I’m Thinking of Getting a Versacamm, But?

[Chris Wool]

take some files and media you use and pay roland a visit.
the VS range has the newer head and is very good on quality for the smaller stuff but you are doubling your investment over a BN20.
only go for metallics if you have a use for them on the VS you can have white and metalic

[Robert Lambie]

you have the direct to garment printer with white ink already john, so i would imagine that will rule out one aspect of having the BN20 for you.
Personally, i think its a great machine for entry level. it really does have a bit of everything within it. but as you say, will you quickly out grow it?

why speak to the supplier about a deal to purchase with the option to upgrade to the versacamm in 6 months to a year? i am sure they will do it because when i was looking at machines at signuk exhibition some years ago there was lots of offers like this being given to me. granted not on this machine.

[Jamie Wood]

There seem to be some good deals going round on the smaller Mimaki CJV printers,
so this could be a possibility too….

[Martin Pearson]

What sort of signage John, my concern with the BN20 would be that it wouldn’t be wide enough for a lot of signage applications & if this is one of the main reasons for buying then you might be better off with the 300.
Think the machines are based around the same technology now so running costs, maintenance etc should be pretty much the same for both machines but there is obviously a big difference in the purchase price.

[Denise Goodfellow]

What about a smaller mimaki. We can`t fault our big one.

[John Cooper]

Thanks for the replies.

@Chris
I can afford to get the BN-20 new but not the Versacamm 300! I don’t borrow so would need to look 2nd user and not having any experience, it’s knowing what to look for!

@Rob
The BN-20 is attractive to us because it can print&cut decals to a high image standard, so can the 300s but much bigger = more versatility.

While the white ink/metallics is not a big plus for us I could see us printing left breast designs on a textile vinyl for heat pressing. DTG with white ink is great but, as with any printer it has limitations e.g. 100% cotton fabric, difficult printing bulky clothing.

I’m guessing the 300 can do nearly everything the BN-20 can do?

@Jamie & Denise
I’ve not really considered Mimaki as I know less about them than I do about the Versacamm – and thats not much!

Which in the Mimaki range is the competitor for the 300?

@Martin Signage probably means stickers and maybe some banners – something not really doable on the BN-20

The BN-20 is an attractive printer and competitvely priced BUT, does it do anything better than or more than its bigger brothers?

[Jamie Wood]

Closest in Mimaki range would be CJV60 (24") or CJV100 (40"). Both come with take up
for unattended jobs, and would be a match for the Rolands. Depends really on who you
could get the best deal with, as any of them would be up to the job. GPT were doing
the CJV60 for £5995.00 + VAT .They come with a full set of ink, and the Mimaki RIP,
which I think is a version of Wasach, and FineCut for cutting, which plugs in to Illustrator or Corel.

[Martin Pearson]

BN20 would be fine for stickers I would have thought but not really for banners & if being able to produce banners is one of the reasons for purchasing then it would be a waste of money.
Problem is if you are looking at second user then you really need to know what you are doing or buy from somewhere you trust. You would also be looking for the newer of the models if Chris says there is a difference in the print quality.
The Mimaki that Jamie mentioned sounds good & priced well against the BN20 but I still think even 24" is just a bit to small for banners unless it will take media a couple of inches wider so you can actually print 24" & still have the media for a hem.

[John Cooper]

Perhaps, at a push, I could extend to a 300 so my basic question is:

What CAN the BN-20 do that the 300 can’t.

John

[Chris Wool]

its back to which 300.

if you like the quality of the bn20 then it has to be a VS300 not the same head but of the latest design.
the older 300 s sp v and i have the older head system and very good that they are the difference can be seen.
its down to the way the ink is layed down it is a lot smoother not a sign of banding anywhere even in the difficult colours.
i have both and so as i say take files and media down to rolands and have a play it will be the best half day you will spend, think you live in bristol so not far.
talk to simon at spire digital and he will arange it for you.

[John Cooper]

Thanks Chris

Of course I should perhaps consider other brands besides Roland.

We’re in Bridgend – Jct 36 M4.

[Jason Middleton]

I’m in exactly the same boat as you John, was thinking of getting the BN-20, or maybe holding out for a 300 versacamm and then I noticed the latest price drop on the mimaki cjv30, not sure which way to turn at the moment.

All advice appreciated

[Dennis Poole]

John (and Jason for that matter),

As the others have suggested, the best way to see the difference is to print some files. You are more than welcome to visit our Creative Centre and have a play with the BN-20, VS-640 (we only have the 640 in the showroom however the only difference with the 300 is width) and the SP-300. Just get in touch with the office and arrange the visit.

I would suggest you do the same with the other manufacturer machines you are considering and then you will be in the position to clearly compare quality etc and make an informed decision.

Cheers
Dennis

[John Cooper]

Well, I did it, I got a BN-20! I would have liked the 300 but, I simply don’t have the room for it and it would have burst my budget too.

I managed to squeeze what I thought was a reasonable deal and it arrived last Friday. First impressions – it’s bigger than I expected. I’ve unpacked it and tried very hard to hide it from SWMBO but as it’s in a corner in the living room, she spotted it pretty quickly 😀 I’ve yet to switch it on as we’ve been so busy I didn’t want to be distracted from other jobs I needed to fulfill.

I guess the one thing I would have preferred is network connectivity instead of/as well as USB. I knew this before buying so I’m not complaining. I’m guessing that like any other printer connected to a networked PC, the BN-20 can be shared?

Anyway, the learning curve might start this evening 😮

John

[Jason Davies]

John, there’s no stopping you. You now officially have too many toys 😀 I put it down to lack of Atoms 😀 😀

Have fun.

Jason

[Alan Drury]

John, I’m envious. A colleague of mine bought a BN20 and he does my small label work and anything else that will fit on his machine. The quality is outstanding and he is delighted with it. I bet after a year you start looking even closer at a larger version and how you can fit it in your workshop 🙂
Alan D

[Patrick.Forsyth]

Hello John,

I swear by the Versa Camm, I’ve been using it for the past 7 years, and it was second hand when I bought it.

I have only had the technicians in to change the heads once in that time, and they also changed the pump that actions when you’re cleaning the heads.

New cushions every year, and a yearly service, but I’ve done all the other maintenance myself.

For long term storage it’s good too, but must be connected to electricity so that it can do it’s self clean every 4 hours.

I’m on a SP540V, it’s been brilliant for all my needs, cut contour and print 4 colour.

I’m interested in the VS540, purely because it’s a step in the direction of developement. The interest being in DPI having half tones in light Cyan and light Magenta, a real plus for detail work.

I must admit, the main reason for wanting to get it, is because well in all those years I couldn’t print like a screenprinter, being that I couldn’t have a white background to start with, and print my colours onto that, so I was always looking for some other solution.

In your industry I would think that having a machine that can reproduce in small quantities, what you’d like from a screen printing system, having the white with the VS540 or 640 or even the 300, is the way to go.

If it’s your first buy, I would suggest the VS540, purely because you’re going to be able to print much wider with that machine. I know it’s difficult to go big to start, I’m sure you can get the saleman to give you a compromise plan.
Start with the VS300, and then after a year move on to the VS540 or VS640.

One last point, if you’re printing large format, cartridge can start to become expensive, and there is no way around that. I had the large inking system on my machine but I went back to cartridge, much better seal, ink doesn’t get thick while sitting in there.

It is about budget, not forgetting your cartidges so in this sense VS300 is your ideal plan. But after two weeks, when you’re impressing everyone with your detail print, and you get a big client who wants 1300 by 2500, you’ll say to yourself, now this is where the VS540 would have come in good use.

Good luck with your selection

pdf VS Brochure here at rolanddg

http://www.rolanddg.co.uk/files/VS_Broc … _small.pdf

[Patrick.Forsyth]

Oh I forget to mention

3 Ink configurations to choose from;

Front end automated rolling system for large format printing (optional);

Versaworks is really simple, strong and effective.