Seeking Advice on Large Film Printers

*Maybe a moderator can relocate this to the business forums - it might be more appropriate there.
Does anybody have an experience buying these kinds of printers from TSAUTOP or other hydrodipping factories? It costs USD$4590 (excl shipping) and is only warrantied for a year. However, opening moulds with the manufacturer for films is so expensive, it only takes 3 moulds to be able to buy this, so this makes more economic sense from that point of view. Are there better options you guys know of? And I'd want to be sure that this would be serviceable for at least 3-5 years when the warranty is only for 1 year?
I've also heard people say they can re-purpose regular large commercial printers like the Canon ipf 8000s.
As for the ink, I've heard that "it's pigment ink nothing special about it" (presumably a commonplace ink) - so I wouldn't be confined to getting dedicated hydrodipping ink for printing on clear film. All I'd need to get from the hydrodipping manufacturer was the clear PVA film.
Can you confirm my info is good?



Does anybody have an experience buying these kinds of printers from TSAUTOP or other hydrodipping factories? It costs USD$4590 (excl shipping) and is only warrantied for a year. However, opening moulds with the manufacturer for films is so expensive, it only takes 3 moulds to be able to buy this, so this makes more economic sense from that point of view. Are there better options you guys know of? And I'd want to be sure that this would be serviceable for at least 3-5 years when the warranty is only for 1 year?
I've also heard people say they can re-purpose regular large commercial printers like the Canon ipf 8000s.
As for the ink, I've heard that "it's pigment ink nothing special about it" (presumably a commonplace ink) - so I wouldn't be confined to getting dedicated hydrodipping ink for printing on clear film. All I'd need to get from the hydrodipping manufacturer was the clear PVA film.
Can you confirm my info is good?



Post edited by shau2 on
Comments
Also, don't let TSAUTOP send you the 1.27 x 250 M roll of film. It won't fit in ANY printer and you will have to manually reroll it to 100 Meter sizes. Order Rolls at the 100 meter length size. The factory they buy it from will make 100 meter rolls.
Thirdly, buy an HP 115 latex printer locally and save yourself a whole lot of headaches in the future.
Does your recommendation come from experience?
What kind of ink would I use with the HP 115 latex printer for hydrographic film printing?
My apologies for making the link to the HP Latex printer distributor in Australia embedded in the text so that i wasn't obvious. Here it is as a plain URL https://www.neopostgraphics.com.au/large-format-solutions/sign-display-printers/hp-latex-large-format-printers
This should get you on the road to researching the capabilities and pricing of the Australian HP Latex printer line.
Here's where you get the patterns to print. https://pva.supply
HAPPY PRINTING!
Leaning towards a non-dedicated printer for the purpose, like the HP you suggested, if that'll be cheaper...
I don't want to buy it on my own though - I'm trying to get someone to co-invest in one with me. Anybody interested? For a perpetual share in any profits from custom film that I sell using that printer?
Underserved... Let me answer with a question. How many custom film printers are in Australia?
To answer your other question, BigBrain and Kingsmen Kustom both sell custom film from pigment printers. They both sell a good quality product. I have seen and been impressed with the color reproduction from that style printer.
I am starting to look at printing another way. I am interested in possibly cutting cost. Less waste such as buying extra film because its a pattern I have never worked with, Less space to store etc. I don't have the exact number I spent on film last year because I am away from home but its around the 20k mark and my shop is only in operation less than half the month. I am always looking for ways to cut cost and put more money in my pocket.
Is the film from you pigment or latex?
The difficult part if I want to take this forward as a collaboration is to estimate the costs and inventorize the project; then I can make a pitch for it. Any advice, or even your own project plan, suggested breakdown of costs and inventory - all very welcome. In particular it will be necessary to justify particular commercial printer candidates.
And stay away from partnerships...or collaborators?...They will only bring you heartache and pain...especially when you don't know jack about the business or even have a professional tank...
Baby steps my ninja...baby steps...you got a whole lot of upgrading to do before you start down THAT road of printing your own films...
But please, don't buy a cheap pigment printer, do it right the first time. I know it contradicts Jim'sadvice for baby steps, but I went through baby steps starting several businesses and I can say with certainty, that in retrospect I can see all the wasted time and effort "building up" to full burn. I've been through 8 large format printers and still have 4 in the back of the shop with their little rotting ink lines taking up valuable space, because I took baby steps. Although it was a very enlighting decade, I wish I had someone like me to get advice from. Like in this forum... :-)
All the professional Dippers on this forum advocate using professional equipment for professional results, and I do too! Use a professional level printer for professional results. Those little "cheap" pigment printers will give you a bad reputation and you will lose interest because nobody is beating a path to your door. And all you will have left is something that may or may not sell on eBay.
And THEN maybe a printer...does him no good to print his own film when he doesn't even know how to diagnose what's wrong with his system in the first place...
So I actually meant? Do this...THEN that...
Or in the words of the mighty & wise "Jim Tzu"...
"When 2 rabbits are pursued? Both will escape..."
Learn the ins and outs of the process first. Not only that but for as long as I have been doing this I would have a hard time justifying $12,000.00 for a printer to do custom film even if you up charged a extra 100.00 for a custom printed job you would have to do 120 jobs to pay for it. And to top it off how many people are going to ask you for custom film? You will find it would be about 2% of your customers.
NWH
Custom printed films do not behave like rotogravure films.
NWH
People that want something hydrodipped=10,000
People willing to have you do the work, rather than another dipper=5,000
People with a product expensive enough that justifies a custom film=500
Projects that are so sensitive or high end that require you to print your own film =10
Projects so high end that they would want custom artwork created by an artist=1
You are banking on the artist's name and art to drive the work to you, that's not how this works. If he sells his art to the film makers in China, they have a bigger wallet than you.
I don't think this is going to work out the way you expect.
Listen, EVERYBODY sees the possibilities in this process when they start out, EVERYONE is excited. You are not the first person to do this, you aren't the only one that knows an artist, you are not the only one that can get film printed and put it on something expensive... If there was money in it WE ALL WOULD BE DOING IT.
The money is in production, it isn't glamorous (No matter how awesome @MidOhioHydrographics looks while doing it) but it will pay the bills. You are chasing something not based in reality. These guys are giving you good advice...