Adding to what you said, if we don’t get a printer that can contour cut then we should upgrade the vinyl cutter to one with an optical registration feature so we can kiss-cut vinyl stickers.
For best results, utilize ORAFOL ICC profiles available at www.orafolamericas.com and allow solvent-based inks to dry for at least 24 hours (48-72 hours preferred) at 70°F before cutting the graphic to the ink or applying a laminate.
Any particular reason for that medium? There is a ton of adhesive back vinyl out there that is not not limited to Latex and take 3 days to dry. Look at 3M for all the different types of adhesive back material.
What you are looking for is a Plotter. You can create the plotter cut as a layer in AI and “print” it to the plotter. Mimaki is a pretty common brand and well liked. Great for making a sheet of stickers or decals.
What would I like to print at the Space?
Photos and digital designs on glossy, matte, or canvas paper. Car wrap graphics. Custom bumper stickers. Custom wallpaper. Possibly occasional outdoor signage.
The real question is HOW do we want to print? Typical printers like we had are referred to as solvent printers. Latex is the other option. Why would we want to even consider Latex? The ink is mostly water and doesn’t put off gas like solvent. Many industries including auto paint are moving towards water soluble for both Earth and regulation reasons. Here’s an interesting article discussing pros and cons of both technologies: Latex vs solvent - Image Reports
I can see a multitude of cross committee opportunities given the right printer and media options. I have more articles for those that are interested, but don’t want to start listing off printers before we even decide ink type.
What I personally would want to print would be banned for my booth
They need to be able to be good reproduction fo pics of my work
and they would need to be fairly large and waterproof
After looking at the expansion space, I would love to see the committees be able to
print large anned of the type of work they do and hang them on the walls in the workshp