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Newbie seeking some advice
Hi all,
I am new to this forum and also new to large format printing. I run a small embroidery and print business. Currently we use a Roland GS24 for single colour vinyl prints but have had more and more customers asking for multi colour prints. We can do up to 4 layers in purchased colour vinyl but it takes so long so we have been looking at the Mimaki’s, in particular the CVJ150-107 and CVJ150-130.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these and what their thoughts are? I have seen some used ones but not sure what to look out for in terms of how they have been cared for/ used. I know print heads are the most expensive part so is there any way to tell the condition they are in and how long they will last?
Thanks in advance everyone.
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6 Replies
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Hi Chris,
Mimaki manufacture Solid printers and you won’t be disappointed. Your better off buying a new machine that comes with a warranty, installation and training. If you can’t afford to buy outright, there are some great finance deals available and if you work out your daily volume plus you profit per mtr, it doesn’t take much Print to have the machine pay for itself.
pick the model that’s good for you and your business, you need to look at the work your proposing to do now and to look to the future also, for instance 3 months down the line you may regret going for a smaller model even though it was a cheaper option.
If you don’t have one already you will quickly require a laminator, again make sure you buy the right one for your business.
If you buy right 1st time, you will be making money in no time. If you buy cheap there’s a big possibility of headaches and let downs.
Hope this helps
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Hi Chris,
If you’re buying second hand I would go to the top of your budget. Try and buy the newest one that you can afford and one that has been using genuine inks. saying that there are decent third party inks around, it’s just you may not know the difference between the bad and good ones.
Always request they print off a head/nozzle check in front of you. Don’t make the mistake I made many years ago when I arrived at the premises with a nozzle check pre-printed (most likely from another machine) and put into the printer to look like they had just run it off!
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Hi Chris
If you would like to have a demo on the Mimaki CJV range I am happy to arrange or in the meantime I can get you some printed samples to have a look at , feel free to contact me sarah@josero.com if you wish
Many thanks
Sarah -
My brother has a similar business to yours. I had a mimaki brilliant machine for a sign maker.
For your kind of short runs I would look at a HP Latex. No daily maintenance required & can sit for ages & start printing perfect.
A solvent Roland or mimaki won’t suit your short print runs & you will spend more time cleaning heads & maintenance.
I suggest the HP latex 315 & you will also be able to offer posters & canvass prints as well. Very easy used & cheap enough new. Heads for HPs are only £90 each & change yourself where a mimaki or Roland head could be £2500 & require an engineer.
My advice with all new machines buy off a company that can give you back up & support.
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You will also find the oem ink cost is cheaper on a HP Latex
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To be fair, the cost of the print heads, should be cleared up here.
Solvent printers have a fixed print head which, unless damaged through serious accident or misuse, might need changing once in the realistic life time of the printer, where as latex print heads are consumable items.
We have run both solvent and latex for many years. For every new solvent head we have replaced we have spent the same, if not more, on latex ‘consumable’ print heads.
Overall we have found the difference in running costs between the two fairly small, I personally would advise concentrating on what you want to use the printer for rather than the running costs. Look for the kind of output you want and request samples.
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