I'm a part-time shop and I have survived pretty well with an encad pro 600e, a roland pc-60 and my old reliable cadcut machine for vinyl. I'm getting ready to do at least 20 two sided banners 3'x15' 10, 3x20 and more to come. I'm considering a new or used versacamm but I hear these is a new one on the way. Used seem to be in the 12000 -14000 range. (closer to my nudget than new) How do you think roland will be with support of this machine? Is it wise to buy this now for the cost savings over buying coated media and weeding vinyl?
Posted by Dave Shirk (Member # 106) on :
Rod, we were a part-time shop up until a year ago. Then, full-time plus. We bought a Roland SP300 in Jan.2005 and it paid for itself in the first 4 months with additional printing capabilities. I don't know what's out there in the wind for new Roland machines but I know that this one has been bulletproof and tech support is great answering my stupid questions. Digital is here. Embrace it. But don't let your brushes dry out.
Posted by Rod Ort (Member # 928) on :
Thanks for your post, I appreciate the feedback. Sadly vinyl killed my brushes years ago. I think digital may kill my vinyl! I was pretty good with the brushes sometimes I feel like a sellout.Progress (i guess)
Posted by Anne McDonald (Member # 6842) on :
We purchased a Versacamm SP-300 2 years ago and it is now running everyday. There is so much you can do with it and we've found the support to be excellent. The on-line help is really good too with clear, concise instructions on how to get the machine working exactly right for what you want to do. We use it with Versaworks software which is far superior to Colorip. I've seen the new machines running and they are very impressive but from the sounds of what you want to do an older model will be fine.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Dave...never let yer brushes dry out!
I've resisted vinyl and will sub out digital prints when necessary!
Posted by Mike O'Neill (Member # 470) on :
quote: but I hear these is a new one on the way.
... there's ALWAYS a new one on the way
Roland list prices for the versacamm. They dropped a bit when roland positioned the XP-540 III at 30k (november 2006); they may be introducing a 30" version of that(XP) but I doubt that it will seriously impact the price of the sp300v. Some of the dealers will have had their demo machines for 2 years now. Might be something worth looking into...
SP-300V: $12,995 US SP-540V: $19,995 US
[ March 19, 2007, 02:45 PM: Message edited by: Mike O'Neill ]
Posted by Nevman (Member # 332) on :
There's one on ebay but I don't recommend that route. I would prefer to buy it new, from a dealer so that you have warrantee service. We run ours pretty much all day, every day and it's nice to know that we can call someone if the machine goes down.
We have used it so much that I am seriously considering getting the 54" SolJet next. Supposed to be 3 times faster and it has the 6 colors.
[ March 19, 2007, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: Nevman ]
Posted by Tony Baggett (Member # 6607) on :
I'm a long time reader and first time poster, Our Versacamm is almost the backbone of our production now. Considering getting another one.
It does more than you can imagine. We use Corel X3 and Versaworks. Works great.
Posted by Rod Ort (Member # 928) on :
again good advice. I believe the eco sol machines are better suited for the part time nature of my business based on my research. The warranty is useful also, I actually got very good at working on and servicing my own encad machine(s) from ebay over the past several years. If I can find a good deal I'll probably go for it but I'm trying to do my homework first.
Posted by Tom Giampia (Member # 2007) on :
Rod,
Just my 2 cents.... If you have this banner job already, you may want to consider farming it out, marking it up and using the profit towards your new equipment purchase.
My reasoning is that if you get a new machine, there is a "Learning Curve" which could eat up the profit in the job.
I started selling digital printing about a year before I bought my SP-300 (Which I really like BTW). I learned alot about materials, art and file set up, etc.. while I was making a profit on the jobs that I sold.
Again, just my 2 cents....
Posted by Bruce Evans (Member # 44) on :
Like Tom said, farm a job like that out. The Versacamm is a great machine and even if you we're to purchase it, a job like that is not going to be it's strong point.
Posted by Sue Brown (Member # 6677) on :
We have had our versacamm 540v for about 8 months now, and it was a choice we have never regreted.. We are actually talking about getting a second machine before the end of this year... We got ours on a $1.00 buy out lease and it has never failed to pay for itself and much more. Just since jan of this year it has more than made its purchase price. One thing i would think about when you do purchase one is going the route of the 54 inch one instead of the 30 incher..
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Hey Rod, There are a couple (wholesale) printers within a day's delivery of you. I would recommend that you hold off on buying the printer until you're consistently selling at least $1,000 to $2,000 of solvent printing per month before you make the purchase. This will help you establish your pricing and allow you to take on the work without having to fork out the $500 a month payment.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
Posted by Mike O'Neill (Member # 470) on :
Pat Neve I took delivery of a Soljet ProIII in October, I was looking at adding a second versacamm and the price difference wasnt that much... I needed redundancy as much as increased productivity, it's amazing how dependant we can get on one machine when it's busy, and there's no-one within 500km that I can sub stuff out to.
Great machine, colors are just that little bit more vibrant than the versacamm. The ProIII is fast!!!
Both machines are running side by side, surprising how many days I'm glad to have 2 machines, both busy. It's great to be able to get small jobs out the door when one machine is tied up with a large order.
Both run off the same versaworks drivers ...
[ March 20, 2007, 09:34 AM: Message edited by: Mike O'Neill ]
Posted by Patrick Wedel (Member # 5256) on :
I purchased a SP-300V in December. I haven't regretted it yet. Be aware though, there is a learning curve. Not so much for running the machine or VersaWorks itself, but using it together with other software you might use and getting the color and ink levels you want. I use Flexi Pro for design and have had endless fun trying to coordinate it with the VersaCamm to get the output I want.
Posted by Sue Brown (Member # 6677) on :
I agree with the above post that subbing out the work is something that should be looked into. We decided against that option for our shop because I have a real hard time letting go of the control over time and quality. I know there are alot of good suppliers of printing out there, (myself now included) but It was just something that was really hard for me to put in someone elses control. Is anyone else out there anal about that kinda stuff too. One thing i cannot stress enuff is to get your machine if you buy one from a company that is somewhat local if you can so you have them close enuff to really give the support you need.. I cannot say enough about the support the company we bought our machine from and a year later if we have a problem with anything they spend the time to make it turn out right for us..
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Mike O'Neil is the one who sold me on this machine...Have'nt regretted it for a second. I purchased mine a year and a half ago.
Posted by Rod Ort (Member # 928) on :
I'm going for a demo later tis week, I'll be sure to ask questions about the software. I use Corel x3 for design and I've been using the photoprint rip on my encad, I have some experience in what you are describing so I understand that I will have some learning to do.I also believe I have enouh work in the very near future to justify the machine to a great deal, the more I learn about it I believe I can do pretty well.I have regular customers that can benefit from this machine. All the feedback is certainly appreciated.
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)