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We have already ordered the Encad 736 and the plotter with outdoor and indoor ink. I know very little about this equipment. We currently run a gerber gsx15 plotter and a graphtec 24 inch plotter (the problem child). I would like to hear some comments about this product. We are very excited about our new purchase and hope it will expand our abilities. Currently we Cut vinyl, custom paint/airbrush cars & motorcycles, silkscreen and the other sign shop stuff. 2 man shop and very busy. No time off and work late hours.....maybe my question should be HOW do you get a break? Thanks for any advise. Chuck
-------------------- Chuck Coupland Coupland Signs 426 N. 11th Laporte, Tx. 77571 copesigns@aol.com Posts: 36 | From: LaPorte, Tx. USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Ive been running the Encad pro 600e model and have had mostly bad experiences with it and most epecially, the tech support.a
If I had it to do over again I wouldn't buy any printer with ink supply resoviours(sp)? and plumbing lines. They are prone to losing prime, clogging, and other time consuming problems to fix. I've eliminated half of the problems by just using outdoor ink for everything. Switching back and forth was never easy as they make it sound.
The annual service contract on my printer was a whopping $2,500.oo for one year and when I called last week about a problem I was basically told that if I wanted it repaired they'd send me the part and I could fix it myself.
Don't rely or count on the service contract. I've had other problems with other equipment used in our business. The problem seems to widespread throughout the industry. Manufacturers and sales people promise the moon but once you've spent your money, you're pretty much on your own.
Sorry I can't tell you that you will be so happy with your new investment but I hope I'm wrong in your case.
-------------------- Bob Stephens Skywatch Signs Zephyrhills, FL
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I really like the Encads. I have owned 5 in total. The last one being the 600e, and I love it. You'll get some super prints out of your 736, but you will probably find that you will outgrow the 36" width pretty quick. There is a certain amount of maintenance to keep everything running smoothly, like wiping down the slide bar and keeping the park pads moist. Good luck with your new printer, and have lots of fun!
Glenn
-------------------- Glenn Thompson Tell-Tale Signs Williams Lake, BC sign@telus.net (250)398-7446 Posts: 201 | From: Williams Lake, BC | Registered: Dec 2000
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Chuck, I've worked with the 736 and I think it is a great entry level printer. It's not going to give you high resolution photographic quality prints but for everyday output it's pretty nice. I'm not sure what the cost difference between the dyes and pigments is but if it's not too much or if you're doing primarily outdoor work I'd follow Bob's advice and use outdoor inks for most work unless you need the higher color vibrancy of the dyes.
What RIP are you planning to use? That's going to be a factor in your experience with the printer.
We have a fantastic outdoor media for the GO inks, the 1916. It isn't topcoated (uses micropores to receive the inks) so is less expensive, is more surface durable, and has a satin finish. It gives twice the color gamut of the Encad waterproof vinyl, really beautiful. Email me if you'd like a sample.
-------------------- Kenneth Sandlin Author of "Wide Format Printing: An Introduction and Buyer's Guide" PO Box 1295 St. Augustine, FL 32085 kennethsandlin@msn.com http://wfprinting.tripod.com Posts: 116 | From: Jacksonville, FL | Registered: May 2002
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