JULY 2004FLAAR ReportsS E R I E S f o r p r i n t i n g w i t h S o l v e n t I n k s

Roland VersaCAMM

Eco-Solvent Printer-cutter

Nicholas Hellmuth

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Contents

Introduction 1

Brand name, model 2

Size, shape, technology, mechanical 2

Specifications: Printhead 2

Construction (Build Quality) 4

Tech support 5

Cleaning, maintenance 6

Inks 6

Media 8 Image Quality Analysis 10 RIP, driver, color management 10

Price 11

General or Miscellaneous 11 Concluding Comments 13

Bibliography 14

Licensing Information

If you wish to distribute this report to other people within your company, please obtain a site licensing agreement for multiple copies from FLAAR by contacting Sheila Irving, sirving@bgnet.bgsu.edu. Substantial discounts are available for licensing to distribute within your company. The advantage of a license is that you can opt for automatic updates. You may have noticed that FLAAR reports tend to be updated as additional information becomes available.

In some instances a license would be available to distribute outside your company, including in other languages.

To distribute this report without license violates federal copyright law. To avoid such violations for you, and for your company, you can easily obtain additional copies can be ordered available from www.wide-format-printers.NET.

Caption for front cover photograph: Roland VersaCamm printer at NBM 2004 trade show

Eco

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Introduction

All during 2003 and into 2004 it has been obvious that eco-solvent ink is a major factor in market growth. So for the rest of 2004 we will be increasing the coverage of eco-solvent printers. Several factors have aided this boom in eco-solvent printers:

� Legislation restricting use of true-solvent ink� Realization of health hazards of true-solvent inks� Lower cost of eco-solvent machines.� Entry-level sizes of eco-solvent machines.

Lowered cost in general started the growth in sales in solvent ink per se. Mimaki sold more (full) solvent ink JV3 models in two years than Oce plus Gretag Imaging sold in seven years. So this awakened an interest in solvent ink per se.

Then Roland introduced an eco-solvent ink printer that probably cost about the same as a JV3 but had less noxious chemicals in the ink. Simultaneously several after-market Roland printers were ret-rofitted with true-solvent. Since most sign shops already have Roland vinyl cutters they were eager customers for one or the other of these Roland printers.

But both versions of the Roland were near disasters in the market: the retrofitted machine could not handle the solvents in the ink (the fittings and other parts of the printer, never designed to with-stand solvents, allegedly dissolved or otherwise self-destructed). The first generation light solvent ink would not work on most raw vinyl, so production costs exceeded what the ads touted in their ceaseless hype. The same problem occurred with Mutoh eco-solvent inks. The combination of mis-leading ads and flawed components left quite a trail of dissatisfaction.

Then the ink was reformulated, both for the Roland and for the Mutoh. And more substrates because certified for lite-solvent inks.

The VersaCAMM printer is reportedly the most popular solvent ink printer in a width under 40 inches. Indeed its popularity prompted Mutoh to come out with a competing concept, the Mutoh Junior. The other competitor would be the Encad VinylJet and the Gigantagram from Lazer Images. Since the latter printer can do only alphanumeric text and simple designs, and not photographs, it is less and less a competitor. At the NBM trade show in June 2004 the Lazer Images booth was empty of visitors most of the times I passed by.

Brand name, model:

Roland VersaCAMM SP-300, 30” inkjet printer/contour cutter

When was this model first introduced?

The VersaCAMM was introduced in September 2003.

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sSize, shape, technology, mechanical

Is this printer made originally as a solvent ink printer, or is it retrofitted with solvent ink? If retrofitted, what was the original brand? What other printers are the same chassis?

We are checking on the design history of this printer and whether the same chassis was used previously. The identical chassis has been used by Uniform to make their Uniform Cadet. This is a retrofitting of the Roland Ver-saCAMM, outfitting it with “true” solvent ink.

Neither the web site for Uniform Digital nor the website for B&P Lightbrigade identify whether the ink is from Lyson or somewhere else. They do not specify whether the printheads are covered in their warranty, nor how long the Epson printheads will last using this kind of solvent ink.

Is the width enough for target applications?• The Encad VinylJet is under 36” inches but claims 36”• The Mutoh Junior is over 37”• The Roland is 29 inch print area, so the model number “30” is comparable to the Encad, a

tad over-stated.

Printer Printing width Cost Technology Printhead

Encad VinylJet 34.8”, 88.39 cm $ 9,995, show spe-cial; not sure if this is regular price.

Atypical, water-based, IR cured (not UV-curable)

Previous gen-eration Lexmark thermal

Mutoh Junior, available with separate printer

37.56” List $10,995, bun-dled with cutter, $13,995

Eco-solvent Previous genera-tion Epson piezo

Roland Ver-saCAMM, on-board cutter, so a dual-use printer-cutters

29 “, 73.60 cm $ 13,995 Reportedly the identical ink as Mutoh but we do not have indepen-dent conformation of this

Current Epson piezo printhead

The individual shop owner will best decide from their own experience and aspirations for further growth whether 29-inch print area is enough for a sign shop.

Specifications: Printhead

What printheads are used? Xaar, Spectra, Hitachi, Epson, or other? Explain the pros and cons of each head relative to their ability to handle solvent inks.

All Roland printers that I know of use Epson printheads. However since Epson printheads were unlikely designed to use solvent inks it remains to be seen how long they last.

Roland VersaCamm printer at NBM 2004 trade show

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sIs the brand and model of printhead identified in the specifications?Nothing about the printheads is included in the literature we have.

How many printheads per color? How many nozzles per printhead? How many nozzles per color?

No information on printheads or nozzles is included in literature. However there are two heads which results in half a head per color. Since each printhead has 360 nozzles, that ought to result in 180 nozzles per color.

What is the true dpi of this printhead? How is this dpi calculated? How do you calculate perceived dpi that you use instead of true dpi?

I am not familiar with any printer that admits its true dpi nor how this dpi is calculated, so this is not unique to Roland. The ads list 1440 dpi, which is the traditional listing for Epson printheads. The actual dpi is no more than 360; “1440” is simply the base dpi multiplied by the number of back-and-forth passes required to use the 180 nozzles per color to add up to 1440.

No industry wide standards exist on how to calculate the base dpi of a printhead. If you take the printhead, at a single pass, and count how many drops of ink it can lay down per inch in a single color, that would be a good start. Obviously this figure is not 720 dpi nor 1440 dpi. I assume that 360 dpi requires more than one pass. Most printers do not even have a one-pass mode because the output would be too incomplete.

What is the drop size? Is this listed in the published specs?

Solvent ink printers do not tend to mention the drop size in public. However any Epson printhead should have a respectable drop size and I see no reason to hide this figure.

How long do your printheads really last? Do you have that written in a warranty? If your longevity specs are in drops, please translate that into liters of ink or square footage of media.

No information on printhead is in the specs but they are traditionally stated to be “permanent” until you ask “how permanent.” Then you are told the drop-life. But for most normal users it is unlikely you will wear out a head. But when you push solvent inks through the same head, that adds another factor in possibly reducing the life of the printhead. How well these printheads hold up to generation II solvent inks can only be determined when we begin to do site-visit case studies.

Since the VersaCAMM is new, and since it is unlikely that Mom and Pop sign shops run it 24 hours a day all week, resellers indicate they have not yet seen any printhead fail. We will continue to check on this statistic, but it speaks well of the combination of second generation ink and Epson printheads.

If piezo heads fail, who is responsible for paying for replacement heads?

The user has to pay for heads unless under warranty. It is not known whether a head strike is covered. Some head strikes just mar the print; a few more serious head strikes may destroy an Epson piezo print head.

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sWhat does each printhead cost to replace? Distinguish price for the printhead and also price for the service technician to come and do the installation if it is not user-replaceable?

Replacement can cost $1000 to $2000 depending on whether one or two printheads fail, unless under warranty.

How often can you expect head strikes? What causes them?

Head strikes do not occur often. The Roland has edge guards, something missing on the Mutoh Junior and lacking on the Encad VinylJet as well.

How does this company describe photo-realistic? Air-brush photos from a LAC printer are not photo-realistic.

At close viewing distance the output is not acceptable as photo-realistic, but neither is the output of the competitors VinylJet. We did not see enough output from the Mutoh Junior to judge; they were printing mainly small labels.

Connectivity? Parallel, serial, SCSI, USB, FireWire?

The Roland VersaCAMM offers parallel and USB both.

What accessories are extra cost? Are these same or similar accessories included with other printers at no extra cost?

We will update this information as soon as it is available.

Construction (Build Quality)

What about solid-ness of construction of the printer?

Roland printers tend to be appropriately constructed, though banding continues to be a problem. Even if some aspects of banding are caused by user error, banding should not be tolerated.

What about heater or dryer? Is there a pre-heater and post-heater both, or just one? Is there a printer under the platen? Where are the heaters located? Is heater on top of, or under, the media?

The VersaCAMM has a pre-heater and platen heater. It is missing a post-heater and missing a fan also.

Can you turn them on and off? Can you vary their temperature? What is average monthly electric bill?

We assume you can turn the heaters off and on and vary their temperature individually. These fea-tures are essential.

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Electrical needs: 110 or 220?

I assume the printer is 110 for American users.

Tech support

What is setup of the printer like? Can I do it myself? Does your cost include sending a person to set it up for me?

You can set the printer up yourself, however 1-day install and training is available. You should check to see if you have to pay for that.

Is training necessary? classroom training available? Is factory training available?

Roland gets plus points for offering factory training.

What on-line training is available?

Since Roland offers factory training I doubt that on-line training is available.

Are dealers national (most companies) or regional (Roland allows a dealer to operate only within a limited regional area)? Do I have any choice in dealers? (How many dealers actually exist in my country?

Roland has a rigid policy that a dealer can sell only regionally. This is to insure that the dealer can provide relatively personal on-site service. As a result the only national dealers would be those with branch offices.

Cleaning, maintenance

How is head cleaning accomplished? Vacuum (suck), spray/purge & wipe, manual, automatic, other? Can you take the heads out and clean them individually?

Head cleaning is evidently vacuum, it sucks the ink and impurities and clogged particles out. This is manual and automatic. We will check further to see if there is also a spray/purge and wipe system (which is what most professional solvent ink printers feature).

How hard is it to cap the system and turn it off, for overnight, over weekend, while you go on vacation? Is there a capping station?

The reseller indicated you can shut it off up to 10 days. You can cap the printer and put it to sleep, It is an elevator cap, but “differs from the Mimaki system.” We need to learn more about both so we can report back the benefits and each.

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sHow often does printer automatically do its own head purge to keep ink from clogging? How much ink is used per month?

We did not get a clear answer; we will have to ask again.

Upon start up, do you have to swab the heads? How long does this take? How messy is it? What cleaning materials are recommended? What is not recommended?

No start up cleaning routine required.

Inks

How many kinds of ink are available? What kind of ink is this?

Only one kind of ink is available, “Sol” ink.

Roland insinuates that their inks are unique, but both Roland and Mutoh had similar problems with their first generation inks. Since Epson makes the printheads, Epson expects a percentage of the profit from selling any ink that goes through their printheads. So allegedly Epson is the supplier of the eco-solvent and Sol ink. Obviously Epson itself does not make the ink; they just participate in the food chain. One easy way to see how similar, or how different, the two inks are is to ask for the MSDS sheet on each ink. If they both list identical chemicals that would support a supposition that it is all the same ink. If each list totally different chemicals, then Roland Sol ink is distinctive, something their first generation of ads worked hard at touting.

If it turns out that Roland and Mutoh inks are essentially the same, then this situation should be clarified. Since the company does not offer much help, we have to figure all this out on our own. But this is precisely what fuels our research: the challenge of learning the facts. Here is the difference between a university institute and a trade magazine or a commercial company.

What are the ingredients in the ink(s)? Is there Cyclohexanon? Is this a lite-solvent or eco-solvent?? What is the chemical composition of the ink?

There is no Cyclohexanon. But if the ink is as innocent as claimed in ads, would printer manufacturer managers and executives, or sales reps of resellers, allow this printer to be printing all day long in their own home or even next to their desk in their office?

Does ink come in cartridges or bulk?

Ink for Epson printheads comes in standard 220 ml cartridges.

What kind of protective devices are on the ink system to keep you from using after-market ink?

Chip but not a smart card, in part because there is not yet any after-market ink.

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What is ink consumption at full coverage (no unrealistic 5% coverage)?

Roland claims 22 cents ink cost per square foot. Would be interesting to see what their competitors document the actual cost for the Roland is? You can usually get totally contradictory cost estimates if you go to the competitor’s “selling against” charts. All printer manufacturers have “selling against competitors” sales manuals. Often these are readily available; in other instances they are not accessible. But sooner or later we find out.

How many colors?

Just CMYK.

Is output splotchy? What about banding? What causes the banding?

Beautiful colors other than lack of a good range of reds. Everything is orangish. Roland has a long time reputation for lacking reds. Indeed two Roland dealers told me this. The poor reds are probably why Roland spends so much money advertising how well it can print red. But when I go to trade shows, and see the output, I am not convinced.

Can you hot-swap ink?

If you change the ink quickly you won’t leave a mark. But remember, the ink is still wet, and you have to start up printing again before the adjacent ink dries too much. Otherwise you will get fresh wet ink alongside dry ink. This might show up as a defect on the final print. But the same is true of any other printer using Epson ink system.

What ink-out alarm system exists?

Yes.

Is the printer enclosed? How is the enclosure vented?

No enclosure; no ventilation option offered.

Some printers now have “counters” which report how much ink has been expended for each print. Most printer manufacturers admit that these counters are generic estimates: they do not really count how much ink is actually squirted out the heads. So how about your printer? Does it even have a counter and if so, what is it really counting?

A basic display indicates how much ink remains.

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sDo you need to have a band of printable colors along the edge, outside the main printed area, to keep all printheads and their colored inks firing on each pass and ready to print (so as not to dry out when not be used by the colors in the design)? If your design has lots of empty white space, and then just cyan letters, this would mean your black, magenta, and yellow heads were not firing for a long time. On an old-fashioned inkjet printer these heads would dry out, and clog.

I will have to check to see if there is a spit gutter and/or a mechanism to spit for every color on every pass to keep all colors unclogged and ready to print.

Media

Media core diameter? Options for other core diameters?

I would guess media core is the standard 2 inches.

Front loading, back loading? Paper path?

Back loading, straight paper path, as on all Epson printhead machines.

To learn about feeding (alignment) problems, and the potential for skewing to one side or another, we will have to initiate a site-visit case study.

Is a take-up system present? Standard reel or special?? Can media dry fast enough?

Take up reel is optional as you might expect on an entry-level low cost model.

Precisely how many kinds and types of substrates will work in this printer? And rate them by “work perfectly” through a continuum to “function but not flawlessly.” Will this ink print on everything that a Vutek will?

Roland lists qualified media. We will eventually check with end-users to find out the true facts.

What applications are possible but mediocre? Is backlit saturated enough with one print, or do you have to print two and mount them together? Do you have to set saturation level higher for backlit?

The media being used in one reseller’s booth scratched easily. But his polyester sample did not show hardly any marks.

What kinds of substrates will not work with this kind of solvent ink? Does this printer’s ink require special media? Is it coated? Even if not coated, is it the really low-cost stuff, or is it limited (and hence by that very fact a tad expensive?) What applications would be better printed on another type of ink, media, or machine?

Although Windex will evidently not clean off the ink, solvents such as cleaning alcohol do. It was suggested that cleaning alcohol might take off 10% of a true solvent image, but noticeably more of an eco-solvent print. This was a very honest answer.

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sIf you are attempting to do vehicle wrap, you have to be aware which solvents will destroy the image. Or you may have to laminate the image, which is an added expense and a real pain. Laminated material is also stiffer to apply to the curves of a vehicle.

What about adhesion? Are their substrates you can print on, but then have adhesion problems?

See above; the full story on eco-solvent inks has not yet been revealed. One user reports “the print was not good quality (on static cling); the ink wiped off with my finger even after sitting overnight to dry.”

What thickness media is accepted?

Media 1mm thic is accepted.

Is there self-detection of media width?

Yes.

Is there a reliable counter of media length remaining?

No, not a surprise nor deficit since this feature is not available on most other printers either. With enough experience you can eyeball how much media remains.

Is there manual feed capability of sheets (sheet feed)?

Yes.

Do you get roller marks on some media? Which media? How bad are the marks?

Evidently the feeding system does not really employ rollers in the normal sense. We will have to check this out.

Is backlit saturated enough with one print, or do you have to print two and mount them together?

If you have the proper profiles the dealer said you can get nice backlit. We will prefer to ask this question of end-users.

Is 3M warranty available? Is Avery warranty available? What are the full added costs in ink, media, and lamination for such a warranty?

An Avery warranty is available.

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s Image Quality Analysis

My notes read “black text is flawless (meaning no splatter or rough edges). But text in gold color the color was all spotty and grainy. This is why we prefer to do our own evaluation tests in our own lab, but when the manufacturer does not wish to let us do long-range tests, then we have to write about what we see at trade shows and during site-visit case studies. This is unfortunate since we usually achieve better quality in our own faculties. Some of the results at the trade show were embarrassingly poor.

There were three or four identical models of Roland printer at NBM trade show (Indianapolis, June 2004). The only one that had the serious blotches, large swatches of banding defects, was in the Roland booth.

Normal banding, a trait of some Roland printers, would not be visible whatsoever at normal viewing distance of a banner or a sign. However in a store, next to the merchandise, the blotches I saw would not be acceptable by the client. However I doubt that every printer would result in such substantial defects. Most end users would probably made more of an effort to reduce banding in their own daily production.

RIP, driver, color management

Is a RIP included?

Roland’s ColorRIP is evidently a close to full version of Wasatch. The only lite trait is that you can use this RIP only for the one Roland printer. We recommend Wasatch RIP and find this is a good choice.

Be sure to ask whether the RIP is PC only, or whether it also works with a Mac.

Price

What is the price, and what do you get for this price? Compare the price, and what you get, with the nearest competitors?

The Roland costs the same as a Mutoh with cutter. With Mutoh the cutter is a separate plotter but it is included in the price of the Mutoh Junior.

Roland uses a newer printhead than the Mutoh. The Mutoh is mush wider than the 29-inch Roland.

We estimate that both use similar ink; some sources suggest the Mutoh and Roland ink isidentical. We will continue to check on this.

The Encad VinylJet is lower cost, a few inches wider than the Roland; but the Encad works only with vinyl, period

Roland VersaCamm printer at NBM 2004 trade show

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General or Miscellaneous

Can this printer be left to run overnight or otherwise unattended?

If there is no take-up reel you should not run it overnight. If you have a take-up reel you can try,but if you get banding, it may ruin the output without your noticing it (untilthe following morning).

Please look at the ad claims for this printer in magazines and on the internet. What aspects of these ads will a buyer of that model soon find out are perhaps slightly exaggerated? In some ads it seems to be the goal to list as outstanding features precisely where the printer is weak. After all, once someone buys your printer they are going to find out about these discrepancies relatively quickly: metamerism on some models; slowness on most models; banding defects; inability to print on after-market media; small ink cartridges combined with high cost of consumables, etc. Do the ad specs include enough facts?

Companies that sell substrates have to be more honest than the manufacturers; if a material does not accept eco-solvent ink the word will spread quickly. And the safest thing for a vinyl company is to make sure that people don’t experiment with the wrong material to begin with. Thus FLAAR is an ideal platform for substrate manufacturers, converters, and resellers to inform their customers on which materials are perfect for eco-solvent, which work okay, and which should be avoided.

The general consensus is that “you can often use the same material for both eco- and full solvent ink. But the eco-solvent ink simply does not hold up as well. Eco-solvent ink is not scratch resistant.”

I have noticed that you can scratch most eco-solvent images with your fingernail, or with a pen (you don’t even need to use the ballpoint, just the pen itself will scratch the sign). We noticed that prints from ColorSpan 72s, which is true solvent, were more resistant.

Roland claims the printer is odor-free. This depends on how sensitive your nose is. I would like to see an independent (I mean totally independent), environmental safety institute write a report on what it is like to breathe these fumes day in day out in your own office. Frankly I can’t believe it is healthy, and certainly not very pleasant.

The company claims it is water, scratch, and UV resistant for up to 3 years outdoors. But sticks an asterisk immediately at the end of making that bald claim. I won’t quibble with the UV resistance, nor water, but I would ask whether it is really scratch resistant.

You can’t claim something is water and scratch resistant and then put a statement behind a footnote saying it has to be laminated. Use of a footnote is misleading, unfair to your customers, and invites closer scrutiny.

What kinds of companies have bought over your printer models in the last two years?

This is an entry level printer for small vinyl cutting shops that want to get into full color signage. Some flexo printers would use such a printer when they need one-off samples.

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sWhat will the resale value of your printer be in three to five years? Will either the brand name or model specifications cause a knowing buyer three years from now to shy away from your printer or cause a knowing buyer to only want to pay a very low price as compared to the other printers our company is considering? A company which is no longer in business may cause printers of that brand to lose value in the used market. Or is there some major technological breakthrough in your brand that will result in less value for your current model?

Printers that used the first generation lite-solvent ink via Roland might have low re-sale values for a savvy buyer. But I believe the VersaCAMM came out when the version-2 inks were already coming on board.

Roland is unlikely to go out of business. Other than modest adhesion problems and the limited range of media for any eco-solvent ink, there are no gross deficiencies in this printer that would cause a knowing buyer to not want it used. Therefore the price, used, should at least allow you to get a down payment on your next larger, faster printer.

However if you are buying a VersaCAMM used, find how why it is being sold off? And have an icon-clad 30-day return option, because if the printer has quirks, such as a bad head(s), that can cost up to $2,000 to repair. So the good deal on eBay can turn into an expensive mistake.

Concluding Comments

New, with dealer warranty, and paid with an American Express Gold Card (see if they allow an extended warranty on inkjet printers, and whether it includes the heads), this printer may be considered.

But, as with any other printer, any make or model, never buy undefended: your best defense is to find a sign shop that is not allied with Roland or a local dealer (some shops act as demo centers and you might as well as the dealer all over again). Your second line of defense is to buy with a credit card that allows you to refuse payment if the machine is not as advertised. Simply line up the ad claims, compare with your experience, and if they two don’t coincide, return the printer.

Roland has faithful users and most entry level users are probably content. Just don’t dream of a full-size full-solvent production printer. And most of all, try to be realistic about the true media costs (you will need some coated media which is expen$ive).

Realize that you will probably have to buy a laminator and learn how to use it. This learning curve will result in considerable wastage (ripples, bubbles, delamination problems).

Plus you can’t laminate signs that are still wet. What if some media may require a drying period of 24 hours!

Frankly I never understood why sign shops don’t just buy a fast water-based production printer, with water based ink, and laminate that. Why in the world do people pay the high prices for a pseudo solvent printer whose ads claim the results last years, when in fact you still may usually have to laminate them?

A fast water-based production printer, by definition of the words fast and production, implies a thermal printer because piezo printers tend to be too slow, as well as prone to banding defects.

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sWe want you to be happy with the printer that you purchase. Our goal is to have your print shop a success, and your clients happy. Becoming a savvy buyer is your best protection.

Please add your own suggestions

If you know of any questions we overlooked, please let us know.

Bibliography

It is virtually unexpected to find a report on the Internet that lists the things that a printer is weak at. 99% of what is on the Internet is merely a regurgitation of official PR releases, advertising slogans, or other situations where people are desperately trying to sell you one brand or another.

FLAAR does not sell printers. And we are not desperate either. We can afford to tell the truth.

What printer manufacturers don’t realize is that if their printer is really good, an honest report (includ-ing the pros and cons too) will result in selling far more printers than by increasing their advertising budget. More people read FLAAR reports than read all trade magazines put together.

As a university professor I prefer to write reports based on consulting other comparable research results. Of course no one else has time or a budget to research inkjet printers, and especially not to develop, and then apply, a standardized evaluation format. So in this First-Look format of the FLAAR Reports, we don’t yet have a list of other people’s articles to cite. Frankly we don’t yet know any.

But surely someone has written on this printer. If you know any articles, reports, or anecdotes about this Roland VersaCAMM eco-solvent ink printers please let us know at FLAARtest@aol.com.

www.wide-format-printers.org www.fineartgicleeprinters.org

www.large-format-printers.org

www.digital-photography.org www.flatbed-scanner-review.org

www.cameras-scanners-flaar.orgwww.laser-printer-reviews.org

www.wide-format-printers.NETwww.FLAAR.org www.ctpid.ufm.edu.gt

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