Solvent superior to Pigment???

[kdw75]

We currently have an Epson 9900 and 9600 that we use for printing signage for displays and they look amazing, but they are so vulnerable to scratches and scrapes. I used to think that the solvent printers were durable, but didn't have quality that was even in the same ballpark. Now I am scratching my head and wondering what the point of printers like ours is, considering that samples I have seen from the 10 color Epson Surecolor look good enough that our customers would never see a difference and it is able to print on cheaper material, while being super durable.

Now I can understand that some art aficionado might care about the added quality, but for our work and many others, the fact that the printed output doesn't have to be protected seems like a way to make more profit. Of course you will have to with the high initial costs, which I really can't understand.

So back to my original question...Is the Pigment printer just a niche product for fine art?

 

[billp]

hi, i have been going round & round on this for a while but think aqueous suits us better. my goal is to bring short run (<200) offset i currently job out, inhouse ie A2, A1, B1, however the (aqueous ink) test prints I have been basing my calculations on are'nt coated, (bright white 140gsm, but flat finish). I will get some done on coated. we mainly print posters & these are mostly displayed indoors. the matt certainly doesn’t scratch or run. aqueous media works out about $2au m2 (tho coated aqueous tbc). solvent media was about the same

these are my current observations. aqueous, epson t7000 44". bloody fast, twice as fast as roland vsi. mutoh 1624 or 1324 is better than roland but still not as fast. no solvents print to bleed (borderless except GS6000), epson t series (aqueous) & few others do. mutoh tho are prepared to 'trick the printer. roland isnt. media much the same, inks are getting cheaper, esp hp latex & mutoh & now epson. but none of the solvent printer distributors advocate a 3rd party ink solution & offer advice on how to avoid warranty loss. but a epson t series reseller does. & that makes a huge difference. the hardware is about 1/2 the price too.

ok so i cannot provide as big a gamut of services, but that’s ok as posters are our speciality

NOTE today mutoh offered ink at a price that would match the dealers 3rd party aqueous, I think I will jump back....

cheers

less electricity, absolutely no smell, front loading, smaller footprint, but not as versatile...