how to choose a print & cut machine?

[logobear]

local VSI640 going about half new price little used 1 and a half years old and clean test print running eco sol 2 inks in CMYK
is this sultable?

[socialgiraffe]

Just wondering...... if you use non Roland inks as you seem to be doing who does the 'free' head replacement?

The third party supplier of ink does.

Bn-20 will do all you need logobear

See this in action first, they are painfully slow

local VSI640 going about half new price little used 1 and a half years old and clean test print running eco sol 2 inks in CMYK

Possibly, how much are they asking for it? That is huge and will be more than adequate for garments.

[logobear]

asking £7500 inc vat so £6250.
full genuine ink carts
really big machine, not sure I would use all the width .....
WHAT Software do you use to print & cut?
We are a Corel draw shop, what is versaworks used for?
Would I need specialist s/w for print & cut?
thanks for your help.
P

[socialgiraffe]

Versaworks is Rolands own propriety RIP software that takes EPS files and converts them for printing and cutting. You will need this software to run the VS. If you register your printer with Roland then the software is free.

It is very easy to use and is basically a decent RIP software to manage colour and obvioulsy cutting paths.

Things you need to know.

To cut items on a Roland you must have an EPS file with the cutting path as a line. You can embed bitmaps in the file, but to cut must be a "proper" line drawn in something like Corel.

The cut line will need to be in Roland's special CONTOUR CUTTING LINE specific colour. When you get the software you can load a specific colour palette into Corel so that the colour appears as a special. All very easy

How is the machine configured? Does it have metallic or white or is it 2 x CMYK? You will not be able to use either colour on garment printing and the metallic is very limited on other substrates as well. If you are not going to use those colours then either look for a different machine or stick a couple of cleaning carts in there.

£6250 seems like a pretty decent price for the machine if you have the space and think you will be able to get it working for you

[logobear]

thanks for your experience social.
the machine is setup CMKY x 2 sets, original ecosol2 inks - all full.
don't think it has been used much, and it is kept in an unheated space ...... I think I read that the machine MUST be kept over 16c and switched on akll the time so it can keep itself clean..... below 16c it switches itself off?
Are there other variants you think better, it is really BIG ..... but, it is local so easy to collect.
Cheers, I owe you a drink
P

[mr-gobby]

Everything is relative to it's intended use and cost, A second user BN-20 might be slower but if you can buy 4 at the price of a bigger machine then your already 4 times quicker However that VSi640 sounds like a cracking machine at a fair price, love it, might be overkill for what you require and like you say they are a tad large and heavy. They refuse to print below 15 degrees if the sensor detects low temperature but you can sheet it and heat it with an oil rad to keep it warm enough to spring into life when you need it. Coreldraw is great partner for it, sort out cut lines as SG mentioned and then the Rip is a fairly simple yet comprehensive piece of software you'll work out in no time. Good luck if you get it and you'll be moving into banners posters vehicle graphics stickers and god knows what else with it!

[RogerC]

thanks for your experience social.
the machine is setup CMKY x 2 sets, original ecosol2 inks - all full.
don't think it has been used much, and it is kept in an unheated space ...... I think I read that the machine MUST be kept over 16c and switched on akll the time so it can keep itself clean..... below 16c it switches itself off?
Are there other variants you think better, it is really BIG ..... but, it is local so easy to collect.
Cheers, I owe you a drink
P

Brochure spec sheet says Power ON:15-32 degrees Power OFF: 5-40 degrees.
If you're really interested in it giver Roland in Clevedon a ring they will advise....and they're nice people.

Good luck........oh and give a thought to warranty yes or no relative to the cost of a callout for a print head.....again Roland can advise on costs.

[Paul]

Another BN-20 user here :)
Yes. It is slow but.. Most artworks send by people are not vector and medium quality is plenty enough for tshit transfers. this make printing quicker.
Another thing is your work load. if you have so many different printing methods than I don't think you will be printing that much on one machine only.

Also, think about wastage. if you not going to use full width, soon you will find out how much wastage you have and this will rise price per transfer right up. So its really up to you and your usage. if you need let say 50 transfers for chest logos than bn-20 will do it quick enough to make you money ;)

ps. Yes. I would love bigger machine as I would like to print huge stickers, but i have no room.

ps. my bn-20 paid for itself alreay ;)

[edwardsmedia]

How often do you use you're BN-20 Paul? How long did it take for it to pay for itself? ;)

I've been thinking about the BN-2O for a while now.. Can we get a job lot deal? ;)

[scotty44]

And another BN20 user I did run a Roland VP300 but for what I used it for it was wasted so sold that and got a BN, best thing I did, more room and dose the job better as I do mainly small prints (not T-shirt Transfers) in 12 months is paid for itself twice......