Plotter/Printer combo advice

[Gary_tintington]

Alright guys. We now have enough plotter work to justify buying one. Mostly larger custom frost jobs, ppf, maybe tint work. I also want to take the company in a more artistic/deco direction; printed vinyl, printed clear film. We need the plotter now, and the printer later. Should we consider a combo? Or plotter now, and printer when we need it. Brands? We're leaning towards Graphtec. Thanks in advance! 

[highplains]

I would lean towards getting the plotter now and the printer later. I watched a video a while back that was demonstrating how the two seperate machines had a better, more efficient work flow than the combo unit. Your plans and needs may also change between now and then as well. I also can't help but think that having two seperate, simpler machines will be more reliable in the long run than the more complex combo unit. I use a 42" Graphtec and it works very well, my only complaint is that there have been a couple times I wished it was a larger model.

[Gary_tintington]

Very cool. Thanks for the feedback! 

[watchdaride]

i bought a roland printera few years ago .It was used but in good condition . night mare  If you dont use it every few days ink dries quickly and may damage heads . When maintenance is required and you need a technician any minor repair is minimum $500 + parts  . The machine has a big learning curve and parts are very expensive . to me to have a machine you need to be a fulltime sign maker to make  the investment worth it . 

[alberts316]

 He's dead on with the maintenance and ink jet heads.  Unless you're doing it everyday or every other I would outsource it. There are plenty of companies to outsource from and still make plenty of profit.