Nautilus again

[Robert Lambie]

sounds like a good idea actualy, if there is limited amount of users in the uk, graphityp maybe able to advise you on a contact from the states that has been selling it longer & had has more customers to date.

im actualy interested in the findings of this machine myself.. 😉

[Rodney Gold]

The Guys that supply my lasers (GCC) are also the agents for the Nautilus (also made by GCC – Great Computer Coporation – China)

I asked them about the nautilus prior to getting my Roland Soljet (which is now able to print and cut on any uncoated media) and they were pretty offhand about it , saying stuff like it was introduced before it was perfect etc – they are not going to carry it at all (tho they sell tons of GCC vinyl cutters) due to price , availbility of ribbons etc – but that might just be them dissing the product COS they dont want to carry it.

Im not actually sure of the point of buying a wide format thermal printer when inkjets are getting cheaper , inkjet output is better etc – Evidently Roland is introducing an affordable 32″ print/cut inkjet soon which will compete head on with the lower cost thermals
The only advantage to buying a thermal printer these days is price and the ability to print gold or metallics (or wax for garments , tho a cheap epson sublimation printer can do the same)

According to specs , the machine prints quite slowly at its resolution (conflicting 4.5m2 per hr and 3.3 m2 per hr on 2 different sites)
and Im not sure whether 300 x 300 dpi is adequate – if the dpi = lpi it will be good , however at 300 dpi im sure the output is pretty much dithered if using CMYK- tho I’m not speaking from experience
I can say that the GCC products are generaly VERY VERY good , and their support is as well

Pricing is Aus$ 52k for the 900 mm wide model which is GBP 21k or so
which is more expensive than the Soljet Pro II EX (solvent ink) machine which is US$30k (about GBP 19k ) and has a 6 ink inkset for better colour etc – it prints a LOT faster too – at 720 x 1440 mode it prints about 3-4m2 per hour , at standard quality about 10m2 and at banner quality (450 x 360- which is VERY VERY good) about 30m2 per hour

The advertised running costs excluding materials is about GBP20 per sq m or about 2 pounds per sq ft for the nautilus – soljet inks run at a maximum of about GBP6 per sq meter and closer to around GBP3 at pretty good output modes which is substantially cheaper(60 pence per sq ft) Albeit thew cost per sq ft is not the real determinant of print price , a substantially lower one enables one to compete better. The Issues with inkjet printing are longer drying times whereas thermal has no drying time.

I dunno – the nautilus doesnt look like anything really special to me at the price and I would not buy one – but thats MY opinion.

I hope I haven’t p’d the Graphityp ppl off:)

[MARTY]

Thanks for your views there Rodney this is exactly what we need.
I guess it all boils down to what you expect any machine to do. I thought this might fill the gap between Edge and large inkjet. Ive looked at them all and know various people with both.
We run a business with a shop front and workshop down stairs, and do anything from fascia signs up to 100′ etc, a lot of vans and smaller signboards but having the shop front we deal with the public for car graphics an stickers and a lot of number plates, therefore we have quit a wide range, so I was thinking like this…Small logos and stickers which we normally sub out to screen printing it would be nice just to be able to run off say just 20 which some people want this can be done in minutes while you wait…Ok the edge can do this brilliantly but it seems a long proceess to change ribbons then load into plotter for just 20 small labels. So can the colorcamm but then theres the bigger stuff say..10″ letters for the side of a van several colours, 3D, the Edge is ideal for this as Ive seen it lay down colour over the whole width almost flawless over 10’… the colorcamm is not so perfect..Then it would be nice to be able to put a photo or colour logo on a van panel without a joint in it 2′ high by 3′ long.
We sub out injet prints for larger signs but it seems nothing covers all different uses. Even a cheaper inkjet seems problomatic when you have to laminate everything…what a pain just for a few small labels especially if you have to take it out, laminate then reload to contour cut even small labels to protect from uv etc. What worries me most is the lifespan of inket prints, ok three years is fine for a van but what about safety signs or shop signs its no good fading after three or four years.
Don’t get me wrong I know this is the way we have to go but its very difficult knowing what machine to go for that will cover a wide range.
Its no point shelling out thousands of pounds then still having to sub out work for a differeft type of print !.

[Rodney Gold]

If you want to do stickers and small decals easily , the PC range is the way to go , they hold multiple carts and swap them over by themselves.
Resolutin is fine and so is registration when cutting.
Im pretty sure they will come down in price dramatically within the next year or so.
I also have the type of shop you are talking about , from small volume jobbing to large volume production of any type of product – not just signage.
Make no mistake , lamination is required for ANY vehicle graphic or any graphic that is subject to handling , chemical or abraisive attack – regardless of what you print it on or how its printed.
Obviously , printing directly onto uncoated media is better in this regard than coated stuff
Most inksets these days are stable and if used in a protected environment away from UV , will last even longer than 3-5 years. I have seen other more traditional ways of printing fade as well.
This is totally off the subject , but for your type of shop , a laser engraver/cutter at less than the cost of an inkjet will make you a LOT more profit and expand your business far better than a thermal or inkjet printer can.

A laser , especially if there is no one in your area with one , is a license to print money and the applications are unlimited , you can even die cut vinyl in laser. We used to use a cheap Epson printing on inkjet vinyl and then load it into the laser for die cutting.

We bought our inkjet to compliment and replace our PC60/PNC 5000 , to be able to DO large scale graphics and we already have a huge corporate customer base to sell both Digital printing and laminating into – laminating and print finishing is also a hugely profitable undertaking. The new Eco-sol inks are perfect for decals without overlamination , unlike the current coated media inks (you cannot rub the print off with a wet finger on the new inks – the old stuff is not so good in this regard.)
With regard to safety signs etc , these can easily be vinyl cut on a print/cut inkjet , after all one doesnt really require photorealistc graphics for these.
Im not trying to sell anyone on inkjet technology , to enter the market and get a decent laminator is pretty much up there in the GBP 30k mark which is serious money
BUT there is another way to look at this – lets say you finance the machinery over 36 months , you will end up paying around GBP 600 a month , which assuming you trade over 20 days is about GBP30 a day – getting that level of order daily , especially if you market yourself , is a
snap. What would you have to pay an unskilled worker a month? And what could he produce in respect of what a machine can.

If you think about it , signage is really Recognition, Perception and Information – whatever you do as a signage co fits into these categories and if you think beyond signage , there are tons of other applications that fit in here too .
You already have a captive audience and can easily offer them other stuff – for example a factory manager comes in for safety signage , you offer him badges for the workforce and suggest that an Award scheme concentrating on productivity , safety and absenteeism would be reltively cheap and would motivate staff to do better and will enhance the workers perception of managements as it shows the CO DOES care.

[Dave Standen]

Hi to everyone on this little subject
On examining specs – Nautilus seems the natural replacement for the Roland PC range (which seems to have the rep of about to be superceded with an inkjet). I’m not quite sure about interpreting the print speed but ….
Rolands print a band 8mm wide – 1 colour at a time
Nautilus print a band 50mm wide – 4 colour at a time
WINNER…….Nautilus wins by a factor of 10 – it has 4 print heads!
Banding is reduced by at least a facture of 6 because of the wide ribbon.
The wide ribbon also seems to give a better knit line to the bands of print
I’ve seen the sample prints – it’s good.
Is it better than a Gerber? Possibly! But every machine has it’s good points
Banding claims – Gerber Maxx2 prints in 4inch bands – and it’s good
Nautilus may be better than a Gerber Maxx2
……it cuts as well & I believe it prints as fast as a Maxx2 – Maxx doesn’t cut
Best claim for the Nautilus – cheap ribbons.
…….Claims are good – they are about 1/2 the price of other foils/ribbons
Final claim for Nautilus
…….Large format Thermal Prints – YES IT CAN!
Nautilus is well worth looking at – at pretty good prices too.
PC600 is better resolution – but realy only good for small decals.
Check it out with the suppliers
Regards … Big D …. Print One 😳