Welcome to the digital printing world. For the last 2 years, I have spent a considerable amount of time testing and using Rolands' digital printer SC-540 Print and Cut which about a year ago upgraded the machine to a new set of inks adding a heater to the new SC-540 EX.
During that time I have had a lot of fun and faced challenges that tested this printer thoroughly. In this review, I would like to share my findings with you.
Technical Info
In addition to printing signs, banners, labels and decals with blazing speed and photorealistic quality, the heavy-duty SC-540EX streamlines the production process by automatically contour cutting graphics without having to reload or reposition them. The 6-colour inkjet uses advanced Eco-SOL INK to print directly onto both coated and un-coated materials.
Eco-SOL INK is safe to use and virtually odor free, so there is no need for special environmental or ventilation equipment. Printing technology 6-colour, Piezo inkjet method can print in different resolutions up to 1440 x 1440 dpi, which generates fantastic output.
The model we were using was 54” (1371 mm) wide and had installed auto roll feed mechanism, auto sheet cutter, media take-up system, which is optional. By saying that is optional, I would not buy this part as we never used it once. The ink is just not dry enough to use take-up system without special modifications as adding extra heaters and running on highest quality but I would question this as well.
The SC-540EX streamlines the production process by automatically contour cutting printed graphics. By eliminating the need to reload and reposition graphics, the SC-540's integrated cutters save time and effort.
Inks
Roland Eco-SOL INK is formulated especially for SOLJET EX and VersaCAMM® inkjets. It yields outdoor durable graphics on both coated and uncoated materials without any need for special ventilation or environmental equipment. The mild solvent ink comes in 220ml no-mess cartridges of CMYK + LcLm. It is both safe to use and virtually odour free.
The inks have reasonable colour gamut but some colours could be improved. We have seen better colour reproduction in CMYK technology. Having said that Roland R&D is working really hard and introducing new inks regularly. The only downside is the ink level monitoring system. The ink level indicator for each colour, and the ink low warning system with programmable auto pause causes many problems.
A. Monitoring is not accurate enough - just a graphic indication how much ink is left in the cartridge from which you cannot tell how long it will last.
B. If the printer stops during the printing after replacing the cartridge it will leave bending where it stopped. No matter how quickly you will change the cartridge. One year later after I damaged many prints I discovered that the machine could be setup that it will continue printing after a notice of empty cartridge. This can be done because there is approximately always 7% of ink left in the cartridge. I was warned by a technician that this may cause that ink will run out and air will get to ink tubes but it never happened and many occasions we ran out of ink at the beginning of the large print.
Features
Roland's six inline print heads provide more accurate dot control compared to the staggered configuration of most print heads. The heads have all 360 nozzles of each colour precisely aligned in a single array. Staggered print heads, on the other hand, have 180 nozzles on two separate arrays and cannot possibly be as accurately aligned.
The printer precisely controls droplet placement in both the print head travel and paper feed directions to provide true 1440 x 1440 dpi resolution. It uses variable droplet Piezo print heads and a digital servomotor to control the media.
Variable droplet technology uses micro-precise ink droplets of three different sizes depending on the type of output. This state-of-the-art technology delivers truly breathtaking output with beautifully smooth, dot-free tones even at high speed. The printer has several tools to configure alingnment and if you spend some time to do it it will give you great results with minimum banding.
Reliability and Quality
The EX is a bullet-proof production machine. With regular maintenance, it provides years of trouble-free service. However, unlike most inkjets that require daily maintenance, the Pro II gets serviced significantly less often.
The Pro II’s ink system features a motor-driven elevator that automatically adjusts to print head height. It has wipers that clean two heads at a time and flushes the ink on each pass. We have had months where I needed to print non-stop. During our busiest month, we were printing non-stop every day for 30 days! Guess what - the printer worked beautifully without any problems.
Verdict
Overall great printer with great support and features. It is universal, durable, reliable, quality build and backed by Roland's international ISO certification is your quality assurance. You can use any digital printed media, not only Roland certified with great results. I was quite surprised how much quality we can get on the graphic artist canvas.
The only room for improvement would be the inks (new inks are coming), ink level management and perhaps the menu, which in my opinion should be running the other way around, but this is more a personal choice. Well done Roland! Giving it 5 stars!
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The model we were using was 54” (1371 mm) wide and had installed auto roll feed mechanism, auto sheet cutter, media take-up system, which is optional. By saying that is optional, I would not buy this part as we never used it once. The ink is just not dry enough to use take-up system without special modifications as adding extra heaters and running on highest quality but I would question this as well.
Roland Eco-SOL INK is formulated especially for SOLJET EX and VersaCAMM® inkjets. It yields outdoor durable graphics on both coated and uncoated materials without any need for special ventilation or environmental equipment. The mild solvent ink comes in 220ml no-mess cartridges of CMYK + LcLm. It is both safe to use and virtually odour free.
Roland's six inline print heads provide more accurate dot control compared to the staggered configuration of most print heads. The heads have all 360 nozzles of each colour precisely aligned in a single array. Staggered print heads, on the other hand, have 180 nozzles on two separate arrays and cannot possibly be as accurately aligned.
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