spoke to Some Roland representatives at the Sign Expo in Singapore. Yes the XJ640 includes Intelligent pass control it an awesome machine.
I am presently in Malaysia I will post some pictures of the Show when I return on Monday.Andre
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