Ricoh RI 3000
[Anajet]
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Just yesterday I saw both, well the 6000, in action at the SGIA Expo. Based solely on what I saw there, I would go with the GTX. The print looked comparable, but the GTX did it in one pass and that one pass was just as quick as the 6000's second (color) pass. Both were on black shirts.
When I spoke to the Ricoh guys, they told me that the main difference between the 3000 and 6000 were that the 3000 had 3 heads while the 6000 had 6. I don't know how many the GTX has. But when it printed the white base and the color at the same time, I was completely blown away by how fast it was and how great it looked. Also, there is supposed to be a LOT less maintenance when it comes to the white.
When I spoke to the Ricoh guys, they told me that the main difference between the 3000 and 6000 were that the 3000 had 3 heads while the 6000 had 6. I don't know how many the GTX has. But when it printed the white base and the color at the same time, I was completely blown away by how fast it was and how great it looked. Also, there is supposed to be a LOT less maintenance when it comes to the white.
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So how do the maintenance of the two compare? I am about to buy 2 ricoh ri 6000s and based on what i have been told the maintenance for the Ri 6000 is basically automated with the white ink circulation system as the cartridges are air sealed to the machine. Any information I am missing?
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From Brother's website: What maintenance is required for the GTX?
GTX is an industrial direct-to-garment printer. Many of the maintenance procedures are automatically performed for the users daily by the built-in features as long as the printer remains powered on.
I purchased the 3000 late Oct new and in full. So any questions you have on it feel free to ask me.
Personally, the 3000 is almost to slow for my print needs. So if you can afford it, just get the 6000 if you decide on Anajet, however...
I am already looking for a new DTG printer. The 3000 is, in my opinion, to expensive for all the flaws it has. It is unbelievably sensitive. I have yet to have a full day of printing without it just randomly banding on all the shirts, and the print heads constantly, hourly, need cleaned and checked.
It has the ability to do some good prints.. but its so inconsistent. Sometimes you'll print a shirt and its like, wow looks great. Then the very next shirt it's like.. what just happened?
On top of all that, the resupply from Anajet is ridiculously priced. To change out a sponge in the machine it will be $13 plus $20 shipping. I Buy the Largest inks they have and they only last me a week. I buy 3 sets at a time for not even a month of prints, and that roughly costs me $2100. On top of that, once the ink cartridge hits around 20% it bugs out and for whatever reason the colors start mixing and messing up. So you usually only get 80% of the cartridge.
Don't listen to them when they tell you there is little and easy maintenance. I spend at least 1-2 hours a day performing maintenance on my anajet.
Can you make money with this machine? Yes.
Is it the power machine they make it seem, No.
Personally, the 3000 is almost to slow for my print needs. So if you can afford it, just get the 6000 if you decide on Anajet, however...
I am already looking for a new DTG printer. The 3000 is, in my opinion, to expensive for all the flaws it has. It is unbelievably sensitive. I have yet to have a full day of printing without it just randomly banding on all the shirts, and the print heads constantly, hourly, need cleaned and checked.
It has the ability to do some good prints.. but its so inconsistent. Sometimes you'll print a shirt and its like, wow looks great. Then the very next shirt it's like.. what just happened?
On top of all that, the resupply from Anajet is ridiculously priced. To change out a sponge in the machine it will be $13 plus $20 shipping. I Buy the Largest inks they have and they only last me a week. I buy 3 sets at a time for not even a month of prints, and that roughly costs me $2100. On top of that, once the ink cartridge hits around 20% it bugs out and for whatever reason the colors start mixing and messing up. So you usually only get 80% of the cartridge.
Don't listen to them when they tell you there is little and easy maintenance. I spend at least 1-2 hours a day performing maintenance on my anajet.
Can you make money with this machine? Yes.
Is it the power machine they make it seem, No.
So just to update my review in case someone reads this in the future, I was unfortunate enough to have received a printer with a faulty wiper blade assembly. They sent me a tool to re-calibrate it, and it does seem to be printing better and more consistent.
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Given your updated review, what are your current thoughts or advice on this machine for someone considering purchasing this unit? I am looking to add this unit or one similar to a home based business.
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Any new insights after running it for a while? Love to hear if you ahve a minute! Thanks!
Hey All. So after running it a while, the machine does seem to be working 100% better.
Definitely way happier with the prints I've been having now. It still is no where near the 20 darkshirt prints per hour they promise, but it is fast enough to make money with, and the quality is definitely acceptable for resale. Maintenance is still there, but nothing compared to what I was doing, and nothing to hateful.
I print about 200 shirts a week and its pretty time intensive, so if you plan on printing any more then that i would probably go with the ri6000 if you can.
@bossman696 I think this machine would be great for a home based business, it takes up a fair amount of room, but nothing that wouldn't fit fine in a house. However it does not disassemble, so get some strong studs to help you maneuver though rooms, because it is awkward to hold, heavy, and you have to tilt it to get though a standard 3ft door. I'd also not recommend it in a garage just because you really need to monitor Humidity and Temperature with this machine which means needing to control the room environment, but a basement might be adequate. Demand for shirts is just so high I think you will have no problem paying off this machine, and in no time. I got mine for just shirt marketing one of my own small businesses, and started selling shirts online and offline as a side business/hobby and it turned into a pretty fast growing additional company. Originally I was just going to sell shirts until I got my money back from the machine and then switch to only using it for marketing, but after seeing how profitable it is there's no stopping it now.
As far a similar machine, I believe the Brother GTX is faster then the 3000, but slower then the 6000, but costs as much as the 6000, so if your looking for entry/upgrade into the industry, the Ri3000 does produce great prints with a cheaper initial investment. Note that they say speed is the only difference between the ri3 and ri6, but the ri3 has 3 less print heads, so it shares colors on 2 of the print heads, which i think means the ri3 does have more maintenance required simply because you cant get away with a semi dirty head because colors get mixed.
Hope this helps, sorry for the novel of a response. Let me know if you have any other questions, I know its a pretty big purchase so if there is any way I can help let me know.
Oh, I also found a more affordable option for supplies then buying through anajet which definitely helped my opinion of the machine, haha.
Definitely way happier with the prints I've been having now. It still is no where near the 20 darkshirt prints per hour they promise, but it is fast enough to make money with, and the quality is definitely acceptable for resale. Maintenance is still there, but nothing compared to what I was doing, and nothing to hateful.
I print about 200 shirts a week and its pretty time intensive, so if you plan on printing any more then that i would probably go with the ri6000 if you can.
@bossman696 I think this machine would be great for a home based business, it takes up a fair amount of room, but nothing that wouldn't fit fine in a house. However it does not disassemble, so get some strong studs to help you maneuver though rooms, because it is awkward to hold, heavy, and you have to tilt it to get though a standard 3ft door. I'd also not recommend it in a garage just because you really need to monitor Humidity and Temperature with this machine which means needing to control the room environment, but a basement might be adequate. Demand for shirts is just so high I think you will have no problem paying off this machine, and in no time. I got mine for just shirt marketing one of my own small businesses, and started selling shirts online and offline as a side business/hobby and it turned into a pretty fast growing additional company. Originally I was just going to sell shirts until I got my money back from the machine and then switch to only using it for marketing, but after seeing how profitable it is there's no stopping it now.
As far a similar machine, I believe the Brother GTX is faster then the 3000, but slower then the 6000, but costs as much as the 6000, so if your looking for entry/upgrade into the industry, the Ri3000 does produce great prints with a cheaper initial investment. Note that they say speed is the only difference between the ri3 and ri6, but the ri3 has 3 less print heads, so it shares colors on 2 of the print heads, which i think means the ri3 does have more maintenance required simply because you cant get away with a semi dirty head because colors get mixed.
Hope this helps, sorry for the novel of a response. Let me know if you have any other questions, I know its a pretty big purchase so if there is any way I can help let me know.
Oh, I also found a more affordable option for supplies then buying through anajet which definitely helped my opinion of the machine, haha.
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Thank so much Malonjao! I really appreciate your insight on this machine. I think this will be a winner for us. I am glad you are doing well with it and I hope to report back in a couple of months with a similar story of success.
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Thanks Malonjao. I appreciate the time you took to share your experience. It did help me clarify a few points and it's also a motivator for people getting started in the t-shirt business. Thanks again!
👍👍 No Problem
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Hi, I saw GTX in action and its really fast, also brother has change the printhead, compared with the previous models, now it has 2 bigger printheads (one for cmyk one for withe) before, like anajet mp10, 5 printheads but different brand.
For my point of wiew(and anajet tech) ricoh3000 or 6000 is the same old machine (mp5i-mp10i) with a touch screen and upgraded software. thats it.
For my point of wiew(and anajet tech) ricoh3000 or 6000 is the same old machine (mp5i-mp10i) with a touch screen and upgraded software. thats it.
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Actually, the RI3000 has quite a few updated parts and improvements. They have an all new pump system which allows for better and faster ink flow and a new white ink circulation function which happens every 20 mins. It includes a few other features that escape me at the moment, but I haven't really used the previous AnaJet models, but I am pretty please with the RI3000 so far.
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Yea I ended up buying 2 Ri 6000s and one thing they upgraded over the previous models is primarily maintenance improvements, higher grade/quality ink lines, easier access maintenance station, and of course the 7” LCD Touch screen that replaced the former push buttons with smaller screen.
I also have to say their service is really good. I read horror stories about Anajet back when I was doing my research but I guess since Ricoh acquired them they were able to increase staff or put more money towards support. They are responsive to emails and very polite. The machines themselves are actually somewhat simple and the maintenance isnt too bad. I was intimidated at first but after doing it I realize how simple it is. Their ink is also relatively cheap too compared to epson and brother, and also they have industrial grade steel printheads made by Ricoh which is good to know as well (not sure if their the same ones from the previous mp10 or not). Ricoh supposively analyzed this thing from the ground up so I am sure they kept a lot of things the same but it would surprise me if a company such as themselves would just slap their name on something without making it more reliable than the previous models which I heard had bad reviews, just my opinion.
I sound like a salesmen but so far just a happy customer. If anything changes I will give an update.
I also have to say their service is really good. I read horror stories about Anajet back when I was doing my research but I guess since Ricoh acquired them they were able to increase staff or put more money towards support. They are responsive to emails and very polite. The machines themselves are actually somewhat simple and the maintenance isnt too bad. I was intimidated at first but after doing it I realize how simple it is. Their ink is also relatively cheap too compared to epson and brother, and also they have industrial grade steel printheads made by Ricoh which is good to know as well (not sure if their the same ones from the previous mp10 or not). Ricoh supposively analyzed this thing from the ground up so I am sure they kept a lot of things the same but it would surprise me if a company such as themselves would just slap their name on something without making it more reliable than the previous models which I heard had bad reviews, just my opinion.
I sound like a salesmen but so far just a happy customer. If anything changes I will give an update.
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I purchased my RI3000 after reading a few of these and I too had heard the horror stories about Anajet and the previous models. I am a commercial printer by trade (Full Time Day Job) and I have used Ricoh's production units for quite some time and I knew the company would stand by their unit if I had trouble. And lets just say the first RI-3000 I received required them to step-up and they did. We had problems right out of the box. Luckily I had paid for the onsite training and he was there to say something is not right here. Since it had several issues, The Ricoh tech said as a new owner, you should have to throw parts at it and we will just send you a new machine. They were able to get that working enough to complete most of the onsite training. I received the replacement machine about a week and a half later and it had issues right out of the box, but I was familiar enough with the machine by now to diagnose the issue, talk with the tech and install the parts we needed. It took a couple of tries and parts to completely eliminate the issue, but they gave me a set of inks for the trouble and we have printing every since. I have to agree with the others when I say the ink costs for this unit are cheaper than their competition.
The only thing that I have noticed, and I'm not sure if this is because I am using a MacBook running Parallels to run the AnajetRIP software, but the touch screen becomes unresponsive if you happen to tap it while something is being sent to the printer. I had had to reset the printer a couple of times as a result. Sometimes hitting the manual print button to put it in Advanced Maintenance mode will unlock it, but most of the time I have to power it down to get it working again. As long as I make sure I don't tap the screen while I am ripping something, I don't have that issue.
The only thing that I have noticed, and I'm not sure if this is because I am using a MacBook running Parallels to run the AnajetRIP software, but the touch screen becomes unresponsive if you happen to tap it while something is being sent to the printer. I had had to reset the printer a couple of times as a result. Sometimes hitting the manual print button to put it in Advanced Maintenance mode will unlock it, but most of the time I have to power it down to get it working again. As long as I make sure I don't tap the screen while I am ripping something, I don't have that issue.
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You are not alone with the screen freezing issue when sending new designs. I actually sent this as an email to one of their anajet techs but never heard back. One thing I would do which might fix it is set the printer up as a network printer. Are you using the usb to connect directly to the printer?
They have a new firmware update coming out which I hope addresses this. One thing I do hate is the white ink slowly sips away if you are not using the printer. THe closed loop auto circulation does waste ink.
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