Ezy Taper

[Martin Pearson]

Gavin, I don’t own one and probably would never buy one but if you read through some of the other posts about them some people seem to love them and others are not so keen.
I suppose it really depends what you want it for, if you are looking for a machine just to apply application tape then I would say it does a good job but is expensive as you can make a dispenser for next to nothing. If you are looking for a machine to apply application tape, laminate graphics and apply vinyl to substrates like foamex, dibond, correx etc then it would probably be quite a good investment.
I know Shane has one and loves it so maybe he will post his opinion latter.

[Shane Drew]

quote Gavin MacMillan:

After reading Martins post about the angle thing… what do people make of the ezy taper?

The answer to all problems, a giant rip of or somewhere in between?

Anyone got any clues on what these things cost?

Cheers

Gavin

best thing I’ve purchased for my one man shop. I know some here have had some probs tho, not sure if they have been addressed by the UK distributors yet.

I’ve had one of the first ever built though, and frankly I can’t imagine life without it now.

A few Chinese clones becoming available, but from what I hear, they are not very well made, and have a few issues with quality.

There is a link on the main page of UKSB’s for ezy taper europe, and I’m sure they will be at the sign show again this year.

[Gavin MacMillan]

Glowing report Shane!

We would use it for coating and applying prints to boards. Can’t see the benefit for app tape, but I’m probably just stuck in my ways. Anyone out there hate them then? Would be good to hear of the issues people have. I’ve seen the promo DVD and it looks great, but there not going to show someone making a complete mess are they!

I’m probably more curious than really interested in buying one, although you know what they say about a fool and his money!

Gavin

[Shane Drew]

quote Gavin MacMillan:

Glowing report Shane!

We would use it for coating and applying prints to boards. Can’t see the benefit for app tape, but I’m probably just stuck in my ways. Anyone out there hate them then? Would be good to hear of the issues people have. I’ve seen the promo DVD and it looks great, but there not going to show someone making a complete mess are they!

I’m probably more curious than really interested in buying one, although you know what they say about a fool and his money!

Gavin

Like anything Gavin, it takes practice. I lay 1200×1800 digital prints on dibond, PVC, flute and glass everyday of the week now. All by myself. I stuff up every now and then, but usually only when I’m trying to rush, or I get a bit cocky :lol1: A 1200×1800 board takes me about 3 minutes each, no water, no bubble, no sweat. 😛

I don’t use it to apply application tape unless I’m laying 1200 wide stuff over computer cut signs. I stuck 1200 x 1500 computer cut signs to steel last week, (7 Sheets) had the job cut, weeded, application tape via the ezy taper, and then laid on the steel with the ezy taper, all within the hour.

As I say, its like a second staff member now…. working without pay! 🙄

[Graeme Speirs]

does anyone know the cost of the 60" version in UK £s please?

cheers
graeme

[Karen O Hagan]

Hi Graham
Please contact us through the website,just click on the advert on the uksignboards front page and we will send an upto date price and offer details for UKSG members
Thanks
Karen

[John Childs]

Shane,

I haven’t really looked at Ezy-Tapers but, as you seem to be the most experienced with them, what comments would you make about machines with a handle on them, instead of a motor?

[Shane Drew]

quote John Childs:

Shane,

I haven’t really looked at Ezy-Tapers but, as you seem to be the most experienced with them, what comments would you make about machines with a handle on them, instead of a motor?

I’ve had both John.

I was not interested with the ezy taper when I first saw the blurb to be honest. I had an ancient Fordigraph that I’d picked up 2nd hand, and it did the job on small runs reasonably well. The only reason I thought about changing is because, once you got the lamination going, if something went wrong, you couldn’t just stop it instantly and go back. Mine didn’t have a foot pedal I should just add. The feeling of having no control once the motor took over annoyed me. The other issue was its preset material thickness was a pain to get right. I am laying material over .8mm steel, 3mm corflute, 5.3mm image board, 6mm epvc and 9mm compressed timber… all in the one day usually. trying to get the thickness adjustment right was a pain in the butt.

It was not until I had a demo of the ezy taper that I realised that the manual turning was the control I actually wanted. You turn at your own speed, fast or slow, and its not hard to turn either. I just stand to the side of the unit and turn, keeping an eye out for any problems. Its self adjusting upto 10mm thick, and I have no problems working it on my own. Also, I have it sitting on the end of my glass top table, so I don’t have any footprint issue either.

I was offered an upgrade to the newest one a while back, I believe it takes much thicker items, but Warrick has not ever followed through with it so I’m not really sure whats happening there. I’d ordered a stand for mine too, but I think they are busy filling orders for you guys over there, and I have to wait 😛

No safety issues with electric motors and stuff either, which is a bonus when the kids are with me after school.

I think people get hung up on the automation of a motorised system. One local company uses the ezy taper to lay film on glass, with water running over it constantly to prevent static and dust being caught under the surface. Couldn’t do that with a motor 😮

I run all sorts of substrates through the thing one after the other, from magnetic material to glass, laying computer cut signs, digital prints and lamination. I’m not sure that the bigger electric units are as versatile to be honest, especially for a one man operation.

Hope that answers the question John 😛

[John Childs]

Thanks for clearing that up Shane.

It doesn’t really affect us because all we do is laminate prints, but the versatility is a good point.

We use a Seal powered laminator and it just crossed my mind that a manual machine requires an extra hand just to turn the handle. Ours is actually quite controllable with variable speed, foot and panel control etc, and we can stop it mid run, go back a bit and start again. We’ve never had a problem on that score.

I also prefer to laminate with a bit of heat. It eliminates silvering but, more importantly, colours seem a bit more vivid and vibrant when laminated hot. Obviously not something that can be done on a manual machine.

On a similar note, my dad was on Tank Landing Craft during the war. He says that after they had run up on the beaches and dropped off the tanks their boats had a sodding great handle on each side to get the ramp back up, and all the while they were doing that they were exposed to fire from the defences. He was most jealous of the Americans, where the captain only had to press a button on the bridge of their boats, and with a whir of the motors the ramp came up automatically, while the crew sheltered behind something solid.

We don’t get many snipers in the sign trade, but just in case there is an irate customer out there, watch your back. 😀

[Gavin MacMillan]

Probably a daft question but can these things be used to dry apply a clear coating over digi prints?

I was talking to the guy today and they seem like a good machine although pretty pricey. Definitely see the benefit when your on your own though!

[Ian Higgins]

Hi,

I have owned an Ezy- Taper for nearly a year now.

It has not been plain sailing but, I have to admit it is a great piece of kit.

I do a lot of large prints onto foamboard and also a bit of laminating of prints.

I went to sign uk last year to see the demo after I had heard Shanes reviews on here. Having watched Warwick use it I was that impressed that I parted with the cash there and then.
A few weeks later it turned up and it was a nightmare!!! could not get rid of bubbles, creases all over theplace I was not a happy Bunny!! I contacted Peter from Ezy-Taper and he asked me to do a few checks and he quickly realised that mine was one of a batch of ten that were made using the wrong steel!

A new machine was promised and a few weeks later it arrived. Doing small stuff was a piece of cake but anything large was proving very difficult. I again contacted Peter from Ezy-Taper and he tried everyting possible over the phone to sort it out but to no avail. I was getting a little paranoid as I began to think we were doing something wrong!! I tried everything you could imagine to try to get it working but it kept putting bubbles into the print! I even had Warwick ring me from Austrailia to see what was going wrong.

Eventually Peter came to have a look at the machine and as soon as he wound the handle he knew there was a problem! This one had been twisted in transit and the rollers were not running square.

Peter explained that they had now replaced the shipping company and things were now sorted so I waited for machine number 3 to arrive!

I have to admit that I was very close to throwing in the towel and telling Peter where to put his machine, fortunatly I did not! since the new one arrived it has been plain sailing!!! mounting onto foam board or di bond 8×4 sheets is a 1 man opperation. Flood coating is very simple, once you have the vinyl lined up in the machine it takes about 45 seconds to do a sheet. Great for mounting prints onto board and pretty good for laminating too. I have to be honest and say that when I laminate prints I do get a very small amount of silvering but I am very critical.

So after all that waffle…. Would I buy another one if this one broke?? YES 100% I would.

Cheers
Ian

[Shane Drew]

quote Gavin MacMillan:

Probably a daft question but can these things be used to dry apply a clear coating over digi prints?

Yes Gavin. I don’t get much, if any, silvering here at all, and if there is any, it is gone once the print settles.

Ian, I know there was some probs over there, and I know Warrick was very concerned what was going on overseas, he was pulling his hair out, not that he has much left to pull out :lol1:

I’m really pleased it has been worked out. Being the person most people looked at for the initial recommendation, I did feel a responsibility here, and I did keep in touch with warrick to make sure something was being done for you guys.

Nothing I could do but keep an eye on the boards and report any dissatisfaction unfortunately. I know a few had similar woes, and I know Peter and Warrick worked hard to trace the cause. I also know it cost Warrick a bundle to correct (ie replacement machines etc) I can only hope he sues the transport co’s for compensation.

I think it is a good litmus test for any manufacturer, to have a ‘major’ issue with a machine, and see how they respond. I think Warrick and Maree, his better half, passed the test, from what I hear. It would not have been easy tho.

[Chris Wool]

quote :

es Gavin. I don’t get much, if any, silvering here at all, and if there is any, it is gone once the print settles.

its that hot down there you dont need a heater 😉

chris
last mon & tues i could not get warm 2 coats on viny was snapping in protest.

[Shane Drew]

quote Chris Wool:

quote :

es Gavin. I don’t get much, if any, silvering here at all, and if there is any, it is gone once the print settles.

its that hot down there you dont need a heater 😉

chris
last mon & tues i could not get warm 2 coats on viny was snapping in protest.

I don’t know about cold chris…. got down to 21 deg c last night…. I actually thought about sleeping under a cotton sheet :lol1:

The problem I have here is that the humidity and heat gets so bad, the adhesion on the glue is immense. I couldn’t do a window for instance like Rob does in his demo, because the ambient temp is so high some days, once the tape sticks, it stretches trying to lift it off.

I’m laying 6mtrs x 1200mm 3M frosted crystal on glass this coming tuesday, praying for a cold snap….
😕

[Chris Wool]

quote :

got down to 21 deg c last night….

shame shane.

do you fit some things at night for that reason .

Chris

[Shane Drew]

I have fitted in the evening to overcome the humidity, but its summer storm season, and the way my luck runs some days, the evening I plan to work, I usually have to contend with thunder and lightning 😕 not to mention the power blackouts that some times accompany them. Tho, to be honest not too many storms this year so far, thats why we are running out of drinking water here.

[Karen O Hagan]

I feel the Ezy Taper is misunderstood(a bit like myself).If someone enquired about the Ezy Taper and all they did was to put a clear laminate onto a digital print then I would have to say other machines in the marketplace maybe more suitable and it could be argued that heat would be benefical in some cases.For most Ezy Taper Owners the working day doesnt have large production runs of lamination but short daily routines of masking up,print mounting applying cut vinyl to boards and some lamination and this what the Ezy Taper caters for.Because it self adjusts the benefit is the time saved between processes which in turn makes it user friendly.The perfect laminator???maybe not, a great signmaking tool for saving time,for sure.
In answer to many peoples question of why the Ezy Taper is as expensive as a electric laminator please compare the build quality and also the quality of the rollers which in any laminator make up the bulk of the cost.The cheaper the roller the less likely it will be to stand up to the wear and tear of more damaging materials like glass and metal.The 35mm thickness of special compond that surrounds the steel bar allows you to confidently put through any material without fear of damage.I know a lot of people have opinions for and against the Ezy Taper but its like any purchase you need to ask what do I need for MY business,everyone is different.

[John Childs]

Thanks for that clarificaton Karen.

Very helpful.

[Shane Drew]

quote karen o hagan:

I feel the Ezy Taper is misunderstood(a bit like myself).If someone enquired about the Ezy Taper and all they did was to put a clear laminate onto a digital print then I would have to say other machines in the marketplace maybe more suitable and it could be argued that heat would be benefical in some cases.For most Ezy Taper Owners the working day doesnt have large production runs of lamination but short daily routines of masking up,print mounting applying cut vinyl to boards and some lamination and this what the Ezy Taper caters for.Because it self adjusts the benefit is the time saved between processes which in turn makes it user friendly..

Well said Karen, from one misunderstood person to another 😉

Comes back to the versatility thing I mentioned earlier.

I can buy a Daige laminator cheaper than I can buy the ezy taper (I actually ordered one before I saw the ET), but the daige is no where near as versatile as the ET. Which makes the ET much better value.

[Karen O Hagan]

As a woman in the sign industry I was always the one to be given weeding duties of small text and other non profit making sign duties.The Ezy Taper changed the way we worked as I was now able to work with "The Sticky backed plastic" without being afraid of it no matter how big(Yes Size does matter) I can produce graphics that time served vinyl applicators produce in a fraction of the time giving my other half more time installing.(pity you cant put a transit through it).The Ezy Taper allowed me to be a profitable part of the business and not just someone to be shouted at everytime I didnt hold the tape or vinyl correctly with my partner at the other end.I now do lots of cheap for sale boards on correx that were not profitable before the Ezy Taper but now laid perfectly and still home in time for cooking tea.( a womans work is never done)Everyone who owns a Ezy Taper would agree that by taking the skill away from handling vinyl increases productivity and so enabling more money to be made from the job.Nothing makes me smile more than finishing lots of the jobs we used to do as a couple on my own without the arguments that prevailed and the not dreading on the way to work all those mundane jobs I hate.

[Shane Drew]

The ET replaced my mum actually, and she is not happy about either,

Nothing my mum likes better is to ‘mix it’ with my clients. Mum, Dad and I work very well together, but mum just does the weeding now, then gets bored because there is nothing else to do… She is the chief coffee maker now… I keep telling her I got the ET so her and dad didn’t have to work so hard. At 68 & 70, they should be working less, not more. She wont have a bar of it. Dads happy to watch me though…. reckons I was happy to watch him work hard in my youth, now its his turn to watch me 😕

I keep telling him he should be nice to me because I’ll be the one to choose his retirement home 🙄

You are right tho Karen, makes those previously unprofitable labour intensive jobs a much better proposition now.

[Joe McNamara]

I’d agree with Karen about it maybe not being the very best laminator in the world.
You do get a little silvering, but I find this has usually cleared after a couple of days.

As for the other uses for this versatile machine – well I couldn’t be without mine.

I have a new girl working in the shop who can now weed perfectly BUT, she can apply vinyl onto correx boards, vehicle magnets (we do a lot of these for the taxi companies) and onto foamex boards.

If it wasn’t for the ezytaper, I’d be paying her just to sit here while I’m out fitting or measuring up jobs!

I hear this type of praise from other people who’ve bought an ezytaper.

We rarely lay vinyl by hand anymore – too much like hard work!!!

Cheers
Joe

[Lorraine Clinch]

So do you line up your cut vinyl (text, or whatever) as usual on the board?

[Karen O Hagan]

Hi lorraine
in regards to mounting cut graphics to a sheet the process remains basically the same as a digital print but you would first apply application tape to the graphics with the Ezy Taper.Then place the graphic where you need it on the sheet( i sometimes tape it where it needs to go depending on size of graphic and the size of board)As soon as the sheet and the graphic go into the rollers the graphic is held in position and cannot move.for a safe guard you can turn the handle and do a dry run so you can check that its exactly where you want it (This is also usefull if you are mounting a digital print with no bleed)Bring the print back to the start position and start the process of mounting.I dont know if this makes sense if you have never seen one working but on the website videos can be downloaded showing all of the processes in real time.Hope this is of some help.

[Maurice McNicholl]

As someone who got all my advice from these forums before buying my Ezytaper I would recommend it to other beginners like myself. I had real difficulties to start with – lots of wrinkling and skewing of media. After advice from Peter, a good look at the videos and a bit of experimenting it now works well.
I can do things i thought I could never get skilled at – as a beginner I always thought there was some magic I was missing – turns out it was just an Ezytaper!!

Thanks for the advice I got here. I dont regret my purchase.

Maurice

[Shane Drew]

quote Lorraine Clinch:

So do you line up your cut vinyl (text, or whatever) as usual on the board?

Lorraine, you can do as Karen says, but I use the hinge method myself. Its quick and easy, plus you don’t need to do the ‘test run’ because you set it right when you position it. You premask your computer cut as normal, then you tape the leading edge to the substrate, then as it goes thru the ezy taper, you pull the backing paper off, and it lays it down picture perfect every time.

Warrick tells me he will be back at the UK sign show, so he or Peter will show you I’m sure, if you just ask them.

I actually upgraded my old machine for the new model yesterday, and its MUCH BETTER than my old one. Mine could only do 9-10mm max thickness substrate, this one does 30mm max. Warrick explained to me at length about the problems you guys were experiencing over there too. Must have been a nightmare for all concerned. Glad it’s all sorted. Explains why I got a few very anxious emails and phone calls too. 😛

Really pleased your up and running now Maurice. I’m like you. Can’t be without mine now.

To me, its obvious that Warrick and Maree really do listen to all ideas and problems, taking everything on board for consideration. This new machine is a perfect example of ezy taper moving forward in design and ideas, compared to my old original one. My faith in the product has never been in doubt, but I’m even more impressed with this new unit. Like a kid with a new toy 😛

[simon gregory]

hi,
i have always been interested in the EZY Taper, and reading the positive response it has got on here i am seriously considering buying one,

I had heard they had come down in price too, does anyone know the going rate for one these days in the UK?

[Joe McNamara]

I’m not sure about the price coming down…I haven’t heard about that.

If anyone wants to see an ezytaper working you’re more than welcome to pop into my shop in Bristol for a demo!

There are some demos being planned for later this year as well round the UK, but I’ll put more details as I get them from peter.

The ezytaper is probably as valuable to you as your plotter!

Cheers
Joe

[Graeme Speirs]

i would be keen to mount say 8ft x 2ft corex 11mm with digitally printed graphics, would you guys say the ezy taper could do this fairly easily? i was concerned that over the 8ft the graphic might deviate and not line up correctly?

I have the option to buy one just now and am just weighing up the pros and cons (space being the main issue!!).

Being a one man band I think this could really help me out as mounting 8ft boards etc is a nightmare and inevitably the standards sometimes slip.

Judging by shanes views it sounds great.
cheers
graeme

[simon gregory]

quote Joe McNamara:

I’m not sure about the price coming down…I haven’t heard about that.

If anyone wants to see an ezytaper working you’re more than welcome to pop into my shop in Bristol for a demo!

There are some demos being planned for later this year as well round the UK, but I’ll put more details as I get them from peter.

The ezytaper is probably as valuable to you as your plotter!

Cheers
Joe

Joe,

Not so much as coming down but i got a call from a rep the other day saying they were on offer, i politely declined as id just bought a digital printer, but now the people who used to do our prints are refusing to laminate for us so need to look out for a new laminator

[simon gregory]

So… the Ezy Taper arrived yesterday,
After reading the positive comments on here i decided to part with the hard earned.
Im glad i did, i fitted, laminated and cut 10 3’x2′ foamex boards in 2.5 hours (bear in mind an hour + of that was spent with the stanley and a straight edge)

Its a fantastic piece of kit and i i agree with everyone else on here, cutting out the skilled aspect saves a lot of time, we are looking to build a bench either side of the taper so its easier to load up etc on large boards

I ordered in a hexis laminate as they stated all their laminates was suitable for cold laminating, i also do not regularly laminate but still have the need for it occasionaly, i have to admit there was some silvering, but it was a first attempt, does anyone know a REALLY good lamimnate available in the uk especially for cold laminating?

Also slightly off topic i have been looking into a device for cutting foamex(the hour + spent cutting 5mm foamex was spent wondering why i dont have something to make it easier) 🙄

I have been looking at the Javelin Guillotines, i have used one before and thought it was good, but nothing too special, so i looked into them today and was astounded by the price, does anyone have any recomendations for a high quality cutting device?

many thanks

[Lorraine Clinch]

Thought I would just let you all know that I am having an EzyTaper delivered tomorrow, on trial, so I can get to grips with it before Sign UK. I couldn’t get near their stand last year for a demo, so I’m going one better this year! :lol1:

Simon

I have a Keencut Excalibur, which I mainly use for 5mm foamex and 3mm Dibond, and I can honestly say it has saved me hours and £££’s, as I no longer waste boards by slipping with the Stanley knife. The ONLY drawback is that I cannot cut over about 5.5 feet, then I need to get the electric sawout, which is a real PITA.

[Ian Higgins]

Lorraine…
Just wondered how you are getting on with your EZY Taper..

[Lorraine Clinch]

…………….still in the box on the floor at the moment Ian 😳
Have to wait for Geoff to put the stand together & lift the machine onto it. (It’s not lightweight, is it!) Should be up & running by the end of today.

[Colin Crow]

Had our ezyTaper for some time now but still not entirely happy with it. Never successfully applied application tape without wrinkling and ruining the vinyl so have given up with that now. Works fine most of the time applying small to medium size prints to panels but skewing has always been a problem and laminating can be hit and miss.

Peter has tried to help by sending the center adjustment modification to eliminate the obvious uneven gap across the rollers but I have not seen the pressure sensitive tester or the loading handles promised some time ago. I suspect mine was possibly one the units that suffered damage on the journey from Aus and consequently has inherent problems. I was hoping to bring this up with Peter or Warwick next week at the NEC.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has had similar problems?

Colin

[Shane Drew]

quote Colin@BECC:

Had our ezyTaper for some time now but still not entirely happy with it. Never successfully applied application tape without wrinkling and ruining the vinyl so have given up with that now. Works fine most of the time applying small to medium size prints to panels but skewing has always been a problem and laminating can be hit and miss.

Peter has tried to help by sending the center adjustment modification to eliminate the obvious uneven gap across the rollers but I have not seen the pressure sensitive tester or the loading handles promised some time ago. I suspect mine was possibly one the units that suffered damage on the journey from Aus and consequently has inherent problems. I was hoping to bring this up with Peter or Warwick next week at the NEC.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has had similar problems?

Colin

Colin, sorry to hear about your dramas…

.. yes a few did have probs with damage in transit, but talking to warrick the other day, he thought everyone was fixed. I’m sure he’ll be keen to fix this when he is there next. Certainly bring it up with him, or contact him in oz directly at ezytaper.net

[Jason Xuereb]

Hey Lorraine when you get going would like to hear a first time users feedback on the ezytaper. It looks like its going to be our next equipment purchase.

Were looking at using it for a range of purposes from applying application tape to larger vinyl, flood coating dibond & colourbond, cold laminating some prints.

In the demo videos I see that they use it to applying text etc to panels. Does the machine keep the alignment once its set? Or is it mainly due to the skill of the operator.

Cheers
Jason

[Shane Drew]

quote jxuereb:

In the demo videos I see that they use it to applying text etc to panels. Does the machine keep the alignment once its set? Or is it mainly due to the skill of the operator.

Cheers
Jason

Bit of both. The alignment does not change, but if the operator isn’t paying attention, its easy to make a mistake 😳 (been there, got the shirt)

[Lorraine Clinch]

Well, I had a play yesterday, and I have to say that, so far, I am chuffed to bits!
I have applied app tape, (24" max at the moment, but I couldn’t have done that width by hand), and text onto panels. I’m going to finish these, then I have a panel to flood coat on both sides.
So far it has been a doddle, got it right first time, no bubbles or creasing, and I love it! :dance4:

[Shane Drew]

quote Lorraine Clinch:

So far it has been a doddle, got it right first time, no bubbles or creasing, and I love it! :dance4:

my wife always says if a bloke can do it, should be no drama for a woman. If she reads your post, I’ll never hear the end of it 😕 :lol1:

Glad you like it Lorraine. Pretty cunning salesman to leave it with you to try. 😛

[Lorraine Clinch]

Yes, and I don’t suppose I will want it to go back, but that’s what the trial is all about, after all :lol1:
I don’t know, though, whether I should have requested the wider aperture machine….

[Shane Drew]

quote Lorraine Clinch:

Yes, and I don’t suppose I will want it to go back, but that’s what the trial is all about, after all :lol1:
I don’t know, though, whether I should have requested the wider aperture machine….

I’ve got both. The smaller one did me for a few years, and although I have the wider one now, I’ve not put anything thru it that I couldn’t do with the old (thinner) one.

If your going to invest, and you can stretch your budget, I’d buy the wider one though. You’ve only got to use it once to realise that it was worth the extra money. Nothing worse than wanting to use the facility available and you can’t when the time comes…

[Peter Shaw]

quote :

I have applied app tape, (24″ max at the moment, but I couldn’t have done that width by hand),

Why not? Up to, say, 3m x 610mm is OK for 1 person by hand.

[Lorraine Clinch]

quote Peter Shaw:

quote :

I have applied app tape, (24″ max at the moment, but I couldn’t have done that width by hand),

Why not? Up to, say, 3m x 610mm is OK for 1 person by hand.

Peter, my arm isn’t strong enough to hold a full roll of app. tape at 24" wide, the most I can manage is 16", and I don’t have a tape dispenser (or should that be ‘didn’t’?)

[George Elsmore]

[/quote]Peter, my arm isn’t strong enough the most I can manage is 16"quote]

OOOO MATRON!

[Lorraine Clinch]

I wondered who would be the first to comment…..it just HAD to be you George :lol1:

[George Elsmore]

😳 it just came out

[Derek Heron]

quote George Elsmore:

😳 it just came out

steady george

[George Elsmore]

I am digging a deeper hole best get me coat 😕

[Jason Xuereb]

Hey Lorraine,

You have any updates on the usuage? Any problems you’ve encountered?

[John Childs]

quote Peter Shaw:

Up to, say, 3m x 610mm is OK for 1 person by hand.

That makes me feel inadequate. 😀

Not that I have to do it very often, so I don’t get the practice, but about the largest I can manage on my own is about 300mm.

My girls can manage much larger rolls than that and I think the difference is that they can get their little hands inside the roll.

[Joe McNamara]

Hi all,

A lot of you will have seen me doing demos of the ezytaper at Sign UK.

Like a lot of ezytaper owners I got one after looking at other laminators first.
(the guy from GMP got so fed up of my questions that he told me if the ezytaper is so good why didn’t I p*** off and get one of them then – this was after he messed up 3 correx boards trying to mount digi-prints onto them :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: )

Anyway- I must have phoned Peter 20 times before committing to the machine, and even before this Peter gave me a machine on trial to see if I could get on with it.

I managed to talk myself into a deal and have agreed to help ezytaper in the UK and Ireland by doing some demos and trying to do some troubleshooting if anyone has any problems with the machine.

I’ll be going to see Peter in Spain in the next few weeks to learn all the ins and outs of the machine – dismantling repairing etc and how to help customers to overcome the common difficulties people have when learning to use the ezytaper.

In the meantime if anyone needs help with it (and if you can’t get hold of Peter) you can ring my shop on 0117 9655550 and I’ll do my best !

Like I said in a previous post, I couldn’t do without the machine now and I only got involved with the company because I believe in the product 100%.

It was nice to meet a lot of you with ezytapers at the show and it was fun doing the demos with Peter (but hard work being on yer feet for three days).

Cheers
Joe

PS and thanks to Peter for bringing the ezytaper to this side of the world!

[Richard Barraclough]

Hi jo, does this peter have a sign company here in spain?? and if so whats it called? i live 10mins away from lubrin and planned a trip to see a demo but carnt seem to contact them EVER!!!!, i ve had no reply by email iether, Ive been in the sign industry 21 yrs so id like to see how it performs before i purchase obviously.

Do you know his second name?

reg
rich 😮 😮 🙄

[Colin Crow]

Hi Joe

When I met you on the stand I knew I had seen your face before but have only just realised it was here on the forum!

Quick update to my previous problems with my EzyTaper – Having discussed this with Peter prior to NEC it seems I may have had the last rogue taper and he has now supplied a complete new machine and all is now working as it should.

Absolutely Brilliant service (given this was more than 6 months old) and for anyone still hesitating just buy it – I guarantee within a very short time you will kick yourself for not buying it earlier!

Colin

[Joe McNamara]

Hi Richard,

Yes Peter (Horner) does have a sign company in Spain and will be more than happy to demo the machine to you – I’m sure….
He’s in Almeria:

Plaza de la constitucion 12
Lubrin 04271
Almeria
Espana
Phone: 0844 734 8596 or (0034) 950 477 199

I don’t know why you’re having trouble contacting him – I rang him today about 2 o’ clock and he answered! (but up to his ears in work)

If you have trouble contacting him just PM me your details and I’ll get him to contact you.

Colin – nice to see you on the stand as well – I’m glad you got such good service from Peter – it’s the main reason I agreed to get involved with ezytaper Europe – Peter is a top notch bloke and his experience in the sign business is amazing, and he really does care about his customers.
Believe it or not Colin, I still don’t have the extra roller for the middle – meself and Peter were so knackered after 3 days on the stand I forgot to get it from him (but I can still do the ezytaper magic without it !)

Cheers
Joe

[Richard Barraclough]

Thanx joe, peter has been in contact today, i had lost track of time, didnt realise sign uk was on!!!!! tooooooo busy. He would obviously have been there when i was trying to email/ tel them.

thanx again
rich

[Jason Xuereb]

To Drew and others. Do you have the 12mm or the 30mm models? We are about to decide which one to purchase and I can’t see any advantages of the 30mm model.

Thickest stuff I can see I’d like to do is 3mm dibond

Any advice?

[Colin Crow]

12mm model for me. In 6 months of mainly mounting onto foamex and dibond, only once had need to mount onto something thicker which was overcome by thickening up edge of 10mm foamex after mounting. (print needed to be wrapped around 20mm thick substrate).

One trick for loading curled materials (particularly laminates) when mounting onto boards, is to buy a nice thin steel rule and lay this along the front edge of the laminate when inserting the board. This allows you to check overall positioning of the print/laminate and keeps the front edge in even contact with the board at the crucial point of take-up. Rolling the print and rule through together leaves no evidence on the print and maintains the even take-up.

Collin

[Shane Drew]

quote jxuereb:

To Drew and others. Do you have the 12mm or the 30mm models? We are about to decide which one to purchase and I can’t see any advantages of the 30mm model.

Thickest stuff I can see I’d like to do is 3mm dibond

Any advice?

I’ve got both 😛 The 12mm model is fine for everyday use. The 30mm is especially if you have contracts that have more unusual needs.

You can, for instance, put an A Frame laid flat thru the 30mm model. In truth, its probably better suited for large companies and councils.

The 12mm model would probably do everything you need.

Shane

[Jason Xuereb]

Cheers guys

12mm model it is. Should have it by the end of next week.

[JamieX]

hopefully it keeps me out of the office 😛

[Shane Drew]

quote Colin@BECC:

One trick for loading curled materials (particularly laminates) when mounting onto boards, is to buy a nice thin steel rule and lay this along the front edge of the laminate when inserting the board.
Collin

I do the same Colin, but I just use a piece of dibond the length of the laminates width. IO usually tape the dibond to the leading edge, then, when the dibond panel goes in straight, the rest will follow perfectly. Really good for long laminates

[Gavin MacMillan]

ok, I’ve just mounted 10no digi prints onto 2mm rigid pvc. These were sized 1030x745mm and took me the last 1.5 hours to mount wet onto the boards. They still need some time to dry before I trim the excess. That’s not a problem as they are out the way, but there is maybe another 15minutes work in this job for me.

So… how long would that have taken me with an ezy taper? Bearing in mind I had the boards cut already but was cleaning them down as I was going. Also the phone going and a hot polish girl looking for work – basically I wasn’t rushing but wasn’t messing about too much. Also I did everything myself except lay the prints down which I got a hand with. I could have managed it myself as I did the first one to see how awkward it would be, definitely doable but would have taken longer.

Ta

G

[Colin Crow]

To be honest cleaning the boards takes longer than the mounting. We regularly mount 1220 x 450 digital prints onto 3mm dibond and then laminate (so 2 processes) and if I dont do 20 per hour (ie 40 applications) I am slacking, and that includes trimming as I go since the print is dry. Add to this no mopping up and single handed operation so someone else can answer the phone!

10 prints your size all prepared should take less than 20 mins once you have got used to the Ezytaper.

Colin

[Shane Drew]

quote Colin@BECC:

To be honest cleaning the boards takes longer than the mounting. We regularly mount 1220 x 450 digital prints onto 3mm dibond and then laminate (so 2 processes) and if I dont do 20 per hour (ie 40 applications) I am slacking, and that includes trimming as I go since the print is dry. Add to this no mopping up and single handed operation so someone else can answer the phone!

10 prints your size all prepared should take less than 20 mins once you have got used to the Ezytaper.

Colin

I agree, but 20 minutes would include the consumption of a biscuit and a cuppa tea while I work….

[Gavin MacMillan]

I like the sound of that, does that include cleaning the boards down?

[Colin Crow]

Shane, I knew you would be quicker because you have two Ezytapers. You probably wind one with each hand 🙂

Gavin, it depends on the boards. Clean cut dibond doesn’t have much swarf and virtually no static so easy. Foam or pvc takes a bit more vacuuming and then cleaning with the home-made lint roller so add 5-10 mins I suppose.

The other main benefit is that it is easy to train people to do this while you earn your money elsewhere. I now have two office based people here that could do the job on the ezytaper but wouldn’t attempt it manually.

Colin

[JamieX]

quote Colin@BECC:

The other main benefit is that it is easy to train people to do this while you earn your money elsewhere. I now have two office based people here that could do the job on the ezytaper but wouldn’t attempt it manually.

Colin

That’s probably the main reason we just purchased our ezy taper. It makes the whole process easy for someone if we had to train them from scratch. For example I am relatively new to the industry and this machine enables me for example to app tape 1200mm vinyl relatively quick, with one pair of hands, and problem free. Now besides getting the work I can also focus on prepping while Jason focuses on design and installation.

[Jason Xuereb]

Just took delivery of our ezy taper. I gave it a whirl seems good. Just have to watch when your using wider application tape then the piece ure app taping make sure when I start off it doesn’t stick to the roller. I was only feed scrap through so I doubt it will be a problem when I start using 600mm full sheets.

I feel like a big kid. Still have to assemble the stand but it seems good so far.

[Gavin MacMillan]

Keep us updated, I’m looking into this at the moment!

Ta

G

[John Wilson]

Anyone know the exact size of the 1500mm unit? H W D?

[Joe McNamara]

I’ll measure it when I get to the shop in the morning John

Cheers
Joe

[John Wilson]

quote Joe McNamara:

I’ll measure it when I get to the shop in the morning John

Cheers
Joe

Cheers Joe, just measuring everything up for my new workshop

[Jason Xuereb]

quote John Wilson:

Anyone know the exact size of the 1500mm unit? H W D?

Height 380mm
Depth 500mm including the guides
Width 1900mm with the handle attached

Not including the stand.

Cheers
Jason

[John Wilson]

quote jxuereb:

quote John Wilson:

Anyone know the exact size of the 1500mm unit? H W D?

Height 380mm
Depth 500mm including the guides
Width 1900mm with the handle attached

Not including the stand.

Cheers
Jason

Cheers Jason,

Can the handle be attached to any side??

[Lorraine Clinch]

quote jxuereb:

quote John Wilson:

Anyone know the exact size of the 1500mm unit? H W D?

Height 380mm
Depth 500mm including the guides
Width 1900mm with the handle attached

Not including the stand.

Cheers
Jason

Watch your goolies lads on that handle! Thought I was going to have my 1st pub. liability claim recently when a rather tall chappie nearly took his off with it! 🙄 :lol1:

[Gavin MacMillan]

Any updates Jason and Lorraine? As the newest users I’m keen to hear what you think.

Ta

G

[Lorraine Clinch]

I’ve only had mine a couple of weeks, and I’ve been away for a week of that, so not much time to play, but what I have done has been great, with only one issue with applying app. tape, but that is down to user error I think, rather than the machine.
I will give a proper opinion soon.

[Joe McNamara]

Including the stand:

1915mm long including handle attached.
1220mm high to top of rollers
800mm wide at base of stand.

Cheers

[Gavin MacMillan]

Thanks Lorraine. I still can’t see us using it for taping if we got one, but I’ll happily be proved wrong if it works and makes life easier.

G

[Shane Drew]

quote John Wilson:

Can the handle be attached to any side??

Yes

[Gavin MacMillan]

*BUMP*

any more feedback from the new users? Were very close to placing an order.

One issue seems to be the laminating, I’ve spoke to Peter who sais it is minimal and will be gone by the time I receive my sample in the post. I’m not expecting it to be the best laminater out there, but are you guys happy with the results? – It is also colder here than most places this may add to the silvering?

Cheers people

G

[Shane Drew]

quote Gavin MacMillan:

*BUMP*

any more feedback from the new users? Were very close to placing an order.

One issue seems to be the laminating, I’ve spoke to Peter who sais it is minimal and will be gone by the time I receive my sample in the post. I’m not expecting it to be the best laminater out there, but are you guys happy with the results? – It is also colder here than most places this may add to the silvering?

Cheers people

G

Gavin, the silvering is not something that is an issue, honestly. Yes, I get some silvering in certain weather conditions, but rarely is the silvering visible the next day, or once it is applied to the vehicle.

In the time I’ve had my ET, I’ve never had a comment from a client, and the only one that seems concerned about it is me. Its not an issue. Lots of laminators have various levels of silvering, I suspect it is directly related to the type of rollers. But once the film has settled, the silvering goes.

I’m going to stick my neck out here, because I don’t know your environment, but, I wouldn’t let this stop you from buying a unit. Its a very minor problem, for some environments, but it is not a long term thing. Next day, the silvering is usually just a memory.

Hope that helps

[Ian Higgins]

Hi,

What laminate are you using Shane?
I do have a problem with silvering on prints and it does not go after a day or two. I am wondering if it is the film I am using. Don’t get me wrong it is not terrible just the odd bit but st annoys the hell out of me.
Everything else the machine is 100% at.
Lorraine the secret to application tape is to pull it down from the top roller further than you need, then roll it back half a turn before feeding it in the machine.. Then it works great.. as long as you remember to put the bar down.

I am waiting for the smaller one to come from peter which we are going to use just for application tape as it saves so much time.

Cheers
Ian

[Shane Drew]

Hi Ian, I use Rijet (not sure of the number) and Oracal 215.

Rijet is a gloss, and never silvers. Its a cheap polymeric. The 215 does silver, but it is a matt. I wonder if that is the key?

I use 3M 8519(?) laminate and that silvers too, but that is also the lustre version, I don’t recall the gloss doing it, but its been a while since I used the gloss version.

Hope that helps mate.

[Bill McMurtry]

I ordered my Ezy Taper earlier in the week – their deluxe version – should arrive sometime next week. From all reports it will change the way I used my shop and eliminate an extra pair of hands. Also, found Warrick and Maree very helpful and committed. I’ll report back…

[Jason Xuereb]

Hey guys,

I’ve ran into a few problems with my taper. when I try and app tape whole sheets that haven’t been cut and weeded I haven’t got an issue. It’s when I’m cutting vinyl and weeding it.

I get a whole heap of bubbles etc. What app tape are you guys using? In the demo video for app taping their app tape doesn’t look like it sticks to the rollers. Mine does when you start it and I have to be on the other side of the app taper to pull it off the rollers.

Further my app tape isn’t creasing or loosing tension from behind. But once it passes through it makes a mess of app taping the weeded vinyl.

Also what are the big spanners for? I’ve send an email to the guys earlier in the week but they haven’t gotten back to me as of yet.

I also found the stand could have been built better. I had to grind down some of the welds cause they made the board which sits on top of it not level. Also the supplied screws for fixing the stand to the board from the under side are too long. Had to grind them back as well.

Would appreciate any help with my app taping it’s driving me bananas.

I’ll take a pic of what my output is for a whole piece of vinyl and weeded vinyl to show you guys.

[Shane Drew]

Jason, sounds like the tension on one side is wrong.

The spanners are to raise the rollers, once you swap springs, to get the thicker items <10mm thru.

I’d keep trying Warrick. I’d imagine he plans on coming down to do an install at some time? Or is he going to show you at the Sydney Show?

He may be waiting for Bills to be sent and do a southern trip to train you both?

As far as the rollers sticking the app tape. Mine did that too, but have got better as they get used more. Probably got a bit dirtier, not so much a problem now, but it was in the early days…

[Derek Heron]

same problem as me jason
full size weeded text nightmare.
solid vinyl no problem
went back to doing this type of job on the bench with two passes 610 wide by hand
spoke to the guys at the show and to be fair they have tried to duplicate the problem to see what the problem is. apart from that the taper is mint
and does exactly what it says on the tin.
just need to work out how to get rid of the static.

Derek

[Karen O Hagan]

In reply to to people having problems with application tape I can recommend the following for good results.
use R Tape conform 4075 as this has a heavier paper that lays flatter and adhesive that sticks to the backing sheet of the vinyl.Some of the thinner application tapes need to almost be stretched onto the text to stay flat and this is exactly what the Ezy Taper does not do.I also find that if I stand behind the machine and pull the tape and the vinyl graphic through It give a better result than turning the handle and is also quicker.Try this method with the thinner application tapes as I have had good results in most cases as it seems to keep the application tape tight which is key to good results.The most common fault with application tape is constant tension through the roll which can be hindered with pressure dents through storage and rolls cut or stored on the edge.The pulling method does seem to help with these problems as you do seem to get some tension on the tape if you give pull hard and quick.The other thing it gives you more control when the tape needs a bit more pull on one side or the other through the mentioned storage problems.
Hope this helps

[Shane Drew]

quote karen o hagan:

In reply to to people having problems with application tape I can recommend the following for good results.
use R Tape conform 4075 as this has a heavier paper that lays flatter and adhesive that sticks to the backing sheet of the vinyl.

I use R Tape too Karen. 😛 May be why I’ve not had the same issues.

[Derek Heron]

conform 4075-RLA For Me. used it since day one never had any probs apart from a roll with a puncture ( been lying on its side).
Derek

[Jason Xuereb]

I’ll order in some R-Tape and give it a whirl.

Yeh where the app tape hits the vinyl it seems fine. It’s only on the backing paper it seems to be a problem.

Maybe its the app tape.

[Jason Xuereb]

I just used Karen’s tip with the pulling it out and its 100 times better.

I think it may be my app tape though. I can flood coat vinyl to corflute with no app tape no problems.

[Bill McMurtry]

My Ezy Taper arrived yesterday. All assembled now, ran some test pieces through it, everything worked perfectly. Used today to tape and apply cut vinyl to 4.5mm acrylic sheets – a pleasure to use and the results were outstanding. I’m a happy chappy 😀

PS: I can see how a heavier app tape (and/or higher tack) would be easier to use as suggested.

[Shane Drew]

quote Bill McMurtry:

My Ezy Taper arrived yesterday. All assembled now, ran some test pieces through it, everything worked perfectly. Used today to tape and apply cut vinyl to 4.5mm acrylic sheets – a pleasure to use and the results were outstanding. I’m a happy chappy 😀

PS: I can see how a heavier app tape (and/or higher tack) would be easier to use as suggested.

Great news mate 🙂

[Jason Xuereb]

Hey guys,

Using the R Tape at the moment. It’s improved a hell of a lot. Pulling it out the other end still gives a better result but were happy with it now.

Jason

[Michael Singh]

Hi,

I’m Mike, we are into Traffic Sign business in the Philippines. I’m here now in Sydney Australia testing the business grounds and we are currently putting up our production facility here.

My attention was caught by this amazing machine called Ezy Taper as I was searching for a laminator for our shop. I found the manufacturer’s web page and I place a query about the machine but unfortunately up to now I have not receive any reply yet. Maybe they are too busy catching-up with tons of pending orders .

We bond reflective sheeting to aluminum substrate using a machine call HSRA 48 done by Highway Handyman. Our process starts by lifting the top roller and position the substrate and the sheeting in place before lowering back the roller. we then start the lamination process from the middle to the edge then back again to the other end. Doing this we minimized the stretching of the film.

What I want to know is, can the top roller of the EZY taper be open up to make a gap for easy insertion of the substrate and film then lowered back
to hold it in place. If this machine is capable of doing this, we will definitely
buy it for our shop here and maybe bring another one back home.

Thanks and I hope you guys can help me with this.

Regards,

Mike

[Jason Xuereb]

Michael,

You can do this. This is what the spanners I asked about further up are for.

Trying calling them. I know they have problems with their emails getting through of late.

If you want a pic I’ve taken a pic of how the spanners lift the rollers.

Jason

[Gavin MacMillan]

I would be keen to see the pics Jason, I’m not totally sure what you mean.

We received our taper last week and so far I’m very pleased with the results. Even on the first few uses as I was figuring out what the hell I was doing it still saved time. I’m now at the stage of trying everything through it! Had great success with banners the other day as we apply vinyl panels to a gallery’s banners for different exhibitions and it worked a treat!

What else can I try????

G