PC60 :- PC600

[Martin Pearson]

Brian, if you read some of the old posts about the PC600 you will see that quite a few people have had problems and it has mainly been the print head at fault.
There is certainly enough work out there for these machines and this is only likely to increase but I think what has put people off the roland machine is all the bad reports. Robert has a PC60 which is the older version of the 600 and has had very little trouble with it. Perhaps when they re-designed it they made it worse rather than better.

[Phill Fenton]

Brian, I have had a PC600 for 18 months now and I am very pleased with it. I have had to have the head replaced once when about 9 months old – this was done under warranty. The engineer that came out to replace the head told me that problems with the head were usually caused by a lack of careful cleaning of the substrate prior to printing. I used to keep the machine in the main work area where amongst other things I cut boards on a table saw which is a fairly dusty process. He advised me to move the machine into a seperate room in an effort to avoid any contmination of the heads from any particles of dust. I moved the machine into the front office and have never had any further problems since (Touch wood).

On the plus side – these machines can print outdoor durable onto normal vinyl and contour cut. They’re great for producing labels and fairly small full colour graphics. They are cheap to buy (even when new) and are an absolute giveaway when bought second hand. They also cut vinyl, so can be used purely as a plotter is required.

On the down side, they have high running costs (i.e. printing costs are high – this makes large graphics very expensive to produce on these machines. Banding is also a problem – A series of ridges can be seen if the print is carefully examined caused by a slight overlap of the head on each pass. However, this is almost imperceptable if you put a clear laminate over the print or spray with frog juice (advisable anyway if the print is going to be used outdoors).

On balance would I buy another? In my situation the answer is yes. I mainly produce computer cut vinyl signs – but the Colorcamm is a great add on to what I do. It’s also a great way to learn a bit about digital printing without spending a fortune. I can now offer my customers a better service than I did before – and I no longer have to sub out jobs that involve any digital printing as part of a sign. However, I am aware of other signmakers who are obviously dissapointed with this machines performance.

If you are looking to get into digital printing in a big way then it’s probably not the machine for you due to its high running costs.

My ideal machine would be a thermal transfer printer that also doubled as a plotter – but without the high running costs, banding, and tendency to go through heads that the colorcamm has.

The gerber edge is possibly a better choice for signmakers due to its lower running costs and lack of visible banding. However it is a more expensive machine to buy in the first place, doesn’t double as a plotter, and only prints 280mm or so in width in one piece.

The new Summagraphics thermal transfer printer with it’s lower printing costs and ability to produce wide prints in one piece must be well worth a good look at. However I have never heard any reports (good or bad) about this machine.

[Robert Lambie]

well said phill… better than me mate as i tend to rabble.. 😮 😮 ahem..

we have had our machine for many years now.. some weeks only used a few times others it runs flat out on various sizes of prints. only had about 3 or 4 heads now.. “touch wood” 😆 if this machine is learned properly i think it becomes a reall help in selling your company to a customer. opens new doors for you also..
if you only use one head a year then i would say this totaly acceptable. your out about £250 for that..

[Jodie]

What you have all said makes sense to me, thats why I found it strange that they change hands on such a reguarly basis. Certainly could not afford an Edge, A second hand colour camm is all thats within my reach at the moment so I will keep my eyes and ears open.
Thanks for the feedback, Brian

[Bob Gilliland]

Very nice Phill, very nice indeed!

I just finished doing a trade event yesterday for a distributor that has a large amount of customers in the window tinting business; residential, commercial, and automotive. They also supply and support the sign trade, but not as well known and large in that market as others. Well, currently that is. At this time, they are not involved with any digital output and are investigating the possibility of getting into the consumables end of the equation and possible, longer term, actually handling equipment and software.

I was hired for the event to expose color “thermal” printing to their customer base in order to lay some groundwork for further review in this area. Even thought I had my Edge2 and enVision machines on site and running, I spoke about and addressed each of the thermal machines available being sure to included positive and negative points of each. I believe it only fair and proper to give as much accurate information to educate the “customer” so that they can make an informed decision as opposed to repeating my prejudices or company “marketing” hype.

I often asked more questions of their customers then they asked of me to help their thought process. Getting them to think out of the current operational “box” and see what other things you can do with these machines quickly reveals that it’s not a 10, 20, 30, thousand dollar (US) or more expense, but rather a minimal investment in their future profitability. Each machine has it place where it shines and where it also falls down. If one machine could do it all, I’d have a much smaller place I’m sure. 😉

Quick side note to expand on Phill’s remarks:

For anyone that is set in having a printer/cutter combination, the new Summa DC3 (DuraChrome 3) machine is worth some serious consideration and research time. May not be the answer for everyone, but a nice machine none the less.

[Brian Hays]

Nice Price as well! 🙄

Only worth consideration if you already have plenty of work for it imo.

[signowl]

hi all

I am looking to buy a pc600 color camm any advice?

cheers Ian

(mod edit) admin@uksignboards.com

[Robert Lambie]

quote signowl:

hi all
I am looking to buy a pc600 color camm is there anybody out there that has got one for sale i cant seem to find one anywere
cheers Ian

before i answer, exactly what do you want to use the machine for mate?

[signowl]

mainly for small stickers and health and safety signs approx 300mm x 200mm ,what quality will this machine create?

cheers ian

[Robert Lambie]

at this size on the 600 model qualitynis good. but unless creating a few at a time. you would be better buying in prints from a trade supplier.

[signowl]

I have a customer that i do quite a bit of printing for and using one of my neighboring sign makers for this but it is a bit of a haul as i have to cut the prints by hand.
p.s what is the going rate for 1 of these victory quoted £2000.00 6 months ago.
cheers ian

[TheDecalMan]

IF It’s Helpful as a Guide I Have Just Purchased a PC-600 and I paid £1600 From Richard on the “UK SIGNBOARDS ” Buy & Sell Area.

Word of Warning – I Looked on Ebay when i was searching for my PC-600 and found that there is a Lot of CON TRADERS selling the PC-600 and willing to ship World wide – All were New Users all had the same Descriptions Letter for Letter and all were the same Photos + Buy it Now only. These were mainly from USA or GERMANY .

Hope This is Helpful !

[signowl]

cheers mate
another question what is the difference between the pc60 and pc600 in quality
cheers

[David Rowland]

happened to us… sold our old printer… then had about 3-4 american ebay members copying my eBay adverts all with 0,1 or 2 feedbacks.
All con artists!