Help with an Epson printer please!

[Adrian Hewson]

Hi we have one we use it mainly for printing pictures onto heat transfer for custom T shirts

[Martin Pearson]

As well as canvas prints, posters, pictures mounted to acrylic you can also use them for internal POS signs & graphics, I have a mutoh falcon ii which to be honest doesn’t get a lot of use, I sub out any exterior graphics I need as I can’t justify owning a solvent or eco solvent machine.

[Chris Foster]

Ok great thank you, could be worth taking it off his hands then! With regards to the acrylic prints how are they made / what material do I print onto normal gloss or matt paper?

Thanks

[Martin Pearson]

Not something I do so not sure what they use to be honest, as I say my machine gets very little use. You will also need an optically clear mount film otherwise the print will be obscured.

[Stafford Cox]

These are quite a versatile printer. The quality of output is fantastic if you use the right software to drive it. As already mentioned, you can run dye sublimation inks through if you wanted to go down the textile route, or you can print onto popup media, gloss, satin and matte papers, SAV (must be coated vinyl and must be laminated/encapsulated for outdoor use), the list is pretty long.

In short, a great machine, cheap to run, small enough to tuck in a corner and parts are still widely available for them should the need arise.

Stafford

[Chris Foster]

Great thanks think ill take his offer up then!

Just to confirm there is no way I can get any type of vinyl through it to print on? I do a very small amount of digital print and use a local company, but if I can do the work myself it would be great!

Cheers
Chris

[Martin Pearson]

Yer you can get both gloss & matt vinyl for most dye/pigment ink printers. Probably Companies listed on the toolbar that will do it, just make sure it is coated as you need the coating for the inks to take.

[Chris Foster]

OK great thanks, i’ve emailed my local William Smith rep to see what she suggests!!

Thanks again
Chris

[Martin Pearson]

Don’t think William Smith do aqueous inkjet media, you would be better contacting someone like All Print Supplies or Paper Graphics who both have a good range of media.
What are you looking to print on to vinyl yourself that you get done for you by someone else just now?
If it’s exterior stuff then I would personally just continue to buy it in which is what I do. Prints don’t last the same way that solvent inks do so just isn’t worth taking a chance. It’s very difficult to build a good reputation & very easy to destroy one :lol1: :lol1:

[Stafford Cox]

quote Chris Foster:

Great thanks think ill take his offer up then!

Just to confirm there is no way I can get any type of vinyl through it to print on? I do a very small amount of digital print and use a local company, but if I can do the work myself it would be great!

Cheers
Chris

Yes, you can. It just has to be COATED media that is specifically for aqueous inks. Epson do their own range of course but there other that will probably do it. I’d start with the likes of APS and Metamark and try people like Colourgen too.

[Chris Foster]

Ok thats great thanks.

So to confirm I need to ask the suppliers for vinyl that supports aqueous ink media.

As for what I’ll be using it for, just small jobs really, the odd sign etc and hopefully some digital print for vans etc? (if possible?)

Thanks
Chris

[Martin Pearson]

Chris as I have said before not a good idea to use it for any signs that will be going outdoors which would include vans. If it were that simple then most sign shops would own & operate one as they are cheap enough to pick up.
I have some printed stuff on the wall outside my unit, been up for just under a year now & the reds have faded to a point where it is noticeable to the eye.
They were printed with Jetbest inks which are one of the best available for aqueous printers & laminated with one of the best UV laminates (can’t remember brand).

If I had put those on a customers van they would now be bad mouthing me or have been back for me to replace them. Either way it doesn’t look good for my business plus if I had to replace them the increase in costs would mean that I would have been better just buying in the prints to start with.

[Chris Foster]

Ok great I completely understand now thank you :). Purely indoor only or very temporary outside they shall be then. Its not necessarily the cost saving, probably more interested in the time saving in that i can almost print there and then rather than faffing about with sending artwork, waiting for them, confirming, waiting to print, collecting/posting etc….

Thanks for the advice Martin much appreciated.

Chris

[Martin Pearson]

If it’s the time element then find a local company you can work with. That’s what I do. I prepare the artwork ready to print, put it on a usb stick & pop in to see them when I am passing, they either print it there & then if they aren’t busy while I have a cup of coffee & a chat or if they are busy they tell me exactly when it will be ready to collect.
Some might say by doing that I risk them stealing my customers but that has never happened. If they are looking for work they have probably already spoken to most of my customers anyway. I am only going to lose those customers if they are not happy with the service I am providing them with.

Cost wise you won’t save a great deal, aqueous media & laminate are more expensive than solvent media & there is far less choice of media to start with. If you negotiate a good rate with someone local the costs shouldn’t be much more than doing inhouse.
Plenty of things to keep your machine busy, posters, canvas prints, acrylics, pop up displays etc etc.

[Chris Foster]

Thank you for that, I used to have a very local company but the print quality wasnt a decent standard and no matter how many times I requested it be printed againit kept coming out the same! I’m in the Essex area if you know of any reputable companies! I currently use a firm in Kent so its a bit of a hike down there.

Chris

[Martin Pearson]

You sure the print quality wasn’t down to the artwork you supplied?? I say that because it’s quite a steep learning curve to produce print ready graphics.
I don’t know anyone personally but you might find someone local on the forum who reads this & is prepared to work with you.

[Chris Foster]

i did think it was the artwork initially but was definitely his printer (I have seen some of his other work and was the same!).

Thanks
Chris