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YaHoo! Just got our brand spankin' new Summa DC4sx thermal transfer printer in and hooked up.
We are familiar with getting lots of digital printing done (outsourced)over the last 3 years (ink) and know the pricing recommendations from the vendor who we got our new printer from (ND).
Just curious of the price differences in Canada per your demographic.
Any tips and tricks, things to look out for when operating this machine?
wealth of info on this thermal printer there if you haven't found it already.
-------------------- Ron Helliar Marysville Sign 11807 51st Ave. NE Marysville, WA 98271 (360) 659-4856 Posts: 263 | From: Marysville, WA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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We have Flexisign here and liked knowing we could run from that rather than learning a new prgram for us. We are leasing through ND Graphics here in Calgary (good ole Brad Taylor).
Yup, tried to snow today, didn't stick to the ground or anything - did yours? Sheesh, just two weeks shy of the first day of summer - the longest day of the year - husband's talking of leaving me for a warmer climate. (Let's see, where is his suitcase . . .! : )
I originally phoned ND (made 2 calls) when I was doing my initial research but no one ever called me back. Then called SIGNequip by Corbins and they've been absolutely fabulous!
Anyway, my $/sf rate may be different as the media is wider - 54" - but I was recommended to charge $16/sf. Supplies are based stateside, so prices are affected by the U.S. exchange.
We usually always just use CMY for all color output, blacks are very dense without using K. We usually use Double Dot. Most jobs are always hybrid - print/cut. Don't forget to charge for the vinyl lead edge - ours takes approx. 5 inches x 54". Also keep in mind when quoting, that the ribbons are 4" and prints over (approx.) 3.7" are considered 4" - so a job 21" is calculated on 24" - don't forget to include the contour within that 4 inches as it may initiate another pass. I always zoom in on a contour cut to make sure it looks grey. You know Flexi has 2 contour cut options, use the one under Effects Menu. I often do a test print of a larger print, just to make sure the colors come out okay, and the contour cut works - I always make it within 3.5" high so it will only be 3 small passes. If you do lots of contour cuts, perhaps throw in a calibration to realign cut head if things start to misalign. We add a larger outline of the contour color so there's no white showing even if the contour cut is a bit off. If you see banding (there may be some visible in colors that have large areas of the same color) the problem may be that the flange rollers may not be rolling completely round and true - which in turn pulls on the media, check that first, calibrate next.
Some cool things: Dual cut feature contour cuts, then diecuts decals - just flick them with your finger and they fall out - saves weeding and cutting.
White ribbon to print on colored background or background for double-sided printing on clear. Instead of using 'perforated vinyl' we use clear, use the dot pattern (that doesn't print in the dots), print white first then CMY - works just great! This feature is available only in Color Control, not in the regular Production Manager RIP.
Double-density print mode for backlit signs.
I can't think of anything else at the moment - because it's the weekend and my brain is on 24 hour leave. I know we've learned a lot and each costly mistake sure stays with you as it affects the bottom line.
I'm always interested in learning more tips and tricks too. Will add more as (and if) I think of them. Hope some of this helps a bit. I love Flexi (I hear some don't, for whatever reasons). I am a Mac person, they didn't have Mac drivers when I bought my DC4, so use PC and find that Flexi combines so many great features from Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
Congrats on your printer - I know I sure love mine! The output is just amazing!
-------------------- Lori Wilcox Tabby Ink Hinton, Alberta Canada Ph 780-865-4305 Posts: 306 | From: Hinton, Alberta, Canada | Registered: Aug 2007
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A bevy of information Lori, thanks. I guess for it to stick, I just gotta get my feet wet. I would love to hear you are heading towards Calgary for a summer weekend. If so, would be interested in meeting with you. Perhaps show us things that we don't know of yet that are sure to consume us! For MONEY! I have yet to call Summa Tech support but, have quite the list going already. Little things like density for intermediate quality vinyl, how to contour cut, flex cut (the guy showed us but, showed us so much, some went out the other ear), how to print BLACK with other colours but, without having the Black printed in 4 colour....lots of stuff to learn. Getting a BIG MAC 24" this week as well.
Feel free to give me a call and I can (hopefully) answer specific questions.
Best time for me is after 5pm (I rarely leave before 6pm) but you could try earlier as well. You may get the answering machine, but I will call back. We're so busy these days, we have a ton of work on our plate - I'm not complaining!
I know what you mean about information overload - our rep came for 2 days and showed us a ton of things, some of which we quickly made notes (lucky to be able to decipher them after a period of time).
I seldom get to Calgary, but our son lives in Red Deer, so it is a possibility.
When we first got ours, I played with the different dot configurations for photos vs graphics - used the same photo for various samples so we could see how the dots look - then marked them above in pen so we had a reference point. For billboards coarse is okay as it is viewed from a distance, don't want much density.
Contour cut from good ol' Production Manager, Flex cut from Color Control. Black with other spot colors - turn 'Color Correction' off, and choose the spot colors in the next screen. Because I don't have it in front of me, I can't think of all the options.
Watch your media width in the RIP screen as it sometimes changes - you should notice in the graphic screen where it shows you your job, that something is cut off or looking a little weird. Murphy!
A very, very cool program we have is PhotoZoom 2, it increases the pixels so when someone gives you a 2 inch square photo and wants it made into a 4 ft print, you stand half a chance. It is amazing, priced at about $379. cdn.
I'm envious - you run Flexi from your Mac? When I got Flexi they didn't have Mac drivers.
Next week my Dell 20" touchscreen should be shipped - I really hate the fact that as a Mac person since 1984, I now own more PCs than Macs - 6 to 5.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
-------------------- Lori Wilcox Tabby Ink Hinton, Alberta Canada Ph 780-865-4305 Posts: 306 | From: Hinton, Alberta, Canada | Registered: Aug 2007
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