# Which vinyl cutter and equipment for vehicle wraps: roland sp 540i and a graphtec fc8000 30 inch vehicle wraps?



## TshirtGuru (Jul 9, 2008)

Looking to expand my screen print business with vehicle wraps/signs. I'm interested in the roland sp 540i and a graphtec fc8000 30 inch. The reason for the graphtec fc8000 is because I want to also do die cut stickers and be able to punch cut through the vinyl backing. I will also get a 54" laminator. Will this be a good set up? Any suggestions? I'm afraid 54" printer/cutter is too small for car wraps because when i measure a regular sized sedan, the hoods are usually 55-57" wide and I can't imagine splitting graphics in the middle of the hood.


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## rockz12 (Feb 4, 2009)

Rolands Inkset is limited. Although it is "eco solvent" it is not a true eco solvent printer. You will find it difficult to print on some Solvent receptive films outside of the roland world. They are the only printer manufacturer that sells their own "Roland" media and they are successful with this for a reason. The rip that comes with their printer has profiles built for their "Roland Medias" and if you wish to go outside of the roland world be prepared to build custom profiles. Even then some of the medias will not work. There are a lot of people out there running them with great success, but I own a Mutoh. If I did not own that it would be a Mimaki not a roland. Take a look at the prices of their media, as well as 3m, Avery, Oracal 2mil premium films to compare sq. ft. prices for vehicle wraps. Call suppliers and ask their opinions. Graphtec plotters are outstanding. Typically with vehicle wraps a 60" printer is ideal for 1 piece horizontal wraps, but a 54" will work just fine in vertical panels as well. Don't cheat yourself with a small vinyl cutter (30")?. More than likely if for some reason you are just doing hoods, they will look better die cut than covering the entire hood.


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## TshirtGuru (Jul 9, 2008)

rockz12 said:


> Rolands Inkset is limited. Although it is "eco solvent" it is not a true eco solvent printer. You will find it difficult to print on some Solvent receptive films outside of the roland world. They are the only printer manufacturer that sells their own "Roland" media and they are successful with this for a reason. The rip that comes with their printer has profiles built for their "Roland Medias" and if you wish to go outside of the roland world be prepared to build custom profiles. Even then some of the medias will not work. There are a lot of people out there running them with great success, but I own a Mutoh. If I did not own that it would be a Mimaki not a roland. Take a look at the prices of their media, as well as 3m, Avery, Oracal 2mil premium films to compare sq. ft. prices for vehicle wraps. Call suppliers and ask their opinions. Graphtec plotters are outstanding. Typically with vehicle wraps a 60" printer is ideal for 1 piece horizontal wraps, but a 54" will work just fine in vertical panels as well. Don't cheat yourself with a small vinyl cutter (30")?. More than likely if for some reason you are just doing hoods, they will look better die cut than covering the entire hood.


Thanks for the input. I didn't know that about Roland. The reason for the 30" graphtec is only if I get a printer/cutter combo + a cutter that has a punch cut & laser registration option. The extra punch cut cutter would be to die cut stickers all the way through the backing so I don't see a need for a larger one since I could set up several smaller sheets on the printer.

So do the Mutoh and Mimaki print on ALL media brands? I don't mind getting a larger 54" FC8000 + a solvent printer, but when I checked out Rolands solvent printer it was only $1000 less than its printer/cutter combo.

How is the tech/customer service on the Mutoh? Why would you choose Mimaki if you didn't have the Mutoh?


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## scuba_steve2699 (Nov 15, 2006)

rockz12 said:


> Rolands Inkset is limited. Although it is "eco solvent" it is not a true eco solvent printer. You will find it difficult to print on some Solvent receptive films outside of the roland world. They are the only printer manufacturer that sells their own "Roland" media and they are successful with this for a reason. The rip that comes with their printer has profiles built for their "Roland Medias" and if you wish to go outside of the roland world be prepared to build custom profiles. Even then some of the medias will not work. There are a lot of people out there running them with great success, but I own a Mutoh. If I did not own that it would be a Mimaki not a roland. Take a look at the prices of their media, as well as 3m, Avery, Oracal 2mil premium films to compare sq. ft. prices for vehicle wraps. Call suppliers and ask their opinions. Graphtec plotters are outstanding. Typically with vehicle wraps a 60" printer is ideal for 1 piece horizontal wraps, but a 54" will work just fine in vertical panels as well. Don't cheat yourself with a small vinyl cutter (30")?. More than likely if for some reason you are just doing hoods, they will look better die cut than covering the entire hood.


Wow! That is quite a bit of incorrect information. The Rolnd printers are a true Eco solvent unit, I have no idea where you would think otherwise. I have printed Oracal, 3M, Avery, Rtape, specialty films, heat transfer, Arlon and many other films in the industry all with great success. You do not need to use Roland specific films at all and get great results. A quick Internet search for ICC profiles will show that every major manufacturer of Eco solvent films makes a profile to work on a Roland printer. Using Rolands versa works you have much more control over the specifics of the profile than any other rip software packaged with a printer on the market. I do not know where you are getting your "facts" from but you are greatly mis informed.

I would look at an integrated printer cutter such as the Roland 540 that you posted about originally. It will perform both print and cut operations without the need for a separate cutter. If you have any questions on large format printers I would be happy to help. Check the facts and the stats before jumping in and see who the industry is relying on.


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## theflowerboxx (Mar 26, 2007)

rockz12 are you on dope? Roland brand printers print on ANY vinyl.


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## rockz12 (Feb 4, 2009)

Well I was bit by a snake and now its time to let the poison out. I had a recent experience where one of my ex co-workers had called me because he is running a Roland Soljet III. He had a bad experience buying a "generic" brand of static cling outside the Roland world. Long story short the roland media worked (which he was out of and could not get a hold of) and the generic "solvent, eco solvent" compatible media would not print on his Roland. He used the normal Roland profile he would use along with different print speeds with no success. He did not have access to a Roland compatible profile for the media he purchased. I couldn't believe what he was telling me. I called one of my suppliers and they mentions the eco solvent inks did not have enough solvent in them to be effective.. This may have been true years back when eco solvent was first introduced, but the inks have significantly improved over the years to print on a variety of materials from major manufacturers. I did not find any complaints or documented information on what I was stating so I admit.. I was wrong.

Like I said "There are a lot of people running them with great success" and if you want a Roland or any other machine go to a show or have your supplier demo it on any media you might plan on using. Also, make sure whatever you buy that it is from someone local that you would be able to get on site for repairs without pulling teeth when something goes wrong!


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## clifford smith (May 11, 2015)

As you are looking to expand your business with Vehicle Wrap signs, then the Roland VersaCAMM SP-540i is the perfect high-performance production tool for creating colorful decals, labels, banners, posters, vehicle and floor graphics, apparel decoration and just about any sign imaginable.The Roland VersaCAMM SP540i combines 4-color printing and contour cutting all in one device through one seamless workflow. Roland Intelligent Pass Control technology virtually eliminates banding by optimizing masking patterns and dot placement at the edge of each pass and offers print speeds that are up to 50 percent faster than the previous models in Standard print mode. Other advanced features include automated maintenance, superior media handling, Ethernet connectivity, and an optional take-up system making the VersaCAMM™ SP-540i the ultimate business tool.


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## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

I am a Roland guy, never the others. Since true facts have already been stated and retractions made, I can say that I have successfully printed on most brands of media and very seldom on the Roland due to pricing. All were ok with the printer, but I say if you have an opportunity to get a VP or VS instead of the SP, then go for it. The SPs are 2 heads shared with 4 colors. The VP is 4 heads each its own channel, making the production quicker. The VS is 8 channels, 8 colors. I do mine with dual CMYK giving me the quickest production time. Many fall into the trap of getting the sexy white and metallic hoping to build a client base. Personally it is not worth the added maintenance issues for the base that never materializes. The VS machines are faster than the VPs. If you ever need for more color reproductions, then the VS with the regular CMYK plus Lite CMKs will do a great job there - the eight channel can be used for metallic, white, or a cleaning cartridge holder - or the latter with the cleaner subbing until you need the latter. BTW - the CAMMs can cadcut also.


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