Printer for printing on to clear materials in colour PLUS WHITE - help needed!

Hi Guys

Complete noob here when it comes to industrial printers. That said, I do have a degree in Graphic Design and did work in a printers for a short while - 20 years ago! A lot has changed with printer tech!

I need a cost-effective (i.e. cheap!) way to print on to UV resistant CLEAR vinyl (or similar clear plastic stock), and I need to be able to print in several colours - INCLUDING WHITE!

My initial project has long (4ft) but very narrow (2 inches) runs. I can cut by hand (strips) if needed as no die cutting needed as such, just straight cuts to make very long rectangles.

I'm looking at potential printer models that would be suitable. I found the Roland BN-20A which ticks all the boxes has the added benefit of cutting, but I don't have the budget for that unfortunately (over $6,000 Canadian)...

So I'm looking for a cheaper way to achieve good results. As I mentioned, cutting not essential. So just a decent printer that can print full colour plus white, on vinyl/plastic type materials would be perfect.

Struggling to find options. Does anyone here have a model or option they would recommend?

Thank you!

 

If $6,000 Canadian is too much for you, then I don't think you're going to have much luck finding anything new for less money. That's really on the low end, especially since you want white. You're best bet is to look for something used, but that's a huge gamble. When used inkjet presses sit for a long time waiting to sell, you often have to replace the print heads, and sometimes even the ink lines. Many dealers offer financing so you can do a low monthly payment instead of coming up with the cash up front.

 

Thank you for the input! I completely agree with what you've said here, and the white print is the big problem. Lots to choose from if you don't need white, especially used. But add the white into the mix and the available options narrow massively. I was hoping there was something around which was sub $3-4k. The only thing I've found is the ProColored UV printers which have white and are $3k and up, but only do smaller formats (not rolls etc): https://www.procolored.com/en-ca/collections/a4-uv-printer/products/12-single-head-uv-printer-a4-c - I guess I'll keep on searching!!