Epson Stylus Pro 7600 Help!

[Dave Standen]

Hi Danny
What are you going to print and onto what material?
How much is the 7500?
Regards Dave Standen

[danny_uk]

Hi there,

I am looking to print on glossy paper, for indoors and exibitions. I found the printer ( Epson 7600 not 7500 ) for under £ 3000 brand new and I thought that is not that bad, but I don’t know how good is it; will it print on vinyl?

Thanks..

Daniel

[Dave Standen]

Hi Danny
No Epson printer will print onto vinyl unless it’s been modified to do so.
It will be excellent printing onto paper based & Tyvek type media
Tyvek type media is like untearable paper – a paper ‘plastic’ ie what Epson refer to as Banner material. All Epson info assumes a paper based media and using water based inks. 😕

When you move out of that field …. You now want Sign Industry type spec. Outdoor durable requiremets on Outdoor durable media. 😮

Once you’ve made your mind up which field you wish to aim at – then choose your printer accordingly. If you want outdoor durable – your into Roland, Mutoh printer land with EcoSolvent inks and such. 😥

So what do you want to do today – as the saying goes. (?)
Regards Dave Standen

[danny_uk]

Hi all…

Thanks a lot for your help. I think for the moment I will stick with the indoor promotional signage and banners and I will be buying the Epson 7600. I currently have a roland CX 24 and I am using it for car signage and all sorts. I see all the times cars with full graphics on and I was curious of what printers they use to do that.

( Dave Standen) It will be excellent printing onto paper based & Tyvek type media “”

I think thats the filed I will be chosing for the moment cause I don’t have to much money to be spending on the Roland, Mutoh for printing on to vinyl.

Will I be able to find bulk ink for this printer?

Will you recommend it for indoor promotional signage and banners or shall I look at another printer?

Thanks

[Dave Standen]

Hi Chalkie
Now look here! My behind is sore – people keep kicking it!
What have I said that’s wrong now!- Educate the ignorant …….
What Epson is for printing on Vinyl please?
What Epson inkset will print on vinyl please?

We’ not talking about coated vinyl etc – Outdoor Durable – Cost etc
as previously posted.
Regards Dave Standen

[danny_uk]

Guys you don’t need to argue on this now.
I really appreciate your help. I decided to purchase the printer for printing indoor digital graphics, and YES I did searched on the net and also been told that you can print on to suitable digitally receptive ink jet vinyl with this printer.

For that price is not bad really, bearing in mind that the other printers for outdoors are no less than 10 K

Thanks

Daniel

[Dave Standen]

Hi Chalkie
Sorry to be so long with reply – I’m having difficulty with posting messages, some sort of ‘server’ settling in or something.
You are quite right – my advice is very general – and as such can in some circumstances lead me to trouble – as in this case. Quick headline response makes for assumptions & generalities that perhaps are not as accurate as can be. But I try not to make long post’s to avoid boring people, again avoiding detail that gets me into trouble with you!
However….
Inkjets have moved on – expressed opinions must also move rapidly to keep up with developments. My opinion now is that Epson make wonderfull printers for printing on paper and coated media, but there are better alternatives for the Sign Industry these days, developed particularly for Outdoor Durablity, printing direct to vinyl. I now know you can advise on the range of capabilities of the 7600, & I shall be pleased to encourage your opinions in the future.

Hi Danny
Bulk Inks. You will need a bulk ink delivery system – do you have? Cartridges for the 7600 are 200mL I believe, which is a fair amount of printing. Maybe the Dye-Sub folks will know of a bulk delivery system that’s good – Listerwood maybe?
You should use pigmented inks if you are producing display printing that can be exposed to the sun – standard inks will fade.

[Mike Antrum]

Hi Guys

The Epson 7600 is pretty pretty much exclusively in the UK with what Espon call ‘Ultrachrome’ inks. These are in fact a pigment ink that has a wide gamut and bright output. You should get a pretty good U.V. life out of these standard inks.

A bulk ink system can save you a lot of money, but be careful, as the 7600 uses cartridges with a chip on to prevent the use of Non-Epson ink.
You would have to get round this if you wanted to use third party ink.

A customer of mine is buying dye ink from somewhere (for proofing) for less than £10 for a 220ml cartridge. But he has to use older machines like the Epson 7000 and Roland HiFijet that don’t have chipped ink cartridges.

The Epson 7600 is awesome value for money, so enjoy !

Regards,
Mike Antrum
Solutions 2

[Dave Standen]

Hi Mike
So what happens if you wish to print onto naked vinyl with the 7600?
Can we sort machines to clearly state Outdoor Durable – 3-5 life unlaminated – on non coated media or Indoor Display work output perhaps?
Regards Dave Standen

[Mike Antrum]

Hi Dave

Sorry if my post was confusing, but I thought that the previous posts had made it quite clear that the Epson range of LFP’s were only capable of printing onto coated media. So just to emphasize:

Dye ink – Coated Media Only

Pigment ink – Coated Media Only

Solvent Ink – Coated and Uncoated Media depending on the machine.

To answer your question – if you printed onto standard vinyl with a 7600 you would quite literally get a ‘bleeding mess’ with ink running all over the place.

The Ultrachrome ink, however, means that the fading of the ink due to U.V. would not be the limiting factor in selecting this machine. The water fastness, lack of durability, cost of coated media and conformability and other properties of the coated media are the main limiting factors.

As an indoor printer it is bargain. As a sign-making machine it is severely compromised.

However, with Epson 7600 costing £ 2k, and the least expensive solvent being the VersaCamm at £ 9k, sometimes the choice of machine is made for you.

Regards,

Mike.

[Dave Standen]

Hi Mike
Your post confirms what I have said earlier. – Cheers
Regards Dave Standen