EDIT 🌸 A massive thank you to all you guys who have left suggestions and questions in the comments, we found these so so valuable and I actually made a note of alot of them to Ask when we visit the Head quartes in Bristol! YOU DA BEST A huge thank you to Roland for inviting me out on this trip! We are very excited to head back and dive into more detail about this big investment! I would love to hear your thoughts, what do you guys think?!
Have you considered leasing the machine? I've worked in the print/packaging industry for many years. We stopped purchasing machines and began leasing them. The maintenance and consumables are taken care of by the printer company, e.g. Roland, and when the new model becomes available, the machine gets switched out for you as part of the contract. Much less cost up front, monthly cost, don't have to worry about depreciating machinery, and when something goes wrong you have someone to call to fix it. Talk to other print machine sales reps to get the best machine/lease options for your business. Love your vlogs! Good luck!
I don't have a small business but my thoughts went to shipping costs being saved and having control over getting your products when you need them. As long as you have continuous ordering of back stock of supplies to restock the printer, then you wouldn't have to deal with shipping prices, shipping errors, shipping delays, shipping times in general (if it's out of country). Also, you wouldn't have to send out a limited amount of ideas to your manufactures and waste time waiting for them to try it out, only to maybe not like it. You can trouble shoot the ideas on the spot and test run more ideas bc you wont have to worry about price or wasting time. You would have to get your own sticker sheets again and maybe your own shipping supplies again, but buying in bulk would help get the prices down a bit. I think it's a good idea, but I would just calculate all the prices of the supplies you would need to manufacture your own things again, and weigh that with your monthly income to see if it's worth it (if it saves you any money). Even if it doesn't save a TON of money, also weigh if it saves you time while giving you even more potential product options (and shipping design options, like unique boxes you designed yourself. Like a shipping box shaped like bumble butt). I hope that made sense and helped to any extent.
This is brilliant advice, thank you so much for sharing this 😍 I think I agree with every single one of these points heheh, Im so excited for the future! Watch this space, hopefully we can make it work 😍
I would definitely ask how fast their turnaround would be if something were to break on the machine. The small business I work for just had a massive break with a different kind of machine that was going to take 2 weeks for anyone to come out to help us. All this during black friday/cyber monday deals was a disaster!
I used to be a machine operator at a print shop. We had a few large format printers, and the Roland was by far my favorite one to run. The print heads did have the self cleaning mode that you mentioned, and that was a nice feature. We did have to clean the print heads manually a few times, but that was extremely easy as well. The print, then cut, features were very good on the machine we had too (and that was 15 years ago so I am sure the technology has gotten even better). One thing I didn't hear you mention was how you would laminate the print before cutting. Lamination isn't necessary for all processes, but this would be a crucial step if you were planning on doing vehicle graphics. I'm in the Pacific Time Zone, but I would be happy to have a call if you wanted to pick the brain of someone that used these machines every day. It can help to talk with someone that isn't a sales person too. Either way, keep up the great work. My wife and I have been following you for many years now, and it's great to see you thriving!
Did you have any multi functional machines in that business that you have experience with? I have always found multi functional machines, whether they are a fax printer or a high end color printer, etc to be problematic.
Oh wow thank you so so much! Yes the print heads have a cleaning mode which is very handy indeed heheh 🌷 Thank you so much I would love to pick your brains on this in the new year that would be super helpful!
Some advice I've heard on investing in new equipment is "in a year, will it make me more than I've spent on it?", if yes, it's probably a decent investment
I was thinking the same, I'd be wanting the PPU to be at least halved to consider an investment that large so it depends on the ink and paper cost as much as anything.
A question I would ask (if you haven’t already), in the machine you’re interested in, what is the smallest size it can cut? The problem I have seen with other creators is that they get the bigger cutter and it can’t cut smaller sizes. Especially if you want to cut planner stickers on the machine I know those things can get pretty small. Just something to think about. I think you’re headed in the right direction with your business, it always feels better when you have made the thing your selling than outsourcing it. I’m excited for you ♥️
This was a brilliant question, I will show in a up coming vlog but when we went back we actually look our small tiny sticker sheets and it seemed to handle it so well!
I think going into it wisly and getting hands on with the machine before you buy and coming up with a list of products that you would like to do with it and see if you can do them with the machine before you buy. Also make sure you can have a trial run with the machine. See if you can get some training on the machine before you purchase the machine, and make sure that you know what computers, software are compatable with the printer. Also make sure you ask those important questons about the ink stuff before you purchase is very important. Roland is a great printer. I look forward to your creations.
If you get the big machine, I think offering wall decals will be really cool. My 10 year old Savannah is really into your channel so I think that would be a cool way or that age group to enjoy your merchandise as well.
This is amazing that you are even considering purchasing one of these machines! I used to work in this industry with printers and flatbeds and the best thing i can suggest are explore other brands or at least one other to compare the quality to. When you go back with the team ask Roland about different printing speeds available, and how thin and thick the media has to be to run through this machine so you aware of any limitations upfront. There is a ton of different media available but not at all will be compatible as far as running through the machine. Know ahead of time what kind of material you'd like to print on (other than paper) like canvas, static cling, backlit or styrene etc. I'd say one of the most important things is to ask is what percentage of VOC's are released after printing and if you need to be in a ventilated space to run the machine. I will tell you from experience even if you printed everyday it's a good idea to perform maintenance and a nozzle check before any large run especially if the printer runs white ink. Sorry i know this is long but i hope it will be helpful!! Take as much time as you need, this is a big purchase!! Congrats!!!
If you want to laminate the stickers/bookmarks.. etc.. you need to make sure it has a built in laminator so it will hold the roll of lamination and run it through as it prints and cuts.
Does that even exist? I mean a machine that prints, cuts AND laminates? I own a small business and I have a Roland printer and cutter but when I need to print/cut something for outdoors that needs laminating I have to outsource the order!
Do an in depth mock up of 6 months with the machine. What products can you make with it? How much would that cost? With your current sales numbers, do the numbers add up, or do they have a disparity? 15,000 is a lot to not input the nitty gritty numbers and do the work on the backend to see if it is even a viable purchase for your current economy that exists for Katnip. Don’t get distracted by the shiny! I know it is fun. But what can this machine do for you and will it turn a profit?
Wow Catherine (and Dean! And Mike!) what a huge step. Like others, I’m so proud of how far you’ve come in this. Those printers look amazing! Maybe you could do some sort of crowdsourcing to help fund it, and make some special limited edition products on it for supporters who contribute?
The more you can do "In House" the better you are. Also, you got lots of businesses right there near you that you could provide printing services for.. business card, stickers.. etc.. Don't limit yourself to just Katnipp... think of what you can provide for businesses locally. Lots of other small businesses out there that could use the same services you currently outsource now.
I think bringing the printing in-house would definitely give you a lot of flexibility but I wonder if outsourcing is also giving you the chance to travel and do all the things you want to do outside of just your business. I remember a previous video when Dean was sick and Mike was out and it was just you and wouldn't it be a lot more work for such a small team? I know there are some etsy sellers on yt that have a wide format printer for their custom sticker shop but I feel like because they make all their stickers and cards "made to order" it makes sense for them to have that kind of printer. Personally, I just think outsourcing may not save you money, but it might save you time so you can travel more.
Here's my two cents after doing a lot of research and talking with manufactures. Most of these printers cannot die cut, even the mid and high grade ones.. I learned this the hard way after buying in on some of the entry levels and sending them back thinking they're broken. My current printer place has a 25K beefy Roland and even theirs cannot, they have to use a flat bed cutter to get the job done. Also the inks and vinyl themselves is not enough to make them fully weatherproof, let alone totally waterproof. They need to be laminated separately and then put back into the machine to cut, which was the final straw for me to not want to invest in this if I need more machinery. I wish you the best luck in deciding what to do! So proud of seeing how far you've come!!
Catherine! I am so excited for you! I work in printing and we use a Roland for proofs similar to what you are looking at. We never have issues with it and it is certainly a sturdy machine. If you aren’t going to use it daily, I would shake the ink containers when you walk by it once a day, either way. I hope you enjoy the process of deciding if you want to go in that direction. It is a scary step-but if you think it is worthwhile for you, Roland is a great way to go.
I just love the fact that you take us on your journey and we learned about what you are doing for your business. For me this was love and excitement for me because you have grown so much
I work at a community college and in our prototype lab we have a Roland UV printer. I think we've had it maintenanced once in 2.5 years and it was just because the bed became tilted due to user error. Granted, we don't have a printer + cutter duo... but I would say so far our experience with Roland has been great!
Oh they are so pretty, in a techy printy kind of way lol I’d consider looking into a second hand one, you could save over £5k. Sometimes you can pick up pretty new equipment but with a significant price cut. Along with ink price, I’d want to know any maintenance costs, blades etc too & frequency this would all need doing. Along with breakdown call out charges & typical timescales for repair & obtaining parts. To cover some of the costs in investing you could offer print services (even temporarily) to make some extra income to make the machine pay for itself. Possible part-time evenings/overnight/weekends person working printing/cutting to not interfere in your day to day business? (I was recently quoted 3-4 working days for a small order from a full time print company, so turnaround could be ok doing this) Enjoy your trip in December, I’m sure you will make the best decision for you ❤
I have a small publishing business, although it is nothing like yours, I believe in making good Investments. Sometimes we need to spend money in order to make money. Weigh the pros and the cons. The amount of time you spend making your products now. The cost of out sourcing, and having to get a new batch when in doesn't come with your specifications. Time is money and if you can invest in something that will improve your productivity and your business, I would say go for it. But ultimately the decision is up to you. You have all sorts of ideas in your mind to create additional products, that you can not do at this moment because of you're limited capabilities in producing them. New products mean more variety more sales. Learn as much as you can about the printer before you buy it. Take advantage of the sales person and drill them dry... LOL, until you have all your answers. At the end I know you will make the right decision. 🤗
Exciting stuff Katherine. Firstly can I say how much I enjoy watching your vlogs your energy and passion for your business really comes across. This was a particularly interesting vlog from a business perspective. I'm an accountant so I had lots of finance based questions around costing out what you currently pay for outsourcing, what the costs oild be to run production in house. Does hire purchase give you any help with maintenance costs? Can you literally hire a printer instead so that the maintenance and repairs are not your burden.... Like I say lots of questions that hopefully your accountant would be able to help you with. Good luck with your decision making.
This is awesome! I’ve used Roland printers in the past few print shops I’ve worked in. There still one of my favorites. 😊At the Makerspace I currently work at now. We have the Roland True Vis SG2-300 and it’s been wonderful. Our printer doesn’t get ran as much as it could be but that hasn’t seem to mess with heads. Before I worked there we had a head strike where we did have to have a tech come in and adjust the print heads. But that can be avoided with research and knowing the settings for each material you use and making sure the material doesn’t get stuck . The inks have lasted us for a while with no problems. There are smaller parts we have had to replace such as cutting blades wipers and little pad and such. I’m sure the newer machines are even more advanced. I think you will absolutely love it and it will be huge investment for your business.❤
I was looking into these exact print and cut machines too, so it’s awesome to see that you’re eyeing them as well! Though for me it would be for my sticker manufacturing service, but my main shop would benefit from it too lol. I also have always bootstrapped my businesses, so I understand the conflict of having to possibly take out loans to upgrade, but whatever you end up doing, we all appreciate you sharing the journey! 💖
Wow this video is so timely. My husband I were just looking at samples from Roland to see if it would work for our stickers since they are more fine art style and less vector. I'm glad you said what you said about the entry level one as that is kind of the same decision we came to. We love having control of our quality and color, and the one with UV capability has so many options. Someone we know from doing conventions uses the UV paired with their Xtool and makes the cutest keychanins and ornaments that are fade resistant and scratch resistant. I was so impressed by the quality, it really got us thinking we could expand into making our own charms and keychains.
I had an older version of this and i absolutely loved it! Sold it begining of the year in preperation of immigration . There are so many options with this!
I think you’re going the sensible way of looking to grow by researching, having the important conversations and running the numbers. I’m sure between you, Dean & Mike, you’ll be able to see if it is a good move for you 😊
Something I'm wondering is how long would it take to pay for itself V how long is the machine's life? I remember when you were deciding to give up your job to go full-time in Katnipp and there was the worry about what brexit might mean for small businesses. You made the right decision then and I feel you'll make the right decision again for Katnipp.
I would say it's a good investment. I invested a ton in a badge maker a few years ago, and besides from it being good for my own business, I ended up also doing some badges for other small business at a set cost, which was a nice way to help other businesses out and get some extra income in the quiet months- which is something you could also do with that printer.
I think it would be a great investment especially if you ever decide to do wholesale orders. I like that there is also the option for printing your own packaging. I know you have been talking about ways to simplify it and it would give you a great option of trying different things. I would also take into account the amount you are spending when you outsource as well as the shipping costs. That might help with some of the costs you see if you do invest.
Catherine is there a way for you to rent a machine that kind of does this same thing? It doesn’t have to be Roland for now, it could be a practice machine that you bring into the business and you try integrating that new process out on your business, before actually committing to a loan.
Keep in mind that uv inks have a distinct smell when printing! I worked with one at work and it smells like uv nail polish. I wouldnt love that smell every day when working
As an avid fan, it would be exciting and amazing to get your printer that can do lots of different products + you have more control over the quality of the products if you do it in-house... but then again it still goes down to how much you can invest wo really breaking the bank
This video was so much fun! You are right that there’s barely any info on this sort of machines on the internet so it’s super interesting to see them in action like this! Also so fun its in Barcelona and hope in December you get to explore the city some! Been living here for an year and fhe city is full of wonderful sights ❤
For you I think it will make sense you can do so many new products, you can do your own calendars! I mean its alot of money but i imagine outsourcing is not cheap either and the amount you can do at one time would be so nice with the new machine. I loved the phone case. That was awesome! UV stickers is a rage right now. Put them on the cute keychains etc. and on the glass cups you do! They are so much more vibrant than doing sublimation on them. I say go for it but excited to see your next trip there. Good luck you are all awesome!
Yay! I remember commenting a while back that you need to check this machine out, so glad you did. This is one of the best decisions you’ll make, I’ve had one for over 10 years. I had a large one and now the smaller bn-20. You can’t go wrong.
Like others have said I am not a small business owner and that part I am not able to advise on. However I am a creative person, and it is clear you are too! If you’re already buzzing with ideas with what new possibilities the new print and cut machines can do for, I think it is what your idea is of “levelling up” your business and expanding on what more you can give to Katnipp. As you said currently you are limited on what you can/cannot offer because of outsourcing, sometimes working within those margins can create creative flow blocks because it feels the same but just a little different. Creatively I think this will really give you a magical boost to your ideas and business. Perhaps speaking to a financial advisor would be beneficial for them to help with forecasting numbers and if it’s the right choice right now or what numbers need to be achieved for it to be more viable. Looking forward to what 2024 brings for you all xx
Love your vlogs! This makes me think if you’ve got enough time to do it yourself, as you seem quite busy already. Outsourcing is a lot less time consuming. ;)
I think that with all the new features that this plotter could provide will open up to creating new products. AND I for one loved seeing your energy and your creativeness just coming through when you saw all those new options. Love to see you grow. :)
I have had roland printers. The cost you need to look into is the cost for replacement print heads. One can cost $900 and you may need up yo four if you have a 6 colour machine. Then a technician has a $200 call out fee before they start working and then the repairs and maintenance cost extra. I learned to do most of the servicing myself but it was still extremely expensive
The idea of it is nice, but I don’t think it’s something you should be investing in just yet. I don’t have a small business, but I have worked in big printing companies and the costs with the materials and maintenance combined with misprints etc can really add up. Of course, if you crunch the numbers and honestly believe the products you could create would be really lucrative, then of course give it a go. But I know there are a lot of outsourced companies who do pretty much anything you’d be wanting - it’s just a matter of finding them. Another concern I’d have for you is the space you’re in. If you believe this machine could really kick your business up a notch, you’ll outgrow your space yet again and you don’t want to be moving the machine around. I feel like you’re getting big enough to move in to a factory space rather than a rented office space, and once you’re there it will be time to get the machine. All just my thoughts! Sorry if it sounds negative, I’m just trying to throw some perspective in. Either way though, it’s been a pleasure to watch your business grow over the years and I’m always excited to see what happens next. Good luck 😊
I love printers and thank you for showing this!! I think this is a great investment for your business…I’m the same way as in I want to make as much as I can in house as possible. My thing is, you guys already make so much in house, why not just continue with stickers and prints. I say go for it!!
hey girl, hey! The BN-20 was the best thing I purchased as a small business owner outside of my commercial dtf printer. One of the tru-vis printers are next for my bucket list.
I run my own business and looking at this printer I definitely will go for it I mean outsourcing is a high cost as well on what you want to do. I definitely would look into the maintenance on the machines parts if they break down how long machine will last two years beyond etc..But having a machine like that at your fingertips being able to do your own packaging and doing other products at your will without having to look up an outsource manufacturers and plus the Manufactures shut down go out of business close down you always have that machine so you can take that into consideration. Best of luck with things❤
When you buy the printer and do the production in house you will also have to factor manpower in the production costs. So its not just the cost pf the machine but also the wages for the employees who run the machine/do the printing process. IMO it will be a couple of years when you will start to see the price benefit of having this in house printer. At the end it all depends on the cash flow of your business and your financial projections if its worth it or not. I know that you do the mug printing in house - how cost efficient is it (counting in the material cost, wages of people who do the product, product waste (seconds)) doing it in house vs. Using a print provider.
In my opinion make a move forward is the logical thing in the current position, moment of your biz. It’s 18.000€ expense plus the inks cost but I think it’s worth it. You’ll save the money of the manufactures (or just divert the money to this new investment and you will pay for it over time ) and you’ll be able to create more products at higher quality and speed.
Just to let you know the Roland BN20 does print waterproof stickers. I printed stickers with my sons name for his water bottles and some been on there over 18 months and go through the dishwasher at least 3 times a week. Had stickers on our bins at the old house for 4 years and were still perfect and these ones at this house have been out for 18 months and still going and I don't laminate anything. I only use genuine Roland inks though and make sure I download the correct profile from the vinyl manufacturer. The inks for the BN-20 cost approx £50 +VAT each for 220ml ones and print heads can go especially if not used every day so I print something every day on mine even if just a row or two of stickers as print head is £2500 +VAT so anything above this int he Roland range that also uses solvent ink would be just as good if not better! Hope this helps xx
@shengcheng6477 I just make sure it is outdoor grade permanent vinyl and they work perfectly using genuine Roland inks. I've used over the 5 years I've owned my Roland vinyl from multiple suppliers but I mainly use Hexis and Grafityp as they are both local to me so my husband collects my orders for me
We went and looked at Roland 2-3 years ago when we switched to large format and we weren't super impressed. The print quality was really grainy because they are primarily used for larger things (rather than small stickers) and when I mentioned it the tech didn't seem to be able to produce anything I was happy with quality wise. I know a few artists who invested in a Roland and I can see the grain when they post videos of their stickers. We also weren't super impressed with the cut alignment during the tests, but I've seen people who use Roland's cut planner stickers and the cuts look good. In the end we didn't go with the Roland because of the print quality, but I do wonder if we had of been able to control the settings if we could have done better ourselves. The techs that do the demos never seem to understand quality that artists like, they always go for speed and volume. It would have been handy to be able to do our own vinyls though, but eh.
My works for a local business producing fine art prints and other products with a massive printer (I’m not sure if it’s a Roland, but it’s pretty much the same thing). It’s really impressive the quality, size, and speed they’re able to print. And I’m over here at home with my tiny tiny business using some $250 canon printer. 🤣
Honestly, if it were me I would want to be absolutely confident that this is what I wanted to do and if my business would be able to pay back that loan on the equipment over the course of a year. I know you guys have had hardships in the past and small businesses in general are having a hard time right now. I would say wait till the new year and be totally sure because it doesn't sound like you are 100 percent confident with a big purchase like this. Look into how your sales were this year and see if it'd be feasible.
Ah how exciting, I’d love to get one of those one day! They’re expensive, but a sticker shop owner I watch Tim Koa has one of these in his home he makes massive quantities of sheets and die cuts and even better he can make custom stickers too. Maybe that’s something you can look into as well like bumble butt holding someone’s name or information for a journal cover or label.
Have you thought about leasing an expensive large format vinyl, printing, cutting machine? Check out the Epson range of vinyl, inkjet cutting machines, good luck 😊
As someone who is still at the ground-ground-floor of the start to their art business, my perspective may be a bit different, if not without assistance in such a decision. From what you said, however, an investment into the business seems to be a great way to get yourself to that next step for Katnipp! Considering that you'd like to be able to have character silhouette sticker sheets instead of standard square or rectangle with stickers, this is definitely a way to do that, or could just do that on the Crickets you have, too, albeit the amount of time it would take may be counter-productive. I suppose there are different things to weigh regarding whether or not to go in-house versus outsource. Would your investment into the printer pay for itself? Would you be able to do the other things you currently do on this printer without needing to outsource? Would that allow you to put money towards the cost of the printer by doing in-house versus outsource? After all, if you don't do outsourcing anymore, that cost could be rolled into the printer instead. I guess you can also look at it in a way of seeing what other types of paper or surfaces you can print on (the phone case was adorable!) and can offer as a product in the future, too. I know that I'd love to be to a point of being able to invest into such amazing machinery, after plenty of research and talking of course. :) I hope that the decision you make is one that won't make you feel strapped and stressed!! You got this!
I nought the BN-20A for sticker printing and while i love it as a printer, the cutting was a nightmare. Its also scary to have the paet that could jam up so cloae to the very pricey printhead. I just use it now for printing and a separate laminator + cutter and I love it!!!
Thanks for taking us along for the ride to Roland. I have a lot of the same questions, though I'm still very small potatoes at the moment. I would love to get a print/cut machine that can do packaging and possibly even DTF or DTR... but I only need for small runs at this time, but would love to have more control over my products, packaging, and cost.
I used to work with a Rowland printer. From what I remember their customer service wasn’t great, and fixing the machine can be very expensive. The company I worked for regretted getting it over other brands. Just a warning 💕
It's so cool to see the Roland printers! I just opened my own custom sticker printing service for fellow artists, Sticker Birbs, and my dream is to get one of those Roland machines. Your insight helps me know what printers to look for in the future, but for now it's just me, my mini army of silhouette machines, and stickers handmade with love. I'm so excited for you to have such an opportunity to be able to invest in such a printer/cutter, I can totally understand why it may take some thinking over though, those prices are daunting to say the least haha. I look forward to you sharing more about your venture into Roland printers! Super exciting stuff!
Awesome video, very interesting. This is certainly a big investment. Did you also look at the new VersaSTUDIO BN2-20 and BN2-20A (both 20-inches wide)? What were your thoughts on these models? Unless you are doing wide format, would either of these be suitable? And to run the RIP software, factor in a Windows PC (unless you already have one) or plan to run on your Mac as a virtual PC.
It’s so exciting all the things you could make with the printer and cutter combo. I would be as excited as you are and have to remind myself to calm down and look at the numbers to see if it’s best for the business. Even though you’d be able to put out more quality items and increase what you offer it’s only worth it if it’s cheaper to do it this way because you also have to put the someone on to run it plus materials and ink. I’m excited you go back in December and see if this is going to be profitable for you to invest.
I would love a sticker maker for my business, it would give you control to make as many or little as you want, and even...make some for other businesses. :) It does depend on all those details like ; cost /ink/reams of sticker paper? etc etc. What are you willing to learn and fix if it doesn't work etc. I have a huge laser cutter and no regrets, and I've had to replace things I was nervous to do. Laser cost was 10k and it's well more than paid for itself. I can see you making more designs on the fly and printing them when you wanted to and not have to worry about waiting around for it to arrive from a manufacturer. The best of luck to you and your team! :)
Ohhhh! You came to my cityyy 😍 I understand that you were excited to see all the Gaudi arquitecture, for me is one of my favourite things in my city next to all the modernism aesthetic that you can find through the city. Also I am really excited about the new machine, that will be a big step up as a business 😊
That would be such a wonderful addition to your business ! Just think; you wouldn’t have to corner-round all your sheets anymore !!! Good luck making a decision….but knowing you as a UA-cam viewer, I’m sure you make the right decision for the business.
How awesome! I cannot wait to see what you end up getting! I do not have a roland but eventually when my small business finally takes off I would love to get one myself... it would be nice to have something that prints and cuts. It would save so much on space, time, and costs to outsource for you! On another note I was wondering if you had done or would consider doing a video on how you get your videos to be so aesthetic and clean. I have a vlog of my own and try to edit my videos but just not pleased with how they just don't look aesthetically pretty (i am a serious overthinker and super picky about my own business sooo it may just be me) :-) Cant wait to see the next one! YOU DA BEST!
If you get your stickers printed locally and are happy with the quality, maybe you could ask that company if you could see their set-up and how your stickers are made and what machines they are using? Just an idea.... 🙂
Omg that really is a dream machine right there if you can find a place to put it and really get the full use out of it I know they are crazy expensive specially the ink and paper but if you don’t use it all the time you could maybe offer a printing service to small businesses in your area in your down time to help fund it.
I’m not a business owner but I think you should compare costs with outsourcing: energy costs, repayment costs, ink costs compared to the potential income this could bring you diversifying and extending your business. Could you claim any VAT from buying it for business (if that is a thing) . I think you are a very impressive young woman and I wish you luck ❤
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My worries would be about the time the machine take to print (is it fast enough to manage the deadlines ?) and the noise it could make! It could be very uncomfortable if the machine is continuously working. That was my really pragmatic 2 cents XD
i agree with the rest saying it might be a good decision to get the big printer where you can do things in-house. i think it will help you a lot especially during product launch because it will buy you time and will make production faster which is good for your customers and i think for yourself as well because it can potentially provide you more time to do the creative side of the business. i'm also thinking although might be too far-fetched but maybe you can offer printing services to other small businesses in your area to get full ROI of the machine because you mentioned you are looking into setting a manufacturing days and the machine will only run for 3 days a week. whatever you decide, i hope it will be the best one for katnipp. 🙏❤️
This is so exciting! You may have already looked into it, but my local council have grants and loans available for small businesses - it may be a better interest rate as it's government supported vs a hire purchase?
Had a think ..dangerous I know.. You could get the 15k machine but instead of being the sole user team up with your local printer and rent it to them I'm sure they would bite at the chance. Also you could help other local businesses by printing small lots for them. Or do a little contract work on the side eg does your local school or library need new posters. I mean those foil embossed boxes looked lush. Imagine your keyring on that as a back ground ? I used to work with a A0 printer one of those machines and I honesty mantanace was really easy . So modern ones should good. I would say find other yt who have them and chat. But also think longgg run I mean 10 years use. Think of a printing company on the side of catnip and baby blue...
I don’t have a business although I’m working towards making it happen, but I’d worry about maintaining such heavy machinery. I know from experience that factory machines cannot ever be turned off, and so is something like these printers and plotters need a minimum running time to keep things running smooth, do they need to be checked up by a “mechanic” every once in a while . perhaps they need to be oiled or cleaned regularly ? thank you for taking us along with you ❤
a lot of art schools have these types of printers. my architectural college did. maybe call up there and see if u can get the number for your studio IT person and talk to them about those kinds of printers if they have them.
you need the maintenance manuals of the ones you want to know better. The eco solvents are only suitable if you have industrial level ventilation. That is also an issue for resin, uv. Two office windows won't be enough and if you need to install an exhaust-where will it issue to and are you even allowed to do that in the city centre, you may need to relocate to an industrial area. In order to make it pay for itself you would need to start setting up an arm of the business that did commercial printing for others, not just your own stuff. I think the safest thing is to track down other users of the exact machine in your region and arrange to talk to them. That's the only way you'd get the true skinny, and maybe out of your area so local printers don't feel threatened by you. That being said, 🤤🤤🤤
Hi I believe Anna Williams (this is her UA-cam channel name) has the same/similar machine to what you are looking at. Im sure she will be happy to help.
How much to get the machine to ship to you? Cost of ink replacement? Repairs? What do you do if the machine is down? It’s a huge investment, but the possibilities seem very exciting. I don’t envy having to decide.
The inks for our large format cost us about £800.00 and these prices are always increasing nowadays. Also you will need to use the printer every day not just the 3 days as you were saying otherwise you will be calling out the engineers to sort out problems even though you say it comes with self cleaning for the head. Don’t start me on the cost of maintenance after warranty. Good luck honey ❤
EDIT 🌸 A massive thank you to all you guys who have left suggestions and questions in the comments, we found these so so valuable and I actually made a note of alot of them to Ask when we visit the Head quartes in Bristol! YOU DA BEST
A huge thank you to Roland for inviting me out on this trip! We are very excited to head back and dive into more detail about this big investment! I would love to hear your thoughts, what do you guys think?!
Have you considered leasing the machine? I've worked in the print/packaging industry for many years. We stopped purchasing machines and began leasing them. The maintenance and consumables are taken care of by the printer company, e.g. Roland, and when the new model becomes available, the machine gets switched out for you as part of the contract. Much less cost up front, monthly cost, don't have to worry about depreciating machinery, and when something goes wrong you have someone to call to fix it. Talk to other print machine sales reps to get the best machine/lease options for your business. Love your vlogs! Good luck!
I don't have a small business but my thoughts went to shipping costs being saved and having control over getting your products when you need them. As long as you have continuous ordering of back stock of supplies to restock the printer, then you wouldn't have to deal with shipping prices, shipping errors, shipping delays, shipping times in general (if it's out of country). Also, you wouldn't have to send out a limited amount of ideas to your manufactures and waste time waiting for them to try it out, only to maybe not like it. You can trouble shoot the ideas on the spot and test run more ideas bc you wont have to worry about price or wasting time. You would have to get your own sticker sheets again and maybe your own shipping supplies again, but buying in bulk would help get the prices down a bit. I think it's a good idea, but I would just calculate all the prices of the supplies you would need to manufacture your own things again, and weigh that with your monthly income to see if it's worth it (if it saves you any money). Even if it doesn't save a TON of money, also weigh if it saves you time while giving you even more potential product options (and shipping design options, like unique boxes you designed yourself. Like a shipping box shaped like bumble butt). I hope that made sense and helped to any extent.
This is brilliant advice, thank you so much for sharing this 😍 I think I agree with every single one of these points heheh, Im so excited for the future! Watch this space, hopefully we can make it work 😍
I would definitely ask how fast their turnaround would be if something were to break on the machine. The small business I work for just had a massive break with a different kind of machine that was going to take 2 weeks for anyone to come out to help us. All this during black friday/cyber monday deals was a disaster!
That’s an important point to know.
Great question!
Thank you so much for this, this is very important, we ended up asking this when we went your comment was super heplful THANK YOU!
I used to be a machine operator at a print shop. We had a few large format printers, and the Roland was by far my favorite one to run. The print heads did have the self cleaning mode that you mentioned, and that was a nice feature. We did have to clean the print heads manually a few times, but that was extremely easy as well. The print, then cut, features were very good on the machine we had too (and that was 15 years ago so I am sure the technology has gotten even better). One thing I didn't hear you mention was how you would laminate the print before cutting. Lamination isn't necessary for all processes, but this would be a crucial step if you were planning on doing vehicle graphics.
I'm in the Pacific Time Zone, but I would be happy to have a call if you wanted to pick the brain of someone that used these machines every day. It can help to talk with someone that isn't a sales person too. Either way, keep up the great work. My wife and I have been following you for many years now, and it's great to see you thriving!
Did you have any multi functional machines in that business that you have experience with? I have always found multi functional machines, whether they are a fax printer or a high end color printer, etc to be problematic.
Oh wow thank you so so much! Yes the print heads have a cleaning mode which is very handy indeed heheh 🌷 Thank you so much I would love to pick your brains on this in the new year that would be super helpful!
Some advice I've heard on investing in new equipment is "in a year, will it make me more than I've spent on it?", if yes, it's probably a decent investment
I was thinking the same, I'd be wanting the PPU to be at least halved to consider an investment that large so it depends on the ink and paper cost as much as anything.
A question I would ask (if you haven’t already), in the machine you’re interested in, what is the smallest size it can cut? The problem I have seen with other creators is that they get the bigger cutter and it can’t cut smaller sizes. Especially if you want to cut planner stickers on the machine I know those things can get pretty small. Just something to think about. I think you’re headed in the right direction with your business, it always feels better when you have made the thing your selling than outsourcing it. I’m excited for you ♥️
This was a brilliant question, I will show in a up coming vlog but when we went back we actually look our small tiny sticker sheets and it seemed to handle it so well!
Kind of a side note but I’d LOVE a chunky segment in one of your videos about how you use notion to keep yourself productive and Katnipp organised ☺️
hehe i might do a whole video just dedicated to how I plan heheh 🤣I use so many different things lol
I think going into it wisly and getting hands on with the machine before you buy and coming up with a list of products that you would like to do with it and see if you can do them with the machine before you buy. Also make sure you can have a trial run with the machine. See if you can get some training on the machine before you purchase the machine, and make sure that you know what computers, software are compatable with the printer. Also make sure you ask those important questons about the ink stuff before you purchase is very important. Roland is a great printer. I look forward to your creations.
If you get the big machine, I think offering wall decals will be really cool. My 10 year old Savannah is really into your channel so I think that would be a cool way or that age group to enjoy your merchandise as well.
Oh good idea and the ones that stick on mirrors like quotes! Those are super popular. I’d love bumble butt to tell me how beautiful I am 😂
OHHHH I would LOVE to put some of her characters on my wall in my office GREAT IDEA!
YESSS This would be one of the first things I would love to sell with the new machine it would be ADORABLE 🤣
You’re very smart to take your sweet time to think about what you really need and want before purchasing.
This is amazing that you are even considering purchasing one of these machines! I used to work in this industry with printers and flatbeds and the best thing i can suggest are explore other brands or at least one other to compare the quality to. When you go back with the team ask Roland about different printing speeds available, and how thin and thick the media has to be to run through this machine so you aware of any limitations upfront. There is a ton of different media available but not at all will be compatible as far as running through the machine. Know ahead of time what kind of material you'd like to print on (other than paper) like canvas, static cling, backlit or styrene etc. I'd say one of the most important things is to ask is what percentage of VOC's are released after printing and if you need to be in a ventilated space to run the machine.
I will tell you from experience even if you printed everyday it's a good idea to perform maintenance and a nozzle check before any large run especially if the printer runs white ink. Sorry i know this is long but i hope it will be helpful!! Take as much time as you need, this is a big purchase!! Congrats!!!
If you want to laminate the stickers/bookmarks.. etc.. you need to make sure it has a built in laminator so it will hold the roll of lamination and run it through as it prints and cuts.
Does that even exist? I mean a machine that prints, cuts AND laminates? I own a small business and I have a Roland printer and cutter but when I need to print/cut something for outdoors that needs laminating I have to outsource the order!
I think you might need to laminate it seperately, I would love a machine that would do it all omg that would be a dream lol 🤣
Do an in depth mock up of 6 months with the machine. What products can you make with it? How much would that cost? With your current sales numbers, do the numbers add up, or do they have a disparity? 15,000 is a lot to not input the nitty gritty numbers and do the work on the backend to see if it is even a viable purchase for your current economy that exists for Katnip. Don’t get distracted by the shiny! I know it is fun. But what can this machine do for you and will it turn a profit?
Can I just say I’m so proud of how far you’ve come Catherine! Even if you invest in the machine or don’t I look forward to what you create next! ❤
Oh wow thank you so so much 😍 This really means the world! YOU DA BEST
Wow Catherine (and Dean! And Mike!) what a huge step. Like others, I’m so proud of how far you’ve come in this. Those printers look amazing! Maybe you could do some sort of crowdsourcing to help fund it, and make some special limited edition products on it for supporters who contribute?
Not me drooling over my desk of all the pretty stuff from Roland. Aaaaaah.
The more you can do "In House" the better you are. Also, you got lots of businesses right there near you that you could provide printing services for.. business card, stickers.. etc.. Don't limit yourself to just Katnipp... think of what you can provide for businesses locally. Lots of other small businesses out there that could use the same services you currently outsource now.
I think bringing the printing in-house would definitely give you a lot of flexibility but I wonder if outsourcing is also giving you the chance to travel and do all the things you want to do outside of just your business. I remember a previous video when Dean was sick and Mike was out and it was just you and wouldn't it be a lot more work for such a small team? I know there are some etsy sellers on yt that have a wide format printer for their custom sticker shop but I feel like because they make all their stickers and cards "made to order" it makes sense for them to have that kind of printer. Personally, I just think outsourcing may not save you money, but it might save you time so you can travel more.
Yes you are right here, theres a lot to think about with this because it would mean more man power to run it!
"Girl, you're amazing! A fantastic businesswoman, and you bring us so much entertainment. ❤😊."
Here's my two cents after doing a lot of research and talking with manufactures. Most of these printers cannot die cut, even the mid and high grade ones.. I learned this the hard way after buying in on some of the entry levels and sending them back thinking they're broken. My current printer place has a 25K beefy Roland and even theirs cannot, they have to use a flat bed cutter to get the job done.
Also the inks and vinyl themselves is not enough to make them fully weatherproof, let alone totally waterproof. They need to be laminated separately and then put back into the machine to cut, which was the final straw for me to not want to invest in this if I need more machinery.
I wish you the best luck in deciding what to do! So proud of seeing how far you've come!!
Catherine! I am so excited for you! I work in printing and we use a Roland for proofs similar to what you are looking at. We never have issues with it and it is certainly a sturdy machine. If you aren’t going to use it daily, I would shake the ink containers when you walk by it once a day, either way. I hope you enjoy the process of deciding if you want to go in that direction. It is a scary step-but if you think it is worthwhile for you, Roland is a great way to go.
I just love the fact that you take us on your journey and we learned about what you are doing for your business. For me this was love and excitement for me because you have grown so much
I work at a community college and in our prototype lab we have a Roland UV printer. I think we've had it maintenanced once in 2.5 years and it was just because the bed became tilted due to user error. Granted, we don't have a printer + cutter duo... but I would say so far our experience with Roland has been great!
Oh they are so pretty, in a techy printy kind of way lol I’d consider looking into a second hand one, you could save over £5k. Sometimes you can pick up pretty new equipment but with a significant price cut. Along with ink price, I’d want to know any maintenance costs, blades etc too & frequency this would all need doing. Along with breakdown call out charges & typical timescales for repair & obtaining parts.
To cover some of the costs in investing you could offer print services (even temporarily) to make some extra income to make the machine pay for itself. Possible part-time evenings/overnight/weekends person working printing/cutting to not interfere in your day to day business? (I was recently quoted 3-4 working days for a small order from a full time print company, so turnaround could be ok doing this)
Enjoy your trip in December, I’m sure you will make the best decision for you ❤
I have a small publishing business, although it is nothing like yours, I believe in making good Investments. Sometimes we need to spend money in order to make money. Weigh the pros and the cons. The amount of time you spend making your products now. The cost of out sourcing, and having to get a new batch when in doesn't come with your specifications. Time is money and if you can invest in something that will improve your productivity and your business, I would say go for it. But ultimately the decision is up to you. You have all sorts of ideas in your mind to create additional products, that you can not do at this moment because of you're limited capabilities in producing them. New products mean more variety more sales. Learn as much as you can about the printer before you buy it. Take advantage of the sales person and drill them dry... LOL, until you have all your answers. At the end I know you will make the right decision. 🤗
Have you ever looked into consulting a business coach for the future of your small business?
Exciting stuff Katherine. Firstly can I say how much I enjoy watching your vlogs your energy and passion for your business really comes across. This was a particularly interesting vlog from a business perspective. I'm an accountant so I had lots of finance based questions around costing out what you currently pay for outsourcing, what the costs oild be to run production in house. Does hire purchase give you any help with maintenance costs? Can you literally hire a printer instead so that the maintenance and repairs are not your burden.... Like I say lots of questions that hopefully your accountant would be able to help you with. Good luck with your decision making.
This is awesome! I’ve used Roland printers in the past few print shops I’ve worked in. There still one of my favorites. 😊At the Makerspace I currently work at now. We have the Roland True Vis SG2-300 and it’s been wonderful. Our printer doesn’t get ran as much as it could be but that hasn’t seem to mess with heads. Before I worked there we had a head strike where we did have to have a tech come in and adjust the print heads. But that can be avoided with research and knowing the settings for each material you use and making sure the material doesn’t get stuck . The inks have lasted us for a while with no problems. There are smaller parts we have had to replace such as cutting blades wipers and little pad and such. I’m sure the newer machines are even more advanced. I think you will absolutely love it and it will be huge investment for your business.❤
I was looking into these exact print and cut machines too, so it’s awesome to see that you’re eyeing them as well! Though for me it would be for my sticker manufacturing service, but my main shop would benefit from it too lol. I also have always bootstrapped my businesses, so I understand the conflict of having to possibly take out loans to upgrade, but whatever you end up doing, we all appreciate you sharing the journey! 💖
Wow this video is so timely. My husband I were just looking at samples from Roland to see if it would work for our stickers since they are more fine art style and less vector. I'm glad you said what you said about the entry level one as that is kind of the same decision we came to. We love having control of our quality and color, and the one with UV capability has so many options. Someone we know from doing conventions uses the UV paired with their Xtool and makes the cutest keychanins and ornaments that are fade resistant and scratch resistant. I was so impressed by the quality, it really got us thinking we could expand into making our own charms and keychains.
I had an older version of this and i absolutely loved it! Sold it begining of the year in preperation of immigration . There are so many options with this!
I think you’re going the sensible way of looking to grow by researching, having the important conversations and running the numbers. I’m sure between you, Dean & Mike, you’ll be able to see if it is a good move for you 😊
Something I'm wondering is how long would it take to pay for itself V how long is the machine's life?
I remember when you were deciding to give up your job to go full-time in Katnipp and there was the worry about what brexit might mean for small businesses. You made the right decision then and I feel you'll make the right decision again for Katnipp.
I would say it's a good investment. I invested a ton in a badge maker a few years ago, and besides from it being good for my own business, I ended up also doing some badges for other small business at a set cost, which was a nice way to help other businesses out and get some extra income in the quiet months- which is something you could also do with that printer.
I think it would be a great investment especially if you ever decide to do wholesale orders. I like that there is also the option for printing your own packaging. I know you have been talking about ways to simplify it and it would give you a great option of trying different things. I would also take into account the amount you are spending when you outsource as well as the shipping costs. That might help with some of the costs you see if you do invest.
Catherine is there a way for you to rent a machine that kind of does this same thing? It doesn’t have to be Roland for now, it could be a practice machine that you bring into the business and you try integrating that new process out on your business, before actually committing to a loan.
Keep in mind that uv inks have a distinct smell when printing! I worked with one at work and it smells like uv nail polish. I wouldnt love that smell every day when working
As an avid fan, it would be exciting and amazing to get your printer that can do lots of different products + you have more control over the quality of the products if you do it in-house... but then again it still goes down to how much you can invest wo really breaking the bank
This video was so much fun! You are right that there’s barely any info on this sort of machines on the internet so it’s super interesting to see them in action like this! Also so fun its in Barcelona and hope in December you get to explore the city some! Been living here for an year and fhe city is full of wonderful sights ❤
For you I think it will make sense you can do so many new products, you can do your own calendars! I mean its alot of money but i imagine outsourcing is not cheap either and the amount you can do at one time would be so nice with the new machine. I loved the phone case. That was awesome! UV stickers is a rage right now. Put them on the cute keychains etc. and on the glass cups you do! They are so much more vibrant than doing sublimation on them. I say go for it but excited to see your next trip there. Good luck you are all awesome!
This was really fascinating to watch! As a small business I love seeing what others do.
The ink cartridges are CRAZY!! 🤣🤣😆 6:22
Katnipp Studio’s taking over the world. I guess you can expand the business by taking print orders from other artists with the new printer
Yay! I remember commenting a while back that you need to check this machine out, so glad you did. This is one of the best decisions you’ll make, I’ve had one for over 10 years. I had a large one and now the smaller bn-20. You can’t go wrong.
I think it’s a great idea you could also become the “source” for other creators for stickers too 😌
Like others have said I am not a small business owner and that part I am not able to advise on. However I am a creative person, and it is clear you are too! If you’re already buzzing with ideas with what new possibilities the new print and cut machines can do for, I think it is what your idea is of “levelling up” your business and expanding on what more you can give to Katnipp. As you said currently you are limited on what you can/cannot offer because of outsourcing, sometimes working within those margins can create creative flow blocks because it feels the same but just a little different. Creatively I think this will really give you a magical boost to your ideas and business. Perhaps speaking to a financial advisor would be beneficial for them to help with forecasting numbers and if it’s the right choice right now or what numbers need to be achieved for it to be more viable. Looking forward to what 2024 brings for you all xx
Love your vlogs! This makes me think if you’ve got enough time to do it yourself, as you seem quite busy already. Outsourcing is a lot less time consuming. ;)
I think that with all the new features that this plotter could provide will open up to creating new products. AND I for one loved seeing your energy and your creativeness just coming through when you saw all those new options. Love to see you grow. :)
I have had roland printers. The cost you need to look into is the cost for replacement print heads. One can cost $900 and you may need up yo four if you have a 6 colour machine. Then a technician has a $200 call out fee before they start working and then the repairs and maintenance cost extra. I learned to do most of the servicing myself but it was still extremely expensive
The idea of it is nice, but I don’t think it’s something you should be investing in just yet. I don’t have a small business, but I have worked in big printing companies and the costs with the materials and maintenance combined with misprints etc can really add up.
Of course, if you crunch the numbers and honestly believe the products you could create would be really lucrative, then of course give it a go. But I know there are a lot of outsourced companies who do pretty much anything you’d be wanting - it’s just a matter of finding them.
Another concern I’d have for you is the space you’re in. If you believe this machine could really kick your business up a notch, you’ll outgrow your space yet again and you don’t want to be moving the machine around. I feel like you’re getting big enough to move in to a factory space rather than a rented office space, and once you’re there it will be time to get the machine.
All just my thoughts! Sorry if it sounds negative, I’m just trying to throw some perspective in. Either way though, it’s been a pleasure to watch your business grow over the years and I’m always excited to see what happens next. Good luck 😊
I love printers and thank you for showing this!! I think this is a great investment for your business…I’m the same way as in I want to make as much as I can in house as possible. My thing is, you guys already make so much in house, why not just continue with stickers and prints. I say go for it!!
hey girl, hey! The BN-20 was the best thing I purchased as a small business owner outside of my commercial dtf printer. One of the tru-vis printers are next for my bucket list.
Oh wow we have heard this is amazing too 😍 We love the lookof the BN-20 😍
I run my own business and looking at this printer I definitely will go for it I mean outsourcing is a high cost as well on what you want to do. I definitely would look into the maintenance on the machines parts if they break down how long machine will last two years beyond etc..But having a machine like that at your fingertips being able to do your own packaging and doing other products at your will without having to look up an outsource manufacturers and plus the Manufactures shut down go out of business close down you always have that machine so you can take that into consideration. Best of luck with things❤
When you buy the printer and do the production in house you will also have to factor manpower in the production costs. So its not just the cost pf the machine but also the wages for the employees who run the machine/do the printing process. IMO it will be a couple of years when you will start to see the price benefit of having this in house printer. At the end it all depends on the cash flow of your business and your financial projections if its worth it or not. I know that you do the mug printing in house - how cost efficient is it (counting in the material cost, wages of people who do the product, product waste (seconds)) doing it in house vs. Using a print provider.
Look into the noise, customer service and fumes before pulling the trigger. Good luck!
In my opinion make a move forward is the logical thing in the current position, moment of your biz. It’s 18.000€ expense plus the inks cost but I think it’s worth it. You’ll save the money of the manufactures (or just divert the money to this new investment and you will pay for it over time ) and you’ll be able to create more products at higher quality and speed.
Sounds very exciting. We visit Bristol a lot, and it's a lovely area. Have fun. I'm sure whatever you choose will be the right choice!
this is so good, congrats on all you have accomplished and i cannot wait to see how high you soar ❤❤
heheh oh my goodness tysm! 😍
Just to let you know the Roland BN20 does print waterproof stickers. I printed stickers with my sons name for his water bottles and some been on there over 18 months and go through the dishwasher at least 3 times a week. Had stickers on our bins at the old house for 4 years and were still perfect and these ones at this house have been out for 18 months and still going and I don't laminate anything. I only use genuine Roland inks though and make sure I download the correct profile from the vinyl manufacturer. The inks for the BN-20 cost approx £50 +VAT each for 220ml ones and print heads can go especially if not used every day so I print something every day on mine even if just a row or two of stickers as print head is £2500 +VAT so anything above this int he Roland range that also uses solvent ink would be just as good if not better! Hope this helps xx
@emmajane-ukcraftingmemories Thanks for sharing! I wonder if you could share what kind of vinyl did you use to print the waterproof stickers?
@shengcheng6477 I just make sure it is outdoor grade permanent vinyl and they work perfectly using genuine Roland inks. I've used over the 5 years I've owned my Roland vinyl from multiple suppliers but I mainly use Hexis and Grafityp as they are both local to me so my husband collects my orders for me
We went and looked at Roland 2-3 years ago when we switched to large format and we weren't super impressed. The print quality was really grainy because they are primarily used for larger things (rather than small stickers) and when I mentioned it the tech didn't seem to be able to produce anything I was happy with quality wise. I know a few artists who invested in a Roland and I can see the grain when they post videos of their stickers.
We also weren't super impressed with the cut alignment during the tests, but I've seen people who use Roland's cut planner stickers and the cuts look good.
In the end we didn't go with the Roland because of the print quality, but I do wonder if we had of been able to control the settings if we could have done better ourselves. The techs that do the demos never seem to understand quality that artists like, they always go for speed and volume. It would have been handy to be able to do our own vinyls though, but eh.
My works for a local business producing fine art prints and other products with a massive printer (I’m not sure if it’s a Roland, but it’s pretty much the same thing). It’s really impressive the quality, size, and speed they’re able to print. And I’m over here at home with my tiny tiny business using some $250 canon printer. 🤣
Honestly, if it were me I would want to be absolutely confident that this is what I wanted to do and if my business would be able to pay back that loan on the equipment over the course of a year. I know you guys have had hardships in the past and small businesses in general are having a hard time right now. I would say wait till the new year and be totally sure because it doesn't sound like you are 100 percent confident with a big purchase like this. Look into how your sales were this year and see if it'd be feasible.
Ah how exciting, I’d love to get one of those one day! They’re expensive, but a sticker shop owner I watch Tim Koa has one of these in his home he makes massive quantities of sheets and die cuts and even better he can make custom stickers too. Maybe that’s something you can look into as well like bumble butt holding someone’s name or information for a journal cover or label.
Have you thought about leasing an expensive large format vinyl, printing, cutting machine? Check out the Epson range of vinyl, inkjet cutting machines, good luck 😊
Im pretty sure that in company i used to work in we used the big printer (posters, billboards etc) for Roland
I have never used a Roland printer, but I have been using Roland cutters for over 20 years. I think it's the best way to go.
As someone who is still at the ground-ground-floor of the start to their art business, my perspective may be a bit different, if not without assistance in such a decision. From what you said, however, an investment into the business seems to be a great way to get yourself to that next step for Katnipp! Considering that you'd like to be able to have character silhouette sticker sheets instead of standard square or rectangle with stickers, this is definitely a way to do that, or could just do that on the Crickets you have, too, albeit the amount of time it would take may be counter-productive. I suppose there are different things to weigh regarding whether or not to go in-house versus outsource. Would your investment into the printer pay for itself? Would you be able to do the other things you currently do on this printer without needing to outsource? Would that allow you to put money towards the cost of the printer by doing in-house versus outsource? After all, if you don't do outsourcing anymore, that cost could be rolled into the printer instead. I guess you can also look at it in a way of seeing what other types of paper or surfaces you can print on (the phone case was adorable!) and can offer as a product in the future, too. I know that I'd love to be to a point of being able to invest into such amazing machinery, after plenty of research and talking of course. :) I hope that the decision you make is one that won't make you feel strapped and stressed!! You got this!
I’d be surprised if your area doesn’t have any creative grants? There’s quite a few going on in Newcastle that you could tap into maybe?
I nought the BN-20A for sticker printing and while i love it as a printer, the cutting was a nightmare. Its also scary to have the paet that could jam up so cloae to the very pricey printhead. I just use it now for printing and a separate laminator + cutter and I love it!!!
Thanks for taking us along for the ride to Roland. I have a lot of the same questions, though I'm still very small potatoes at the moment. I would love to get a print/cut machine that can do packaging and possibly even DTF or DTR... but I only need for small runs at this time, but would love to have more control over my products, packaging, and cost.
I used to work with a Rowland printer. From what I remember their customer service wasn’t great, and fixing the machine can be very expensive. The company I worked for regretted getting it over other brands. Just a warning 💕
It's so cool to see the Roland printers! I just opened my own custom sticker printing service for fellow artists, Sticker Birbs, and my dream is to get one of those Roland machines. Your insight helps me know what printers to look for in the future, but for now it's just me, my mini army of silhouette machines, and stickers handmade with love. I'm so excited for you to have such an opportunity to be able to invest in such a printer/cutter, I can totally understand why it may take some thinking over though, those prices are daunting to say the least haha. I look forward to you sharing more about your venture into Roland printers! Super exciting stuff!
Awesome video, very interesting. This is certainly a big investment. Did you also look at the new VersaSTUDIO BN2-20
and BN2-20A (both 20-inches wide)? What were your thoughts on these models? Unless you are doing wide format, would either of these be suitable?
And to run the RIP software, factor in a Windows PC (unless you already have one) or plan to run on your Mac as a virtual PC.
It’s so exciting all the things you could make with the printer and cutter combo. I would be as excited as you are and have to remind myself to calm down and look at the numbers to see if it’s best for the business. Even though you’d be able to put out more quality items and increase what you offer it’s only worth it if it’s cheaper to do it this way because you also have to put the someone on to run it plus materials and ink. I’m excited you go back in December and see if this is going to be profitable for you to invest.
I would love a sticker maker for my business, it would give you control to make as many or little as you want, and even...make some for other businesses. :) It does depend on all those details like ; cost /ink/reams of sticker paper? etc etc. What are you willing to learn and fix if it doesn't work etc. I have a huge laser cutter and no regrets, and I've had to replace things I was nervous to do. Laser cost was 10k and it's well more than paid for itself. I can see you making more designs on the fly and printing them when you wanted to and not have to worry about waiting around for it to arrive from a manufacturer. The best of luck to you and your team! :)
Thank you for sharing your insight on the printers
Ohhhh! You came to my cityyy 😍 I understand that you were excited to see all the Gaudi arquitecture, for me is one of my favourite things in my city next to all the modernism aesthetic that you can find through the city. Also I am really excited about the new machine, that will be a big step up as a business 😊
That would be such a wonderful addition to your business ! Just think; you wouldn’t have to corner-round all your sheets anymore !!! Good luck making a decision….but knowing you as a UA-cam viewer, I’m sure you make the right decision for the business.
You could print your own tissue paper and wrapping paper
I currently have a Roland vinyl cutter GS24 that is great. Use it every day with no issues. Looking into investing in a printer/cutter too!
How awesome! I cannot wait to see what you end up getting! I do not have a roland but eventually when my small business finally takes off I would love to get one myself... it would be nice to have something that prints and cuts. It would save so much on space, time, and costs to outsource for you! On another note I was wondering if you had done or would consider doing a video on how you get your videos to be so aesthetic and clean. I have a vlog of my own and try to edit my videos but just not pleased with how they just don't look aesthetically pretty (i am a serious overthinker and super picky about my own business sooo it may just be me) :-) Cant wait to see the next one! YOU DA BEST!
If you get your stickers printed locally and are happy with the quality, maybe you could ask that company if you could see their set-up and how your stickers are made and what machines they are using? Just an idea.... 🙂
Omg that really is a dream machine right there if you can find a place to put it and really get the full use out of it I know they are crazy expensive specially the ink and paper but if you don’t use it all the time you could maybe offer a printing service to small businesses in your area in your down time to help fund it.
I’m not a business owner but I think you should compare costs with outsourcing: energy costs, repayment costs, ink costs compared to the potential income this could bring you diversifying and extending your business. Could you claim any VAT from buying it for business (if that is a thing) . I think you are a very impressive young woman and I wish you luck ❤
My worries would be about the time the machine take to print (is it fast enough to manage the deadlines ?) and the noise it could make! It could be very uncomfortable if the machine is continuously working. That was my really pragmatic 2 cents XD
Looking forward to hear about the update about tge printer.😊
i agree with the rest saying it might be a good decision to get the big printer where you can do things in-house. i think it will help you a lot especially during product launch because it will buy you time and will make production faster which is good for your customers and i think for yourself as well because it can potentially provide you more time to do the creative side of the business. i'm also thinking although might be too far-fetched but maybe you can offer printing services to other small businesses in your area to get full ROI of the machine because you mentioned you are looking into setting a manufacturing days and the machine will only run for 3 days a week. whatever you decide, i hope it will be the best one for katnipp. 🙏❤️
This is so exciting! You may have already looked into it, but my local council have grants and loans available for small businesses - it may be a better interest rate as it's government supported vs a hire purchase?
oOOOOooo Im going to look into this thank you so so much 😍
Had a think ..dangerous I know.. You could get the 15k machine but instead of being the sole user team up with your local printer and rent it to them I'm sure they would bite at the chance. Also you could help other local businesses by printing small lots for them. Or do a little contract work on the side eg does your local school or library need new posters. I mean those foil embossed boxes looked lush. Imagine your keyring on that as a back ground ? I used to work with a A0 printer one of those machines and I honesty mantanace was really easy . So modern ones should good. I would say find other yt who have them and chat. But also think longgg run I mean 10 years use. Think of a printing company on the side of catnip and baby blue...
I don’t have a business although I’m working towards making it happen, but I’d worry about maintaining such heavy machinery. I know from experience that factory machines cannot ever be turned off, and so is something like these printers and plotters need a minimum running time to keep things running smooth, do they need to be checked up by a “mechanic” every once in a while . perhaps they need to be oiled or cleaned regularly ? thank you for taking us along with you ❤
Where will you place it??
New studio vlog?? 😍😍😍
a lot of art schools have these types of printers. my architectural college did. maybe call up there and see if u can get the number for your studio IT person and talk to them about those kinds of printers if they have them.
you need the maintenance manuals of the ones you want to know better. The eco solvents are only suitable if you have industrial level ventilation. That is also an issue for resin, uv. Two office windows won't be enough and if you need to install an exhaust-where will it issue to and are you even allowed to do that in the city centre, you may need to relocate to an industrial area. In order to make it pay for itself you would need to start setting up an arm of the business that did commercial printing for others, not just your own stuff. I think the safest thing is to track down other users of the exact machine in your region and arrange to talk to them. That's the only way you'd get the true skinny, and maybe out of your area so local printers don't feel threatened by you. That being said, 🤤🤤🤤
Hi I believe Anna Williams (this is her UA-cam channel name) has the same/similar machine to what you are looking at. Im sure she will be happy to help.
This could not be better timing for me! I have been trying to work out which ones to buy (and hopefully get a grant towards).
I love your earrings! 1:33
How much to get the machine to ship to you? Cost of ink replacement? Repairs? What do you do if the machine is down? It’s a huge investment, but the possibilities seem very exciting. I don’t envy having to decide.
The inks for our large format cost us about £800.00 and these prices are always increasing nowadays. Also you will need to use the printer every day not just the 3 days as you were saying otherwise you will be calling out the engineers to sort out problems even though you say it comes with self cleaning for the head. Don’t start me on the cost of maintenance after warranty. Good luck honey ❤
Definately get a sample done on the UV, I found they leave a texture which is not ideal.