Choosing the Right Wide-Format Printer

So you’ve decided it’s time to enter the wide-format arena. And now you are looking at the multitude of devices and are concerned about making the right investment choice for your in-plant.

One of the common questions I’d get when I was selling wide-format printers was, “Which one is the perfect choice?” The good and bad news is there isn’t a perfect choice, but let’s explore some of the options and applications to help you make the best choice.

Just to make sure we are all on the same page let’s define a few terms before I start throwing them around. First off, the different printer platforms are typically roll-to-roll (RTR), hybrid and flatbed.

• Roll-to-roll is self-explanatory: media is loaded on a roll (usually on the back of the printer) and feeds through to print and then, in many cases, to a take-up roll.
• Flatbed is also pretty obvious: the media or rigid substrate is loaded onto the bed of the printer and the print head moves via a gantry system to print the image.
• When referring to a hybrid printer, for the purpose of this article, I mean that you can load a roll of material, which will feed through the printer using a belt or rollers, or you have the ability to attach a flat table to the front and/or back of the printer to load a rigid substrate that is transported via the same belt or rollers.

Print Technologies

The first question you need to ask is which printing method is best for most of the work you are currently doing (and most likely vending out) or for the work you plan to do in your facility. If all you do is banners, then an RTR printer will do a great job for you. Conversely, if all you do are rigid signs then a flatbed printer will fit the bill.

For most facilities, however, the possibility of doing only banners or only rigid signage is very low — which is what led to the popularity of hybrid printers. Some hybrids have limitations on weight for the rigid substrates (particularly those that use a pinch roller and grit roller design) and that’s an important point to note if you are considering a hybrid printer.

There are also budgetary considerations. Typically — and as soon as I write this I know there will be someone who will say, “wait, that’s not right” — most RTR printers (which can come in sizes from 20˝ up to 5 meters but I’m talking about the 64˝ and under crowd) are going to cost less than most hybrids or flatbeds. In general, most hybrids (under 3 meters) are going to cost less than a traditional flatbed printer. For a shop just starting out in wide-format printing, if you don’t have the volume of work to support a traditional flatbed, or even a hybrid printer, a RTR printer can do quite a variety of work, and when that occasional flat sign comes in, print on adhesive-back vinyl and just apply it to the board. It’s not the most efficient process, and you won’t want to do it for longer runs, but it will do a very good job — particularly when paired with a laminator — and will allow you to do those rigid signage projects.

Another consideration in print technologies is whether to go with a print-and-cut system such as those offered by Roland and Mimaki. These are printers that also can cut decals. These printers can either do this in-line (though there is usually a length limit for accurate cutting), or the print can be removed from the printer, laminated and then reloaded to cut.

Alternatively, you would purchase a printer and separate cutter. There are arguments on both sides of this (the footprint of the equipment being a big consideration), and I will tell you that they do a very good job of cutting. It is true that the printer isn’t printing when it’s cutting, but the cut operation is not usually time-intensive, and the ease of running 100 decals that just need to be cut is well worth it. If you are decal intensive, then consider a printer and separate cutter.

Ink Sets

When it comes to ink sets, chemistries are changing all the time, and it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on. It used to be that many UV inks were only good for rigid substrates, so you would only see UV inks on a flatbed printer. No longer. Now UV inks have been designed that can stretch enough to be used on vehicle wraps, and there are a number of UV printers and ink sets that have the 3M MCS warranty, which means that 3M has approved the ink for use on their vehicle wrap vinyl and will warrant their durability and longevity.

HP recently unveiled its new R2000, which is a hybrid printer using HP’s latex inks; prior to this, latex inks were only seen on RTR printers. It’s still a safe bet (at least for now) that you will only find eco-solvent inks on RTR printers, but who knows what the future will bring? Do keep in mind that many UV inks come in different “flexibility” flavors, which allows you to tailor the ink to your application — whether it be more rigid work, or more RTR. Mimaki’s new UV RTR printer uses a flexible UV ink set that is immediately cured on print (similar to latex inks) for immediate lamination. It has been certified under 3M’s MCS and Avery Dennison’s ICS warranty programs.

Applications

Photo by Roy Nance.

Let’s take a look at some applications and identify which printer platform is a better fit. Under the RTR printers you will find banners, adhesive back vinyl, window perf, backlit display graphics, static cling films, specialty films such as no-curl banners for trade show graphics and some textiles (make sure that the textile you choose matches the ink set you are using).

Flatbed printers are designed for rigid substrates of all types including, foam board, PVC, polystyrenes, wood, some metals and acrylic. Some will say you can also print roll goods on a flatbed printer; that is true, however it means either pre-cutting the material or retrofitting a roll system (which some flatbed printers do offer for a cost) onto the printer.

Hybrid printers can do a good job on a combination of each of these applications with the caveat being the weight limit that the feed system can manage. A belt feed system can manage heavier pieces than a hybrid that started its life as a RTR and has been re-fitted with removable tables and is still using the grit and pinch rollers to move the material.

One quick note: trade show graphics — which used to be a big market for RTR solvent and latex printers, and even hybrid or flatbed UV printers — are moving towards textile printing and away from rigid substrates or banner materials. Though it is possible to do textile printing on some of the printers talked about so far, a great majority of this printing has moved to dye-sublimation transfer printing or direct-to-textile printing. To go from an in-plant or commercial operation to eco-solvent, latex or UV printing is a leap, but it’s not the same leap as going to dye-sublimation or direct-to-textile printing. There are many more variables to consider in dye-sublimation or direct-to-textile, and the learning curve is going to be steeper than a traditional solvent, latex, UV, etc. printer.

Footprint

Many people don’t think about the space that is needed for a wide-format print operation. They think, “I’ll get a printer and start making signs.” It’s not that you can’t do that, but typically you will need a laminator, a large table (probably 4x8 ft., and preferably on wheels), possibly a cutter (unless you get a printer-cutter all in one) and storage space for print materials.

Don’t just think about the footprint of the printer but take into consideration the area that you will need to do all the ancillary tasks such as finishing, cutting and boxing up to deliver to your customer.

Training, Service and Support

Most dealers/distributors/manufacturers will offer some level of training when they install a printer. If it were me, I’d want this spelled out in writing and I’d want to be clear about how much of the time will be setup of the printer and software and how much will be actual training. Pay for more training if that’s an option — you will not regret having more training when you bring in a new printer.

I always caution anyone calling in for advice on printers to make sure they know how the printer will be serviced and what support is included in the purchase of the printer. Some questions to ask:

• Do you have to pay for support?
• Are they located nearby for help as you ramp up your learning?
• What is their service response?
• Do they stock parts, or do they have to send them in?
• Can they share the names (and contact information) of a few customers that have had a printer sold by them for at least a year? It’s likely they will have had a service call in that time and you can find out how it went.

This is a big investment, and today people expect their jobs in a timely fashion; waiting on you because your machine is down for parts will not endear you to your customers.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the 2018 SGIA Expo (Oct. 18-20 in Las Vegas). This is a great place to compare equipment and technologies and to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape in the wide-format arena.

When you get your wide-format printer, keep up with the changes and make this a successful addition to your operation. Good luck.