What printer cutter?

[Robert Lambie]

I know Mimaki now offer a print and cut machine, but i know little about it or its price range.
however, ide call around the usual suspects that distribute Roland versacamms. im sure you maybe able to pick up an ex-demo machine.

personal opinion, ide not go second hand unless it was coming from a reputable supplier.

[Stu Gardiner]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the reply. I would prefer a new machine but realise with my limited budget there is a very limited choice available to me. I like the look of the Roland BN20 with the option of the metallic inks which I can afford ( been quoted £5499.00 plus vat by Graffityp) but feel I am then very limited as to what I can do. Would like to get a 30" printer cutter used for similar price, but as i have never used them before I do not know what would be the best option or which are the reputable companies to purchase from.

[Robert Lambie]

the roland is a great machine, has countless possibilities from within one small printer. from memory, the print speed is a drawback. so really depends on the type of work you are aiming at.

i fully understand your budget issue, but still for £7k ide imagine you could get your hands on an exdemo or second user roland versacamm.
we have been printing for years now and i personally would still not buy a printer second hand unless from a dealer. i just do not have the knowledge or time on my hands to take such a gamble. if i was spending £7k, ide want a machine, shown how to work it and if anything goes wrong, lift the phone and complain, get advice and if it ever came down to it, get a refund.

dont gamble, if funds are tight… weight a bit longer. buy your prints in till you can raise the extra for the machine you want.
or, take a look at the finance deals Roland are doing…
i am sure putting most down and financing the rest would be an option, leaving you a bit of funding for media etc

[Stu Gardiner]

Again thank you very much for the advice, you have given me some things to think about, I have looked on the internet for roland financing but have only found options for the US and canada so was under the impression that it was not available in this country. I will ring around a few of the dealers that are on the Roland website and see if they have any second user or ex demo machines and then weigh up the options from there.

Again thanks for the advice.

Great website.

[Robert Lambie]

Nigel, Neil, Joe… i forget which sells what… but all Grafityp and as you said, your already speaking to them.
Ask them about finance deals and if they have any ex-demo machines, im sure they will see you right.

Other than Mimaki, Roland are the only manufacturers of Print & Cut "combined" machines.

[Nigel Pugh]

Stu I would say go for a finance deal and put 3 – 4k down as a deposit, most finance firms would pass you if you stump up a large deposit.

Regards
Nigel

[Stu Gardiner]

Thanks Nigel,

Out of interest do you work for Grafityp? If so you would have probably seen the BN20 in action iif so what do you think about it. Also who would be the best person in your company to contact re second user units.

Hope these questions are not against forum rules if they are I apologise in advance.

[Nigel Pugh]

Hello Stu, yes I work for Grafityp and the BN-20 is a great little printer if are looking to get into the digital side of the industry.

Feel free to give me a call.

Regards
Nigel

[Martin Pearson]

quote Nigel Pugh:

Hello Stu, yes I work for Grafityp and the BN-20 is a great little printer if are looking to get into the digital side of the industry.

Feel free to give me a call.

Regards
Nigel

Nigel, what do you base that on ?? Not looking for an argument but surely as it will only print 20" wide then it is not really suitable for a lot of the work a sign company would generally be doing.

Stu, what sort of work are you looking to do with a printer and how do you manage at the moment? A better bet might be to use a trade printer for your digital stuff while you build that side of the business up a bit. The money you make from it could be put aside to increase the budget you already have so when you felt it was time to bring it all inhouse you had enough for a larger machine.

[Stu Gardiner]

Thanks Martin, i had considered outsourcing all digital prints etc but as most stuff will be one off so I decided against it. I have now just placed an order for the BN20 from Grafityp and hope that I can put it to good use. As I am just starting out and this side will be new to me decided to just go for a new machine within my price range if this creates a demand then I will either outsource or buy a second user larger printer cutter.

Again thanks to everybody for their advice as it has been invaluable.

[Nigel Pugh]

Hi Martin, to be honest most people I have spoken to or done a demo for on the BN-20 are people who are looking to do textile vinyl printing or have an existing business line producing small decals or need to be able to do so.

I would certainly push customers to a larger printer if they intend to go 100% into making the digital side of their business grow within 6 to 18 months, I wouldn’t make a sale for the sake of it, I will always point out the pitfalls to a potential customer and hope they heed my advice.

No argument here Martin 😀

Regards
Nigel

[David Rowland]

The BN20 when i seen it printing is ideal for really small stuff…. not much else

[Kyle Ronan]

Yeah i looked at the 20 a the sign and digital, speaking to the bloke he said what do you think, i thought great for a beginner and small stickers but i said it needs to be cheap. He said plus 5k well if your lucky you can pick up a versacamm for that. Its a bit of a no brainer to buy the same printer but bigger for the same money.

I said they need to make it cheap, make it dirty cheap and people will buy them, anyone with sense will buy a 30" for better diversity and value for money!

He said they use a head from and epson R1900/R2200 so thats like £400 so the whole thing must only cost a small amount to make!

Just my 2 pence, buy a larger machine, it will be worth it!

[Chris Wool]

stu

you will enjoy the quality of the bn20 the versacamm can’t get anywhere near it.

will you have the metallic

enjoy

[Martin Pearson]

Have you seen it running Chris ?? Only problem I have with it is the actual size it prints. Someone like Stu who is just starting out is going to want to try and build the digital side with what ever work he can generate and I just feel that it is really a bit narrow for a lot of the work a signmaker could be asked to do. Great if you already have a market for stickers or for textile printing as Nigel has said, sure it would also make an excellent addition to a company who already had a digital printer but needed a second machine where it could be used for all the smaller type jobs.

I’m going to be having a look at it next week on one of the roadshows so will be able to see for myself.

[Nigel Pugh]

One thing to remember when you say the print width is not that wide is how many Gerber Edge’s have been sold, not entirely like for like printers but it does show there is a gap in the market for printers like these.

Regards
Nigel

[Chris Wool]

martin it is slow and small compared to what we are used to but it will generate the cash to upgrade latter as his needs alter.

i regularly only put 600 and 500 material in mine cos that’s all that’s required for the job.

[Nigel Pugh]

Chris you are right, there are plenty of people I know who have bought a small cutter or printer and within two years they upgrade, it doesn’t really matter where you start there will always be those with bigger and better kit, it all comes down to what market you want to serve now and what your future plans may be.

Regards
Nigel

[Stu Gardiner]

Thanks Chris, have you seen one running, from what i hear it is very good but not seen one in action. I will build up to a bigger printer at some point but at this moment the BN20 will suffice. I also forgot to mention that as i am just really starting out I will be working from home so again room may be a issue if I went for a big machine straight away.

[Martin Pearson]

Fair enough Chris your a signmaker who uses a printer and I don’t even have one so obviously I’m wrong in what I was thinking.