the 100s is relatively new and most of us have yet to actually purchase one, more of seen them and know of them from the trade shows. this unit is based around the 64s which is a great printer with very few problems. it's fast, reliable, produces great prints with superb densities and colours matching capabilities. i've never heard of the blue issue you mention, so i can't comment on that. heads do and will fail depending on how much you run the printer. it seems the more you run the less issues you have.even so, make sure you take the warranty and extended warranty if it's offered cos it will be worth the price. there is some smell off the unit, and add to that they do not offer the front media cover so the smell is more than the 64s. ventilation is a must as is extraction,so make plans for this. also if you're planning to run the unit fast and/or on banner substrate then seriously consider the optional dryer. makes a big difference.
ournigelmansell wrote: This unit is based around the 64s which is a great printer with very few problems. it's fast, reliable, produces great prints with superb densities and colours matching capabilities. i've never heard of the blue issue you mention, so i can't comment on that. heads do and will fail depending on how much you run the printer.
I dispute the above. If the printer was reliable why would you need to take out the warranties etc.
This machine has pushed it beyond its capacity.
Your expensive heads will fail using the expensive ink. (6-8 US per M2) plus serious wastage!
The very high resolution in combination with a great colour gamut makes for disasterous head job. VERY SHORT. -Yes, the Cyan ink has had a a dud batch and the head is now improved as the first version did not agree at all with the supplied Toyo ink.
Yes, If you liked the Encad or the Iris printer or maybe the Kodak machine they recalled, then you will love the Seiko.
I really do not understand how anyone can seriously think that this is a reliable machine.
ASK ABOUT HOW TO KEEP A SEIKO HEAD ALIVE FOR MORE THEN 3 MONTHS?
ASK ABOUT THE SUGGESTED CLEASNING PROCEDURE?
ASK ABOUT WHY YOU NEED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY?
ASK ABOU THE COST OF THE HEADS?
ASK WHY THEM ESTIMATE TWO HEAD CHANGES PER YEAR AND MOST WILL GO THROW 8 -10?
ASK THEM IF IT IS TRUE THAT TOYO AND SEIKO AND THE HEAD MANUFACTURER PLUS YOUR
it seems to me that somebody is a little upset. have you ever owned a 64S or is this just things you have found out via 3rd parties? do you have 1st hand experience with them? i'm confused about what information you expected from a 64s forum. sure there have been users, myself included, that have experienced problems, but there is no printer on the market that will run trouble-free 24/7. some users have had worse untis than others, but the majority of us feel that the 64s is a great printer and a worthy investment.
if the seiko printers are so wrong then why are you considering purchasing a 100s?
Anonymous wrote: I dispute the above. If the printer was reliable why would you need to take out the warranties etc.
What "taking out" warranties? Can you english? ;)
Anonymous wrote: This machine has pushed it beyond its capacity.
Me not understanding what you saying. Seriously, the only thing that is beyond this machine's capacity is the 360 dpi mode, because it's very hard to reach some colours then, especially reds.
Anonymous wrote: Your expensive heads will fail using the expensive ink. (6-8 US per M2) plus serious wastage!
Waste is a joke - we pay much less for Seiko waste than for waste from hard solvent machines, which inks cost 6 times less than Seiko. You just have to READ THE F*****G MANUAL!
Anonymous wrote: The very high resolution in combination with a great colour gamut makes for disasterous head job. VERY SHORT. -Yes, the Cyan ink has had a a dud batch and the head is now improved as the first version did not agree at all with the supplied Toyo ink.
The original inks are amazing. Period.
Anonymous wrote: Yes, If you liked the Encad or the Iris printer or maybe the Kodak machine they recalled, then you will love the Seiko.
You can't be serious. Encad, and i mean any Encad that i've met is such a piece of crud it's unbelievable. Seiko is way better than any Encad that i've seen, along with Rolands and Mimakis (although they have some special features that Seiko doesn't have).
Anonymous wrote: I really do not understand how anyone can seriously think that this is a reliable machine.
I can :) And i have been through a lot of machines. And my employees say the same thing.
Anonymous wrote: ASK ABOUT HOW TO KEEP A SEIKO HEAD ALIVE FOR MORE THEN 3 MONTHS?
Hey, wanna look at my heads? :) After 3 months they're clean and right as rain. And i have printed a LOT WITH IT. Or maybe that's the key - if you want to print little - buy Mimaki - if you want to print a lot - buy Seiko.
Anonymous wrote: ASK ABOUT THE SUGGESTED CLEASNING PROCEDURE?
It's in the manual. And most resellers will give you the maintenance manual, which even is downloadable from another forum. It's a nobrainer.
Anonymous wrote: ASK ABOUT WHY YOU NEED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY?
I don't need and i don't have one.
Anonymous wrote: ASK ABOU THE COST OF THE HEADS?
Much cheaper than Spectras from Toucans and new Vuteks and much cheaper than Xaar 500 (Zund, Scitex VeeJet, Grapo and many chinese machines).
Anonymous wrote: ASK WHY THEM ESTIMATE TWO HEAD CHANGES PER YEAR AND MOST WILL GO THROW 8 -10?
I don't expect even one change in the first year. Plus, as many people will tell you, it is very hard to actually destroy a head - you can clean it, declog it - you can buy a system from Triangle or others. Very easy. I did that with Mutoh Spectra heads. After two years of 24/7 printing with cheap third party inks they seemed like dead. Now they're clean.
Anonymous wrote: ASK THEM IF IT IS TRUE THAT TOYO AND SEIKO AND THE HEAD MANUFACTURER PLUS YOUR RESELLER ALL HAVE TO MAKE MONEY ON YOU INK?
Who are you kidding? Every ink manufacturer wants to make money. If MegaInk or FillInk say that a liter costs $100 - it's great, but i assure you - it could cost less. My friend has manufactured his own ink :) It costs him $80 a liter, but it is so good, that it can print 2880 dpi (solvent-based) on many materials that are normally unprintable with regular solvents. But i won't tell you who he is and who he works for :)
Anonymous wrote: SHOULD I CARRY ON?
No, you should carry yourself to a shrink and take some drugs. A serious discussion is about NOT GETTING EMOTIONAL.
Hey you seem like my local Mutoh dealer - he jumps at different forums trying to disadvertise other machines in favour of the goddam pieces of crud = Mutohs ;) You are way too upset and you have no reason to be like that if you haven't used the machine extensively. I know it by heart. In fact, i'm having a second one installed next morning. How about that?
I'm not sure what your motivations are for you negative comments regarding the Colorpainter. I've had one for over a year and a half and couldn't be more satisfied with my decision to buy one. I think you are either misinformed or have other reasons for bad mouthing a GREAT machine!!
dear anonymous, well thank you for these well choosed words of wisdom. fortunately i'm no salesman, just somebody with a fair bit of experience with the 64s. never met joshie but i'm sure we'd get on just fine. i think on this matter, we beg to differ on the overall experience of running and owning said printer. again not sure you are not joined at the hip with sadocolor brussles, as you both seem to have a very negative attitude to the printer.
ournigelmansell wrote: dear anonymous, well thank you for these well choosed words of wisdom. fortunately i'm no salesman, just somebody with a fair bit of experience with the 64s. never met joshie but i'm sure we'd get on just fine. i think on this matter, we beg to differ on the overall experience of running and owning said printer. again not sure you are not joined at the hip with sadocolor brussles, as you both seem to have a very negative attitude to the printer.
I thought a forum was a place where all experiences are shared, and then people with less experience can make up there own mind if a printer is all sunshine or if there is things to watch out for. I personally think there is room for improvement with the Seiko ink delivery system and the quicker this is addressed the better! Yes no doubt, this printer can produce fantastic looking prints, still the package has to be more stable to attract the sort of praise that you guys are prepared to voice. I would hate to be a first time solvent machine buyer getting stuck with the problems that are common with the Seiko. That is the reality for many Seiko buyers out there. I think it would be more helpfull if you two, Joshie and Ournigelmansell, would offer your cleaning tips and your head survival tricks to how to get consistent great looking prints? That would be constructive instead of this very general praise bordering on ramping. That is what makes you suspect that there is other interest at play? If not, great! So, Joshie and Ournigelmansell, lets here some real advise for the listeners of the forum.
I think all of us "Seiko Owners" would be more than happy to help out other fellow printers, but like Joshie & Nigel said let us know who you are! Posting Anonymously and speaking negatively about the Seiko line of printers is only going to raise flags as to whether you are some dealer for another brand. I have a 64S for the past 10 months without changing a single head and also have a 100S with NO problems, I'm starting to think that either you anonymous guys dont actually own a Seiko or were not given the minimal training necessary to maintain a trouble free printer!
emrgraphics wrote: I have a 64S for the past 10 months without changing a single head and also have a 100S with NO problems, I'm starting to think that either you anonymous guys dont actually own a Seiko or were not given the minimal training necessary to maintain a trouble free printer!
Even if I was a dealer of another brand (any suggestions what brand that would be?) what would be my gain? So, back to the core of my question and argument, what do you think is the key to Keeping Seiko heads alive.- I am still waiting for the advise of this forum and I do not need the limited info that is in the manual. No one seems happy to provide this advise? Why not?
I will try help you along with some questions;
Do you leave the machine on and let the standby function, spitting of ink, guard the nozzels?
Do you ever do any mechanical clean up of the over spray stuck on the heads and if so with what?
if am only too happy to help if i can, and offer any advice that has helped me out with running my own unit.
with reference to your questions referring to keeping the head alive, i offer the following..
- Do you leave the machine on and let the standby function, spitting of ink, guard the nozzels? definately. this makes sure that the head is as air tight as possible by using the ink, and also that the ink is keep recycling and therefore cleanish..
- Do you ever do any mechanical clean up of the over spray stuck on the heads and if so with what? the only thing i have had to do is after a head strike where the carriage had moved slightly. my agent reset the head height and this curred the overspray. it may also help pthe capping of the heads over a period of time if the alignment is performed.
- How do you clear heads that fires sideways? automatically by using the 3 cleans. manually by removing the wiper station and using a cleaning stick with wiper fluid. bit tricky but do-able
- Have you bought any after market cleaning kits? never really needed to because i've found once a head has gone and i couldn't revive it with the cleans, even my agent couldn't get it back therefore it needed replacing
