Digital Printers/Laminators cost?

[spkywlnt73]

I don't know exactly what it is I'm looking for, but if a person wanted to get into the business of printing and laminating artwork, what would they be looking for as far as the machines they would need to get started? Also the approximate cost for those machines, materials, ect ect? I've looked around on the net and the prices seem crazy! Maybe i'm looking at the wrong stuff. Thanks for any info on this!

[Nephasth]

Pretty much any equipment used for business purposes (making money) is going to have a crazy price tag.

[RandyT]

I don't know exactly what it is I'm looking for, but if a person wanted to get into the business of printing and laminating artwork, what would they be looking for as far as the machines they would need to get started? Also the approximate cost for those machines, materials, ect ect? I've looked around on the net and the prices seem crazy! Maybe i'm looking at the wrong stuff. Thanks for any info on this!

No, you are looking at the correct stuff.  High resolution, large-format solvent based inkjet printing is expensive, and that reason is why you see the prices you do on the artwork.  The machines run upwards of $10,000 for a "small to medium" format one, the supplies are very expensive and machines are finicky, requiring daily use and maintenance to keep the heads from clogging.  And when the heads clog, they are difficult to impossible to clear, due to the solvent base of the inks.  And when one of the heads go bad, the part is around $1000 if you can do the work yourself, and double that when the work is performed by an authorized repair center.  The vinyls are special, and can be costly, but there are some relatively reasonable materials which can be made to work with them.  Lamination machines are another few grand, and more of the costly material situation.  And finally, there is the Raster Image Processing (RIP) software.  Most printers will come with a stripped down version which will get you going, but the ones with all of the bells and whistles will add another $1000+ to the investment.

Also consider that the proper use of these machines requires a very specific skillset.  They are not as simple as getting an image on the monitor and clicking print. There are calibration procedures to make sure the colors print as you (and more importantly your customer!) expect them to.  Usually, additional equipment is required in this step as well, unless you limit yourself to using inks and materials for which there is a standard calibration profile available, and these are almost always more costly than other options.

Things have gotten better over the years, but these types of machines are still very much geared toward production printing businesses and the craftsmen who typically engage in that business.  The necessary move to solvent based inks has complicated things further on the maintenance end.  So there is no inexpensive nor simple way to start doing this.  But if you intend to start a business and also offer those services to a wider audience, have the investment capital, and can put in the time and effort to learn the ropes of the business, then you may find it worth the investment.

RandyT
(who owns a 54" water based pigment inkjet, a 52" water based pigment inkjet vinyl cutting printer, a 36" solvent based vinyl cutting printer, a 12" thermal resin transfer vinyl cutting printer and a 40" commercial laminator,  a couple of which are in varying states of functionality due to infrequent use )

[Trip]

Yeah, I been dying to get into this business as wall.  I run a pure die cut vinyl business.  The current scale of my venture just can't justify the $8000 initial price tag for the printer plus all the maintenance costs that go with it.  

I use signwarehouse.com, they are pretty decently priced for smaller scale purchases of material.

[spkywlnt73]

Thanks for the info Randy T! I kinda thought thats about how much I could expect to pay for something like this to get started. I'll have to do more homework on this before I decide to fork out that kind of money on something I know absolutely nothing about. Lucky for me that right after I started this thread, I found out that I have a friend that knows all about this stuff. Pretty much everything you told me he said basicly the same thing, and he's looking into it for me, as far what I would need and could afford! It sounds like you have all the equipment needed to do this, is this something you've tried to get into at one time? If you don't use that stuff anymore you could always just sell it to me. Hehe!

[RandyT]

It sounds like you have all the equipment needed to do this, is this something you've tried to get into at one time? If you don't use that stuff anymore you could always just sell it to me. Hehe!

I do, but haven't used it for sideart.  To avoid possible copyright issues on the artwork, I was looking at offering some original artwork for this kind of thing at one time.  But that wasn't my main use for the machines.  We use it for some of our products.  Our "Unreal Coin Doors" were eventually all done on the solvent printer, until I went the mass produced, screen printed method.  The quality is excellent, and probably even more durable than solvent printing. And, as long as you can meet minimum quantities, the cost can be a fair bit lower as well.  Going this route allowed us to make a substantial price cut on that item.  But for small quantities, solvent printing is a great solution, as long as you can keep the machines busy, and that means at least daily operation and maintenance.

RandyT

[Donkey_Kong]

All of that equipment for the fake coin doors? Someone has money to burn!

[RandyT]

All of that equipment for the fake coin doors? Someone has money to burn!

I wish.  No, this collection represents 15 years of equipment purchases, and shows the progression of the technology.  My father owns a sign business, so they, and my plain vinyl cutters, get used for other things as well.

We also do every short run decal we need on the machines.  Do enough of them and it justifies the expense, plus it's sitting there ready for the next project I haven't thought of yet.  When I bought my laser cutter, I had 1 item in mind.  There are now about a dozen products which use parts made on it, and it's great for prototyping new ideas.  And then there's my 4'x8' CNC router table.  I bought it with the mindset of offering panelized arcade cabinet kits, but then I got one contract to build a large quantity of assemblies for the 3D company I worked for, and that not only paid my entire investment in the machine, but put a fair amount extra in my pocket.  They bought quite a bit of stuff produced on those printers as well.

Gotta spend it to make it

[Donkey_Kong]

All of that equipment for the fake coin doors? Someone has money to burn!

I wish.  No, this collection represents 15 years of equipment purchases, and shows the progression of the technology.  My father owns a sign business, so they, and my plain vinyl cutters, get used for other things as well.

We also do every short run decal we need on the machines.  Do enough of them and it justifies the expense, plus it's sitting there ready for the next project I haven't thought of yet.  When I bought my laser cutter, I had 1 item in mind.  There are now about a dozen products which use parts made on it, and it's great for prototyping new ideas.  And then there's my 4'x8' CNC router table.  I bought it with the mindset of offering panelized arcade cabinet kits, but then I got one contract to build a large quantity of assemblies for the 3D company I worked for, and that not only paid my entire investment in the machine, but put a fair amount extra in my pocket.  They bought quite a bit of stuff produced on those printers as well.

Gotta spend it to make it

The monster warehouse makes more sense now, you have a lot of toys!