# roland vp540



## visualman (Feb 18, 2008)

looking to buy a new vp540 can you give the good bad about vp 540


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

LOL....waiting for our tech to come wednesday to fire up the one we just bought!


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## stix (Feb 3, 2008)

I'm trying to figure out whats a good price to pay for vp540. Everyone is trying to sell it at list price.. There has to be a little wiggle room.


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## scuba_steve2699 (Nov 15, 2006)

from what I understand, Roland sets a minimum allowed price and that is where most vendors go to right off the bat. They will give you extra goodies to go along with it but cannot go under the minimum allowed pricing.


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## stix (Feb 3, 2008)

Steve, 

I called a dealer in Ohio and I was given a price of 18,500 that includes
media, inks, setup, and delivery. I even called Roland and was told any price
reduction is up to the dealer.


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## scuba_steve2699 (Nov 15, 2006)

Good information. Thanks.


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

The challenge you have is most of the Roland dealers are restricted to sell in certain markets - minus the handful of nationwide distributors. So you can't just buy from a Roland dealer in another part of the country. I would be more focus on getting better pricing on the consumables (where the real savings is over time) than trying to save a $1000 or so off the machine. Just my opinion.

Mark


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

I was interested in this machine as well but just watched a video comparison on signwarehouse.com showing the difference in speed on the 540 and the printer and cutter setup.
It was around 4 hours difference in printing and cutting. So I am curious if anyone has done any comparing before buying the 540. Any help is appreciated. It seems like a big time saver the other way but I don't know much about it and don't want to ge the 540 and wish I had gotten the other setup.


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## stix (Feb 3, 2008)

One company wanted to charge for the inks, installation, delivery, and shipping from Roland (CA). All this together was 24k including machine(plus tax)!!! The dealers have a little room to work but they are choosing not to because of the territory monopoly. Just my two cents


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## scuba_steve2699 (Nov 15, 2006)

Chris, there is another thread where someone asked the same question on the video. Part of the problem with the video is that they are using the older model of versacamm (the VP series is 40% faster) and the issue of having to constantly go between 2 machines vice having one do it all. I personally like the fact that I can press print and then walk away and do many other things in my shop that need my attention (like cheking t-shirt forums) and then coming back to the finished product with no interaction from me. The Mutoh setup you saw in the video is nice and the price is about the same between them, but I will still get another Versacamm over thier setup anyday! Just my 2 cents.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

scuba_steve2699 said:


> Chris, there is another thread where someone asked the same question on the video. Part of the problem with the video is that they are using the older model of versacamm (the VP series is 40% faster) and the issue of having to constantly go between 2 machines vice having one do it all. I personally like the fact that I can press print and then walk away and do many other things in my shop that need my attention (like cheking t-shirt forums) and then coming back to the finished product with no interaction from me. The Mutoh setup you saw in the video is nice and the price is about the same between them, but I will still get another Versacamm over thier setup anyday! Just my 2 cents.


 
That's good to know
I have heard some people say they like the all in one and some say they like the 2 machines. Just trying to make the right decision the first time

Thanks again for the response


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## signs4bizness (Feb 16, 2008)

Two words... Print-Cut.... And im sure you have to type of certain words to reply so thats why im still typing.

Im looking at them also. Perfect fit for a sign shop!! These babys do it all. Does anyone know a better package maybe with a heatpress?


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

Believe me...I've compared....and seem them all....for the last 3 years...the Roland is by far the best machine out there....great warranty....a known company....offices nationwide.....and it's a Roland for gosh sakes......they have set the standard that others copy.....


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## dan1942 (Jul 1, 2007)

I have the First Versacamm that came out I think it's almost 6 years old now. I have never had a problem with it until 2 months ago the pump needed to be replaced which is really not a big deal. I even dropped the versacamm down the stairs while trying to move it and it still works great! Personally I would not consider another company other then Roland they are the industry leaders in this market.


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

I think that Roland is the best. However, there are people saying that for a little more money, one should go for the SolJet already, or the Versacamm SP540 (for a lot less).


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

vctradingcubao said:


> I think that Roland is the best. However, there are people saying that for a little more money, one should go for the SolJet already, or the Versacamm SP540 (for a lot less).


the sp is 40% slower than the VP.....that 40% is huge if your running it 8 hours a day......just think of it this way...a 40 hour work week cut almost in half.......wouldnt you like to work monday thru wed?


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

Screenanator said:


> the sp is 40% slower than the VP.....that 40% is huge if your running it 8 hours a day......just think of it this way...a 40 hour work week cut almost in half.......wouldnt you like to work monday thru wed?


Oh, yes, I'm aware of and appreciate the speed difference, but I stand corrected on the price difference. My next target is the Roland Pro III XC-540, a lot faster than the VP540.


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

vctradingcubao said:


> Oh, yes, I'm aware of and appreciate the speed difference, but I stand corrected on the price difference. My next target is the Roland Pro III XC-540, a lot faster than the VP540.


Sure...if your spending 24k....might as well throw another 9k on the fire...and get the exact same speed....just 2 more colors......I asked today what the difference was while gettin my VP540 set up by the Roland tech....he said...light cyan....and medium cyan..they added those 2 extra print heads....it's the ONLY difference between the 2......he stated the VP and XC print at the exact same rate....


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

the XC ProIII has a maximum print speed of 441sq.ft/hr, while the VP's max print speed is only 161 sq.ft/hr


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

vctradingcubao said:


> the XC ProIII has a maximum print speed of 441sq.ft/hr, while the VP's max print speed is only 161 sq.ft/hr


 well....going off of what he said.....like he told me too....rated and running speed are 2 totally different animals.....if ya got a need for speed....fill it......but prinitng a 4'x8'(32sq ft) banner in 15 minutes doesnt sound too bad for the 9k savings????


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

Screenanator said:


> well....going off of what he said.....like he told me too....rated and running speed are 2 totally different animals.....if ya got a need for speed....fill it......but prinitng a 4'x8'(32sq ft) banner in 15 minutes doesnt sound too bad for the 9k savings????


Mmmm, Ok, I agree. In fact, I'm using much slower and cheaper machines right now, the SP540 and SP300.


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## dcurtisroland (Jun 5, 2007)

Screenanator said:


> Sure...if your spending 24k....might as well throw another 9k on the fire...and get the exact same speed....just 2 more colors......I asked today what the difference was while gettin my VP540 set up by the Roland tech....he said...light cyan....and medium cyan..they added those 2 extra print heads....it's the ONLY difference between the 2......he stated the VP and XC print at the exact same rate....


Screenanator,
The XC-540 is almost 3 times faster than the Versacamm. It has two extra colors, light cyan and light magenta, and has two cartridges for each color, for a total of 12. This is what causes the dramatic print speeds, it can lay ink in greater volume at a given time. For vector work, the versacamm is sufficient. When doing flesh tones and complex gradients, that's when the XC comes in handy. they have the same cutting engine and both come with Versaworks. That extra 9k you're talking about will come in handy when your business grows beyond your versacamm and you need faster output.

Hope this helps, 
-Dana


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

Dana.. the XC is my next purchase .. but prolly a few months down the road.. I have a 540 sp right now.. and the print speed really hasnt slowed down my production at all.. You just figure it in to your time schedule. .
MY main reason for wanting the xc is the 6 colors and the fact that i can get one that is wider than the 54" i have now..


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

Hey, hey. I'm on the same boat as Susan here. Yes, I also need a wider printer, as my 2.1m Witcolor XAAR always bogs down, and has a very low resolution. Is there an XC ProIII wider than 54" but can do print&cut?

Dana, if I may ask: Are the XC and Versacamms using the same exact print heads? Can both print a clear 2mm height text? I'm using my versacamm now to print some "jocktags" for sports jerseys, and I'm afraid that if the XC uses a bigger printhead, it can't approximate the output resolution (clarity) of the versacamm.


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

dcurtisroland said:


> Screenanator,
> The XC-540 is almost 3 times faster than the Versacamm. It has two extra colors, light cyan and light magenta, and has two cartridges for each color, for a total of 12. This is what causes the dramatic print speeds, it can lay ink in greater volume at a given time. For vector work, the versacamm is sufficient. When doing flesh tones and complex gradients, that's when the XC comes in handy. they have the same cutting engine and both come with Versaworks. That extra 9k you're talking about will come in handy when your business grows beyond your versacamm and you need faster output.
> 
> Hope this helps,
> -Dana


If my business ever gets beyond the VP540....then it will be a WHO CARES how much it costs!......unless your printing 50 jobs a day...the VP540 fits the bill and isnt too bad on the pocket book.


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## 2STRONG (Oct 17, 2007)

Hey ronnie is your versacamm up and running yet?


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## dcurtisroland (Jun 5, 2007)

vctradingcubao said:


> Hey, hey. I'm on the same boat as Susan here. Yes, I also need a wider printer, as my 2.1m Witcolor XAAR always bogs down, and has a very low resolution. Is there an XC ProIII wider than 54" but can do print&cut?
> 
> Dana, if I may ask: Are the XC and Versacamms using the same exact print heads? Can both print a clear 2mm height text? I'm using my versacamm now to print some "jocktags" for sports jerseys, and I'm afraid that if the XC uses a bigger printhead, it can't approximate the output resolution (clarity) of the versacamm.


Byron,
As far as I know it's the same size print head, there's just more of them. And, yes you can hit text that small. You don't get into bigger print heads unless you move up to our Advanced Jet line. We have a 100" and 74" model with a 3inch print head. If you're interested in a 2meter printer, we have the XJ-740 which is print only. The largest cutting machines we have are the VP-540, SP-540 and XC-540, we can't currently cut any larger than that.

Hope this helps,
-Dana


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

dcurtisroland said:


> Byron,
> As far as I know it's the same size print head, there's just more of them. And, yes you can hit text that small. You don't get into bigger print heads unless you move up to our Advanced Jet line. We have a 100" and 74" model with a 3inch print head. If you're interested in a 2meter printer, we have the XJ-740 which is print only. The largest cutting machines we have are the VP-540, SP-540 and XC-540, we can't currently cut any larger than that.
> 
> Hope this helps,
> -Dana


well dang i musta misread .. i didnt realize the 74" was print only..But i still want one.. lol..
Would be nice not to have to outsource the bigger banners and digi signs..


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

2STRONG said:


> Hey ronnie is your versacamm up and running yet?


yup....it's up and running.....works like a charm !!!!!


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

scrap pieces.. whats the small size of scrap piece that you can use. 4x4?? anyone


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

queenVee said:


> scrap pieces.. whats the small size of scrap piece that you can use. 4x4?? anyone


Can't really remember the smallest width or area that can be used, but I noticed that the SP300 can accomodate smaller widths than the SP540. Must be due to the location of the pinch rollers.


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

vctradingcubao said:


> Can't really remember the smallest width or area that can be used, but I noticed that the SP300 can accomodate smaller widths than the SP540. Must be due to the location of the pinch rollers.


thanks Byron..how do you like your Roland.. would you buy it over again if you had to.. ??


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

stix said:


> I'm trying to figure out whats a good price to pay for vp540. Everyone is trying to sell it at list price.. There has to be a little wiggle room.


no kidding.. me too..I ready to buy as well


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

martinwoods said:


> I was interested in this machine as well but just watched a video comparison on signwarehouse.com showing the difference in speed on the 540 and the printer and cutter setup.
> It was around 4 hours difference in printing and cutting. So I am curious if anyone has done any comparing before buying the 540. Any help is appreciated. It seems like a big time saver the other way but I don't know much about it and don't want to ge the 540 and wish I had gotten the other setup.


I seen a Mutho prism jet and a VP540 Roland at the same speed.. both were great.. But for some reason I liked the Roland.. I havent heard anything negative about the Roland.. the only thing people say is buy the 54" vp if you can afford it. I guess most people want bigger banners..


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

queenVee said:


> I seen a Mutho prism jet and a VP540 Roland at the same speed.. both were great.. But for some reason I liked the Roland.. I havent heard anything negative about the Roland.. the only thing people say is buy the 54" vp if you can afford it. I guess most people want bigger banners..


The average banner width we get asked for whether it be printed or vinyl is a 3 foot with.. most are 3 x 8 or 3 x 10. So if you have the smaller machine.. You would have to down sell them into a narrow banner..
I would rather have the option to upsell than down sell any day..
make sence?


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## signs4bizness (Feb 16, 2008)

So I went to my friends shop today & he owns a vp540. He said that the material for printing T-Shirts is too expensive and it ties up his productivity for the signs. He is actually buying seperate equipment to start doing t-shirts.

What is the durabilty for t-shirts with these printers? And can anyone weigh in on cost of materials for digitally printing heat transfer T-shirts?? I don't think most of the sign guys in my town know what these printers are actually capable of & I was wondering who's done some T-Shirts on these things?

Thanks,
E


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

mystysue said:


> The average banner width we get asked for whether it be printed or vinyl is a 3 foot with.. most are 3 x 8 or 3 x 10. So if you have the smaller machine.. You would have to down sell them into a narrow banner..
> I would rather have the option to upsell than down sell any day..
> make sence?


Hi Sue,
yes it does.. but in my area.. Vechicle wraps are a hit.. and not many people doing here. a few. We were thinking of it.. when we are ready of course.. but at least the 54" would be able to do the hood.. I'm trying to figure out.. the left over scrap pieces.. how small of a scrap piece can you use????


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

i donno..the way i do it .. is when i print i move the head over and use the extra at that time before its cut off..


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

thank you..
did you buy the roller that collets the material after it prints.. goes infront of the roland.. cant think of the name of it


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

queenVee said:


> thanks Byron..how do you like your Roland.. would you buy it over again if you had to.. ??


A big YES to that.


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

vctradingcubao said:


> A big YES to that.


thanks,
I'm feeling really good about buying the Roland... I havent heard anyone say negative things about it.. Roland it is... thanks guys...


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## yamaron (Dec 26, 2007)

We have two Roland Versa cams, an SP300 & SP540. Love them both, but selling the SP300 on Ebay and
will buy a new SV540 Roland to take its place. Sarted 7 years ago with the Roland 600 ribbon print/cut unit. That one was not very desireable, new heads about every 6 months.

Have make a contact to buy a new Roland SV540 for $17,845.75 plus $125 shipping. No training or setup as we do not need it. Harder to find the deep discounts on the SV540, but easier to find discounts on the
SV300 printer.


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## martinwoods (Jul 20, 2006)

What is the sv, I thought they had the sp and vp?

Thanks


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