We often host demos in our Chicagoland facility where customers want to see the two Flatbed technologies that we offer – the EPSON SureColor V7000 UV Flatbed and the HP Latex R-Series Flatbed. One of the key considerations as customers compare these two printers is the print speed and productivity. People want to know, which one is faster? In today’s video, Andy will show you!
Print speeds and productivity speeds are similar but not the same. Print speeds measure the time to PRINT, while productivity takes into account all of the other steps that have to be done to prepare, load, and actually produce output. Today we are going to narrow in on one product for our head to head speed test comparison: yard signs.
These yard signs are 18” x 24”. We’re going to print these in higher speed production modes. You can see from these prints that the color density is still very strong and neither of these samples has banding, so while we printed these in faster modes both printers were up to the challenge without compromising on print quality. For the Epson V7000 we are going to be printing in Production bi-directional mode. On the HP Latex R1000 we will be printing in 3 pass mode.
We are going to do three print tests. Our first is going to be printing one yard sign from a cold start. Our second test will print 9 yard signs that are pre cut. And our third test will be printing a 4×8 nest of 10 yard signs that would then be cut out after the print is complete. These three tests give a good sampling of the different ways that you could use both printers and how their speeds in those different workflows will compare.
Before we show the print speeds, if you haven’t watched our 3 part head to head series between the Epson V7000 and the HP Latex R series I would recommend you check that out. I would specifically encourage you check out the video called “EPSON SureColor V7000 vs HP Latex R1000: Productivity Comparison”. This video gets into the details of WHY the printers have different productivity capabilities and ideal use cases. Today we are going to spend less time on the WHY and more time showing you HOW… with a stop watch.
So lets do it. Our first print is on the V7000 and we are printing just one 18”x24” sign. We’re going to time lapse each of these but this single print from the moment that we clicked print until it was finished was 3 minutes and 7 seconds. When we perform the same single print on the HP Latex R1000 we had a print time of 4 minutes and 43 seconds from the click of print to the finish of curing. So the V7000 is more than 40% faster than the HP Latex R1000, right? Well lets keep going with our tests.
Next up we are going to print 9 individual signs, one after the next. First up, the Epson V7000. We’ll let the film roll here. Now before I get hate mail, I know that we could have created a template, measured out the spacing, placed all our signs efficiently across the platen- making sure they were positioned just right, and then we could have printed all 9 of these cut signs at once and picked up some PRINT speeds. But would we have picked up PRODUCTIVITY? That’s a lot of work on the front end. So the printing of 9 individual sheets one after the next we have a total print time of 37 minutes on the Epson V7000.
Now on the HP Latex R1000 we are able to use HP’s n-up pin system to easily set up a print job of 9 cut signs and very efficiently print 3 at a time in 3 rows that are fed one after the next. You can see how Tim is able to tailgate 3 signs right after the row in front has begun printing, creating a continuous printing cycle that is very productive. These 9 individual signs had a total print time of just under 7 minutes. So compared to the 37 minutes on the V7000 the R1000 is 5x faster than the V7000. That settles it the R1000 is WAYYYYY faster. Well hold on lets do our last test.
For this last test we’ve nested 10 signs together on a single 4 foot by 8 foot piece of corrugated plastic. After the printing is complete we would cut these out with a trimmer or with a CNC or table cutter. This is the fastest way to PRINT several pieces but may lead to less productivity if you don’t have the systems in place to efficiently cut out the prints afterwards.
So first up is the Epson V7000. *MUSIC and timelaps* The V7000 printed our 10 nested signs on a 4×8 sheet in a time of just under 13 minutes.
And now on the HP Latex R1000 *Music and timelapse* The R1000 printed our 10 nested signs on a 4×8 sheet in a time of just under 7 minutes.
So the V7000 at 13 minutes and the R1000 at 7 minutes. The R1000 is nearly twice as fast as the Epson V7000. There it is- that must be the definitive answer!
Well as you can see, there is no definitive answer of which printer is faster. A lot of it depends on your workflow and how you intend to use the printer. Do you print cut pieces or nested 4x8s? Do you print the same size cut pieces over and over or different sizes? Do you print one at a time or longer runs? Both of these printers have use cases where they are the best printer for the job. And both of these printers have use cases where they would be a poor choice. And that is why its so important to visit a demo facility that can show you both printers printing your products with your files using your workflow.
We hope you’ll choose to come visit IT Supplies the next time that you’re evaluating flatbed printing, or any other print technology for that matter. We want to be a resource to help you test and validate to find the best printer for your needs. You can reach out to us at itsupplies.com to speak with a sales rep and schedule a demo. If you’ve found this video helpful please like the video, comment below, and subscribe for more videos like this one. Thanks!
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Still have questions regarding the EPSON SureColor V7000 or HP Latex R1000? Call 1-800-771-9665 and ask to talk to one of our commercial sales specialists or visit our website https://www.itsupplies.com.
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