a year ago i bought the Summa DC3 and it prints on 40" 3m white vinyl and the 3m clear vinyl and that is it. we were sold on the fact that it has a 3-5 year life unlaminated. it works well for most exterior work on vehicles and signs. but I am limited to the 40" material they supply or no guarranty on other products.
If i have to print some thing let say 12"x12" I loose 4-5" on the front end and then the remainder of the width. I have never got a straight answer on pricing based on square foot cost and waste(which there seems to be plenty). I am not bummed about the printer but and bummed about the versitility. In less than a year after buying they have come out with a new larger version,( same cost as the DC3 ) which can receive 3 different sizes of material and be able to print on a wider range including banner material. They have a feature that prints perf window pattern on the clear but it is not optically clear so you cannot see through it. I can not print on optically clear laminate because there seems to be some film on the material( not clean) that will not receive the print.
I know that a good shop will have both thermal and solvent printers and that there are some areas that cross over. I am looking at a Roland Eco-Sol and it print on so many different material but needs lamination on most all the material to proect from UV fading. I have a customer right know that wants there police cars done and they are looking at 20+ car after the first of the year ( subbing out is not an option as they want to buy direct ) and it was solvent printed on Reflective then laminated and contour cut. it appears that the Roland can do this but the issue I'm struggling with is the cost of another set-up, Printer and laminator, is 25,000 ( if I'm going to buy another printer buy the 54").
Summa printer does not print on Reflective but has said that they have customers that are printing on the Avery A9 reflective but avery has had a bit of a bad track record. Summa suggest printing on the clear then laminating it on the reflextive but i could not contour cut once it is off the machine with out an optically sensored plotter to pick up the register mark,.. more$$$.
If i had all the money in the world to buy equiptment there would not be a problem, but the idea of going futher into debt is not atractive. I want the new accounts that the new printer will bring, but the police cars will not alone justify the new printer cost. I also want to be able to vehicle raps and the summa not built for that either.
I'm looking for discussion on the pros and cons of each printer. I know there is not a end all, do all printer. I need to make a desision on buying a new printer.
chris
-------------------- "We have been making house calls since 1992"
Chris Lovelady Vital Signs
NOW WITH 2 LOCATIONS! Tallahassee, Florida Thomasville, Ga.
posted
Chris, I've had the Gerber Edge for many years. It is a great machine... but limited in size, and time consuming for 4 color process.
Just bought a Mimaki JV3 130 SPII printer and their CG 130 plotter. Both are 54" machines. UNBELIEVABLE!
I have yet to use the Edge since late June. (I'll keep it for printing white stuff and reverse for windows). I'm concerned with the longevity of prints (3yr) but it seems to be the industry satandard. The product you can design as advertising for your client, far outweighs the length of time it lasts on the vehicle or sign.
I'm using the Mimaki RasterLink and FineCut programs that come with it and they are working like a charm. Colors are matching perfectly. There are settings for vinyl(gloss and matte) and banner materials. I am truly amazed at the quality.
Payments are just over $600 per month, but the time savings alone are worth that. The capabilities are staggering when it comes to reproducing what I design.
Prints directly from AI, EPS, DOC, PDF's, etc., which makes me very happy. No Omega conversions necessary.
Call me if you care to discuss.
-------------------- Gene Golden Gettysburg Signs Gettysburg PA 17325 717-334-0200 genegolden@gettysburgsigns.com
"Art is knowing when to stop." Posts: 1578 | From: Gettysburg, PA | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Chris, I also have the Summa DC3. I know what you mean about the extra material as waste. This is why I have a $75 minimum order. They ALWAYS want it right away! If they can wait a few days, I can gang up and save material. Or I print my Logo and other stuff and the wasted part. The changing different materials does not appeal to me. I simply tell the customers that white vinyl is used to print on period. If your police customer wants to buy from the supplier. . . .Lie to them! Tell them its "In House". Then sub out the print.
-------------------- John Arnott El Cajon CA 619 596-9989 signgraphics1@aol.com http://www.signgraphics1.com Posts: 1443 | From: El Cajon CA usa | Registered: Dec 1998
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Chris, I've got a Matan Spark and then bought a Roland VersaCamm, to be honest if I'd bought the Versacamm first it's unlikely I'd have bought thermal at all.
The solvents are now good for 3 yrs unlaminated (warranteed) and 5 years laminated (warranteed) pretty well as good as the service life of thermals; print quality is superior, speed is superior and versatility is beyond compare, these things print (well) on just about anything, and don't forget about the print cost is roughly one-quarter for the inks vs the ribbons. Any questions or doubts I had about print life of inkjet before buying it have since disappeared.
See about selling the summa ???
[ September 25, 2006, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: Mike O'Neill ]
-------------------- Mike O'Neill
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. - Arthur C. Clarke
posted
There is something good to be said about thermal. I use to have a PC-60. There are still trucks running around with decals that I had printed on vinyl. They are just about ready to be changed but that's 7 years ago. All I did what Frog juice them. I would love to have another thermal printer ( Not the PC-60) for smaller jobs like boat or snowmobile registration numbers etc. I find that with the CJ-500 the decals are too thick due to the lamination and the thickness of the vinyl therefore the white edge is detectable. Just doesn't seem right on a $14000.00 snowmobile....
-------------------- Mario G. Lafreniere (Fergie) J&N Signs Winter did show up! Posts: 1257 | From: Chapleau, Ontario | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
the new roland has the ability to add a clear coating cartridge of over lamination.
Another way to laminate on a roland is to have it placed on a table, after the print is finished, advance the print forward on the table enough to tape it to the table. Now mask your laminate with transfer tape and position the laminate directly over the print and tape one side of the laminate down well to make a hinge. with the laminate over the print taped down, reach under and start the pull the release liner off of the stick side of the laminate at about 6" at a time while squeeging down the laminate,,, and then continue until finished. Once your finished laminating, trim any excess off, and then backup your material into the roland, the roland will reconize the edge, now run the cut file only with additional pressure to allow for the additional thickness and your prints will be laminated and cut.
There are some laminators on the market that start at $1800.00 .
If your not sure, give me a call at 1-800-531-3359 and I'll run through it with you.
Good Luck!
-------------------- Ron Percell Percell Signs 707-769-0639 Petaluma, California
but i still believe there is a place for both printers. The summa for short run decals that could replace some of my silk screening. the lamination seems a stuggle to print laminate then contour cut. but it is a must for most all vehicles and some exterior signs. I know the industry is always pushing forward . The cumputer that i bought 6 mo. ago is being over shadowed buy bigger, stronger, CHEAPER. It still pushes my buttons and so i guess i will just have to suck it up. and save up for the new printer.
thanks for you comments and look forward to hearing more about this.
chris
-------------------- "We have been making house calls since 1992"
Chris Lovelady Vital Signs
NOW WITH 2 LOCATIONS! Tallahassee, Florida Thomasville, Ga.
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