posted
Hi every one, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I believe it's time I get in to the world of digital printing. Every manufacture out there says they have the best system. The people that use them every day are the ones that know the truth. SO, What are the likes & dislikes you have for the systems you have?
Thanks, Mark
-------------------- Mark La May H.B.W.T. Signs & Silk Screening N9205 US Highway 141 Crivitz, WI 54114 Posts: 28 | From: Crivitz, WI. | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
What kind of budget do you have? What will you be doing most of your printing on? Will you be printing signs mostly for indoor or outdoor use? Do you want to do wraps? You'll most likely need a decent laminator also.... and a good RIP software.
Without knowing more it's hard to suggest, but I can tell you for my money what I would look at. In my mind the best value for the dollar / quality is Roland SolJet Pro III or the Mimaki JV3, JV5 or JV33. If money is a big concern, Mimaki is blowing the older JV3's out at some great prices. Those have proven to be great printers.
BTW, I use a Roland SolJet II with Onyx RIP and love it! Roland has been a pleasure to deal with.
posted
Hi Cody, Like everyone else I would like the best equipment at the best price. I was looking at the PJ EXtra 38 by MUOTH it comes with a Q-100 42" Cutter & a 37" Laminator It is running $13,495 at Signwarehouse.com I Have been ordering Laminated prints on reflective for a few years now & it is a big hit. Most every thing I've been doing is outdoor. Never tried a wrap but I'll sure give it a shot.
-------------------- Mark La May H.B.W.T. Signs & Silk Screening N9205 US Highway 141 Crivitz, WI 54114 Posts: 28 | From: Crivitz, WI. | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Mark La May: Like everyone else I would like the best equipment at the best price.
Best equipment for what? What do you want to do with it? What is your market buying? What printing have you been selling? If you aren't already selling printing, find someone to sub it out to til you've built your market enough to warrant buying it, be able to pay for itself & at that point you'll know better what you need it to do.
A butter knife is the perfect tool for spreading jelly on bread, but leaves a lot to be desired when used to carve the Thanksgiving turkey.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I would get opinions on Sign Ware House first. I had a Mutoh in here that was purchased from them. I found their customer service and technical to be more than lacking.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Like I said earlier, Most all of me signage is out doors. Road signs, trucks, trailers, boats, ETC. I have been ordering my digital prints for a few years from Gregory. They do a good job & there prints hold up well but I’m sure there would be a lot more money to be made if I had my own equipment. That & I ‘m sure I would sell a lot more printed signs if I could turn them out in house because of speed. The point that the printers can turn out quick & colorful banners too would be a real plus.
Mark
-------------------- Mark La May H.B.W.T. Signs & Silk Screening N9205 US Highway 141 Crivitz, WI 54114 Posts: 28 | From: Crivitz, WI. | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hiya Mark, What type of printing have you been ordering from Gregory - electrostatic, inkjet or??? That should get you headed in the right direction. From there just about anything could go. If you ask a dozen sign makers on what printer to get, you'll probably get a dozen different answers. So, I would recommend buying your equipment from a local distributor that can support you before and after the sale. They should make recommendations based on your current needs and offer some sort of training and extended support when, not if, something goes wrong. The real question ultimately is, what can you afford to buy, keep busy and be used to make you more money? Don't forget, the printer is only a small part of the equation. You'll also need to invest in a good laminator and inventory - media and inks, laminate, etc. Plus may need to upgrade and/or invest in a new computer, color management software, dehumidifiers, media and laminate storage racks, etc.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Go see the equipment in operation, would be my suggestion. Maybe go to a show or to another shop out of your area to see what each machine can do. See how long it takes to produce a print, what the quality is like and how it holds up to what type of uses. Sounds like we do similar types of work. We picked out what we thought was an affordable, easy to operate system but also tried to get a good quality final product. AND most of all, DON'T overlook your distibutor that you purchase your equipement from! We originally purchased our machine from "another company" (who shall remain un-named) and we got terrible service! Everytime we had a problem, which wasn't often, we got the feeling that we were living in Siberia! It was SOOO far for them to come or they wouldn't call us back or "Steve doesn't come in till 11:00, We'll have him call you." YEAH RIGHT!...two days later! It wasn't too far to come when we paid them the big $$$ for the equipment they were trying to sell us and they promised us good service!! We finally found another company (who obviously didn't even sell us the original equipment) that is now doing our service and providing all of our printing materials too. They have been wonderful! Just ask around and find a company you can rely on. We love our VersaCamm and Wensco has really treated us right!!
[ November 26, 2007, 06:29 PM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic