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start out thermal printer??????
im looking to buy a thermal printer for my new business in the comming months but unsure what to get and what i can get for £1000. im a gerber edge man myself but i cant get the dough for one of those!!!! the use will be for small scale colour pictures and small labels that kind of thing. I have a roland cutter and have had some good recomendations on roland printers (Roland PC 12 ????)………………..i need some advice!!!!!!!!!!!
cheers guys
roffs
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3 Replies
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Your best bet would be a used Roland PC60 , might cost you a little more than 1k tho. We had a PC12 on trial , its very much overpriced (It was $3995) as compared to a pc 60/600 and its very much more limited.
Be aware with thermals , low capital cost = high consumable cost , but if you doing small stuff , it’s not a train smash. CMYK + a metallic spot can cost up to 70 quid a sq meter , about 7 quid a sq ft or about 4.5 pence a sq inch , so a 3″ x 2″ sticker would cost you at worst 26 pence to make.
Using a single colour is pretty much cheaper, less than a 1/4 of that.
The resolution isnt really anything to write home about on the pc 60 , I think 300 dpi with resin carts and the dithering isnt great unless you get a RIP with it (colorchoice) or run it thru signlabs RIP etc -
i believe the edge system has been reduced to approx £8K.
look into getting it on lease/finance. All you need is 1 job a week to pay for it.
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How about a second hand Edge? Contact Spandex to see if they have any available, or if they know of anyone who is selling one.
Check the technical support situation – I understand that it is being withdrawn on the very oldest Edge 1 models.
The most expensive part that may need replacing is the printhead – they all need replacing at some point and it’s a bit of a lottery whether this happens the day after you buy an Edge, or 10 years later. If you buy privately, have a test print done. Print a 30cm x 30cm square. The fill should be 50% at 70.7 LPI using something like Cobalt Blue ribbon. What you are looking for is consistency in the print. If the printhead is worn, you will see horizontal “tyre tracks” in the print. If you do get the tyre tracks, the printhead is in need of replacement. Also look out for the obvious unprinted lines which may indicate blown pixels.
Hope this helps.
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