[Denyevil]

I was wondering how effective the Epson 9800 is for printing on sign vinyl etc. I know it's not the quickest and doesn't cut but for the price you can pick one up at these days it is making me wonder. I would like to begin getting into selling banners and signs as a supplement to my screen printing and sublimation.
I'd love to hear from the sign experts out there and get some advice. Thanks so much!

Don

 

[PositiveDave]

You need water-based vinyl, i.e. it has been coated, which makes it expensive and it will need protecting with a layer of varnish because the vinyl will continue to pick up dirt & water. But it will look very nice.

 

[knucklehead]

With the pigment inks, and UV overlaminate, you can get a couple of years on outdoor projects.

 

[moldy]

I'm looking at this printer as well. We had an epson 7800 (I think) at work and the quality was beautiful but
as you said slow. Does anyone have a suggestion about a good alternative? Quality must be there and would be wonderful if if could cut the items out as well.

 

[mrbigjack50]

SEPIAX Ink

These inks can be used in water base printers and you can print on cheap outdoor banner/vinyl without lam.
Need a heating unit, 1500 bux and bulk ink system, 900 bux and you should be good to go

 

[SICK]

It says on the SEPIAX that the ink needs to be certain tempurature with a pre heat. The 9800 has no such thing.

I'm getting a used 9800 tomorrow.

 

[mrbigjack50]

Yes, you get a dryer unit, i suggest contacting: Wide Format Solvent Printer Conversion

Pretty sure they sell these kinds of heaters needed

 

[jean518]

The 9800 is a wide format desk jet printer. I have one. Great document and photo printer. It is slower than my Epson 1100. Just not sure that if I were going to get into solvent type printing that I would go this route. Get the right equipment for the purpose. Have you looked into getting a good used solvent printer/cutter?

 

[jean518]

Just watched the videos in the link above. Note that the printers he is talking about are the professional wide format not desk jets. Terminology can lead to misunderstanding. Yes the 9800 is a wide format DESK JET printer. It is not the type of wide format printer that is talked about in the videos. I do not think a DESK JET wide format can be used with this process. Unless HP has a sign/banner wide format printer that has the same model number as the DESK JET wide format printer, you are buying a printer meant for paper products that is no different from the printer that you use for everyday printing. It is a great printer for docs and photos.

 

[jean518]

Sorry for my posts. Saw 9800 and thought HP. Too early I guess. Hope the Epson works for you. Still looks like a lot of stuff to do to make it work if it will work. The guy in the videos says not all can be converted.

 

[SICK]

How is your 9800 working out?

Got my 9800 on Sunday! Spent 6 hours learning it, head alignment takes close to a half an hour, but it does it its self with me interacting with it every 7 minutes. It also self checks for head clogging!

Amazing prints! This is NOT a solvent printer. It is pigment based with Epson Ultrachrome K3 ink. The seller gave me a pro luster roll, canvas roll and matte roll. The luster paper rocks. Amazing posters but really thick. The matte, I'm not so happy, looks like normal paper.

Ordered some banner material and vinyl from vistek.ca last night. I'm in Canada. Brand name is Priemer. I'll give you a review.

Today I will be testing blue grid for darks and JPSS papers for t shirts.

A 44" printer for $2300 bucks! I think I got a deal!

 

[moldy]

The Epson does a beautiful job - I was amazed at how good the price was too.
My understanding was you'd have to laminate anything that was going outside
and it doesn't cut. So I decided (I think) on the SP-300.
Unfortunately the price is 9,500.00 used yikes!

I hope you keep posting on your progress - I can always change my mind
(not buying until January)

Thanks

 

[SICK]

The Epson does a beautiful job - I was amazed at how good the price was too.
My understanding was you'd have to laminate anything that was going outside
and it doesn't cut. So I decided (I think) on the SP-300.
Unfortunately the price is 9,500.00 used yikes!

I hope you keep posting on your progress - I can always change my mind
(not buying until January)

Thanks

Wow, the SP-300 around here (Canada) goes for $13K ... one quote I got was $16K

I just got (yesterday) a manual cold laminating machine, 25" for $149 bucks so there's a savings over the automatic ones for $1K

 

[moldy]

the new SP-300 is expensive (I'm in Canada too) - the one I'm talking about is refurbished
I'm going to see it tomorrow - I'll let you know how it looks.

Let me know how the laminator works out - I've never run one but I've
see the large ones in action at my old job and I've seen MANY jobs messed up

Do you plan to do jobs that require cutting? Decals etc? How do plan to handle this?

The reason I settled on the SP-300 was because it prints and cuts - I hope I made the right choice

 

[SICK]

Where are you? I'm in Innisfil just south of Barrie, Ontario. Here's the laminator CANADA-ASC365 on the bottom. It's a china thing, simple as can be and works!

I have a Craft Robo Pro on order from transferpaperscanada.ca (Peter, he is Collingwood Ontario) so I will be able to print and cut up to 15" ... starting to think I should have gotta a Roland GX-24 but time will tell.

I have a 4' RedSail (china) plotter here, had for a couple of years. I cut sign vinyl and flex and flock with it, works great but can't cut and print with it, that's why I grabbed a Craft Robo Pro. I also have a T-Jet that I don't maintain and it's cost me close to $1200 in print heads in the past 3 years I've had it It's down again and I can't get it working again. Figure it'll cost a grand to fix.

Another cool thing I have is a Brother PR-600 embroidery machine I got a year ago used.

 

[dim116]

Wow, the SP-300 around here (Canada) goes for $13K ... one quote I got was $16K

I just got (yesterday) a manual cold laminating machine, 25" for $149 bucks so there's a savings over the automatic ones for $1K

You should check with Untitled Document they buy & sell used Roland printer/cutters all the time & less than the quotes you received.

 

[SICK]

You should check with Untitled Document they buy & sell used Roland printer/cutters all the time & less than the quotes you received.

I see they have 1 30" Versacamm right now... too late for me. I just called and changed the craft robo to a Graphtec CE5000-60 24" cutter with registration marks. Was told the Graphtec is better than the Roland GX-24 but same price.

 

[dim116]

Actually I priced the Roland GX-24 & the Graphtec ce5000-60 with them a couple of days ago.
The Graphtec was actually a few hundred dollars less than the Roland & the Graphtec comes with a stand where the Roland doesn't. From all I've read they are both a quality vinyl cutter & both have the optical eye option.

 

[moldy]

I'm near Brantford.

I found a SP-300 for sale thru a Chinese company $6,000.00 delivered to my door but I was worried about getting ripped off and not getting any support.

I looked at the GX-24 and the 9800 in the beginning until someone on here suggested that for
that kind of money I'd be better off with the SP-300. I took their advise to heart.

Time will tell - I understand there's a print show on Monday so I may go and see what there is
if my friend gets back to me in time.

Have a good day

 

[SICK]

I'd stay away from some one who will deliver it. My new/used epson 9800 is great fun, love the machine, printing posters for the kids and myself. I just can't figure out margins when printing. It seems to have a mind of its own on margin sizes with photoshop. Also all the ICC print profiles really effect the quality of the print. I imagine expirence will sort out these problems.

Finding material to print on is easy. Use the search term aqueous when searching. Vistek.ca has some stuff I ordered from. Same day shipping. Also PC Frontier, they say same day shipping, but its just a lie. Also The Drawing Center in Toronto has low cost stuff, email mail them for a price list.

My $2300 printer is now over $5000 with materials and replacement ink or is that a