breaking into large format

[bhm8hwcm]

I am an offset and digital printer with an Epson 7880 24" machine. I pretty much use my Epson for proofing only, however it is used less than 1 hour each day. I have done the odd poster job for people but for the most part have stayed away from large format printing as a service.

Does anybody have any good links to sites that discuss the large format business (besides Print Planet obviously). I am looking for general information with articles etc on papers, substrates, finishing operations, etc. so that I can educate myself more. I will be looking for a laminator as well to laminate posters so if anybody has good recommendations it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[VTsignguy]

I have been in the large format business for 15+ years, and am currently running a roland eco sol machine. It is used mostly for exterior signage and interior displays. I used ot be in the highend giclee world, and if you are contemplating that, let me come over and knock you in the head with a large hammer...it is brutally unprofitable.

Here is a good starting spot.....

Product reviews, information, ratings, evaluations to help deciding which wide format inkjet printers and plotters such as Canon, Encad, Hewlett-Packard, ColorSpan, Roland, Epson, Mutoh, Mimaki, as well as RIPs, color management and inkjet media.

as for laminators it really depends on the budget and the amount you might be doing.

 

[RGPW17100]

We started large format about a year ago and I would recommend stay away from it. We have a decent HP system whos numbers I cant remember. After doing all the number crunching it will look like easy money however when you account for two or three poster outputs for one sellable poster you will see your profits dwindle. Your people forget to color correct, a bubble happens between the laminate and poster or the gator and poster. Not enough laminate on the roll, no crops on the poster are just a few of the many problems you will face. We did it thinking it would be easy but it is not. We hired a person with 10 years in posters and he is a sales guy and has little or no time doing posters. Training someone takes years to be good at doing the production end. If you go into this good luck.

 

[VTsignguy]

We started large format about a year ago and I would recommend stay away from it. We have a decent HP system whos numbers I cant remember. After doing all the number crunching it will look like easy money however when you account for two or three poster outputs for one sellable poster you will see your profits dwindle. Your people forget to color correct, a bubble happens between the laminate and poster or the gator and poster. Not enough laminate on the roll, no crops on the poster are just a few of the many problems you will face. We did it thinking it would be easy but it is not. We hired a person with 10 years in posters and he is a sales guy and has little or no time doing posters. Training someone takes years to be good at doing the production end. If you go into this good luck.

wanna hire me? I can't remember the last time i had to reprint something for color or crops...or laminating issues. I pay about $1 a sq or less for adhesive vinyl plus laminate. Maybe 2 bucks a sq for substrate and i charge $6 sq or $10 a sq mounted.

There is money to be made if you have someone that can print and mount...

 

[bhm8hwcm]

Thanks for the input so far.

VTsignguy I have a question. What do most people use when someone wants a poster printed and mounted. Do you print on paper and then spray glue to the board, or do you print on paper with an adhesive back, peel of the back and apply to the board.

This is an example of my limited knowledge.

Thanks.

 

[VTsignguy]

Because 80% of what i do goes outside, i print directly on to adhesive backed vinyl, and then i have a fairly inexpensive mounter that i use to put the print down onto whatever substrate the job may warrant. Just say NO to spray mount!!!

This is the easiest way to get your feet wet and with solvent printers it may acyuall be the cheapest too. There is no need to ever laminate an indoor print, unless it is going to be exposed to direct sunlight and you want some extra security, but right now the solvent ink may outlast the laminate

 

[RGPW17100]

There is money to be made if you have someone that can print and mount...[/QUOTE]

Money is the issue. We do not do enough large format to justify a full time employee. Our best guy for the job is our sales guy and he is too busy to do the work. We have our Inidgo guy printing the posters and one of our bindery guys doing the laminate and the mounting. Part of our problem is bad communication from sales to finishing. A sales rep may know that the file is color critical but does not relay that to the guy doing the poster and most of the time the color build on the file is not correct. One speck of crap on either the upper or lower rollers can create a dimple that can and probably will cause the customer to reject the job. Most of our indoor stuff is laminated per the request of our customer. We use heat treated fome cor when we can or mount adhesive with our laminator then mount it to what ever substrate the customer requests. Spray mount is cheap alternative if you can not afford a machine for mounting but it is very messy and requires two people usually to lay the material down on the substrate. You might want to look at the MSDS on that spray mount. That is some pretty nasty stuff.

 

[edwinb]

as you have a 7880 the longevity is excellent with the pigment inks so dont worry about fading

Canvas prints are very good margin I think but dont use the internal cutter, get an external cutting blade mounted

Edwin

 

[guru]

I suggest you talk to your suppliers ask them for information some evan provide basic training. Also contact your local college for a short cause in finishing.

 

[lfelton]

@bhm8hwcm - I've found GMP laminators to be very good and reliable (we have two, a 1.6 metre and a 1.0 metre) and I've heard good things about Seal laminators also. Just as important is the quality of the laminate, we stick to a few brands we trust (GMP has the best flat matt, GBC has consistently good quality at a reasonable price, 3M is good & consistent but expensive).

If you are considering mounting prints, then you need to factor in that the majority of this market has now gone the flatbed UV direct print route and you cannot compete in this area.

You also can't do any exhibition work (print width & cost per sq meter), or external advertising or signage and your POS work is limited to posters (cost will kill you here, except maybe for single site retailers).

The Epson machines have got a good reputation for near photo-realistic prints, but are sky high on print cost per square meter, so I think you might consider products like high quality "photo" enlargements, canvas prints and the like. We don't do these as we found them a PITA for the time spent per job, but your mileage may vary!

Hope that helps a bit.