Shorty 0 Posted November 28, 2009 Hello, I'm looking for some input on the epson 1400 wide format printer. I was thinking of purchasing this unit to make stickers, vinyl signs etc in a small capacity. The specs say it can print 13 x 19. Is it possible to print much longer if you have the material cut over 19inches. I planned to buy a cutter as well. Is this a good choice in printers to do what I have planned?? The price fits my budget. As well, is it worth buying the Graphtec Craft Robo Pro for the sensor, or can a regular Graphtec cutter do the job cutting vinyl and sticker profiles easily? thank you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brandon_Davis 1 Posted November 28, 2009 We are going to have a special package on the website very soon that includes a printer and cutter combo that will knock your socks off! Great pricing and great support will of course accompany it... The Epson 1400 is a decent way to start doing what you are talking about. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to vote in the VectorFest - http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php/topic,23925.0.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaderDesign 3 Posted November 28, 2009 Brandon, what size will this mind blowing printer be? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brandon_Davis 1 Posted November 28, 2009 Mader.. I can only say sooo much otherwise it won't be a surprise... Just be ready for some of the same you see from others and little bit US Cutter - Always the best value type printer deals! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaderDesign 3 Posted November 28, 2009 Well hopefully it's really soon, I've been talking to fivestar about picking up a Roland CJ-500 and having it converted over to Solvent inks like his. He's thinking $6-$7k done. Will yours compete with this as far as size and price? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeremySI 18 Posted November 29, 2009 is it a chinese printer? ive been looking at some of them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shorty 0 Posted November 29, 2009 It seems as though the topic of my thread has been highjacked lol. Can anyone give me some info on the ebson 1400 and graphtec cutters Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaderDesign 3 Posted November 29, 2009 Graphtec cutters are amazing plain and simple. My honest opinion. If your wanting to print the decals and vinyl signs, i wouldn't buy the Epson 1400. I would just contract out the stickers. It wouldn't cost that much to do that. IF your wanting to buy a Graphtec cutter, why not step it down a notch and get a cheaper cutter? Why have a $1500 cutter when your cutting at the most 13" wide? The Copam is half the cost @ $750 and is 24" wide as well. That would save you $750 and could spend on a better printer if you truly wanted to. Just my opinion take it with a grain of salt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shorty 0 Posted November 29, 2009 Does the Copam have the same sensor for finding reference as the Graphtec? Thats the only reason I was considering the Robo Pro ( for the ease of contour cutting decals ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaderDesign 3 Posted November 29, 2009 No it doesn't, but it's not hard to manually set it, the Copam allows you to adjust by increments of 1 on the x and y path. You could try the Laserpoint from USCutter if you wanted, it has the Contour Cutting feature. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
midwaste 4 Posted November 30, 2009 I have a 1400 and really like it. Yes, it can print up to 13x19, I don't think it can use 13" roll stock, I believe you need to step up to the next model for that. Mader is right, I would contract out digital printing until you can do it right. There aren't a lot of options for digital vinyl that can be used with a desktop printer, and they will also need to be laminated for outdoor durability. I've seen the Graphtec used to contour cut decals completely out (laminate, vinyl, and backer paper), it was awesome. I also have a LP and have never had any luck getting it to contour cut a sheet size larger than letter. I messed with everything possible, and it still wouldn't work. Other than that, its a great cutter. The Graphtec is quieter and has a better contour cutting option though, by far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheister 1 Posted November 30, 2009 Hello, I have a epson 1400 and love it. It really depends on how much sticker printing you will be doing for my opinion to suggest either getting and epson or not. I print stickers and t shirts transfers with my epson 1400 with no problem. The print quality is great and there are some great constant ink supplys that you can get on ebay that will save you a fortune on ink costs, and the ink is comparable to what the espon comes with. However, if you will be doing several hundred to thousands of stickers, I probably would recommend you sub contract that work out. This is due to the fact that once your stickers are printed (on special vinyl inkjet paper) you will need to add an overlaminate to ensure outdoor usability, but you will also need to cut these stickers out into their respective shape. This is where the previous post touches upon contour cutting. There is a way (in theory) to get your cutter to cut each sticker out from the standard 8.5x11 sheet of inkjet printable vinyl you will be using. But this technique is difficult to master and in my opinion, not 100% reliable. This means that most likely, you will need to cut out your stickers by hand after you have laminated/treated them. For me this is no problem as I specialize in small orders and one off's. But for mass production a printer/cutter machine is best (this will print and cut the designs at the same time). Though a printer-cutter machine will cost you far more than a laser point 24 and a epson 1400 by a magnitude of thousands. So if your doing small stuff for now I would recommend the epson to get you going, if your doing large orders you may want to invest in a printer-cutter machine or contract the work out and add your cut to the final price. If you are interested in hard facts about the Espon 1400. Its a sweet printer. It takes 6 individual ink cartridges though and the cost of replacing them with OEM cartridges can be a nightmare. I took a chance and purchased what I thought was a quality CIS for my epson (wasnt the cheapest by far) and have been overly satisfied with the results. For 70.00 I have a constant ink supply that actually works and has enough ink for 10 refills of each of the six cartridges!. Side by side comparisons show that the ink included is almost identical to what the epson comes with out of the box. (Claria High Definition Ink). Further this printer also can print onto inkjet printable CD/DVD. I made a couple of DVD's for friends and the print quality was so good that they thought the DVD were made by professionals. It took some time for me convince them I made it myself!. Easy to set up and a great way to get into the business without investing in a several thousand dollar printer-cutter machine. For my needs this printer is perfect and not bad at the price of 199.99 when I bought it. I could have purchased a cheaper epson but I wanted the 13x19 print ability to be able to make large t-shirt transfers. 8.5x11 on a tshirt just doesnt cut it for most designs. The good thing is that papilio and most websites that sell t-shirt transfers, sell sheets that are 13x19 in size, this eliminates the need for a more expensive printer that accepts rolls of media! Best of luck to you Regards Sheister Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
midwaste 4 Posted December 1, 2009 Sheister, what CIS did you buy? How often do you use it/do you have any problems with clogs? I'm looking to get a CIS, but I don't do a whole lot of color printing, I mostly would use it for black. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheister 1 Posted December 1, 2009 Hello, Here is a link to the model I purchased. I went over many choices on ebay that were far cheaper than this one but this model seemed to be able to deliver on its promises so I went ahead and purchased this model. I have been using this for about 5 months and love it. I have only have clogged heads once and a cleaning cycle (done in the maintenance menu) quickly fixed this. I have so much ink I dont know what to do with it and have made many t shirt transfers and stickers with no problem in terms of the color quality or with fading. Good Luck http://cgi.ebay.com/Combo-CIS-Refill-For-Epson-Stylus-Photo-1400-T079_W0QQitemZ280329819524QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Toner?hash=item4144f59584 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandstormdesigns 2 Posted December 1, 2009 Seriously if you are going to do contour cutting, your best invest would be the Graphtec RoboCut or the CE5000-24. I would not depend on a the Copam for contour cutting. I have one and have not contour cut with it yet but my FC8000 will with no issues or second guessing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,298 Posted December 2, 2009 thanks for the info on the CIS sheister Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
midwaste 4 Posted December 2, 2009 Agreed, Have you had any problems with the auto-reset cartridges? These CIS' have progressed rapidly since the last time I looked at them... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheister 1 Posted December 2, 2009 good question. this is where i became sold on this product. every time i would print my black ink cartridge would get lower and lower in the print menu display. I started to get worried because when I chekced the cartridge it was nearly full but the printer thought it was empty. at some point the printer thought the black cartridge was empty. My printer went through some kind of cycle and I knew this would be the point at which I would see the cartridge reset or not. I opened the printer lid and heard a vibrating noise and I could actually see the black ink traveling through the thin feed tube that lead from the ink resevoir. Very cool to actually see the ink cartridge reset and actually draw ink from the well. So to answer your question yes the auto rest cartridges work so you dont need to replace them . I am still so blown away by the savings on ink. I can print a test before I do an actual transfer of sticker sheet and not worry about wasting ink. The link I posted to the model i have is by far not the cheapest version out there but I can stand its performance and the quality of the ink. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest sciondrgn Posted December 2, 2009 To answer the OP question the Epson 1100 will allow 13" widths and up to 44" Lengths. I am not sure if the 1400 will allow that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sarconastic 29 Posted December 2, 2009 The Epson website has the 1400 for $199 right now $99 for the bulk kit and $300 for a large format printer. to do whatever you need. Kevin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LOBO 0 Posted December 4, 2009 hey..... midwest.. have you looked into refillable carts??? I just ordered my epson 1400 for the wide format and making transfers.. its currently 179 on the epson site.. refurbished.. no new available right now.. i also ordered refillable carts.. from www.inksupply.com part number: ARC-1400-ec-set $32.95 it has an auto reset chip.. it comes empty so you can add your own favorite ink. they also sell the ink.. it is pigment ink.. from what ive read it is some of the best ink for heat transfer, wont clog the heads, wont change color with heat.. etc.. ink part number: HT6-4set $120.00 that includes all six colors for the 1400 in 4 oz bottles each.. i also got the empty syringe to tranfer the ink... and needles needed... MIS-syringe-6 six of them.. and mis-needle-10 10 needles.. i just ordered those yesturday... so will post something when i get a change to use it.. but i've been looking into it for a couple months now..and it looked like the best option. alot of people on another forum also have the same or similar setup and have nothing but good things to say about it.. i have not had any experience with the CIS system, but those who have wish they hadnt . and were glad to switch to the refill carts... hope this gives you anthother option and does not confuse you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sarconastic 29 Posted December 16, 2009 LOBO Check out this link that was posted earlier. it's $99 for the bulk kit With the ink. and refills are pretty cheap too. http://cgi.ebay.com/Combo-CIS-Refill-For-Epson-Stylus-Photo-1400-T079_W0QQitemZ280329819524QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Toner?hash=item4144f59584 Kevin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheister 1 Posted December 16, 2009 Yeah thats the same model I have . And I love it! Inks are great,cartridges automatically reset, not too hard to install. But if your not mechanically inclined get some help. Price was cheaper when I bought mine but for 99.99 its still well worth it. Kit included enough ink for 10 cartridge refills!!! Its so rare that something that makes big claims on ebay actually live up to them. But this is one of those rare occasions where this product does. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
