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Best printer to go with my cutter – opinions?
Hay Guys!
i have the Graphtec CE3000, and wondered about getting a printer. But im not sure what to get. I don’t really wand a ‘print and cut’ cos i have a cutter.what printer should i get? im a small outfit, so nothing to expensive. I would like to be able to make stickers and small panels for vans ect.
what do u reckon?
CheersD
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24 Replies
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Yup – yuo should get a printre. Thease are veri handy thigns that are grate fro sign compaknees. Bye a cheap one now befour its two lait.
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Del it might be worth having a browse through the older posts in the printing forum see what comes up? I dont know much about printers sorry so cant really offer much help on that? Im sure someone will advise or recommend something sooner or later though 😉
:lol1: :lol1: Phil … have you been standing too close to your Lorraine Kelly life size print out again 😛 😉 Its gone to your head!! Not that kind of head …. oh the smut!!
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has he been drinking or somthing?
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I’ve sobered up a bit now though 😳
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😀
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Del,
Do a couple of Searches.. ie. versacamm, cadet, print and cut… etc.
It has been talked about here at great lengths.
there isn’t an answer to your question in a couple of paragraphs.
it’s going to take you a while to research an find out what you need or want. I’ve been going through it for a while as well as many others i know.
there isn’t really a “get a cheap one to dabble in” option. Only maybe an old used pc60… but no printer is cheap or simple.
again, plan on spending some time learning about them.. it’ll take a while.steve
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I agree wholeheartedly with Steves advice. A used PC60 or PC600 is probably a good starting point and a cheap way to get into digital and learn how to use it before spending a lot on a new printer.
We have had a PC600 for 4 years now and recently upgraded to a Cadet, but the majority of our work is still cut vinyl.
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mmm.i will have to look into it then, i dont think im ready for a big plunge just yet, but i am being asked now and then for prints and it gets a bit enoying to keep subbing.
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Del,
I sub for prints and it isn’t much of a bother after you find someone that’s easy to work with. Shop around and try a few places. It’s competitive now so prices aren’t crazy.
It’s give and take so when you develope a relationship with a sub and make it easy on them (Good Files)… it’ll be easy on you.
I do about 3 or 4 prints a month. hardly enough to justify the investment, but easily done with subbing.
Like everything… the more you do, the easier it gets. -
yea, i know ur right Steve 😉
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if you can get by, by subbing out do so mate. only decide to jump on board once you feel that your subbing often enough to take on the debt of a print & cut machine.
some buy one to get into the print game, which can be difficult if you are completely on your own. there is the ongoing headache of the dreaded “learning curve” that many forget. 😕 -
We sub out all our prints ….. as long as you have a good, reliable supplier I think its the best way to go unless of course you are getting huge amounts in to warrant the expense of another machine.
😀
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yea cheers guys, good to know.
Hay Carrie, can you rcomend a good supplier that i can call apon now and again?
Cheers
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Del, we use a member from here Mort aka Paul Goodwin. Im sure if you got in touch with him he would be happy to quote on jobs for you. He’s a fab bloke and we have been using him for a while now. Im sure he wont mind me saying this. He’s not a supplier or anything he’s a sign maker like the rest of us but he responded to a quote request once that I put up here and we have continued to use him ever since.
😀
Ok Mort … where my £50 😉 :lol1: only joking!!
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Another thing to remember if you are still in the frame of mind of buying a printer is that the ce3000 machines do not have an optical sensor therefor you will not be able to cut using crop marks on the graphtec, which is important….
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so it would have to be a print n cut machine then, mmm im starting to think subbing will do for now 😉
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I’d Print for ya but thinkin that maybe the postal costs might just be a little high, went uniform with a cadet plus which lasted a month and traded up to a grenadier. Magical machines both if you are to make a purchase. They do pay for themselves after the inital waste stage that rob spoke of. But it is a big leap…. How much is trade printing costing that side of the water?
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so just out of interest, are wide format ink jet printers no good for signs than? They are cheep in comparison. Im i right in thinking the prints will fade? was looking around the net last night and they look good for the money… for stickers and things, onto inkjet vinyl then laminated maybe?
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JV3 doesn’t have a cut side… but it has a sister cutter called a CG-FX, this is just a general purpose cutter with an excellent registration mark detector, both work completely independently. The CG-FX works with Corel and Illustrator as a plugin.
As the printers can take ages to print, we would have to wait until the printer finished printing before cutting vinyl, so we prefer to keep all the cutting seperate, our cutter is used a fair bit so makes sense. Also, reversing print in a JV3 for cutting is not a good idea (as the ink is touch-wet) and the rollers with mark the print as they are tight for holding banner material well, the JV3 grips the material solid so you get less buckling.
However the Uniforms are good machines, ideal for startups.
Digital printers these days are not often rated for light-durability (UV), most signs normally need attention to after 3-4 years so generally a solvent print will last that long ‘before’ starting to fade. If laminated they last longer, but sign making vinyls are normally 5-7 year respectivly.
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my Graphtec CE3000 mk2 has a registration mark detector, just would be nice to have an afordable priter to go along side
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I Make stickers and use a Graphtec 3000 Mk2 with an Epson 7000 Pro Printer – The Printer does exactly what i wanted and has a good Resolution if your making small stickers. I got advice on UK Sign Boards before i took this option. I also have to use a Cold Laminator to increase the light fastness & Weathering properties of the stickers.
Pros
(1) i found it Easy to get spares & they are cheap due to it being a 2002 model ( I just had to fit a new print head only cost me £45 and found it quite easy to fit, with the help of the epson Service manual.
(2) No Messy bleeding & Priming Procedures
(3) If you are like me and don’t want solvents in a 9ft by 5ft room
(4) Cost – You can buy a good Epson 7000 Pro for around £700
(5) Print – I really can not fault the Resolution & Black is Really BLACK !
cons
(1) Must use Cool to Cold Lamination after drying print !
(2) Must Use Inks suitable for job in hand (Sometimes Expensive)
(3) It’s no Dragster – Without A RIP it does take quite a time to complete a job
(4) Hates Windows XP causes communications Errors
(5) Making the Graphtec 3000 cutting file for your print is a right Pain in the proverbial – but this is not the printers fault.
Before you go ahead try making a cutting file for the Graphtec 3000 it might change your mind about the whole thing 🙂 Wish i had !
These i my own Views & you should do as much research before committing your hand to your wallet .
Hope this of some Use 🙂
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yes thats does help, as regards smells, i also am in a small room, well, garage, and worried about the fumes woffting into next doors window 😮
so i was thinking of an eco printer, but yet again, lots a dosh for a new up-starter like me.
I think i may sub out the big stuff and think a bit harder on looking into inkjet and cutting on my cutter :banghead:
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quote TheDecalMan:I Make stickers and use a Graphtec 3000 Mk2 with an Epson 7000 Pro Printer –Interesting, can you post some examples please?
quote TheDecalMan:Before you go ahead try making a cutting file for the Graphtec 3000 it might change your mind about the whole thing 🙂 Wish i had !So if you had the chance to buy again with the same budget, what would you have done differently please?
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good questians Andrew 😉
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